Sericum et Gladium

18/05/2026

23/03/2026

The military crossbow in the 13th century from our member Hotston Balistarius

The 13th century sees the crossbow develope on a tactical, organizational and technical level. In the case of England the first records of high-level domestic crossbow production start in 1204, likely as a result of the loss of Normandy, compromising the strategic trade routes to Italy along which the majority of England’s crossbows had been imported. This incentivized the importing of foreign crossbowmakers or ‘Balistarii’ to make crossbows at royal locations such as the tower of London, allowing for a more reliable source of crossbows for the crown. Along with the first known signs of domestic crossbow production, we also see advances in the technology being used on said crossbows. The first two decades of the 13th century see the introduction of stirrups, belt and hook loading devices and horn composite (as opposed to wood) crossbows into mainstream use.

As well as this there is significant evidence to show the increasing power of military crossbows in use in the 13th century. The antler roll nuts used increase noticeably in size, allowing for larger strings to be held and metal sears are inserted in the bottom of the nut to reduce wear with the metal triggers that also begin use in this period. Archeological finds of surviving laths also show an increase in size and therefore power in the weapons being used. By the end of the 13th century the crossbow has evolved into the recognizable archetype of the medieval crossbow, and has evolved into a decisive battlefield and siege weapon, with dedicated formations of crossbowmen being seen in conflicts throughout Europe, solidifying the crossbowman’s distinctive place on the European battlefield for the next 200 years.

20/03/2026

It is almost time for our two most accomplished warriors to meet once more in the field!

Our blue knight, in a heraldry of Azure and Argent is Sir Roger de Leybourne. Recently returned from crusade, a punishment inflicted upon him as penance for killing Arnulf de Munteny in a joust with an uncapped lance in 1252. He has laid the challenge to our knight in Orange.

Our Orange knight, in his heraldry of Or and Gules, is Sir Thomas, a mere retinue knight (like Sir Arnulf) yet one who has risen in the tourneys.

The date is set and our knights have trained hard. It will not be long before a victor is found... Who will it be?

08/09/2025

Doing something new, were showing off some of the crafts people in our group have been up to. First is this amazing shield made by our member Rohan.

I bought my shield blank from Caledonian Crafts as I knew his work was of high quality. The shape is based on a number of sources, and can be seen clearest on slide 6 [BFLG Mss. I15289 Latin Bible. Folio 298v.].

The strapping is a mix of contemporary sources and my own personal preferences. For this one I really wanted to experiment with the 2 centre straps being held together. This style of strapping can be found on the last slide [SBB MS. Germ. 2º282 Eneit (Eneasroman). Folio 47r-2].

To make my heraldry really stand out, I raised it from the shield. We see this technique being used a fair bit on 13th century shields and I really wanted a statement piece to stand out on the battlefield. I based the material of my shield on that of Konrad von Thüringen's (1230s), one of the oldest diapered shields still extant today. That shield is lime wood, wrapped in parchment with a layer of gesso over the front and back. The lion is carved from thick hide and then nailed on to the front of the shield before receiving their own coats of gesso.

I followed a similar approach. After covering the shield facing in a coat of gesso, I cut 6 Lions out of 4mm leather. Due to their size, I opted for glue rather than nails. Once affixed, I used gesso and filler to fill any gaps that appeared between the lions and the shield. Once the gaps were filled, I put 5 coats of gesso over the top to give the lions a protective covering and mould them to the shield.

Once all of this was dried, I painted the field in a cobalt blue, using modern pigments as a money saver as this shield will be for combat use. I opted to paint the lions in a silver colour to represent the silver leafing that may have been added to shields.

Having now used this shield for a season, I can very happily say that it is comfortable to wear and fight with. The colours and diapering leave a strong impression. Going forward, I wish to make a display shield with a planked base and using only period techniques and materials.

20/05/2025

Just back from a fantastic event at Evesham Market, there are many more pictures and videos to share in the coming days! We're really proud of how far our group has come in just a year of Reenactment!