Joining Us

Hwitmearum, in common with the rest of Regia Anglorum, is a family based early medieval reenactment society specialising in the period from approximately 850 through to 1066.

We seek to create as accurate a representation of the life of the Anglo Saxons, Vikings and Normans as possible; many hours of research goes into our recreations. If this sounds like something you would enjoy, then please get in touch.

Hwitmearum at Sherwood 2019

We welcome members of all ages, however, under 16s must be accompanied by an adult guardian as a member, and we do require that we meet any new members before they commit to membership.

The initial kit is relatively cheap and straightforward to make. We are more than happy to help out with clothing patterns, pointing you towards authentic materials, and helping you to put together kit for your first show. Everything on display during an event should be known from the period, and visible modern belongings (watches, modern shoes, phones, glasses) must be hidden away during show hours. We do advise that you don’t buy any kit before speaking to us to ensure it complies with the authenticity regulations.

Regia shows cover both living history and combat. Most shows are a balance between the two although some are just combat or just living history.

Living history is a demonstration of the crafts, skills and day to day life of the period (for example textiles, dying and spinning, weaving, woodwork, leather and bone work, metal work, pottery, manuscript production, food preparation or dairying, ecclesiastical displays and much more). Don’t worry if you don’t yet have any tenth century skills to demonstrate. There will be plenty of people to introduce you to new skills. All you need is a willingness to learn. If you already have a particular authentic craft or skill you would like to demonstrate, that would be very welcome too.

Regia: feast in a mead hall, sail a viking boat; join to take part in combat but find yourself becoming a skilled embroiderer; join to spin and weave but find yourself learning how to use a forge. One thing is certain, your Regia journey will lead you in unexpected directions. Come willing to learn, and you will be surprised what you can do.

Combat varies from small skirmishes at local shows to large scale battle reenactments. Combatants must be aged over 16 and must pass a safety test before they are allowed on the battlefield. Both men and women are welcome to take part in the combat. There is no upper age limit, although in practice most people tend to wind down once they reach their early 50’s and concentrate more on the living history. A new combatant starts with a spear and a shield, and may progress to weapons such as a sword or axe once they have passed their spear test. Typically, this takes about a year. We also have archers on the battle field. Combat training is given within the local groups, at Regia national training events, and at shows throughout the year.

Membership fees (includes membership of Regia Anglorum):
Full Members - £25
Family Members (Under 16) - free
Junior Members (16-18) - £20
Concessionary Rate - £20
All membership runs from October to October.

If you are based in the Oxfordshire area and interested in joining, please contact us, and we will arrange to meet you either at a local hearth night or at a Regia National event. Please be patient if we do not reply immediately, we do this in our spare time; sometimes there is less spare time than we would like!