Current Archaeology

Here are the governmental organisations, most of them in effect Quangos, headed by English Heritage and its various brethren: English Heritage is now trying to regionalise itself, so we list all the regional offices.

This is our list of national societies in archaeology. We are constantly amazed by the variety of organisations that exist in Britain, ranging from the august and well established such as the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Archaeological Institute, through the Medieval Village Research Group down to some of the more obscure.

Below is our list of local societies. There are so many of these and we have included two very important details, the date of foundation and the number of members: these often provide very useful information about any society - but remember that it may be the small, recently-founded societies that may be the liveliest!

Children in archaeology are catered for by the Young Archaeologists Clubs, of which there are 60 or so up and down the country, co-ordinated by the Council for British Archaeology.

Club branches provide an excellent opportunity to find out more about your local archaeology, and participate in archaeological activities. These can include anything from excavation work to cooking a medieval banquet. Details of the branches are below.

Today's re-enactment started some 36 years ago when a group of lecturers and enthusiasts at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, led by Brigadier Peter Young, formed an English Civil War Society called 'The Sealed Knot'.

The 'Southern Skirmish Association', American Civil War, was formed soon after; ‘The Vikings’ were formed  in 1971 and ‘The Ermine Street Guard’, covering the Roman Army, in 1972. Nowadays it is possible to join groups from Ancient Greeks right through to the Vietnam War.
Many traders, craftsmen and suppliers now make a living fulfilling the needs of re-enactors of all periods. Indeed it can be said that re-enactment has helped to keep alive and revive craft skills that might otherwise have been lost.

In the early years the standards of research and authenticity in re-enactment were not that high. However it was soon realised that to obtain credibility from historians, academics, museums and the public much more effort was needed to ensure that things were right. Old army boots, cut off wellies, resin helmets and man-made materials such as nylon and polyester would not do. Having said this, there is still a wide variation in the authenticity of groups of all periods. Some are exact in every detail, whereas others reach a compromise point much earlier.

It would be fair to say that re-enactment has had an influence on the authenticity of historical television, particularly in documentaries. Television costume departments and indeed costume designers are not renowned for attention to detail and research. It was soon realised that re-enactors could be a ready supply of well-equipped, trained bodies who looked comfortable in their kit.

Later periods have the advantage of having military and civilian equipment still surviving from their eras and this, together with written evidence, can be used to make accurate copies. Indeed the 'modern' periods can use actual artefacts from the periods they depict. Earlier periods, particularly Viking, Saxon and Roman rely heavily on archaeology to provide them with evidence. However, this is a two-way process with re-enactors feeding information back to the archaeological/academic world from experimentation. A classic example of this has been the use by re-enactors of Roman saddles made by Peter Connolly, from archaeological evidence.

How can one join or hire a re-enactment group? By far the best and most ready source of information is the directory 'Call to Arms' which lists over 800 re-enactment groups and over 600 traders and suppliers. Another way is to attend one of the events around the country, many of which are organised by English Heritage. Some of these are multi-period, including English Heritage's flagship event, 'Festival of English History' every August. In 2006 this will be held at Kelmarsh Hall near Market Harborough.

Most people have an era of history in which they are most interested and will be able to find a group or groups covering that period. Most groups are always actively looking for new recruits and enquirers will find that re-enactors are most welcoming and ready to talk about their hobby. You will need to decide if you want to take part in combat or have a living history role - many groups cater for both. It will also be necessary to decide how much you have to spend on your equipment, which for some periods can be expensive. However, most have equipment you can use first to see if re-enactment is for you. With some, such as The Ermine Street Guard, you do not have to buy equipment, it is loaned to you whilst you remain a member.  Why not help to bring history alive?

Listed below are some, not all, of the societies with strong links to archaeology. 'Call to Arms' can be obtained by phoning 0870 789 8778; email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; website www.calltoarms. com. English Heritage's Special Events Unit can be reached on 0207 973 3459.

Chris Haines