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The next Update is planned for late 2008
All links to other pages (except the Members Forum) are currently inactive
In the interim, you can find out basic information about Westcentingas as well as how to join by clicking the links below.
About Us ¦ Where We Are ¦ Our Aims ¦ Our Shows ¦ Joining Westcentingas
Westcentingas is a Saxon living history group and part of the international society called Regia Anglorum. Pronounced “west-kent-ing-as” on its own and “west-kent-ingers” in the flow of conversation, it generally means “the folk of West Kent” or “west Kent folk”. The Group was formed in August 2007 and ratified by the main society in October of the same year.
Regia Anglorum as a whole seeks to accurately portray Early English history from the 9th through to the 12th centuries and includes Saxon, Viking and Norman groups within its membership.
Westcentingas was established to provide a focus for anyone interested in exploring predominantly - but not exclusively - pre-Conquest Saxon history in the Weald of Kent.
Today, the membership is made up of families and individuals from diverse backgrounds who have one common passion: to explore, understand and educate others through displays just what it was like to have lived in the turbulent period between the rise of Wessex under Alfred the Great and the death of King Harold and the supremacy of the Duchy of Normandy. Oh, and we also have fun doing it!
Incidently, you may have noticed that our emblem - the stag - looks rather Viking. That is because it is...sort of. It was inspired by Norse craftsmanship found on a grave slab in London and dates from around 1035AD. Kent in that period, as it was in Roman times before and as it is today, would have been a melting-pot of cultures on the cleared and coastal territories. Inland, within the dense Wealden forest, long-settled Saxons would have predominated but not been isolated. They would have traded along the navigable rivers and Roman roads with their more 'cosmopolitan' neighbours and may well have been captivated by Norse art. Since, one of the prized animals within the Weald would have been the stag, the thought of this image being taken back home works for us. Archaeologically, of course, much of our area remains devoid of rich finds. However, as many are at pains to point out: an absence of evidence does not imply evidence of absence.
Westcentingas covers that part of Kent that extends from roughly Ashford in the east to Westerham in the west, Aylesford in the north, to the Surrey and Sussex borders in the south. The modern day boundaries are set as A28 in the east, Clacket Lane Services on the M25 in the west, the M25, M26 & M20 as the approximate northern border, with the Kent county boundary forming the remainder where the roads intersect with it.
The green area in the modern inset map is our "land grant" (a Society term reflecting how land was distributed by the King, Church and the aristocracy). Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, West Malling, Chart, Edenbridge and Tenterden fall within or sit on the boundary of our area.
This division of the county is due to the fact that two other groups of the Regia Anglorum exist within Kent. The Milites de Bec - a Norman and Viking group - covers east Kent from the A28 to the coast and Medwaeg - a former Saxon group that is evolving into an Anglo-Norman riding team - covers the remainder.
Our aims as a group, as stated above, are to demonstrate the daily lives of those people we commonly call the Anglo-Saxons through living history displays. This may include:
the recreation of minor battles - mainly against the raiding Northmen or Vikings;
hunting and military training that would have gone on in quieter times;
how daily life in a village went from day to day, year to year, including all manner of small displays such as cooking, mending, sewing, braiding, healing, metalworking, carpentry, music and even ecclesiastical practises.
Our aims as individuals naturally support the group aims but can be as diverse and as researched as far as that person wishes to go. Some only join to expand their social network whilst having a general interest in history. Others join to focus their interests and deepen their learning, be that of traditional skills or for academic purposes. Whatever our reasons for joining, the over-riding factor is that whatever we do, we want to ensure it is as authentic as possible before presenting it to the Public.
Finally, our other principle aim as a group is: TO HAVE FUN!
Shows and events are divided into to two categories within Regia: national and local.
National shows are major events usually funded by historic bodies or councils and are the mainstay of the society’s income. Most commonly presented over a weekend, these often recreate major historical moments from the period - as recorded in the so-called Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - and are open to all groups to attend. Indeed, the more the merrier. For members, it is a good way to meet the remainder of the Society as well as many of its leadership, exchange ideas, purchase equipment and just gossip the weekend away. For those who want to be warriors, attending National shows is paramount for getting trained and assessed in the various weapons Regia permits on its 'battlefields'.
Local shows are organised by the local group - in our case, Westcentingas - and are generally specific to the area in which the group operates. They can be one day or weekend events. Again, the theme of the show may be sourced from the A-S Chronicle but it is often personalised and adapted to meet the scale of the venue and the expected numbers of members who can attend.
To become a member of Westcentingas, you actually have to join the Society - Regia Anglorum.
As many other ratified groups advise, we suggest you come along to one of our Hearthnights - essentially, an excuse for us to meet in a local hostelry and do business over a sherbet or two - or visit one of Regia's shows. At either of these you can meet the regular members, chat, look at what we do, talk about what you are looking for if you join.
To get current information about what we are doing, where we are meeting, to ask questions about how you can participate in the Group and whether joining is really for you, send us an email using the link provided here: info@westcentingas.co.uk
We will always endeavour to respond within a couple of days.
We look forward to hearing from you.
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