Folkingham Heritage Festival Lecture on Hereward

David Maile has been invited to lecture at the forthcoming Folkingham Heritage Festival on Sunday 19th September.

One of the more gruesome stories from the Hereward legend will be presented during a lecture by David Maile at the Folkingham Heritage Festival on Sunday 19th September, organised as part of the nationwide Heritage Open Days celebrations by the Aveland History Group.

Historical revisionism in recent times has given a clearer picture of Hereward's existence at the time of the Norman Conquest and it is now universally accepted that he plied his trade as a mercenary soldier in northern Europe before returning from exile almost a year after King Harold had been defeated at the Battle of Hastings by William the Conqueror.

The early twelfth century text commonly referred to as the Gesta Herwardi offers an intriguing account of Hereward's first night back home in England after being away a few years. Hereward had fought in the army of the Baldwin V, the Count of Flanders who died on September 1st 1067. Hearing of the Norman subjugation of the English It prompted Hereward to return to England to claim his inheritance as he had also heard that his father had died. Upon his return some days later Hereward was informed by one of the locals that a group of Norman soldiers had taken up occupancy in his family home and had killed his brother. His mother was imprisoned in her own home. When he made his way to his home he discovered a group of unarmed Normans drinking and celebrating with local girls, he swiftly leapt out of the shadows and slaughtered the lot of them. The next day 14 Norman heads were hanging from the entrance to his father's estate.

'If we are looking for the birth of the Hereward legend, then surely this is it. Exiled, famous mercenary, returning retributionist and then spearheading a revolt, he lived his legend as it was happening, this is why we remember him some nine hundred and fifty years later.' says David.

In the thiry minute plus Q&A presentation David will also talk about the close connection Folkingham has to Hereward and the forward plans of the WakeHereward Project which he founded in 2013 'to raise the profile of Hereward the Wake.'

The lecture will take place at Folkingham Villge Hall, Market Place, Folkingham, Lincolnshire NG34 0SE on Sunday 19th September, starting at 4:30pm and lasting over half an hour. Entry is free of charge.

The full programme for the Folkingham Village Hall lectures:

11.30 Lincolnshire Oral Tradition - Rantanning, Mumming and Morris by Simon Garbutt, Chris Petz and Dr Matt Simons

12.30 Folkingham Castle by Martin Smith

13.30 Knights Templar and Hospitaller by Dr Christer Carlsson