Cheshire, UK 2017 . Holly Holy Day & Siege of Nantwich re-enactment. For over 40 years the faithful armed troops of The Sealed Knot living history group have gathered in the historic town for a spectacular re-enactment of the bloody battle that took place almost 400 years ago and marked the end of the long and painful siege of the town. Roundheads, cavaliers, riflemen, musketeers, soldiers with other historic entertainers converged upon the town centre to re-enact the Battle. The siege in January 1644 was one of the key conflicts of the English Civil War.
The name of this day is “Holly Holy Day”, and it comes from sprigs of Holly worn in the hats of townsfolk following the battle, which actually happened on January 25th. The first English Civil War was playing out, and through December 1643 and January 1644 Nantwich had been besieged by Royalists. During the fourth week of the first month of the new year, Sir Thomas Fairfax was marching with 5,000 Parliamentarians to relieve the siege. Engaging the Royalists west of Nantwich at Acton, the siege was broken, and a decisive victory for the Parliamentarians was gained. The Battle of Nantwich took place in the 17th century, during Civil War in England, when there was a power struggle between Royalists (Cavaliers) and Parliament (Roundheads). The Parliamentarians held Nantwich. The Royalists wanted it, so Lord Byron's army laid siege to the town. After several weeks a Parliamentary army led by Sir Thomas Fairfax arrived, and defeated the Royalists in a battle on 25th January 1644. The relieved citizens of Nantwich named the day Holly Holy Day and celebrated it annually. In recent years, members of the Sealed Knot Society have re-enacted the battle on the Saturday nearest to the 25th January.
Size: 3600px × 2400px
Location: Nantwich, Cheshire, UK
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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