Day Sealed Knot did battle turned out to be a bit of a do!
IN June 1992 an amazing event was staged in West Lancashire at the Beacon Countryside Park.
A collaboration between the Rotary Club of Ormskirk and the Sealed Knot Society worked to bring to life a recreation of the Battle and Siege of Lathom House.
It was a huge commitment by the Rotary Club to attempt to stage such a large event.
With the support and cooperation of the West Lancs District Council; Ormskirk Round Table; the Rotaract Club; Ormskirk Inner Wheel and Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve and grant aid from The Countryside Club, the planning began, with the hope that it would all come together and they could hold the event by 1994.
The Rotary Club organisation was founded in 1905 in Chicago with the motto ‘Service above Self’ and adopted the pioneers wheel as their logo, the female version of the club is the Inner Wheel, formed in 1926.
Rotaract, formed in the 1960s, is for younger people who follow the same values as the Rotary Club. The Rotary Club and the Rotary Clocktower are still going strong in the town.
Planning for the event began in 1991, with the intention of staging it in 1993, the 350th anniversary of the original siege. The Sealed Knot Society then found they had a cancellation of a planned event for June 1992 which would have involved 3000 ‘troops’, in their terms, a major muster.
This is at a time when there was no domestic internet, no easy research option, communication was by letter or telephone.
It is amazing to look back and work out that between these groups a plan was put in place and in less than 12 months the event was ready.
Local businesses supported the organisers by buying advertising space in the souvenir programme. The main sponsors were as follows: West Lancs Car Hire; 111 Ormskirk Business Park; New Court Way J. Mallinson (Ormskirk) Ltd; Firtree Nursery, Firswood Road, Skelmersdale Miletex Ltd of Great Sankey Ben Naylor Partnership (Atchitects); 32 Derby Street, Ormskirk Rathbone Bros. Ltd, Bakers, Newtown, Wigan West Lancs Project for Economic Development; Pennylands Fillingham Photographic, Brighouse Green, Lathom; Pilkington PLC, Hall Lane, Lathom.
Local companies that also gave financial support were Mahood Marquees; J.J. Balmforth and the Little White Bus Company.
The organisation was very much the responsibility of volunteers from the Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve at Rufford, with the Rotary Club to carry the plan through and the West Lancs District Council’s Recreation Office agreed to let them use the Beacon Park site.
The Sealed Knot organisation, a charity founded in 1968 had a membership of over 5000 in 1992, the society now has the largest membership of any re-enactment group in Europe.
A large arena was built at the Beacon Park, there were four ‘Battlefields’ and an encampment. The event was staged over two days with each day marching bands (the Chesterfield
Musketeers and the Breaston Highlanders); Bird of Prey displays; sheepdog trials; motorcycle display teams; hot air ballooning; helicopter rides and a horse show, all scheduled around a two hour siege re-enactment each afternoon.
A celebrity auction was held and the list of donated memorabilia included autographed photos from the stars of Neighbours; Coronation Street; Emmerdale; Eastenders and Brookside.
Autographed photos from the cast of Doctor Who (which had been off air since 1989); All Creatures Great and Small; Poirot and Miss Marple; Autographed photos from Only Fools and Horses and Last of the Summer Wine and a pair of Bet Gilroy’s earrings from Corrie. Someone may still have those?
The Rt. Hon.The 18 th Earl of Derby, Edward John Stanley M.C., who in 1992 was an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Ormskirk, wrote a short introduction to the souvenir programme.
It was his ancestor, the heroine Charlotte, Countess of Derby, who successfully held the Parliamentarians at bay during the first siege.
The 18th Earl of Derby was awarded the Military Cross for his service in the Italian Campaign in the Second World War where he reached the rank of Major. He died in 1994 and his nephew became the 19 th Earl of Derby.
The overwhelming support of the local authority, local community groups and businesses of all trades is what made the event happen and why it was a success.
It is frightening to think how many hoops any local group would have to jump through now to stage such an event.
Finances would be one issue but the sheer scale of the 1992 event is incredible.
It may happen one day, we may see the Sealed Knot again locally, they certainly held an event at Bank Hall, Bretherton in 2008 and the Earl of Manchester’s Regiment of Foote is still part of the Sealed Knot Society and will no doubt be out and about this year re-enacting local battles.
A good venue with parking is needed to attempt to do this all again.