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Watch: Battle lines drawn as York re-stages Civil War
THE stage is set for York's first English Civil War Festival which will see the city provide the backdrop for the biggest battle re-enactment of its kind in the country in August.
Parliamentarian and Royalist will again cross swords as the largest re-enactment group in Europe, The Sealed Knot Society, stages the first English Civil War Festival that York has ever seen.
At the end of the ten-day festival, thousands of pikemen, musketeers and cavalrymen will take to the field as Sir Thomas Glemham's Regiment of Foote brings the Battle of Marston Moor to earth-shattering life at York Racecourse on August 29, 30, and 31.
York sees its fair share of re-enactors every year, but this will be the largest re-enactment in England this year. Civil War enthusiasts will descend on York for a packed week of events, battles and displays.
Thousands of people will be turning out, providing an economic boost to the city as well as showcasing its key role in Civil War history.
Highlights include the launch of a commemorative beer, York Siege Ale, going on sale in pubs around York after the event, courtesy of Rooster's Brewery.
A Sealed Knot spokesman said: "The festival may remember soldiers of the past, but those of the present will not be forgotten – a percentage of the event's profits will be donated to the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal.
"Representatives of the Legion will be at the launch, which will see the drums and colours of the old and the new stand together."
During the Civil War, King Charles I could no longer rely on the loyalty of the Londoners, and fled the city to the place he considered of next highest importance: York.
The Battle of Marston Moor was to be the biggest and bloodiest battle of the wars, ending with the wholesale slaughter of the Royalist Marquess of Newcastle's Regiment, who made a valiant last stand against an overwhelming force of Parliamentarians.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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