The Huscarls
The Huscarls are an Australian re-enactment group located mainly on the central coast of NSW.
They focus on the peoples of western Europe during the Dark Age (also called the "Early Medieval Period"), concentrating on the years between 800A.D. and 1066A.D.. This includes Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans, but the club includes Avars and peoples from the Great Moravian Empire (in modern times occupied by the Czech Republic) as well. They have been active as a group since approximately 1990. In recent years they have become very expansionist, with numerous burroughs popping up in Queensland, The Central Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and even Britain.
The Huscarls focus more on living history activities than some groups, and are well known for their numerous woollen tents.
The Huscarls once endured a kind of rivalry with Fire and Steel but this has since dissipated, with interclub co-operation now the preference. The Huscarls regularly train with the Sydney based club Uppsala, and occasionally other clubs like Lionheart and Europa.
In 2006, a contingency of members participated in the 940th anniversary commemorative re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings, held on the original battlefield near the town of Battle, in Sussex, England.
Huscarls involve themselves with smithing, bronze, silver and gold jewellery making, leatherwork, woodcarving, period carpentry, period stonemasonry, calligraphy, the spinning, weaving and embroidering of textiles, bone and antler carving, archery, brewing & cooking period food, drinking and eating said period food. Any facet of Dark Age life is considered worthy of interest. Building a Viking faering is on the list for the near future. One of the chief aims is to conduct many of these activities using tools and materials as they were during the period, maintaining as authentic a result as possible. Experimental archaeology forms a distinct element of activities conducted within the club.
The club has an extensive library, with over 250 titles on the period (with an Anglo-Saxon emphasis), including some rare titles; as well as having its own museum, housing over 180 Anglo-Saxon and Viking artefacts from the period, including jewellery, weapons, armour, utensils and personal items.
The club is a live steel combat group. All potential members are encouraged and assisted by club members to meet minimum kit requirements for public events and private camps.
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