March of the Archers 2009

Lamorbey Park Archers

The March Of The Archers 1509 - 2009
500 years on

“Dear Archer of the March and of the Fraternity.
Thank you so much for your support.
You made this into a magnificent event and if you thank us for it, let me immediately say the obvious; it could not be done without you!”

So runs the message from Mr Brian Mooyaart, Captain of the Fraternity of Saint George, who organised this significant and important anniversary in the City of London on October 11th 2009.

King Henry VIII was crowned King in April 1509 and shortly thereafter chartered the Guild of Saint George as a Company of Longbow Archers thereby establishing recognition within the City of London of a body of men who were established to be part of the King’s bodyguard in London. (There exists to this day a similar body of archers in Scotland responsible for the protection of Queen Elizabeth II.) Later that year The Guild of Saint George mounted a March of the Archers to demonstrate their presence and establish their place in the King’s retinue. This was a grand affair and attracted many to view the pageant and grandeur and was staged to mark the inception of this new and remarkable addition to the trades and mercantile Companies at Guildhall.

Five hundred years on, we have celebrated that March, thanks to The Fraternity of Saint George under the Captaincy of Mr Brian Mooyaart, and re-enacted as far as we may that Historical Event.

We celebrated the anniversary by following the path from The Guildhall to the last remaining open ground in what is left of the Finsbury Fields north of the Roman wall of London where Archery became a regular sport under King Henry VIII. This is now the Headquarters of The Honorable Artillery Company and the field is known as the HAC Garden.

The event was titled The March of the Archers 1509 – 2009 (a celebration and once in a lifetime opportunity) and so it proved to be. Fellow Archers attended from France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Swtzerland, the Netherlands, the United States of America and Italy. This was indeed a multinational and Historical re-enactment event not to be missed.

The Fraternity of Saint George exists, and continues, under Brian Mooyaart’s Captaincy, to raise funds for charities for the Armed Services: The Honorable Artillery Benevolent Fund; The Army Benevolent Fund and Combat Stress, and is committed so to do in the future. A ceremonial Presentation of the Purse (of substantial funds raised) took place at 14:00 on the field.

Lamorbey Park Archers give special thanks to Brian and Catherine for their commitment to their cause and thank them for the privilege for us to be THERE. The experience will stay with all of us forever.

Members participating were :

Paul Rooke
Honorary Secretary

Shooting at the H.A.C.

Our thanks to the Honourable Artillery Company for being such wonderful hosts. We were all made very welcome, although the pike-men didn’t seem welcoming initially as can be seen above.

It seems a shame that this field is all that is left of the Finsbury Fields that were originally used for honing the archers skills and ran from the Artillery Ground to Islington Common. Some of the history is on display at the H.A.C.

Picture courtesy of Colin Hind