An Afternoon Remembering Hereward

Hereward the Wake can be seen, met and heard in Ely this March at the pub he may
well have frequented had it been around in his time.

Medieval re-enactor Rory Gibson, who has gained quite a reputation for himself acting as the folk hero of the Fens in recent times, will be part of an event arranged between The Hereward Pub at 45 Market Street, Ely, and the WakeHereward Project to remember our local hero.

‘An Afternoon Remembering Hereward’ will be a three hour journey beginning at 3pm
which will tell the story of Hereward through exhibition boards installed in the venue,
PowerPoint presentations, a replica of the Bayeux Tapestry on display and folk music
songs and tunes as well as a rousing re-enactment of Hereward himself.

Historian and Host David Maile will analyse the Hereward legend against the backdrop
of the Norman Conquest and give his take on William the Conqueror’s eventual successful assault on the Isle of Ely.

David will introduce Mia Hansson who has been embroidering a replica of the Bayeux
Tapestry, with two nine metre lengths of the tapestry on display in The Hereward. Mia
will talk about her mammoth task, whereby during the past seven years she has embroidered over 40 metres of the 69 metre length. Mia has been featured in national
newspapers in the UK and around the world and is expecting to complete her epic masterpiece within the next five years.

Providing music throughout the afternoon is the talented Singer and Songwriter Gemma
Parker who performs under the name of The Dark Bardess. Gemma is one of the few
people in the country who are proficient at playing the old Anglo-Saxon instrument the
Lyre. She will be performing well known medieval tunes such as ‘The Harvest Dance’
and ‘The Bear Dance’. She will perform her rendition of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, ‘Beowulf’ as well as sing Viking Saga songs in the Old Norse (Viking) language.

Gemma has also written songs and ballads about Hereward especially for the
WakeHereward Project events and her adaptation of Iron Maiden’s ‘Run to the Hills’
into a medieval folk song has an air of reality to it when one considers the fate of those
at Ely when William the Conqueror’s forces eventually set foot on the Isle.

With the whole afternoon being a tribute to Hereward there will be two performances
from the incredible actor Rory Gibson, one ‘The Heroes Journey’ is an acting monologue of Hereward’s life as a soldier and the events as they unfolded from Exile to Ely and the second performance is a display of the weaponry that Hereward would have
been acquainted with and used in his defence of the folk on the Isle of Ely.

So why not join us for a late lunch and drinks and a great Sunday afternoon as we go back to the dark days of the Norman Conquest and hear the amazing story of the Folk Hero of the Fens, Hereward ‘the Wake’.

WakeHereward Project – herewardthewake.co.uk/herewardely