Being a section of events, announcements and happenings of interest to members of the Society in particular, and all pike and shot enthusiasts in general. Included are both wargaming and purely historical events, all drawn from the Society's business oriented pamphlet Mercurius.

We are looking for news about events that might be related to any part of the Society's era of interest, whether it be in the UK, the US, the EU or anywhere else. Please, don't be shy about dropping us a line to let us know what's going on.

Submissions for Mercurius should be sent to the editor at the following address - 16 Cobbetts Way, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 8TL, or via Email at neil.rennoldson@ukonline.co.uk.

Now Thrive the Armorers - Arms and Armor in Shakespeare NEW!

Washington, DC, USA, on exhibit 5 June thru 9 September 2008 – Knights on horseback charging across battlefields is one of the most vivid pictures we have of the middle ages, yet our concept of these aristocratic warriors is heavily influenced by ideas and weaponry from Shakespeare’s day. In “Now Thrive the Armorers”: Arms and Armor in Shakespeare, viewers are brought face-to-face with a wide-ranging collection of armor and weaponry dating from the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries, an era when the nature of warfare was rapidly changing. The exhibition centers on Shakespearean plays in which arms and armor figure prominently while also exploring “real world” weapons and fighting techniques from the period. For more infomation click here to bring up the official press release.

New Approaches to the Battle of Naseby

A day conference organised by the Centre for English Local History, University of Leicester, Kelmarsh Hall, Sunday 29 June 2008. This conference will investigate the past, present and future of Naseby. It will link the recent successful approaches to the battle by academic historians, archaeologists and landscape analysts, encouraging them to engage with a public audience. It will celebrate and look to build upon the exciting developments made in recent years by the Naseby Battlefield Project: http://www.naseby.com/ .

Click here for a pdf brochure giving specifics about the event.

Richard III Foundation Convention NEW!

Annual Conference 2008 - 27th September 2008

The theme is The War of the Roses - Military Thought and Practice while he lectures announced so far are . . .

• Stoke Field 1487 : Reconstructing a Medieval Battle : David Baldwin
• Finding Bosworth Battlefield - Warfare in a Medieval Landscape : Glenn Foard
• Richard III as a Military Commander : Prof Anthony Goodman
• Edward IV's French Campaign of 1475 : Military Thought and Chivalric Expectation : Dr David Grummitt
• Battlefield Conservation, Designation and Display : Aims and Approaches from Across the World : Dr Paul Stamper
• The Price of Defeat : The Treatment of Prisoners in the Wars of the Roses : Prof Matthew Strickland.

Cost of the day is £35 beforehand and £40 on the door. The conference to be held, as usual, at Market Bosworth in Leicestershire. More information at Website http://www.richard111.com.

Forthcoming Society Events

The Society will be in attendance at the Salute convention and trade show, Excel Centre, Docklands, London on 19 April 2008.

The Society will be in attendance at the Phalanx convention and trade show, Liverpool, 21 June 2008.

Netherlands Maritime Museum , Amsterdam

This museum closed at the beginning of 2007 and will remain closed for the next two years for refurbishment.

Top image by Iain Stanford from the Society's recreation of the battle of Blenheim at Colours 2004. Coat of Arms from the
Richard III Foundation. Bavarian Drummer from Anton Hoffmann's the Army of the Blue King, 1905.