Forthcoming Events
THE VIKINGS ARE COMING
Get Hands on with History – Go Berserk with the Vikings!
Saturday 16th to Sunday 17th September Threekingham – an Aveland Odyssey Free Event
Bring the family and spend a weekend invading Threekingham with the Great Heathen Army of 300+ Vikings, to experience the origins of our Danelaw heritage.
The Vikings will recreate for us the Battle of Stow from 870 AD, where they fought with Anglo Saxon defenders – after defeat on the first day, the invaders returned for a rematch and left in triumph!
So come along to watch battle formations and the living history encampment, where the Vikings will give insights into all aspects of their lives.
In the Church, a programme of free lectures will be running over the weekend, sponsored by The Viking Society for Northern Research.
We are delighted to have an archaeologist who will dig a test pit for old and young alike to experience the thrill and painstaking work it takes to identify artefacts from a hole in the ground. What will you uncover?
With free entry, join us to make family memories that are as unique as you are! Enjoy a plentiful array of freshly prepared food and drink, alongside hand-picked market stalls and heritage crafts to catch your eye.
The Viking Festival is part of Heritage Open Days and we are proud to have been sponsored by North Kesteven District Council, along with The Viking Society for Northern Research.
The Threekingham Viking Festival has received a generous grant from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This money has been distributed by North Kesteven District Council as part of its events programme through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which includes funding for new events in North Kesteven which can engage communities and grow pride in place. Visit www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/UKSPF for more on the events programme.
A weekend to remember – what will you discover?
DIRECTIONS TO PUBLIC CAR PARKING
The entrance to the free car park is off Saltersway, Threekingham. Saltersway can only be accessed from the Mareham Lane (West) end.
The Event Field, and St Peters Church are a short walk from the car park.
Please note that the Parking Field and the Event Field are uneven underfoot, and are subject to prevailing weather conditions.
There will be limited Blue Badge Parking on the Event Field, please ask a marshall to direct you.
Toilets are available in the Event Field
The Event Programme and the Lecture Programme are to follow.
KICK OFF THE FESTIVAL WITH A FRIDAY EVENING TALK
More Details
From AD 865 to 878 the Viking ‘Great Heathen Army’ wreaked havoc on the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Britain, leading to political conquest and settlement across northern and eastern England. Whilst earlier Viking raids had largely been coastal hit-and-run affairs, this period saw a change in tactics, with Scandinavian forces overwintering at strategic locations across the country. Yet despite the pivotal role of the Great Army, little is known of it: documentary sources provide few insights, and until now archaeological evidence has largely remained elusive. However, in the early years of the 21st century, the locations of two winter camps were identified. These sites at Torksey, Lincolnshire, and Aldwark, North Yorkshire, have yielded thousands of metal finds, showing the Army processing loot, trading, repairing equipment, and preparing for upcoming campaigns. The two camps have revolutionised the understanding of the Great Army and other Viking forces, and tell the story of the early years of the Scandinavian settlement of England.
OUR SPEAKER
Mark Randerson is an archaeologist with over thirty years’ involvement in fieldwork, specialising in the early medieval period. Now based at the Historic Environment Record at North Yorkshire Council, he has recently completed a project with the University of York, cataloguing and comparing the finds from the two camps.
A FREE LECTURE PROGRAMME THROUGHOUT THE FESTIVAL IN ST PETERS CHURCH
With the support of the Viking Society for Northern Research, we have been lucky to engage a variety of speakers to give a series of 8 informative and entertaining free talks on various aspects of the life and times of our Viking forefathers.
The Vikings and the Middle East: Trade, Crusade and a Meeting of Cultures
Dr Nicholas Morton is the course leader in History at Nottingham Trent University where he specialises in Medieval Near Eastern history. The author or editor of many books and articles, his most recent publication is The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East (Basic Books, 2022). This book offers a multi-perspective history of the Mongol invasions into the Near East. He has also written extensively on the history of the Crusades including: The Field of Blood: The battle for Aleppo and the remaking of the Medieval Near East (Basic Books, 2018). Nic runs his own YouTube channel offering videos on these topics (Handle: @MedievalNearEast). You can follow him on social media and his Twitter handle is: @NicholasMorto11
The Anglo-Saxon Fight Back and the Lady of the Mercians
Carole Divall was for many years Head of English at Sleaford High School for Girls but even before she retired from teaching she was spending much of her time on historical research.
Although her principal interest lies in the period of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, where she is the author of eight books, the chance to learn Anglo-Saxon as part of her combined honours English and History degree at Southampton left her with a great fascination for the Anglo-Saxon period, from both a historical and a literary perspective. She, therefore, welcomes every opportunity to turn her back on Napoleon and engage with the much earlier period.
