Hereward Oak Day at Bowthorpe Park Farm PE10 0JG - in the Hereward Heartlands. Rory G regales tales of Hereward's Exile just before Christmas 1062.
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Hereward | Hereward the Wake | Ely The WakeHereward Project is the official organisation for the folk-hero of the Fenlands Hereward the Wake.

Rory will be regaling tales of the Hereward legend and sounding his new horn, which should delight the kids who can pose for photo's with Hereward the Wake outside Ely Cathedral, if they ask.
It's free, fun and informative.

#WakeHereward
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Hereward | Hereward the Wake | Ely The WakeHereward Project is the official organisation for the folk-hero of the Fenlands Hereward the Wake.

What made William advance when he did, which route did he take and where was Hereward? I will be giving clues to these answers ahead of the publication of my academic text 'On the Conqueror's Trail' next year, when I introduce Rory G as Hereward the Wake outside the cathedral at 1pm.

Hereward | Hereward the Wake | Ely The WakeHereward Project is the official organisation for the folk-hero of the Fenlands Hereward the Wake.

It is a moment filled with epic mystery. The sources speak of treachery and betrayal, a secret pathway and a surprise assault. Where was Hereward? According to one source he was out foraging! Picking nuts and berries just does not sound very heroic, so much for Hereward's last stand...

Folk hero of the Fens Hereward the Wake in a boat burning reeds with two of hi men rowing

On Monday 27th October at 1pm we commemorate Hereward outside of Ely Cathedral, 954 years after the defeat of his forces and the Fall of Ely in 1071, some five years after Duke William of Normandy defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
#WakeHereward
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Flyer promo of Hereward the Wake reenactor at Ely on 27th October.

#HerewardsLastStand at Ely & other tales will be regaled by Hereward re-enactor Rory G with his brand of medieval street theatre 954 years to the date of the #FallOfEly on Monday 27th October.
1pm outside Ely Cathedral
1.30pm at Oliver Cromwell's House / Visit Ely
#WakeHereward #Hereward

Hereward Returns!
Hereward opened the Hereward Wargames Show at Peterborough on Sun' 7 Sept', commemorating his return from exile 958 years ago when he led a five year rebellion against William the Conqueror. 'Hereward's Revenge' is the wargame being shown, by Peterborough Wargames Club.

Hereward leads out The Wakes commemorating the 958th anniversary of his return from exile in early September 1067, when he began a five year rebellion against the oppressive rule of King William I 'the Conqueror'.
The moment serves to sustain the cultural folk memory of Hereward among his own folk.

4. The WakeHereward Project marks the occasion through medieval re-enactor Rory G appearing as Hereward at Bourne Town FC on Saturday 6th September 3pm and opening the Hereward Wargames Show at 10am on Sunday 7th at The Cresset, Peterborough.

(image: Count Baldwin V of Flanders).

3. the entrance to his family estate and a group of unarmed Normans occupying his home. Enraged, he swiftly leapt from the shadows and slaughtered them, hanging their heads in place of his brother's and firing the rebellion in the Fens that would span five years.

2. Robert the Frisian when he heard of England's fate & decided to return home to collect his inheritance after hearing of the death of his father.
The 12th Century Gesta Herwardi claims that when Hereward returned to his hometown of Bourne he discovered his brother's decapitated head hanging from

1st September 1067 - the death of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders, hastened the return to England of the Outlaw Hereward.
Baldwin was father of Matilda, the wife of England's new King, William I 'the Conqueror'. Hereward had been fighting in the Count's army as a military commander under his son..

Banner announcing appearance of folk hero Hereward the Wake at the Hereward Wargames Show at 10am on Sunday 7th September.

Hereward the Wake will be opening the Hereward Wargames Show at The Cresset in Peterborough at 10am on Sunday 7th September.
Bring the kids along!
Tickets £3 & Details at hereward-wargames.co.uk
#HerewardWargames
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Actor Rory Gibson, who has performed the role of Hereward the Wake since 2021, seen here on Sunday at Peterborough Cathedral during the celebration of the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

Sunday 29th June, the WakeHereward Project commemorates Hereward's knighting at Peterborough 957 years ago. We also begin the process of petitioning the Dean of Peterborough to have Hereward absolved from his excommunication following his raid on Peterborough on June 2nd 1070.
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In search of Hereward, Peterborough Cathedral...
#HerewardCountry

The Hereward Rising against the Normans. 955 years. 2nd June 1070-2025 Hereward the Wake Folk Hero of the Fens #CulturalHeritage #History #Folklore TikTok video by WakeHereward Project

Hereward the Wake seen spotted in Peterborough at the Cathedral exactly 955 years after his rebellion against the Normans.

By the end of Lewis' Hereward Charity Challenge fundraising success along the Hereward Way where over £2.5K was raised for charity we had found our Standard Bearer in young Percy Lamb who has represented Hereward's Standard Bearer Rahenald the Steward of Ramsey in many events and appearances since.

living history re-enactors and others associated. It also gained the 'seal of approval' from Johnny Wake of the Wake family from Courteenhall, which was a great honour for the WakeHereward Project.

one would associate with such a formidable warrior as Hereward the Wake.
It didn't come easy, Lewis and I haggled and bickered on several different suggestions. At one point Charlie left the conversation 'I'll leave you chaps to it' - but we eventually got there with a flag that got the approval of

'British Lion', tying him to the modern day United Kingdom.
Once we had finalised our idea it was then left to Charlie from Cantanware to materialise our collective vision. The way he designed the Wake Knot into the flag was ingenious and the black lion rampant gave it the power and presence

It was also used in England after the Union of the Crowns in 1603.
It was used in the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom after the Act of Union in 1707
Therefore, as well as the lion rampant representing Hereward's position as a military commander in the Flanders army, it is also representative of the

The Flanders flag today has a lion rampant in black. The lion on the Flanders flag did not appear until after Hereward's time but it felt appropriate as the lion rampant has been used as a royal emblem in Scotland and England. It was first used in Scotland by William I also known as William the Lion

The colours chosen were red and yellow, the heraldic colours of the Wake Family, but I felt it still required more and I found this in Hereward's connection to Flanders. According to the legend Hereward fought as a mercenary in the army of Baldwin V Duke of Flanders.

The Wake family connection to Hereward is disputed however they have been safeguarding Hereward for several hundred years. Regardless I decided we should go with the knot as it gave us a deep connection to the Hereward legend and would be much better than something we personally invented.

elements connected to Hereward's legend and I suggested we utilise the Wake Knot.
The Wake Knot is an heraldic knot used historically as an heraldic badge by the Wake family, formerly lords of the Manor of Bourne in Lincolnshire whose family estate is now located in Courteenhall in Northamptonshire.

Lewis Kirkbride was also in on the conversation. What should go on the Hereward flag & which colours? The more you consider the more difficult it became.
After abstract ideas built with no connection to Hereward I deemed that instead of inventing a flag out of thin air that maybe we should include..

In 2021 we decided we needed a Hereward flag, banner or standard, particularly for the living history re-enactments. Nothing in the sources gave any description of a flag, although a standard-bearer is mentioned.
Charlie from Cantanware got in touch and we discussed possibilities.

Author Charles Kingsley 'Hereward the Wake' (1866)

Charles Kingsley's 'Hereward the Wake' (1866) transformed a medieval footnote into a Victorian icon. His historical novel not only catapulted Hereward to fame but set the standard for how his legend would be remembered. #HerewardTheWake #VictorianLiterature #CharlesKingsley

I spent this past Sunday as Torfreda for the Hereward relay
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