Residents in Haughley, near Stowmarket, honour 850th anniversary of castle siege with medieval-themed activities

sam.harrison@iliffepublishing.co.uk

Published: 16:50, 11 October 2023

A village is set to turn back the clocks to 1173 to commemorate a historic castle siege’s milestone anniversary.

Residents in Haughley, near Stowmarket, will be remembering the destruction of Haughley Castle - almost 850 years later to the day - with a medieval banquet, a book launch and a tapestry display.

The celebrations will be kicking off on Friday, October 13 at Haughley Village Hall from 7pm where guests will don 12th century costumes, listen to live music from a minstrel and feast on a hog roast, glasses of mead and platters of fruit and cheese.

The previous event to mark the siege took place in June. Picture: Mecha Morton

The event will also mark the launch of Dr Michael Walker's latest book. Picture: Submitted

The evening will also mark the official launch of ‘A Hard And Grevious Battle: The Seige of Haughley Castle and The Battle of Fornham in 1173’ - a book created by author Dr Michael Walker.

Dr Walker said: “I am very excited for the book launch and I’m really glad we’ve made it accessible to ordinary people - you don’t need to be a history buff to still enjoy it.

“There’s a lot of local history in the book and many links to local legends.

Some photos of the tapestry which will be on display over the weekend at Haughley Church. Picture: Josephine Gibson

Paul Baker and David Jarratt-Knock at Haughley Medieval Fair earlier in the year. Picture: Mecha Morton

“The banquet is going to be fantastic - I’m really looking forward to it.”

The book took Dr Walker around seven months to produce and looks at Suffolk’s history in 1173 including medieval warfare, invasion, siege, and the battle which would determine the fate of Henry II.

The book will be on sale from Saturday through Moyse's Hall Museum, the Apex, the Bury Cathedral Bookshop in Bury St Edmunds and Palmers Bakery in Haughley.

The history of the siege will also be remembered in a tapestry display created by Haughley's knitting group and several people from the church congregation.

Scott Maybe and Gerald Brown. Picture: Mecha Morton

Visitors to Haughley Church will be able to see the tapestry on Saturday from 11am to 4pm and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm - and there will be a flower display, hot drinks, cakes and live music.

Entrance costs £2 and it’s free for children.

The medieval banquet on Friday costs £30 to attend and to book tickets, you can contact organiser Gerald Brown on 07969 654520.

Days Out Events Nostalgia Stowmarket Sam Harrison