Bishop Barrington Academy

Our work with Bishop Barrington Academy involved four interactive workshops on the Reivers. The children were encouraged to create their own improvised drama called The Truce Day.

Truce Days took place at key market towns and the agreement was that all the different Reiver clans would put aside their differences, refrain from criminality and violence and meet to resolve conflicts and make agreements

Each class split into four teams. One team represented the forces of the law who were presiding over the Truce Day. The other four teams played different Reiver families gathered at the market town. Two of the families had a dispute over cattle. The authorities had to keep the peace and try and resolve the dispute while the other two families had to decide whose side they would be on.

The children threw themselves into the scenario with enthusiasm and set about creating alliances and trade offs while the authorities worked to keep conflict from breaking out.

The children got a real taste of what Reiver culture was like and out of it came the response pieces below.

Darkness creeped in from every angle. Swords glinted in the sunlight left; attempting to intimidate the opponent. Ancient grudges have been left too long and now it has come to this. There will be war. The Grey family galloped with great speed aiming straight for the Charlton family. In the mind of the Greys they remembered the pain caused when their beloved cows went missing.

The Charltons were charging towards the Grey family. With a stern look on their face wondering why they were accused so wrongly and their blood started to boil.so they prepared for a battle of a lifetime.

The Charltons and the Greys marched up with swords, bow and arrows and daggers. Then the battle began, the Greys began slashing the Charlton family but failed in an instant and hit their own animals instead. As time passed there were all of the animals on the floor dying or dead, disembodied limbs everywhere, arms, hands, feet and more. Everyone was in agony suffering from the lack of blood. Then a surrender flag off in the distance was held low to the ground knowing that they lost declaring the Charltons victorious.

As they celebrated, one of them realised what do they do now? All of their livestock have died, their land is ruined so they can’t grow crops and they can not get money. So they will starve and so will the Grey family. So they try to think of what to do.

They go back to their families and try to think about what to do. A few minutes later they decide to try and clean the land after cleaning up all of the fields they get back to their regular lives and still are holding grudges for one another. 

The stormy night consumes the sky with its gloomy clouds. Lightning snatched at the sea of water; The wind shrieked with the never ending downpours drowning my feet and drenching the already overweight uniform. I drag myself down the rocky, uneven pathway that leads to the battlefield. I feel like there isn’t an end to this trail.

As I’m marching down into the battlefield I feel a wave of emotions hit me: regret,fear,confusion,anxiety and worry…

I feel my breathing getting heavier and louder as my mind starts to spin away from reality; I look around and try to focus on something instead of my emotions, but nothing works. All of a sudden, we arrived at the battlefield and the war began. People being flung off horses or shot to the ground.

I feel a sharp pain just above my knee but I don’t have time to look down. As I carry on through this traumatising day my vision becomes unfocused and I feel myself getting weaker. I can sense something dripping down from the pain and as I look down I see the wound soaking my lower leg in the deep wine red blood flooding out. 

People’s bodies are falling to the ground surrounded in pools of blood. Horses are galloping everywhere trampling on all the dead soldiers. I rapidly fall to the floor as an arrow comes flying towards my chest. Missed. I feel my body getting lighter as I struggle to get off the ground. The remaining soldiers start to retreat as all the others are left to die on the floor. Suddenly all my senses are gone and- I can’t move. My vision and feelings are gone as I fall into a slumber never to be awoken from… 

It was a dark, stormy night, lightning was snatching the landscape illuminating the rocky, uneven terrain ahead. The Johnston family were preparing for battle against their biggest English family rivals, the Crozier’s. They were a big family you see, and had many close reiver families always willing to help so they did not need the women of the family to fight alongside them. But their eldest daughter Maria Johnston was eager to fight more than anything else in the world! They were heading outside to see the weather conditions they were fighting in, they had not been outside even 10 minutes and their clothes were absolutely drenched! There fighting conditions tonight were going to make the battle even more difficult than it already was.

It’s 10:00 pm now only 2 hours untill battle. She knows that if she wants to fight she’ll have to cut her hair and dress as the men of the village do when they go out to fight. The storm outside wasn’t getting any better, if anything they had gotten worse! As nervous as a rabbit face to face with a fox, she grabbed the dagger and put it to her luscious, ginger hair and sliced it. She was shocked when she looked at her reflection, it was as if she didn’t recognise herself. She styled it how her father and brothers do every time they go out to battle and gathered her weapons…

The battle starts any minute now. So far no one has recognised her. She stands by her fathers side trying not to clutch onto his hand. She hears the cries from the Crozier’s. She clutches onto her dagger and then darts towards them on her fathers command. Her palms are sweaty, she’s questioning why she did this. She knows that any minute now she could get slaughtered, like a pig at the slaughterhouse. Her knees feel weak like she could collapse any minute, but she keeps herself upright. Then suddenly, someone sneaks up behind her and pushes her to the ground. She immediately recognises the face, it’s Lillie Crozier the Crozier she likes least. She knew that if she didn’t act quick then she would be dead within the minute. She cries for help and all of a sudden…

SLICE!

Her younger brother saved her, she’ll forever be grateful for him. Without thinking, she grabs him and gives a hug. With a confused look on his face he says, “Maria?”. She knew that if he told their father she would be in deep, deep trouble. “Yes it is. But please don’t tell dad or you know what’ll happen. Please, I beg you!” She begged hopefully. “Fine, I will.” She will forever be grateful for her brother and they fought side by side until the last few people remained. It was 20 against 6 and they knew they had won it and just as they were about to slice the main Crozier, he surrendered meaning that the Johnston family had won the battle. Maria was glad that the battle was over and wouldn’t be wishing that she could fight any time soon. She snuck away early to get back to the house before anyone noticed.

As quiet as a little,baby mouse, she snuck back into her bed and slipped into the piece of fabric she was using as a duvet. Little did she know, she got the most kills that night and became one of top people in her reiver group and would be called immediately whenever there was a battle. Not long after that they arrived home, and explained about their victory and the mysterious person who was the best fighter of the night and disappeared into the blue. Maria smiled at her younger brother and they continued on their night.

Creeping  slowly across the battlefield, my adrenaline pumping and my hands start getting sweaty.As timid as a mouse,my legs feel like twigs. 

GULP.

Swallowing what feels like a whole pork  chop my throat closes up and it gets hard to breath.The sound of armour clattering together as we march  fiercely across the grassland.

Screeches and growls come from over the horizon, chills run down my spine as the goosebumps start to appear underneath my armour. I clutch my sword with sweat dripping down.I try to keep calm and compose but the fear gets the better of me and my anxiety gets out of control…

Terrified, my comrades charged towards our vicious rivals. As we gallop I drop my sword and scramble to try to pick it back up… They are already here…

The Scottish have clashed with us  and we are in a heated battle. My life flashes before my eyes as a huge bulky Scottish warrior comes  viciously towards me. I froze.His fierce look scares the life out of me, he’s still coming towards me…With no intention of stopping he took a swipe at me but I was fortunate enough to roll out the way. Or was I  unfortunate? Tumbling and  bashing down the rocky hill I reach the bottom with a bang.BANG!!…

Luckily, I had thick armour on as well as my helmet to guard my head yet I still felt dizzy. As I looked up I suddenly heard all the cries for help stop.Was the battle over? Did we win? Armour shuffled  around me and I saw an Englishman was shuttling along the rocky path to wear I was laying. 

Saviour?

Aa I try to yell for help my lungs feel as though an elephant was on then and I feel light-headed and about to pass out.

Awakening from my slumber I feel awfully lighter. 

I look down to see no armour, no sword, no nothing. I try to look at my saviour but there’s no one in sight. 

As I try getting up an armoured warrior comes trudging through the door…

A  SCOT? 

What was going to happen to me? I was defenceless. As I whisper my last words he asks “Are you ok?”

I started feeling dizzy this time but i don’t think it was for the same reasons.

Endlessly walking for miles from town to town, a traveller follows the path from the closest dock to depart from the country. This traveller, covered within a mauve-shaded cloak due to it being the last in stock, had been travelling for days. and was running out of water. But what they had just seen come across, water was not an important matter.
 
Yelling from the top of their lungs, foes meeting before their very eyes, Reivers had a battle to begin. Menacing faces from each side of the battlefield looked upon each other. Leaders of the English and Scottish held their swords up high as they shouted and screamed, and their horses galloped forth. However, just as the traveller was about to turn and take a different path, an Englishman came sprinting from the back of the English army. Like an arrow being shot with power, the soldier was there within a few seconds. Recklessly he slipped after slowing down, as he gave the non-bothered traveller a long sword. The traveller knew this was a sign saying ‘please help us’, so they took the sword and came charging into battle.
 
Until the opposite side of the battlefield was cleared and nothing but bodies and horses lay dead on its wet, muddy grounds, the traveller and their comrades did not stop to retreat or surrender. Eventually the battle ended at last. Surprised with themselves, the English and the traveller claimed a win. Therefore the victors decided to celebrate and say their respects to those they lost. Although they knew the yells and torturing screams would never stop haunting them for life. But of course they thanked and cheered the traveller for his help and asked how they can help. So the traveller here had of course asked for some bandages, a cup of water and the road to the nearest dock.
 
The English and the traveller made allies and, in case of emergencies, the leader had declared that he will send a messenger to him, wherever the traveller may be. After their recovery, all of them followed as they led the traveller to a close by dock. Goodbyes are said, respects are given and this story will continue forward.