#Anglo-Saxon mirrors, carved wooden kings, and a mixed-media piece titled Broken #Vikings are on display during #Medieval Textile Week hosted by #Wolverhampton Central Library.
00:00So we're here at Wolverhampton Library and we're here with Rachel Arnold.
00:04Rachel, just fill us in on the project that's taking place here at the library this week.
00:10Oh yes, it's Medieval Textile Week and people from all over Wolverhampton can come here.
00:17I've got all the materials and threads and we're putting into practice the concept of peace weaving.
00:25Ancient Anglo-Saxon women like Lady Aethelflaed who defeated the Danes here in the Battle of Teckham and Wensfield also had the job of peacemaking.
00:36So whenever, when she won every battle, she also had diplomacy with the Danes and the Anglo-Saxons to how to make the peace, how to build a city.
00:49And every time she won a battle, there would have been stories shared and the women liaising with the women.
00:58But that's what this week is about from the way of thinking.
01:02But really, we're all getting different coloured materials and shapes from our culture.
01:07We had a Nigerian father and son make the shape of Nigeria yesterday.
01:12And the father drew everything and I cut it out and the little boy practised with his scissors.
01:19And then some of the Indians came and explained all the Indian patterns I've got.
01:25Because a thousand years ago, a lot of art, culture and design travelled along the Silk Road through Europe to get here.
01:33And we've got all these different people in Wolverhampton, the same descendants.
01:39It was very multicultural, a thousand years ago.
01:42But we've got so many fabrics, sequins and buttons.
01:45It's all colour and fun.
01:46We've got some really lovely, pretty little things just from the first day.
01:51It's only one and a half days into it.
01:53Ten to five every day, central library.
01:56And ultimately, this will create one large piece of work.
01:59Yeah, it is.
02:00It'll be stitched together.
02:00It's one big banner.
02:02So we thought we'd finished in one week, but it might be going on tour to finish at the different sewing groups.
02:08And this is one of your paintings here.
02:11Just talk to us about what this is and the inspiration.
02:13Well, this is Spirit World.
02:15When we won the battle here a thousand years ago, the three kings and all their nobles and thousands got killed.
02:24Usually you see Vikings in a powerful axe stance.
02:29But these are defeated kings, so they're all broken and humbled.
02:32They're all lonely and they've had all their weapons taken from them and they died very helpless.
02:41So they won't be going to Valhalla like they think.
02:44But this is all my...
02:47They're my ancient fathers because I'm Germanic Lord in Blood.
02:51So I feel they need a funeral.
02:54And it's a major event, isn't it, this battle?
02:58Yeah.
02:58Quite a lot of people don't know about it, really.
03:00It seems to be off the radar, doesn't it?
03:02But there's efforts to kind of...
03:04Bring it back.
03:05Yeah, and I guess this forms part of all that.
03:07Yeah, there's lots of people trying to raise the profile of the battle.
03:12And this woman written out of history, it was her organisation in diplomacy.
03:18She united...
03:19As a peaceweaver, she united Mercia and Wessex armies because that was her job as a royal woman.
03:27Well, I'm going to give you an impossible task now.
03:29Can you give us an outline of what the battle was and the significance in 60 seconds?
03:36In 60 seconds.
03:37Good luck.
03:38Well, basically, before this battle, there was lots of kings.
03:42And after this battle, the Danes couldn't get further south to rule.
03:48After this battle, because all their kings and nobles were slaughtered,
03:52each town and city, the Danes, had got taken back by Æthelfled.
03:57And then after that, her stepson Æthelstan became king.
04:02And then after that, there was only ever one king, and it was the beginning of the United Kingdom.
04:08Yeah, and all this happened, we think Tetanalway, don't we?
04:11Is that what we think?
04:12Well, there isn't any archaeological evidence where the battle was, but basically it was a whole area.
04:17Yeah.
04:17It couldn't be in one little bit.
04:19Just that there were only two place names at the time.
04:22Yeah.
04:22So it's a major event, and it does need to be celebrated more, doesn't it, really?
04:29Yeah.
04:30And what's happening behind you?
04:31What are the ladies busy beavering away doing?
04:33The ladies are making a dress, aren't they?
04:36Based on the old design.
04:38It's gone grey.
04:39It was green yesterday.
04:40Let's have a look.
04:41It's got a change colour.
04:44Hello, ladies.
04:45Hello.
04:46What are your names, ladies?
04:47My name's Ann Bickley.
04:49Ann Bickley and?
04:50Heather Dunn.
04:50But where are you ladies from then?
04:52Are you local girls?
04:53Yeah, yeah.
04:54Well, I'm a retired school teacher.
04:56I used to teach Wolverhampton primary for about 30 odd years.
05:00So as a former teacher, I should imagine you're quite passionate for people to become more aware of this history and this story.
05:09Absolutely.
05:09You see, because Wolverhampton doesn't really know about it, so it doesn't celebrate it.
05:16Yeah.
05:16It's a fantastic resource.
05:19I mean, the children, because of financial constraints, can't go very far, but here's
05:24this all on their doorstep.
05:26Yeah, totally.
05:27Fantastic.
05:27So you're making a dress?
05:29Yes.
05:29Heather is the clever person who knows how to do this.
05:33I'm just the model.
05:34So is this dress, are you going to be modelling this dress later?
05:37I am will be.
05:37Yeah.
05:38So what it is, it's a pinafore dress, so you'd have two straps down, and then a rope at the
05:43end of each strap, straight down like an apron, with open sides.
05:49We've got the sort of, this is kind of like the fabric that's being used.
05:54Oh, okay.
05:55It's a wool, it's a wool.
05:56Yeah.
05:56And of course Wolverhampton, very famous back in the day for its wool, wasn't it?
05:59Absolutely.
06:00Yeah, yeah.
06:00Absolutely.
06:01So under this, you'd wear a tunic, which is like a full sleeve.
06:04Yeah.
06:05So it's generally made of linen, and then this would go over the top of your apron dress,
06:10and it would be like, oh, we'll let it down to the floor, so you'd have leather boots.
06:13Yeah.
06:13I couldn't show you this, like a saxophone.
06:15Yeah, so it's the idea that this will kind of be a project that goes along, and then at
06:19the end of the week, hopefully we'll have the dress that you'll be modelling it.
06:22Yes, yes, yes.
06:24We've got the edges, so it's going to look quite high faces.
06:26Oh, yeah, yeah.
06:27That's nice, yeah, I like that.
06:29The colour.
06:30It's a bit of colour, isn't it?
06:31I mean, the Vikings like their glee.
06:33Silver and gold.
06:34Yes.
06:34Yeah, silver and gold.
06:35Good on them, good on them.
06:36Hemma, you've done a poem, haven't you?
06:38You're kind of talking about the battle, and so Anne's going to read it for us.
06:42Go on, then.
06:43Okay.
06:43In your best poetry voice.
06:45Right.
06:45It's called Lady Æthelflaed.
06:48While Saxon and Norse kings swore oaths on a ring, Lady Æthelflaed became a queen of
06:57the Mercian people.
06:59King Æthelred, her equal.
07:00She called upon Christ our Saviour to help defeat the Danes of Scandinavia.
07:06St. Oswald's holy relics could not be left to perish, beneath their feet lying trampled
07:13in the street.
07:14She raised the Mercian beard and constructed several burrs, which bolstered her defences, and
07:22brought the wolves of slaughter to their senses.
07:25Although her victorious battle remains a mystery, on the 5th of August, 910 A.D., she altered
07:34the course of England's history.
07:37Three kings, two earls, and five governors were slain.
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