Regia Anglorum

Regia Anglorum (A term used by early writers in Latin texts, meaning Kingdoms of the English [people]) is a Medieval reenactment organisation reenacting the life and times of the peoples who lived in and around the Islands of Britain from the time of Alfred the Great to Richard the Lionheart. Its members portray Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Norman and British living history from the period 950-1066. The society has gained in popularity as a result of being featured in television programmes such as Michael Wood on Beowulf (BBC Four, 2009).

It was founded in 1986 by members formerly of The Norse Film and Pageant Society (aka 'The Vikings') and has a large British membership. An unincorporated association, it claims to be one of the largest Early Middle Ages re-enactment societies in the world. The organisation is currently composed of 41 Local Groups, most within the UK and some in North America.

Regia Anglorum is an Associate Sponsor of the British Museum, and is a founder member of the National Association of Re-enactment Societies and The Battlefields Trust.

The most high-profile of Regia Anglorum's activities is the Wychurst Project. On 3 acres (12,000 m²) of freeheld land in Kent, the group is building a permanent site. It is a full-scale replica of a defended manorial burgh and the flooded ring ditch and bank surmounted by 220 metres of palisade encloses an acre. The Longhall is complete, secure and weatherproof and at 60' x 30' x 30' (approx 20 x 10 x 10 metres) is by far the largest building of its kind in Britain. Gatehouses are under construction, two small cottages are already in use and further structures are planned in an ongoing development programme.

The site is used for educational purposes and is open for public visits, but Regia Anglorum says it does not aim to make a profit from it. The primary purpose of the settlement is to enable the group's members to experience the lifestyle of the period in a more complete way than ever before. The site, known as "Wychurst" (AS, "the village in the wood"), is situated in woods adjacent to Wildwood Discovery Park 60 miles (97 km) from Central London near Canterbury in Kent.

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