This film is part of Free

Grand Tourney

Newcastle under Lyme celebrates its 800th anniversary by reintroducing the Mediaeval chivalry of a traditional knights' joust and 'ryte good stalls' for the peasants

Documentary 1970 17 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for Media Archive for Central England

Overview

Henry II (here played by film-maker Ray Johnson) awarded a charter to the town of Newcastle under Lyme in 1173. 800 years on and the anniversary is a good opportunity to bring a little bit of the dark ages back to 1973, the year of the three-day week and power cuts. Chesterton Stadium, usually the home of greyhounds and speedway, plays host to all the colour and spectacle of a traditional Mediaeval fayre.