Coming Events
The first Thursday of each month we hold Drop-By and Drop-In sessions at the statue (12-2pm) and in the Marina Fountain (2-4pm). They are a chance to chat about any or all things concerning Edith and heritage issues. Open to all. Do please come along.
We have regularly given talks and presentations on our work and the story and legacy of Edith and her statue, whether formally at an event or as a discussion topic amongst a group of friends.
If you would like us to organise one of these for you, or if you are a member of a local club or society and would like to consider this within your future programme of activities, please contact us.
Past Events (2024)
As part of this year’s Hastings Week programme we held the following events:
Battle Abbey Re-enactment Weekend
We had a stall both days, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October in the Undercroft of the Dormitory Wing at the Abbey.
958th Anniversary Talk at the statue
At which we celebrated the anniversary with a few words amid an evocative downpour!
Edith Festival 2024
The Edith Festival 2024 was held on Saturday 19th October at The White Rock Hotel (in the Seafront Room). Full programme below.
Order/Sequence/Timings
12.00 Doors Open
12.30 Mayoral Opening
12.45 Introduction: Edith in Context: Ian Jarman
13.00 Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia – 400-800 CE (Uncovering Rendlesham): Professor Chris Scull
(14.00 Q&A)
(14.30 Spillover/comfort break)
15.00 The History of Old Winchelsea: David E P Dennis
(16.00 Q&A)
(16.30 Spillover/book signing/comfort break)
17.00 Historic Buildings Mythbusting: Dr James Wright
(18.00 Q&A)
(18.30 Close with Spillover/browsing of merchandise/book signing)
Past Events (2023)
Battle Abbey Re-enactment Weekend
We were at this fabulous two-day event (Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th October) at Battle Abbey and learn about Edith’s key role in the Battle: in the Undercroft of the Dormitory Wing (indicated by the blue arrow/red circle on map) both days, with books, information and merchandise.
Whilst at the Abbey we met two fabulous re-enacters from Regia Anglorum, Jessica Bean and Mitch Mitchell, who re-enacted Edith’s statue for us (see link below for the video). It was the glorious fulfilment of many years of trying to bring this about. Thanks Jess and Mitch.
Edith Festival 2023
Full Progamme Listing
This year’s Festival took place over 3 days, featuring 8 events/presentations
in 4 different venues as follows:-
DAY ONE
Friday 6th October
Durbar Hall, Hastings Museum and Art Gallery,
John’s Place, Bohemia Road, Hastings TN34 1ET
13.00 – 14.30
Online Presentation & live Q&A ‘Historical links with Ukraine’
with Dr Caitlin Green
(see link below)
15.00 – 17.00
Presentation and display: ‘Lady Brassey and the Brassey collection’
with Sarah French
DAY TWO
Saturday 7th October
Auditorium and Art Gallery, Kino Teatr, 43-49 Norman Road, St Leonards, TN38 0EG
Afternoon sessions:
12.00 – 13.30
Play: ‘‘Cell’ – Mother Julian of Norwich’s 650th anniversary’
performed by Cindy Oswin
(see promo video via link below)
14.00 – 15.30
Presentation & Q&A: ‘Beowulf – the story behind the legend’
with Dr John Grigsby
16.00 – 17.30
Presentation & Q&A: ‘Busting Anglo-Saxon myths’
with Dr Marc Morris
Evening session:
19.00 – 22.00
Films/conversation/discussion + Q&A: ‘Lifeworks’
with Andrew Kötting & Iain Sinclair
DAY THREE
Sunday 8th October
At the Statue (weather permitting), West Marina Gardens, St Leonards, TN38 0BY
11.00 – 12.15
Tour and talk: ‘Edith’s story and statue’
with Ian Jarman, Friends of Edith
Marina Fountain, 26 Caves Road, St Leonards, TN38 0BY
12.30
Sunday Lunch meal: ‘Edith Festival Symbel’
(‘Symbel’ is the Old English for ‘Feast’)
with the FoE Team
Speaker Bios
Dr Caitlin Green is a historian/archaeologist and writer whose professional interests lie in the history, archaeology, place-names and literature of late Roman and early medieval Britain. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and Course Director for Archaeology at the University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education.
Sarah French works across the fields of art history, heritage and museums. Her PhD research has involved collaboration with Hastings Museum and Art Gallery and the Art History department of the University of Sussex. It explores the visual and material collections of Lady Annie Brassey (1837-1887), wife of Lord Brassey who as MP for Hastings in 1875 commissioned the statue of Edith and Harold now in West Marina Gardens, St Leonards.
Cindy Oswin is a writer, director, performer and opera librettist. The many commissions she has received include Shakespeare’s Globe for which she wrote the royal opening event with Mark Rylance. She has worked with many theatre companies including Paines Plough, Lumiere and Son, Rational Theatre, Scarlet Theatre, Leicester Haymarket, Derby Playhouse, and her own company, Salt Theatre.
Dr John Grigsby is a lecturer and author in the fields of history, archaeology and mythology and is currently researching Neolithic myth and ritual sites in Britain and Europe and is also Senior Archaeologist for Canterbury Archaeological Trust and independent lecturer for the Isle of Thanet Archaeological Society. His PhD thesis was on ‘Skyscapes, Landscapes and the Drama of Proto-Indo-European Myth’.
Dr Marc Morris is a historian who specialises in the Middle Ages. He studied and taught at the universities of London and Oxford and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England (2021) as well as many other books including the accompanying book for the highly acclaimed TV series ‘Castle’ for Channel 4 which he also presented.
Andrew Kötting is an artist, writer, and filmmaker, based in Hastings. He has made numerous experimental short and feature films, which have been awarded prizes at international film festivals. In 2011 his film, Gallivant, a road/home film about his four-month journey around the coast of the UK, was voted number 49 in Best British Film of all time by Time Out. He has often collaborated with Iain Sinclair, including for his 2016 film ‘Edith Walks’ for the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. He is currently a Professor of Time Based Media at the University for the Creative Arts Canterbury.
Iain Sinclair is a writer and filmmaker and Fellow of the Royal Society for Literature. Much of his work is rooted in London, with latterly much influence from the realm of psychogeography (the exploration of urban environments emphasizing interpersonal connections to places and arbitrary routes). In June 2019, he travelled to Lima to begin retracing the journey of his great-grandfather, Arthur Sinclair, to “the source of the Amazon“. which provided material for a book in 2021 and an essay-feature film in 2022 both entitled The Gold Machine. He currently also has a base locally in St Leonards.
Photos of speakers, in the order given above:
The first Thursday of each month we hold Drop-By and Drop-In sessions at the statue (12-2pm) and in the Marina Fountain (2-4pm). They are a chance to chat about any or all things concerning Edith and heritage issues. Open to all. Do please come along.
Anniversary of the Battle and Battle of Hastings Re-enactment Weekend 2022:
Over the three days 14, 15 and 16 October 2022 we commemorated the Battle at the statue by laying flowers and reading Heinrich Heine’s poem, and at Battle Abbey we had a marvellous time talking to many people (including lots of visitors from abroad) about Edith and her story. We gained many new friends to her cause and many expressions of sympathy and hope for Ukraine and Kyiv, where her daughter made her life and through whom her legacy continues in our Royal Family today.
Edith Festival 2022
Our first EDITH FESTIVAL took place on Tuesday 11th October 2022 at the White Rock Hotel, Hastings as part of Hastings Week.
We had a tour of the statue in West marina Gardens in the morning (photo courtesy Ken MacKenzie) and a number of speakers/performers gave talks on various topics in the afternoon and evening:
Hastings Castle Rejuvenation
Kevin Boorman, Major Projects Manager, Hastings Borough Council
Edith in Canterbury
David Reekie, local historian based in Canterbury
‘Eadgifu Swanneshals and Aristocratic Benefactors of St Edmund’s Shrine in Late Anglo-Saxon England’
Dr Francis Young FRHS, historian and author of 18 books, specialising in the history of religion, medieval monasticism and Baltic studies, and is a professional indexer and translator of medieval and early modern Latin
‘The Landboc of Eddeva Pulchra’ – Edith’s landed wealth and core homesteads
Ian Jarman, Founder and Secretary of Friends of Edith
‘King Harold’s mother’ – Gytha Thorgilsdottir
A short play and one-woman performance by Heather Leech, local playwright and actor
‘The Wyrtruman of Eadgifu Swanneshals’ – Edith’s family history, beliefs and fate
Ian Jarman, FoE, with additional input from Carol McGrath, author of ‘The Daughters of Hastings’ novel trilogy on Gita, Lady of Kyiv, Edith’s daughter – you can see her topical contribution on Gita’s life in Kyiv in the link below.
In addition there was a showing of local film-maker Andrew Kötting’s 2016 film ‘Edith Walks’ together with a video message from him and local author Iain Sinclair as well as displays and information sheets about the work of Friends of Edith.
Solidarity with Ukraine/Kyiv:
At our 3 March 2022 Drop-By we raised both the Ukranian flag and that of St Edmund both of which sport the same colours as our thoughts and heartfelt best wishes went to the oppressed peoples of the region. We also discussed the ties of 1,000 years ago between Edith and Kyiv, where her grandchildren were born and grew up.
Anniversary of King Harold II’s crowning:
Our first Drop-By of 2022 took place on 6 January 2022 and marked the 956th anniversary of Harold’s coronation in Westminster Abbey. Despite the cold we toasted his accesssion but remembered that this was not necessarily an un-alloyed moment of joy for Edith: for about this time she was estranged by him in favour of the sister of two northern earls, so the event was probably tinged with some sadness on her part.
Marina Fountain Xmas Fayre:
It was great to see so many people at this craft fayre on 11 December 2021. We had our postcards, badges, books and 3-D statues on display and chatted to many of the visitors and gained new members in the process. The mulled cider definitely helped!
Feast Day of St Edmund:
On 20 November, 2021 we gathered at the statue to mark the death of Edmund the Martyr, the last Wuffing King of East Anglia, who died at the hands of the Danes of the Great Heathen Army in 869. We told his story and raised our flag to champion the real Patron Saint of England and Edith’s belief in having a close connection to this saint and to her likely relationship to the old Wuffing line through both her father’s and mother’s possible descent from related Scandinavian dynastic folk-families.
Millenial Anniversary of Edith’s father, Thorkell the Tall’s banishment:
On 11 November 2021 we remembered the above which occurred on Martin’s Mass (11/11) 1021, with a talk on Thorkell’s story at the statue. It also reminded us that this year was also the potential millenial anniversary of Edith’s birth for she was only a babe-in-arms at the time.
Battle of Hastings 955th Anniversary:
To celebrate this anniversary on 14 October 2021 we held a brief talk and presentation at the statue, about the fate of Harold’s body and Edith’s journey into the unknown. Below are the handouts from that occasion.
Battle of Hastings Re-enactment Weekend:
Over the weekend of 9 and 10 October 2021 at Battle Abbey we had a marvellous time talking to so many people about Edith and her story. We gained many new friends to her cause.
Our Lady of Walsingham Feast Day:
To mark this day, on Friday 24 September 2021, and to celebrate Edith’s potential involvement in 1061 of the foundation of this National Shrine in Little Walsingham in Norfolk, we gave a short talk about how she was Lady of the Manor at the time (Harold held the estate) and also read a short extract from the Pynson Ballad of c.1490 which records this act. Copies of the hand-outs are given below.
Bexhill Heritage Talk:
We gave a 40-minute talk and presentation (well, it lasted nearly an hour, to be honest!), including Q & A, to the Bexhill Heritage group, on Wednesday 4 March 2020. Thanks to all who were there on a grotty-weather evening.
Swan Songs & Sketches:
Our first evening of music, theatre and film celebrating Edith and her statue took place on Monday 6th January 2020 at the Marina Fountain, Caves Road, St Leonards on Sea. The venue was packed with over 60 people attending, including the Mayor and Deputy-Mayor of Hastings. They listened to poems, songs and music and watched accompanying presentations, demonstrations and film and browsed our displays of information and merchandise. Significant funds were raised from sales of tickets, merchandise and donations. Here are some of the posters used to advertise the event and some pics from the evening:
Battle of Hastings Celebration Weekend, Battle Abbey:
We had a great time at these celebrations on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 October 2019, meetings hundreds of people and helping to spread awareness of our work and Edith’s story. A big thank you to all who gave us – and her – such generous support.
