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Nigel
was thought to have been born in around 1270 in the
small village of Thorpe St Andrew (now part of the city
of Norwich) - the son of a simple carpenter. Nigel obviously
had little interest in his father's trade because, according
to local folklore, at around age thirteen he had joined
as a longbow man in one of the many of Edward I's companies
of archers. In his late teens it is said that he joined
the long campaigns over the Welsh borders against Llywelyn
ap Gruffydd where he fought "like a demyne".
Much has been made of Nigel's, apparently, instinctive
skill with bow and blade which seems to have ensured
that, by Llywelyn's death in 1282, he is recorded as
"Man at Arms".
In
1297, at Stirling Bridge, Edward's army commanded by
John de Warenne, Earl of Sussex & Surrey stood against
the Scottish rebel William Wallace. Nigel is now listed
as a Vintener and, still only in his mid to late twenties,
in command of a unit of 20 mixed archers and Men-at-Arms.
History shows that the day went badly for the English
who where lured over the bridge and then attacked by
the Scots when only half the army had formed. The English
rapidly dissolved into full retreat, the bridge quickly
collapsed under the weight of the fighting leaving half
of the English army stranded on the wrong side. The
marooned half of the English force were soon harried
by a Scottish force who had crossed at a nearby ford.
Warenne's close units fought hard, however, and against
all odds, won enough time for much of the English centre
to retreat to safety. It is beyond doubt that Nigel
Moreland played a major part in this action because,
later the same year, he is suddenly listed as Sir Nigel
Moreland - a singular honour for a man of essentially
peasant stock. We know that Sir Nigel continued on royal
campaigns and certainly accompanied his King to France
where he took part in the long tedious actions against
Philip IV's incursions into Gascony.
There
is no doubt that Sir Nigel Moreland was fiercely loyal
to Edward I and, therefore, on the old King's death,
would have found little problem in transferring that
loyalty to his son Edward II. Sir Nigel continued on
campaign with the Royal Companies, forever needing to
compensate for increasingly disastrous leadership. Eventually
the English King and his advisors' lack of direction
outstripped the experience of men like Sir Nigel and
inevitably, like many of his peers, Sir Nigel fell at
Bannockburn. There is no Moreland mausoleum; the Scottish
peat serves that purpose.
Today
we find Sir Nigel at Dunstable in 1308 in support of
the young King - one of his rare visits to the tournament.
Things have been said, rumours are rife and there are
scores to settle.
Sir
Nigel's simple colours and his device (his coat of arms)
are more for identification than show and his armour
light enough to allow some economy of movement. He favours
no particular weapon and has also been known to use,
at various times, his fists, feet, knees, elbows and
head in a most ungenteel style of combat. Sir Nigel
is essentially a man of honour and normally respects
the rules of chivalry - he is, however, quick tempered,
does not suffer fools gladly and will take any opportunity
to crush his opponent. It has been said, of Sir Nigel,
that when he grins even wild boars turn and run.
Nigel
Tate - an experienced martial artist and re-enactor,
plays Sir Nigel Moreland. "Sir Nigel sounds like
a serious bloke," says Nigel "I had to play
him - he has my first name and comes from my home town".
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