Use Your Accent

I made a very spontaneous decision to take the kids on an Adventure Day to one of our favorite places! We headed to Hedingham Castle to learn about Dick Turpin and his gang of highwaymen! What/Who is that, you ask?! I asked myself the same because “highways” are not a thing in this country. I suppose I was being quite literal.

According to Wikipedia, I found out that Richard Turpin “was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticized following his execution for horse theft.” Apparently, he “joined a gang of deer thieves, and later, became a poacher, burglar, horse thief, and killer.” Well…okay then. I was still befuddled about the ‘highway’ part, so I clicked on that. A ‘highwayman’ is a thief that “travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a ‘footpad’ who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads.” So…sophisticated thieves. Alright. Here we go then!

When we arrived at the castle, T1 said, “They do so much cool stuff here!” There you have it, folks – out of the mouth of babes! Hedingham is officially our haunt! Guess our visits for the joust and School of Magic did make an impression after all!

The “show” was divided into three sections, with other activities slated between. The kids were phenomenal, I have to just brag on them a bit. My stretches as a single parent make me all the more grateful for days like this – when they are their most charming, loveable, curious selves. They didn’t beg to buy anything from any of the stalls selling tempting tchotchke, they sat patiently on the picnic blanket and entertained themselves without technology, they did ask to see the bald eagle over and over again, they explored every nook and cranny of a castle they had seen several times before, T3 refused to sleep but didn’t turn into a toddler-beast about it, they didn’t beg to go home or ask ‘how much longer?’ over and over. And most endearing, they literally fell over in their chairs while enjoying the spectacle before us.

And spectacle it was!

There was so much going on, even I had a hard time keeping track of the plot. But with plenty of slapstick, everyone was entertained. I loved hearing them chuckle to themselves, and even cry out, “Did you see that?!” As Dick Turpin himself emceed, we were introduced to the “Essex gang”, then watched a stagecoach get robbed by the highwaymen, then Dick was taken to the gallows. In this version of the story, Dick manages to escape and continues to narrate his tale! Thankfully, no one had any questions about the noose waiting for Dick. That was a conversation I didn’t really feel in the mood for.

There were smoke effects, firing pistols, redcoat armies, and plenty of hand-to-hand and horse-to-hand combat! And just…so…much…antics! It was a free for all! But I suppose that is what highway robbery just might look like!

The last section of the performance also had a lot of vaulting stunt work, which T2 particularly loved!

The kids spent the next few days playing ‘highwaymen’ and reminiscing about their favorite parts. Yet another amazing British experience to add to our belts! Thank you, Hedingham! It is going to be a sad day when I have to unsubscribe from your listserv.