The ghost of Sir Reginald the Courtenay returns to Sutton Courtenay and meets three local schoolchildren . They have to research a local history project, and Reg suggests the topic of Empress Matilda, the granddaughter of William the Conqueror and grandmother of King Richard the Lionheart and King John. She was born right here in Sutton Courtenay…
The year is 1141…
Empress Matilda and King Stephen are fighting over the crown of England, in a long and drawn out Civil War called “the Anarchy”. Although Matilda was named the heir to the throne by her father King Henry I, because she was a woman she was not accepted by the nobles after Henry died, and her cousin Stephen took the throne with the support of the church and the merchants. So Matilda is fighting for her right to rule, and for women to be taken seriously as rulers in their own right…
Click here for a synopsis of the play, and a historic note on MATILDA, THE MOST FAMOUS ENGLISH QUEEN YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF!
With thanks, as ever to Andrew Dubock for his great filming and high-speed editing, here is the video of our performance!