KING’S Ely Junior pupils took a step back in time during a fun-filled History workshop at Ely Cathedral.
The action-packed History Pilgrims’ Day on January 16th saw Year 7 students visiting the cathedral to learn more about the life of monks, medieval pilgrimages and the defence of the Isle of Ely by Hereward the Wake, as part of their History course.
In the first activity, the students had the opportunity to dress up as medieval pilgrims and they discussed the motives for the various pilgrims, what a pilgrimage was like and what they wore. The activity finished with a procession to the site of the shrine in the cathedral. The second activity provided the pupils with the opportunity to learn more about life in the Benedictine Monastery of Ely. They acted out the daily routine of eight church services, chapter meetings, meals and work. They also learnt about the philanthropic work of the monks, the distribution of alms and the use of herbs in the monastic infirmary.
The final activity was an opportunity for the students to learn about Hereward the Wake and the Norman siege of Ely. The pupils were presented with the choices faced by the Anglo-Saxon inhabitants of Ely and had to decide on the possible responses. They also talked about weapons that would have been used at the time and some pupils had the chance to dress up in costume and handle some replica weapons.