The Simon de Montfort Society Day School presents Magic, Superstition and Belief

Saturday 10th October 2026, 9.00am for 9.30am start, end 4.00pm

A day of entertaining and informative lectures, demonstrations and living history.

£25 each (for members) £30 each (non-members), £10 (students) including morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea.

Booking:

See www.simondemontfort.org/product/the-october-day-school

or email:  earlsimon@simondemontfort.org

Programme:

The Observance and Piety of England’s Thirteenth-century Kings, Queens and Nobles

Thirteenth-century English monarchs and noblemen both rooted their piety in conventional Catholic dogma, but their expressions differed.  Kings engaged in ostentatious displays of divine right and grandiose patronage, while noblemen prioritised localised, pragmatic intercession for their lineages and chivalric crusading.  John Paul Davis will examine the contrasting expressions of piety and belief.

Medieval Weaving:  a black art?

The act of weaving was often seen as more than just a domestic chore; it was a deeply symbolic and ritualistic practice tied to fate, protection, and the divine with magic manifest through both legendary figures and specific ritual tools.

Dr David Cox:  The Miracles of Simon de Montfort

David will be discussing his definitive book on Simon de Montfort, Unofficial Saint, and Simon’s posthumous miracles.

Iris Pinkstone Memorial Lecture presented by Professor Peter Coss

The Coventry Witch Case.

The 1325 Coventry Witchcraft case is often recognized as one of the first recorded trials for witchcraft in England, involving a political plot to murder King Edward II and others, using sorcery.

Living History in Action

The House of the Twin-Tailed Lion will present warfare in the thirteenth century and will answer questions about arms and armour, society and life during those times.