The Neville Company is the only affiliate chapter of
The British Plate Armour Society
in the United States.

The Neville Companye is a medieval reenactment group based in Gardiner, Maine, USA, but is open to all residents of southern Maine. It is a group that portrays a military unit of Sir Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, during the War of the Roses (1377-1485).

This group is an affiliate of The British Plate Armour Society based in the United Kingdom. The British Plate Armour Society is a medieval combat reenactment society based in England. The time period they portray is 1300-1485. Our chapter follows their rules, guidelines and standards.

About the Neville Companye

Our unit is a small band of soldiers and camp followers under the leadership of Sir Richard (although he is never around). We travel a lot so sometimes we are garrisoned at Warwick Castle and sometimes Calais, but usually we are on the go. We are not rich by any means but are paid well and outfitted with the basics. We are not a mercenary unit but loyal followers of the Yorkist cause (unless someone can pay a bit more). Some of us older soldiers have served in a few major campaigns with Sir Richard. We are modestly armed and often travel with our small perrier (Trebuchet). Our unit Captain is Sir John Atwell.

What We Do

In the reenactment group, we work on creating a period environment by researching and making clothing, arms and armour of that period, as well as other crafts and skills that a person back then would have had. We also delve into the common day-to-day activities of the 15th century. Sewing, cooking, metalworking, woodworking,archery, etc... Our main focus is the average person and how they lived.

In addition to the culture, we are involved in public demonstrations of live steel combat using rebated (dulled) weapons while wearing period armour. You must be at least 18 to be involved in the combat aspect. We try to be as period-correct as possible without being too picky. (The "10-foot" rule applies overall, but if you wish to be totally correct that is quite ok with us) We are sometime involved in educational outreach programs for local schools and organizations, as well as faires.

The group is open to anyone who is willing and serious enough to put in the time and effort to creating a period persona. In the Neville’s you portray a knight, man of arms, camp follower, craftsperson etc. who could have actually existed during that time period and who could have served in the Neville retinue. This character can and often is, created from scratch. However, a bit of research is involved.