MEDIEVAL JOUST HITS THE SPOT FOR SPECTATORS
The Isle of Wight’s royal castle played host to four dashing knights and a host of medieval re-enactors, over the Bank Holiday Weekend, as The Grand Joust rode in. Carisbrooke Castle played host to a faithful recreation of a popular fifteenth century pastime. Known as the Tournament, by the 1400s jousting had rules and a points system. Then as now, knights clad in full body armour, charged at each other at around 20 mph, weighing half a tonne on their horses. Minstrels and a fool also helped entertain the crowds at the weekend event.
See also http://www.iwbeacon.co.uk/news_view.php?nid=709 for an earlier report by the IW Beacon Online.