By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:32 PM on 27th January 2011
A professional jouster was killed when a splinter from his wooden lance flew through a slit in his helmet and speared his eye before going into his brain, a coroner heard today.
Paul Allen was not wearing his shield properly when he took part in the joust being filmed as part of a Channel 4 Time Team re-enactment.
The 54-year-old was killed in the freak accident when the balsa wood-tipped lance shattered and stabbed him in the eye during the TV filming at Rockingham Castle, Corby.
Scroll down for video of Paul Allen's funeral
Paul Allen (left), dressed in what appears to be Roman clothing, was killed during a joust at Rockingham Castle. His wife, Sharon McCann, wearing a medieval-style cloak, was at his inquest today (right)
Two men jousting in a re-enactment, not the incident where Mr Allen died. The inquest into his death heard he was killed when a splinter from a smashed lance flew through the eye slit of his helmet. (File picture)
An inquest was told that the former teacher had been involved in professional re-enactments for many years and was an experienced horseman.
THE UNCANNY PARALLELS WITH THE DEATH OF KING HENRY II
The terrible accident which killed Paul Allen has uncanny parallels with the death of King Henry II.
On June 30, 1559 the French ruler (below) was mortally wounded when the wooden lance of Gabriel Montgomery, the captain of the king's Scottish Guard, pierced his headgear and entered his eye.
The keen follower of tournaments had been at a gathering to mark a peace treaty with his enemies, the Habsburgs. He died 11 days later.
Jousting formed an integral part of mediavel tournaments which were seen as training knights for combat.
The aim was for a knight to knock his opponent off with his horse with a lance which would, in front of an audience, demonstrate his fighting skills and horsemanship.
Despite there being rules governing what was and wasn't allowed, the spectacles were still extremely dangerous and often led to injury and even fatalities.
The French knight Geoffroi de Purelli who is said to have been the first person to put together the guidelines governing tournaments died during a joust.
The character of Henry VIII is said to have altered dramatically after a jousting accident when his horse fell on him injuring his leg.
A recent documentary by the History Channel suggested the incident in 1536 may also have damaged his brain thereby leading to a major personality change which saw him become more cruel.
He was rushed to hospital by air ambulance with the shard of wood sticking out of his eye socket and the eyeball displaced.
After the incident it was discovered that the shield he was wearing was not attached to his arm correctly for a joust and therefore failed to protect his face.
His wife Sharon McCann arrived at the hearing in Kettering, Northamptonshire, dressed in a long flowing red skirt, a medieval style burgundy cape and feathered hat.
In a statement read to the inquest she said: 'Over the years Paul had considerable practice in using a lance on horseback.
He would practise his skills with a lance by sparring targets on the ground or held by someone else.'
'I'm aware he had never done a performance joust.'
Mr Allen died at University Hospital Coventry on September 20, 2007, a week after the fatal jousting session on September 13 which was being filmed by the Channel 4 documentary starring Tony Robinson.
Mr Robinson was not present at the re-enactment.
The coroner heard that Mr Allen was taking part in the joust with another experienced horse rider, Adam Plant.
As Mr Plant's lance struck him a fragment of the balsa wood entered the eye slit of his helmet and penetrated his brain through the eye.
At the time of the accident, Mr Allen's widow told Channel Four that she wanted footage of her husband in the build-up to the joust to be screened on the programme.
The couple lived together at their home in Heydon, near Royston, Hertfordshire.
Mr Allen was a member of several re-enactment groups and societies, including the Hoplite Association, which specialises in recreating the life and experiences of Ancient Greece.
Tracey Dowker, a founder member of the group, said Mr Allen was a 'kind-hearted, lovely man'.
Mrs Dowker, from Sheffield, added: 'I saw Paul only a few weeks before his death at a medieval festival in Lanark, Scotland.
'My final memory of him was seeing him with his wife, Sharon, both walking across a field with flowers in their hair.
'She was into the re-enactment scene too, although I don't know if that is how they met.
'Paul was such a professional and his work was also his hobby.'
Dozens of people turned up to Mr Allen's funeral wearing an assortment of historical costumes in tribute to him.
A message on the group's website said Mr Allen died 'doing the thing he enjoyed most - living the past'.
The tribute described him as a 'a born-again Christian and devoted husband'.
It said: 'The one thing everyone would agree on was that Paul was certainly no wallflower and would make his points with a certain amount of gusto and his own, inimitable flair.
Time team: The joust was being filmed for the Channel 4 programme hosted by Tony Robinson 8685
'He also had strong opinions which he would rigorously defend.'
'We have no doubt that since that terrible day he has been trawling around heaven looking for veterans of the Greek-Persian wars trying to substantiate his theories, and that is a thought that makes us smile.
'Nothing can take away the pain, but unlike many who walk this life he has left behind a footprint that is unlikely to fade,' said the post on the memorial website.
Hundreds of people attended Mr Allen's extraordinary funeral, with many of the mourners arrived in full re-enactment costumes.
The jousting was being filmed as part of a Time Team episode focusing on Edward III's Round Table at Windsor Castle.
Its presenter, former Blackadder star Tony Robinson, was not present at the time
The hearing continues.
Jousting is and always has been an extremely hazardous activity. Henry II was not the only king killed in this way and numerous knights lost their lives in the 'lists'. Tragic though this is, I do hope the health and safety brigade don't insist on too many restrictions and safety measures so that it cannot ever be done realistically again. Considering how many of these re enactments there are, this is an extremely rare accident.
- The History Man, France, 27/1/2011 17:16
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