Short answers, pulled from the story.
Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton organized this medieval joust and revel held on a meadow at a loop in the Lugton Water. One hundred thousand spectators watched thirteen medieval knights on horseback perform the pageant.
Lord James Dunn of Coniston brought the first known reenactment to life in London in 1638. A staged battle featuring dozens of costumed performers enacted a recent conflict during the English Civil War.
Farbs or polyester soldiers spend relatively little time and money achieving authenticity with regard to uniforms or accessories while anachronistic clothing and modern items are common among them. Hardcore authentics or progressives value thorough research and seek an immersive experience trying to live as much as possible as someone of the period might have done.
In 2013 five black reenactors at the 150th anniversary event at Gettysburg constituted largest bloc of black civilians ever seen at such an event. Astonished spectators stopped them constantly assuming they were portraying enslaved people.
Some historians cite the impossibility of truly retrieving the past from the vantage point of the present and worry that focus on historical accuracy obscures broader historical themes critical for audiences to understand. By focusing on accuracy of dress, discussion of war causes like slavery ends confined to margins.