May/June Letter

To the populace of Ynys Fawr do Anna and Adelindis send warm winter greetings,

The observant among you will have noted that May has passed and June has come upon us, along with snow on the mountain and ice on the windscreens. And yet the monthly letter has not yet made an appearance. The place and purpose of our letter has been in flux for a little while, resulting in our decision that it had outgrown its place in the agenda for the Baronial Business Meeting and would now become a separately published letter to the populace. Thus, rather than being tied to the date of the meeting, it will now become a record of the month past, and a guide to that which lies ahead.

In May, we enjoyed the fifth Little Bit of Rapier, an event which has now established itself in the Barony as a casual yet very enjoyable weekend of learning, fighting and fun. Thanks must go to Lord Perran of Lyskeret for once again stewarding the event, and Countess Beatrice Maria Malatesta for cooking the delicious feast. We were once again privileged to learn much from Maestro Táriq ibn Jelal ibn Ziyadatallah al-Naysábúrí, always a welcome visitor to these shores. This year’s tournament was an excellent format of four separate round robins, each fought with different weapons, fought to the first touch with a scoring system for kills and wounds, which resulted in two and a half hours of very entertaining fighting. We were extremely pleased to have seven fighters in the lists this year, of whom six were of our Barony. With two newly authorised fighters being absent on the day and two other new fighters still yet to be authorised in the audience, there has truly been an exciting resurgence of rapier this year! The closely-fought tournament was won by Sir Guillaume d’Oze; and a token was given to Lord Anselm da Calabria for his exemplary courtesy and conduct. While his consort Lady Wenefrith Everett de Calabria was not able to be present on the day, the token was given in acknowledgement of the inspiration that she is to him, and the honour that he brings to her name.

In court that evening, we were delighted to present the Order of the Falchion to Countess Beatrice Maria Malatesta and THL Declan of Drogheda. Both have contributed much to the combat arts in this Barony and are worthy of recognition for their prowess. While Countess Beatrice has been with us for only a short while, she has earned recognition as a worthy opponent on the field, and despite injury taking her from active fighting, has continued to provide tireless encouragement to others. THL Declan’s prowess in rapier has also been recognised, and his longstanding contribution in fostering the learning and practice of rapier in the Barony is well-known and worthy of acknowledgement. We were also delighted to welcome three new members of our retinue, Lord Erlendr Tryggvason, his friend Luke of Ynys Fawr, and David the Philosopher, new member of the College of St Gildas. Our thanks go to Sir Wulfgar Jarnsiða for giving permission to his squire Lord Erlendr to also become part of our household. We are greatly inspired by such a display of enthusiasm to serve the Barony and the Crown on the part of some of our newest members.

On a less joyful note, we were saddened by the news which came in May that Countess Beatrice’s time in our Barony was shortly to come to an end. While she had stepped up in her position as Seneschal with the understanding that she would not be able to serve a full term due to her planned return to more northern parts of our great Kingdom next January, life has sadly intervened and caused her time to be cut shorter, thus requiring her resignation. Applications for the position of Seneschal have recently closed and we expect an announcement from the Kingdom Seneschal in due course. We would like to thank Countess Beatrice for everything that she has given to the Barony in the short time that she has been with us: she has enriched our store of knowledge with her wide experience of our Kingdom and others, and has been tireless in her service while on our shores. We feel sure we speak for the Barony in saying that we will all be sad to see her leave us at the end of this month, and in wishing her well in her future endeavours.

We closed out the month on the 31st, with a resumption of Sir Guillaume d’Oze’s round table discussions. After some discussion these have now moved to a new day, the last Thursday of every second month; accordingly, the next one will be held on July 26th. We held a discussion on traditions and customs, of the Barony and elsewhere. Another suggestion, which will be held over to a future meeting, is “Why do we volunteer?” The round table discussions are intended to enrich the knowledge of the populace about aspects of the culture and history of the SCA which do not lend themselves well to discussions at events. We encourage all who can make it to attend, particularly newer members: if there are any questions you have which you would like to see covered at a future meeting please talk to Sir Oze.

Looking ahead – the next event is Saturnalia, the Canton of Lightwood’s second Roman-themed celebration of the Midwinter Solstice, being held somewhat in advance of the date this year due to the desire not to conflict with the Baronial Anniversary event. Come and join the Canton at Glen Huon Hall on the 9th of June, for a cosy afternoon of dancing, games and entertainment by the fire, followed by a feast catered by Óláfr Hafrillugi. Bookings close on the 2nd of June so if you have not already booked, we urge you to contact steward THL Karl Faustus von Aachen on bat@flurf.net without delay! Concession pricing is available, please talk to the steward if this is an issue.

We are excited by the opportunity the Barony has been offered to partner with the City of Hobart, through Healthy Tasmania, for their initiative Healthy Hobart Goes Dark as part of the winter festival. We have been contracted to provide four sessions of medieval-themed children’s entertainment over four weekends in June and July. The dates and activities have been put up on Facebook for volunteers to indicate their availability but we are still in need of more people to volunteer for specific days, in order to ensure that we meet our obligations under the contract. All those who have advised us that they hold a Working With Children card are urged to sign up for as many sessions as they are able to attend. Please contact Baroness Adelindis or Chatelaine Elena Anthony for more information. There will also be a media launch on 4th June, thanks to those who have volunteered to attend. The sessions are:

We would also remind you that the Barony’s 25th Anniversary celebration and Royal event approaches with speed. As the price rises again on June 9th we urge you to book soon, if you haven’t already. We would also call all those who wish to put themselves forth to be the Champions of their field, in armoured combat, rapier, archery, and the arts and sciences. The Champions will be decided on the day, based on the chivalry and inspiration shown on the field during the tournaments, and the inspiration provided by the A&S display, in combination with the words from our populace on who inspires them in each field of endeavour. We also welcome any who may wish to speak of more than one in each field: we want to hear everything you have to say about who inspires you in conduct, prowess or service. These are your Champions as much, if not more so, than they are ours. You may speak to us in person at the event, or if unable to attend, please send communications by electronic means. We know already that this will be a hard choice to make, we urge you to make it even harder for us.

To conclude with news of travel, both recent and planned. Baroness Anna has but recently returned from a visit to the Barony of Politarchopolis where she attended the Tournament of the Black Boar and the Feast of the Griffin. She returned with many stories of the splendours of the feast and event, as will surprise no one who has heard tales of the famed Politarchopolan Assault Catering Corps. In July, Baroness Adelindis, together with Lady Alessandra di Fiore di Piero della Mora, will be travelling to the Barony of St Florian de Riviere for the Midwinter Coronation; meanwhile, Baroness Anna will again be attending the Drachenwald Summer Coronation, to be held by the College of St John of Rila in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

If travel so far afield is too challenging, we bring to your attention significant upcoming events in our closest Baronies. The Barony of Krae Glas is holding its annual Æresdag (Day of Honour) on August 11th, and will be hosting the Great Southern Gathering on October 5th-8th (dates shifted from the traditional first weekend due to difficulties with the site). And the Barony of Stormhold is celebrating their 30th anniversary on the weekend of August 31st-September 2nd at what is sure to be an exciting event. We can assure you from personal experience that both Baronies welcome wayfarers with open arms, and will be sure to embrace any such from Ynys Fawr who brave the kraken-infested waters in the other direction.

Yours in service to the Crown and the populace of Ynys Fawr,
Anna and Adelindis