Baronial Nominations April 4th 2018 - A word from the Election Steward

On April 4th 2018 the Barony continues the process of electing a new Baron and/or Baroness with the call for nominations and the selection of potential candidates. The nomination process will happen at the April Baronial business meeting under the guidance of the Election committee and in accordance with Baronial policy. Her Excellency and I invite the populace to join us in support of the Barony and encourage people new and old to participate in the process. A link to the Baronial policies is provided below and explains the election policy, the nomination process, and the requirements to serve as Baron and/or Baroness. If you have any questions about serving as Baron and Baroness, please ask. We are always willing to discuss the job. Serving as the Baron and Baroness has been a great honor and we look forward to watching the selection of our Heirs. Please join us! 

Several people have asked question about the election and the election process that are not covered in the Baronial policy. Her Excellency Baroness Elisabeth Johanna von Flossenburg was nice enough to answer several of these questions. If you have other questions please direct them to Her Excellency Elisabeth by e-mail at: (bostonhahn at aol dot com)

Can people accept the nomination immediately or are they required to wait 48 hours?  

They can accept verbally immediately if they meet all the requirements outlined in the policy. They must furnish a copy of valid ID and a valid SCA membership card. They can also write an acceptance letter in advance and turn it in at the time they accept the nomination. They can also wait until the last minute. 

Policy says people must accept nominations in writing. Can that be an e-mail, Facebook, etc? Or does it have to be pen and paper?

I personally do not care, but we do need a file copy of the acceptance if asked by the Kingdom Seneschal or the Crown, so I feel it is best to write an acceptance letter in paper and pen/pencil. Again, this can be done in advance if they so choose. 

Who do they send this acceptance letter to? The policy does not specify.   

The acceptance letter should be given to the Seneschal or to any member of the election committee. However, in the end they should be kept by the Seneschal with any other election materials in case they have to be produced if any questions about the election should arise. 

Can people who accept the nomination make it public right away, or should they wait the 48 hours until all the nominees have responded? 

The acceptance can be made public immediately. 

Can people campaign after accepting the nomination? 

I see no reason against campaigning if someone so chooses. There are no restrictions. 

There is a tradition of asking the nominees a series of questions. These questions are then post in the newsletter along with photos. This is not in policy. Do you plan to do this? 

The introduction of the candidates will be left to the Chronicler. This will include a series of set questions given to the candidates to answer. These answers will be published in the newsletter prior to the election. The nature of the questions will be determined by the populace. Prior to the nomination meeting the Chronicler will ask the populace (via Facebook and Yahoo) what questions they would like to ask the Candidates. A selection of these question will be drawn from the populace responses and sent to the candidates to answer. Please watch for more information on this.  

Any additional thoughts? 

I would like very much to add a reminder for everyone to check their membership expiration and to renew if there may be a chance that it will expire or already is expired. Each person must be an active member in order to vote.  This means that they must have an active membership at the time the mailing labels are created or they cannot vote.  I remember that the first time there were elections in the Barony I had just renewed my membership but for some reason my mailing label was not included.  Sir Calidus called Milpitas and checked, I produced my receipt and was able to get it rectified.  But there is never a guarantee that this can be done.  So let's try to avoid this kind of situation!    

Baronial policy:

Link to Baronial Policy

Meet the Officers: Knight Marshal

His Excellency and I are doing a series of blog posts written by the Barony's Baronial Officers. We asked the officers to write about what they do as a Officer, what you need to know if you want to ever do the job yourself, and just some fun info as well. Enjoy and we hope you learn something too.

Here is the first by our awesome Knight Marshal Lord Horatius Cincinnatus.

Knight Marshal

Job Duties

Keep everyone safe and encourage more people to fight and become a Marshal. During practices make sure the fighters are having a great time and following all the rules. Help out with new fighters and point them in the right direction. A side note you may be asked to help during Baronial events and rules clarification when needed.

Tech stuff and Expectations

Be a Marshal, run for position, get voted into position and have fun in position. Know the rules of the list found in the Marshals Handbook. Have back up waviors ready and authorization paperwork.

Show up to as many practices as you can. This means showing up even when nobody is there to fight.

Show up to Baronial meetings and help "Count" votes...

Do paperwork as required, yearly and quarterly and if you run fighting at an event.

Help keep good relations with the practice site. Make sure the doors open on time and a keyholder is on site.

Keeping the loaner armour up to date and in working or working*ish* order. Tape and padding fixes most things. Make sure you return armour to him after it is loaned out.

When random people return or make armour donations get them back to the loaner bin. With this said... not all donation meet safety standards we do appreciate all offers but as cool as they are Freon Helms are best used on display.

Consult with the secret order of practice cancellation, that's a trade secret...

Remember at all times you are responsible for keeping people safe and making sure they have a good time. Make sure you pick a good deputy. You never know when you might have to have back up

Hael Groups in Focus - The Woodland Watch

A while ago Maynard von dem Stein was nice enough complete a group interview for the Woodland Watch. The Watch is one of the larger groups represented in the Hael but has an impact far beyond our borders. My apologies for taking such a long time to actually publish this interview.

Who is the head/leader of your group?

Woodland Watch does not have a leader. All peers in the group take a leadership role and help organize, coordinate and provide for the members

When was the group started?

The Watch was started in 2010.

Is the group still active?

The group is still active.

Approximately how many members are in your group?

We will have 45 members as of April 2017 most of which live in AEthelmearc.

Does the group have a device or heraldry?

Our device and name were designed by Duchess Liadain. 

What type of group is it (fighting household, A&S, mixed)?

The Watch was started as a fighting company to fight and train together and to defend AEthelmearc in times of war and to support its people in times of peace. It is a group of like minded people that enjoy each other’s company. We fight, train, eat, camp, and help each other in and out of the society. The group has grown into more than a fighting company; we have many pelicans and laurels. We even have a great group of rapier fighters and a Master of Defense.

Is the group primarily in the Rhydderich Hael?

About half of the groups members  live in the Barony of the Rhydderich Hael. Almost all live in the Kingdom of AEthelmearc.

Please provide a brief history of your group.

The Watch was started by Maynard von dem Stein and Liadain ni Dheirdre Chaomhanaigh and a group of their friends including Anna Blackleaf, Otto of Westphalia, Eirikr inn Havi and others that camped and participated together at events and wanted to form a fighting unit on the field.  The group has grown over the years to include rapier fighters, artists, archers etc. and spans to nearly every corner of the Kingdom.

Woodland Watch Device,
designed by Duchess Liadain

Is your group accepting new members?

The Watch does accept new members. We never actively recruit members. For the most part, new member become friends first. They ask about the group and have an interest in joining. We have a period where the person gets to know other members of the group and all members vote to decide if the new person is a good fit.

Who should interested people contact?

The best people to contact are Duke Maynard von dem Stein and Duchess Liadain ni Dheirdre Chaomhanaigh. They are founding members and help coordinate and organize the group. But, you can go to any member of the Watch and ask about the group.

Woodland Watch camp at Pennsic