For a long time, members of the populace of Ardchreag had talked of crafting a ‘canton persona’ for their group, not unlike their neighbouring Canton of Eoforwic. However, while Eoforwic called itself the Royal Citie, it was agreed that Ardchreag was more of a town, or village, in scope.
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This page is constantly under development...
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Beadle |
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| Colyne Stewart | Eirik Andersen | Vacant |
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| Siegfried Brandbeorn | Berend van der Eych | Mahault van der Eych |
| Claviger | Hornblower | Flesh and Fowl Taster |
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| Þorfinna gráfeldr | Wat of Sarum | Eileen LeMesurier |
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| Adrille Kerrec | Vacant | Vacant |
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Brooklooker |
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| Naja Kesali | Vacant | Vacant (Green) |
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Alderman | Alderman |
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| Vacant (White) | Eirik Andersen | Siegfried Brandbeorn |
| Alderman | ||
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| Raffe Scholemaystre |
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| Chief Pledge: Vacant | Chief Pledge: Vacant |
| Þorfinna | Berend |
| Mahault | Siegfried |
| Eileen | Naja |
| Colyne | Wat |
| Eirik | |
The Village of Ardchreag
For a long time, members of the populace of Ardchreag had talked of crafting a
‘canton persona’ for their group, not unlike their neighbouring Canton of Eoforwic. However, while Eoforwic called itself the Royal Citie, it was agreed
that Ardchreag was more of a town, or village, in scope.
But what kind of village?
To begin with, examine the name. Ardchreag (Ard Creag) is Gaelic for ‘high
cliffs’, which gives the canton an Irish or Highland Scotland bend. If it is
then assumed that Ardchreag has such an ancestry, it would explain the
presence of all those Norse seen around the cliffs too (for at times both the
Irish and the Scots had great contact with the Norse).
The founders of Ardchreag were known as archers, and that fact is represented
in the device of the canton: vert, four arrows in cross points to center, on a
chief indented argent a mountain couped gules between two laurel wreaths vert.
Mundanely, Ardchreag is located along bluffs and cliffs, with large tracts of
forest and woodland. Both these facts give a frontier flavour to the canton.
It calls up images of rangers and woodsmen, of woodcutters and outlaws, of
wise women living deep in the thickets and prowling wolves close at hand.
So it is then say that within our fine kingdom, the Canton of Ardchreag, which
is spread over a great deal of land, is a series of forts and villages and
lone peasant huts. It sits atop a high series of cliffs, which descend to Mare
Ontarium at certain points in which ports have grown. It is a frontier, a
border town, for across the inland sea lies the Barony of Rhydderich Hael, a
territory of the Kingdom of
Æthelmarc. It is up to the populace of Ardchreag
to patrol this border, to ensure that the waterways and paths throughout the
thick forests are safe for merchants and travelers, to protect it all in the
name of His Majesty. They must stand on their own, for the Sheriff of the
Royal Citie, or the Guard of Petrea Thule, lie many miles away. They must
support themselves, in all ways.
At the same time, Ardchreag recognized the Cliffguard and the Yeoman of the
White Arrow. (The Yeomen encompassed archers and thrown weapons, the
Cliffguard encompassed armoured combat, scouting, equestrian and fencing.)
These two groups are to ‘keep the peace’ within the canton and village and be
their protectors. Anyone can be a member of either, and it would not impinge
on any other duties they may have militarily. (This is also mostly just for
fun. Duties to the kingdom, barony or Peer take precedence.) The seneschal
will be looking into getting some patches or tokens made up for members of
these two groups to carry.
Nota Bene:
Please note that all these positions are for fun. They hold no real power or
responsibility within our canton, our barony, our kingdom or in the SCA as a
whole. The Officers of Ardchreag are our duly elected representatives. These
canton ‘positions’ are meant to enhance our game, to add a lair of realism,
and to encourage people to research the occupation they are granted. Let’s
have some fun with this.
Signed this sixteenth day of February, in
the 38th year of the Society,
Colyne Stewart, Seneschal of the Canton of Ardchreag and Juror of the Village
of Ardchreag
The village positions:
Herein we will look at what occupations would have been held in a similar
village in period. For simplicity, Ardchreag used a village from Elton (circa
1300 CE) as their sample.
For the canton persona, Ardchreag would be making village appointments that
were actually made in their model period. Ardchreag would not br assigning
occupations (miller, baker, etc), nor social position per say (such as village
idiot or hedge witch). Ardchreag was looking at positions that villagers made
appointments to from amongst their own number. (Villagers did not elect the
blacksmith, not the town drunk.)
In period, only men held village positions, except for ale tasters (who were
mostly women). However, in Ardchreag’s experiment, any one can hold any
position, regardless of sex. Members of the populace agreed to select the
canton appointments thusly for the first year: Everyone interested in a
position would place their name in a hat. A name would be pulled, and that
person would hold that position for a year. Once someone had a position they
could not put their name in for another.
If someone wished to apply for any positions, but could not be present for the
meeting at which they are being chosen, they could, if they wished, send the
seneschal a list of their preferred positions, and they would be appointed by
proxy. It was noted that if anyone did this they may not get the exact
position they may have wanted, but would definitely get a position.
The headman in the village would have been the steward, or seneschal. As we use the term seneschal as the ‘president’ of our branches within the SCA, we would not be using this position in our experiment. Rather, the actual group seneschal would automatically also be the village seneschal. The village seneschal was the lord’s direct authority within the village and was the only position not chosen by the villagers themselves. If the group seneschal wants to obtain a canton appointment, s/he should not be the bailiff, reeve or beadle.
The bailiff was usually chosen at the seneschal’s recommendation (though that would not come into play in our experiment) and acted as his deputy. He was usually a member of the gentry or a well off peasant family and was literate. The bailiff was in charge of maintaining the law, and also acted as a business manager for the manor. The group seneschal would pull the name for the person to act as the bailiff. The bailiff would pull the names for the rest of the positions. For our purposes, the bailiff would be the head of the Cliffguard and the Yeoman of the White Arrow. (Though s/he did not actually have to be a fighter nor an archer it was encouraged that s/he be both). In 2005, the bailiff at the time sponsored the first Ardchreag Yuletide Tournament.
Claviger, or macebearer. This position is a deputy to the bailiff, generally ceremonial, but in some cases would accompany a horn blower, likely to protect him.
One of the bailiff’s deputies was the reeve, who ensured that villagers who owed labour services showed up for work. He supervised the formation of plow teams, mended his lord’s fences, saw to the penning and folding of the lord’s livestock and had many other duties as well. For the canton persona, the reeve’s ‘duties’ were originally undefined. They mostly came into play when the manorial court was reenacted, as he was a most sought after pledge (witness).
The beadle, also sometimes called a hayward, was a deputy to the reeve. The beadle collected rents and fines levied in court and oversaw the preservation of seed, the performance of plowmen and ensured the villeins did their reaping and mowing. For Ardchreag’s experiment, the beadle’s ‘duties’ were originally undefined. They mostly came into play when the manorial court was reenacted, as he was a most sought after pledge (witness) and also collected the fines.
The woodward was the person who ensured that no one took from the lord’s lands anything except what they were entitled to by custom or payment.
The brooklooker was basically a woodward of the waterways, who was in charge of ponds, lakes, brooks, fish and water fowl.
The horn blower was night watchman who carried a horn, blowing it in case of danger.
Flesh and fowl taster. To date we have found documentation of this appointment, but not of any duties it might have entailed. It may have been similar to an ale taster, though dealing (obviously) with fish and fowl.
Ale tasters assessed the quality and monitored the price of ale sold to the public. People could be fined for selling ale without first going through the ale tasters. For Ardchreag’s experiment, ale tasters would likely (though not necessarily) be brewers themselves, and would act as the canton’s authority on brewing. This is one of the positions which more than one person can fill. One of the things the Ale Tasters duties ended up being was to help plan the annual brewing contest held at Ealdormere War Practice (done in the memory of Lord Ulrich von der See).
In manorial court, the jurors, chosen from amongst the villagers, collected and presented evidence and laid out fines. In period a “jury of presentment” would have six, nine or twelve jurors. In Ardchreag’s experiment, twice a year the village would hold a manorial court, where the jurors would sit in judgment upon those accused of crimes. (Originally it was to be held once a year, but the response was overwhelmingly in favour of doing it twice a year.) These crimes will all be facetious, and based upon real period crimes in a medieval village. It was a good opportunity for some canton fund raising, and this is explained in further detail later. This is one of the positions which more than one person can fill (Ardchreag settled on three, to eliminate ties).
An alderman is anyone who has played consistently with the Canton of Ardchreag for ten years or more (at some time or another). Aldermen in period were essentially town elders. Aldermen can hold any village appointment. Currently Ardchreag has three aldermen: Baron Sir Siegfried Brandbeorn, THL Raffe Scholemastre, Lord Eirik Andersen.
Within a village, every man over the age of twelve was placed in a frankpledge (or tithing) of ten or twelve members. Each member was responsible for the conduct of his pledge-mates. Each year a review of the tithings was held, watched over by the seneschal. The head of a frankpledge was called a Chief Pledge. The chief pledges were deemed important men in the village. For Ardchreag’s purposes the position would be mainly ceremonially, but those holding it would be encouraged to carry themselves nobly in all walls, to inspire the rest of the canton to do so as well. We settled on having two Chief Pledges, one representing each of the major colours in the Ardchreag device. They were a much sought after pledge in the manor courts (as will be described later).
Ardchreag also recognized the Cliffguard and the Yeoman of the White Arrow. The Yeomen encompassed archery and thrown weapons, the Cliffguard encompassed armoured combat, scouting, equestrian and fencing. These two groups were to ‘keep the peace’ within our canton and be our protectors. Anyone could be a member of either, and it would not impinge on any other duties they may have militarily. (This was mostly just for fun. Duties to the kingdom, barony or Peer took precedence.) The seneschal created belt favours for members of these two groups to carry.
As part of the Canton of Ardchreag’s village persona, re-enactments of a manorial court are held annually.
Each person attending the court is asked to bring with them a number of gold coins (loonies). Everyone is then be allowed to make period accusations against others present. (Please note that for this reenactment, no one could accuse those acting as the lord and/or lady of the manor, of a crime.) Those accused had to then arrange for pledges to back their case, while their accuser did the same. Money would likely change hands to ensure pledges. The jurors would then hear all sides, and then laid their verdict. Defendants found guilty of the crime would pay a fine. If the defendant was found innocent, then the plaintiff would be fined. Fines were to be collected by the village’s beadle (or a representative of him). Participants were told to be sure to pace out how ever many coins they had brought with them, for if they run out of money with which to pay fines, the jurors would be forced to hand out punishments instead. (Unless of course the guilty knew of the period defense of being poor. This allowed those found guilty to not have to pay any fine nor face any punishment for most crimes.)
All money raised by the fines at the manorial court held in 2004 were to be used to off-set costs related to Ealdormere War Practice. In 2005 the court raised items for a food drive being sponsored by the Barony of Septentria.