Charter for the Ealdormerean Cartographers Guild

Siegfried, by the Grace of Lady Ealdormere, King of Ealdormere, and Ragni, Queen by inspiration, to all to whom these presents shall come greeting.

Know ye that amongst other things ordained in the last Parliament it was for certain causes and purposes in the same Parliament ordained that in Ealdormere it would be good and just for there to exist a righteous company of mapmakers within the kingdom, known as the Ealdormerean Guild of Cartographers, and now it is shown unto us and to our council that the demand for maps of various kinds is extreme and for that the people of the kingdom will be enriched by such a company of the mistery of cartography, we, understanding the aforesaid things, have, by the assent of the Commons and others our council towards maintaining and preserving the said ordinances, ordained the Cartographers who will be enfranchised to draft maps of the baronies, cantons, shires, cities, boroughs and towns of the kingdom, being as accurate to their boundaries and borders as it is possible to be.

We likewise will that no strangers and foreigners shall bring into Ealdormere their own maps of our realm, unless they be a friend of our kingdom and of the Guild Cartographers and that the said artisans of the said mistery of Cartographers shall chuse every year a person most sufficient, most expert and most knowing in the same mistery and present them to us or our heirs, or to the baron and baroness of any barony where such mistery of Cartographers is used, and that the said person be sworn in the presence of us, our heirs, or our barons and baronesses, to survey that all manner of maps whatsoever drawn within the realm be accurate and true, and likewise that the same person do correct and amend all defaults found in the exercise of the said mistery, and that they will act as the kingdom’s cartographer, and the head of the Ealdormerean Guild of Cartographers, for no more than one year, unless they be chosen again to be sworn in before us, our heirs, or our barons and baronesses to continue in their task. This choosing shall be done by the members of the said mistery of cartography at the turning of the society year to match the founding of the Guild, and the choosing shall be done by a simple majority vote.

We will and give licence to the said Artisan Cartographers of Ealdormere that they may buy vellum and parchment, and inks and quills, and travel our lands without let or hindrance in the pursuit of their duty, art and mistry so long as they not impede any subjects of this our kingdom in their own duties.

And we will that the ordinances and subsidies of maps and mapping supplies of all kinds, in all cities, boroughs and towns enfranchised within this realm be firmly kept and preserved in all points to the said Cartographers and their successors always in the form.

In witness whereof we have caused these our Letters to be made Patents. Given at der Welfengau, the twenty-fourth day of May in the forty-ninth year of our society.

Wording by THLaird Colyne Stewart, founder of the Ealdormerean Cartographers Guild, based on PATENT 37th Edward III, dated 15th July 1363, for the Vintners' Company of London.

Mjoll Ulfsdottir, Award of the Orion, 2012

Who is this lady that comes before Us

Here in our lofty hall?

To stand before Edward, Wolf-strong King,

And Rylyn, North-wise Queen?

Called she Mjoll, Dottir of Ulf,

Water-born and Water-loved

Skilled with hands and leather-craft

And Jörð's bounty well fashioned.

Bearer is she of unsheathed axes,

Giver of shovels-sheathed.

Shaper of skins, and pelts prepared

For beauteous crafts to please the eye.

Drunk has she deep from Mead of Suttungr,

Odin’s gift of poetry to men;

With skald’s tongue and wisdom great

Does she great works of song and tale.

Know we well this Lady’s worth

And proclaim it thus in our high hall:

That Lady Mjoll, Dottir of Ulf,

Bear our will and favour forth.

Take upon thee this harp of gold

Bedecked in wine-deep stars

Orion’s harp, for all to hear,

Award we now for art and skill.

Done this 1st Day of September, AS 47,

As we sit our thrones at Baron's Howe.

Wording by Dietrich von Sachsen.

Aiden Scoetend aet theaem Mistigum Merum, Award of the Scarlet Banner, 2014

In the name of the great Siegfried, lawful Ard Ri of All Ealdormere, who is as bold as a lion and who knows well sword-fame;

And in the name of the wise Ragni, to whom is born many red-speared warriors, and from whom treasures of all colours flow;

I praise the skillful man of the race of Fergus, Aidan Scoetend aet thaem Mistigum Merum - spirited in adversity, who neither grovels before the foeman, nor hordes treasure.

To bold Aidan, let all, from the mightiest Ri to the lowliest of slaves, know of your bow-skill, that neither sharp wind nor cold rain can cause falter to!

Keen-eyed is Aidan, whose arrows fly faster than even the golden chariot of Cú Chulainn! Whose arrows strike as true as sword of Brian of Old!

Loyal is Aidan, who wears the colours of his home well and with great pride! Let him now wear scarlet, as the Banner his Ard Ri now bestows upon him!

With these words do I finish my praise, and do my gracious sovereigns, Siegfried and Ragni, do this honourable deed on the Feast of St. Cathan, Anno Societatis XLIX, as they reign wisely in the lands of Ramshaven at Fruits of our Labours VII.

Wording by Dietrich von Sachsen.

Yamagata Tokifune, Award of the Scarlet Banner, 2013

Kanji:

ナイジェル、王の前で,

狼から生まれた偉大な王

美の彼の女王と

北の男爵領を支配する彼ら,

私はひざまずい人に祝福の言葉を話す

私はこの男の美徳を記述したい。

山形時舟殿

彼は山のようなもので、彼は強いであり、彼は降伏しない

水と時間が山を下り着用しようとするのと同じように

だから敵は彼を攻撃しようとし

しかし、戦いのすべてを風化、彼が立っている。

山形時舟殿

彼の作品は目を見張るように美しいです

戦争と平和の両方

彼の鎧は、彼のラインの美徳を宣言

彼光やストーン、彼の技術。

山形時舟殿

天の下にあるすべてのことは、背の高い山を見ることが

彼らはこの赤い旗を見てみましょう

誇らしげにそれはあなたをマークしてみましょう

组头これは今あなたのランクです。

さて、ソブリン、あなたが狼の生まれた

この判決は、四十八年の十月の二十七日に発行されました

名誉山形時舟殿するために。

Poetic Translation (to be read in Court):
Before the great wolf-born King, Nigel-ō,
And his queen of beauty, Adrielle-Joō
They who rule the danshaku-ryō of the North
I would speak congratulatory words to this man,
Who kneels; And sing his praises.

Yamagata Tokifune-dono,
Like a mountain, strong and unyielding
As water and time may try to wear the mountain down
So would his foemen assail him,
Yet he stands, weathering all battle.

Yamagata Tokifune-dono,
Beauteous are his crafts,
Of warfare and of peace;
His armour, declaring the virtues of his line,
Leather and Stone, his skills

Yamagata Tokifune-dono,
As all under heaven see the mountain rise,
Let them see this Scarlet Banner,
Proudly may it mark you,
As kumigashira, your new rank.
Here now, wolf-born sovereigns,

This is done on the 27th day of the 10th month of the 48th year.

Done by your hand and seal.

Literal Translation:

In front of Nigel , the king ,

Great king, born of wolf

And his queen of beauty;

They dominate the baronies of North,

I speak the words of blessing to people kneeling

I want to write the virtues of this man.

Yamagata Tokifune-dono

He is like a mountain: he is strong, he does not surrender

As water and time is to try to wear down the mountain

So the enemy will try to attack him

However, weathering all of the fight, he is standing.

Yamagata Tokifune-dono

His work is beautiful to behold

Both of War and Peace

His armour, declaring the virtues of his line

Stone and his light, his skills.

Yamagata Tokifune-dono

All that is under heaven will see the mountain tall

They take a look at this red flag

Let it mark you proudly

Kumigashira: This is your rank now.

Well, sovereigns, you were born of the wolf

This ruling was issued on the 27th of October forty- eight years

In order to honor Yamagata Tokifune-dono

Wording by Dietrich von Sachsen.

Heinrich Brechthold, Award of Arms, 2012

Let all good and true nobles attend the words of Edward, Second of his Name, and Rylyn, Second of her Name, König and Königin of the Northern Kingdom of Ealdormere. Know we well that no blade is keener or truer than the heart of an eager Northman. Heinrich Brechthold has the heart of a true son of the North, and thus do we call him before our mighty thrones. Though he has been our subject for but a few score of days, this Dienstmann has learned the art of war in his homeland of Bastille du Lac. He has taken his armour and sword across our land, winning renown in tournaments, and, when the call to war was sounded, took ship abroad, serving under our Banner on the fields of battle in the Debateable Lands. Even when on the most gruelling of campaigns in the service of Ealdormere he has found time to learn the noble art of sewing and garb-making. Such deeds are worthy of reward. Thus do we, Edward and Rylyn, Rex et Regina Ealdormeris, by Royal Decree award grant unto Heinrich Brechthold, an Award of Arms, and raise him the rank of Edelfrei, a free noble, with all the attendant rights, privileges, and responsibilities this new rank confers.

Done this 1st day of September, A.S. 47, in our Barony of Skraeling Althing, at Bonfield.

Wording by Dietrich von Sachsen.

Writing Award Scrolls Based on Period Sources

By THLaird Colyne Stewart (mka Todd Fischer)

Fruits of our Labours (FOOL), May 2014 (AS 49)

Condensed from a 60 page article.

MANDATORY INFORMATION ON SCA AWARD SCROLLS

• The name of the Royals bestowing the award
• The recipient’s full SCA name
• The full name of the award being given
• The reason the award is being given (such as for service, skill in the arts, etc.)
• The date the award is given
• The location of the event where the award is given

 ANATOMY OF A SCROLL

• The Address, or opening, proclaims to the populace the impending action,
• The Intitulation contains the name(s) of the monarch(s) who are bestowing the award,
• The Notification and Exposition state the reason for the action being proclaimed,
• The Disposition names the recipient, the award and the reason they are receiving it,
• The Blazon and Emblazon (words and depiction) of the Arms (on those occasions when Arms are given),
• The Corroboration affirms the action,
• The Location and Date (many kingdoms include the modern year as well as the year of the society),
• The Royal signature block,

 Example broken into these sections (except for the blazon and emblazon, as the recipient already had Arms):

[Address]: TO ALL AND SINGULAR as well Nobles and Gentles as others to whom these presents shall come [Intitulation]: from Trumbrand and Kaylah, King and Queen of the realm of Ealdormere, that stretches from Lacus Ealdormearc in the South to the reaches of the Far North, and from Lacus Pentamerus in the West to the borders of the Kingdom of the East, send greetings in our Grace everlasting.

[Notification and Exposition]: WHEREAS anciently from the beginning the valiant and virtuous acts of worthy persons have been commended to the world with sundry monuments and remembrances of their good deserts. [Disposition]: Amongst these stands the Award of the Orion, which was devised in the beginning to recognize the skill of artisans.

AND being deserved, Ysabeau D’Comport, in the region of the Rising Waters, is hereby so recognized for her skill in the research of clothing and the culinary arts and granted said Award of the Orion.

[Corroboration]: IN WITNESS WHEROF We Trumbrand and Kaylah have set hereunto Our hand, and seal, [Location and Date]: this [ ] day of [ ] in the year of the Society 48, while sitting our Thrones at the Pennsic War.

[Signatures Block]

Address

• All shall know that
• Be it known that
• Come let all know that
• Do ye all hear and tell others that
• Each and all shall know that
• Far and wide though Our subjects may roam, words of their deeds still reach Our ears....
• Great feats of bravery and skill at arms have been displayed by....
• Hear ye all that
• It is the judgment of the throne and the peoples will that great acts shall be rewarded....
• Joyous is the message of the Angels that shouts great news to the world and listen to their voices and know
• Know ye that
• Let all know that
• May it be known to all throughout the land that
• Now know that
• One and all shall know that
• Pray let all know that
• Queens joys are many and so are her burdens, when one comes along that lightens that load it should be recognized...
• Rejoice in the words of the Crown
• Salutations to all that hear Our words.
• To all manner of folk let it be known that
• Unto all who hear or see Our words We give greetings
• Verily, We the
• Whereas it has come to our attention that
• Ye shall know that
• Zealous are We, that Our words be known that

 Intitulation

• We _________, King by right of Arms and _________, by grace and courtesy Queen,
• We _________, King by right of Arms and _________, Queen and patroness of courtly graces,
• We, _________ and _________, rightful Sovereigns of _________

 Notification and Exposition

• mindful of the steadfast service of our worthy subject
• it is Our duty and Our pleasure to reward such of Our subjects as do deserve Our favor
• the service and dedication of Our subject have become apparent to us and to all

• we have been pleased by the actions of Our esteemed subject

 Disposition

• advance
• bestow upon ______
• confer upon ______
• elevate

 Blazon

• <blazon>, to be borne by [him/her] and no other throughout the Known World.
• <blazon>, as [his/her] distinctive device, with infringement by none.
• <blazon>, to be borne and displayed by Lord/Lady <first name> and no other in all the lands of the Known World.

Corroboration

• Bestowed this
• Done by Our hands
• To which We have set Our hand and seal

 Location and Date

• at the ______ of ______ this ______ th day of ______ A.S. ______
• in the common reckoning of years the ______ th, and of the Society ______ th.
• Anno Domini ______, which is Anno Societatis ______.
• in the ______ th year by the Common Reckoning, being the ______ th year from the founding of the Society.

RECEIVING A SCROLL ASSIGNMENT

• Assigned by the Kingdom Signet
• Contacted by another scribe who is doing the illumination and calligraphy but would like someone else to do the wording.

HOW TO RESEARCH

Researching the Recipient

• Ealdormere wiki (once its back up)
• Google search their name
• Google search for each aspect of their name, to try and at least identify what region their persona was from
• Contact their local Baron and/or Baroness, who often know—or can find out—their persona
• Contact their local seneschal
• The SCA Armorial (http://oanda.sca.org/). 

Sample questions:

• their persona’s nationality and time period
• their activities within the SCA
• what interests they may have.

Sources Available for Adaptation

• Assizes: a decree or edict rendered at a court session
• Charters: a grant of authority or rights, allowing the recipient to exercise those rights
• Chronicles: written histories, such as Froissart’s Chronicles
• Concessions of Arms: documents granting heraldry
• Constitutions
• Declarations: a judgment of the court
• Decrees: a rule of law issued by a head of state
• Laws
• Letters: personal correspondence
• Letters Patent: a written order granting an office, right or title
• Masses
• Ordinances: a law made by a local authority
• Papal Bulls: a letters patent or charter issued by the pope
• Poems
• Prayers
• Rolls: a term for written records
• Statutes
• Treaties

HOW TO ADAPT FROM PERIOD SOURCES

How Documents Were Dated

Specify a week day and/or a nearby religious feast day, and the year of the current monarch’s reign. Examples:

• Given at Ghent the fifth day of November in the twenty-fifth year of our reign.)
• In the year of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ 870, on the day before the Nones of March, in the 32nd year of the most glorious king Charles…
• In the year 1164 from the Incarnation of our Lord, in the fourth year of the papacy of Alexander, in the tenth year of the most illustrious king of the English, Henry II…

There are numerous other conventions for dating used in period sources, including:

• Kalends: the first day of any  month
• Nones: nine days before the Ides
• Ides: the 15^th day of any onth with 31 days, otherwise it is the 13^th day
• Vigil: the night before a major feast
• Saint’s Days: Catholicism associates multiple saints to each day of the year

 Adapting from a Poem, Song or Saga

• Use poem as introduction to scroll text, or as scroll text (if all required information is included)

Source Poem
Brian Ó Ruairc, my chosen darling,
gentle enough at the bestowal of a jewel;
and hard enough in an enclosure of slim spears,
the nut from the cluster of the Gael of the Gréag.

Another Murchadh mac Brian, a salmon of the Shannon --
Í Ruairc has a likeness to Te's Fort --
or Niall Caille who did not refuse one man,
his face's _____ cliff.

King of Calraighe of the numerous raids,
and also of Tara; plow of Niall;
two words from Bearchán's mouth;
and king on the old plains of Banba -- Brian.

Scroll Text

Corwyn Galbraith, the aiding Raven,

Gentle enough at the bestowal of rings;

And hard enough when upon the fields;

The bear from the gate of the Skelder.

Baron Corwyn, the worker,

Serving always, his king and crown,

Like the maiden he will not say no

When work there is to be done.

Master Corwyn, of the numerous skills,

Chef and cook, steward and baron,

Most worthy of the northern folk,

I bow to him in honour.

Religious Sources

• The SCA tries to keep religion in the background (since it can cause disputes or hurt feelings) but you are going to come across religious axioms all the time.
• Leave them in.
• Take them out.
• Change them (such as the Lawspeaker instead of an archbishop, or heralds instead of bishops, or Lady Ealdormere instead of God).

 Sounding Medieval

• The “rule of three”: use three verbs or nouns instead of one. Examples:
• To have, hold, and receive to the aforesaid Earl… (Creation of the King’s Brother, Edmund of Woodstock, as Earl of Kent, R.C.V. 17, by Edward II, 1321)
• …and do invest him with the style, title and name and honour of the place aforesaid… (Creation of William le Scrope as Earl of Wiltes, R.C.V. 117, by Richard II, 1397)
• …he and his heirs shall thence have his Earldom as freely, peaceably and honourably as any Earl… (Creation of Alberic or Aubrey de Vers as Earl of Oxford, R.C.V. 3, by Henry II, date unknown)

LIST OF HELPFUL WEBSOURCES

Armorials

·          Medieval Armorials, http://www.armorial.dk/

Bestiaries

·          The Aberdeen Bestiary, http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/

Charters

·          ASChart: Anglo-Saxon Charters, http://www.aschart.kcl.ac.uk/index.html

·          Cartularium Saxonicum, http://www.ota.ox.ac.uk/headers/0511.xml

·          Charter Resources: Syllabus of Scottish Cartularies, http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/scottishstudies/charters/cartularies.htm

·          Kemble: Anglo-Saxon Charters, http://www.kemble.asnc.cam.ac.uk/

·          Medieval Genealogy: Charter Links, http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/sources/charters.shtml

·          Monasterium, http://www.monasterium.net/

·          Royal Charters, http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/word/charter1.htm

Concessions

·          Private English Concessions of Arms of the 14th and 15th Centuries, http://verysleepy.itgo.com/private.htm

Dates

·          Catholic Online: Saints and Angels, http://www.catholic.org/saints/

·          On-line Calendar of Saints Days, http://medievalist.net/calendar/home.htm

·          Baron Adhemar de Villarquemada’s article on the SCA website (http://www.sca.org.au/scribe/articles/period_text.htm).

·          Converting between modern dates and SCA dates, http://www.sca.org/links/calendar.html.

Documents (Misc.)

·          De Re Militari: Primary Sources (military records), http://deremilitari.org/primary-sources/

·          Digital Scriptorium, http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/digitalscriptorium/

·          Documents on the Lord Lyon, http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/lyondocs.htm

·          English Historical Documents, http://historyofengland.typepad.com/documents_in_english_hist/

·          EuroDocs: Online Sources for European History, http://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Main_Page

·          Period Russian Scroll Wordings, http://www.strangelove.net/~kieser/Russia/scrollwording.html

·          Scriptorium: Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts Online, http://scriptorium.english.cam.ac.uk/

Full Texts: Collections

·          Archives, Libraries, Texts and Manuscripts, http://tudorhistory.org/links/books.html

·          The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy, http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/medieval.asp

·          Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts (British Library), http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/welcome.htm

·          Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/

·          Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies - Corpus of Electronic Texts (CELT), http://www.ucc.ie/celt/publishd.html

·          From Dawn to Dawn: Troubadour Poetry (trans. into English), http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/French/FromDawnToDawn.htm

·          Hanover Historical Texts Collection, http://history.hanover.edu/project.php

·          Internet Medieval Sourcebook, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.asp

·          Internet Medieval Sourcebook - Full Text Sources, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook2.asp

·          Irish Scripts Onscreen, http://www.isos.dias.ie/

·          Medieval Manuscripts on the Web, http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/sechard/512digms.htm

·          Medieval Source Material on the Internet (Particularly Heralds' Visitations and Charters), http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/sources/olmed.shtml

·          Middle English Texts, http://labyrinth.georgetown.edu/display.cfm?Action=View&Category=English,%20Middle

·          The National Library of Wales (search function), http://www.llgc.org.uk/

·          On-line Russian Manuscripts and Period Sources, http://www.strangelove.net/~kieser/Russia/manuscripts.html

·          Slovak Archives, http://arsq.gov.si/Query/detail.aspx?ID=140086

Full Texts: Single Titles

·          The Auchinleck Manuscript, http://auchinleck.nls.uk/

·          The Book of the Order of Chivalry or Knighthood, http://www.rgle.org.uk/Llull_B_C.htm

·          The Dialogus de Scaccario, or Dialogue concerning the Exchequer, late 12th century, by Richard FitzNeal, http://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/excheq.asp

·          The St Albans Psalter, http://www.abdn.ac.uk/stalbanspsalter/

Languages

·          The National Archives - Beginner's Latin, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/latin/beginners/dating/default.htm

Literature

·          Medieval Scottish Literature, http://medievalscotland.org/scotbiblio/literature.shtml

Letters

·          Epistolae, http://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/letter/index.html

·          Letter from Robert the Bruce, http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2013/06/robert-the-bruce-letter-found-at-british-library.html

Masses and Prayers

·          Mass of the Roman Rite (Celebration of the Eucharist) in Latin/English, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/latinmass2.asp

Patents

·          15th Century English Patents of Arms, http://verysleepy.itgo.com/grants.htm

·          Scottish Patents of Arms, http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/lyondocs.htm#Patents

Poetry

·          Medieval Lyrics and Ballads, http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/medieval/medieval.htm

·          Medieval Welsh Poetry, http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/sechard/492welsh.htm

Rolls

·          Calendar of Patent Rolls, http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/patentrolls/

·          Chancery Rolls, http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/sources/rolls.shtml

·          Henry III Fine Rolls Project (The fine rolls of Henry III 1216-1272), http://www.finerollshenry3.org.uk/content/calendar/calendar.html

Scriptoriums

·          The Scriptorium, http://scriptoriumsca.blogspot.ca/

Statutes

·          The Order of the Garter, http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/ecco/004894364.0001.000/1:10?rgn=div1;view=fulltext

·          Statuta Armorum (The Statutes of Arms), c. 1260, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1260statute-arms.asp

Writing (Misc.)

·          Byzantine Literature, http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/kapparis/byzantium/byzantium.html

·          Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/

·          Medieval Writing, http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/