Announcement: Letters of Intent for Martial Deputies

Calontir EnsignGreetings unto the populous!

I will be stepping up as the new Kingdom Earl Marshal, and, as is common practice I will be taking Letters of Intent for a multitude of Deputy positions within the office.

If you currently hold one of the listed positions and wish to keep it, please put in a Letter for said position. This will help me know who is ready for replacement and who would like to continue to serve in their office. There are several Deputy positions available with varying levels of responsibility, so please feel free to put in letters if you are interested.

Letters will be open from today until 26 February, at which point interviews will be conducted. Letters should be sent to earlmarshal@calontir.org

The positions:
Kingdom Cut and Thrust Marshal
Deputy for Equestrian Activities
Kingdom Armored Combat Marshal *New*
Kingdom Archer General
Minister of the Lists
Card Marshal Deputy
Youth Combat Marshal Deputy
Deputy for Experiments *New*
Deputy Kingdom Earl Marshal
Deputy for Combat Archery
Armored Combat Regional Deputies
-Central, East, Northwest, Northeast, West, and South
Cut and Thrust Youth Rapier Deputy
Cut and Thrust Marshals in Training Deputy
Cut and Thrust Deputy of Authorisations

If you have any questions please feel free to email or message!
Thank you in advance for letters! I look forward to them.

Meister Jurgen Weiter Von Landstuhl

Bavarian engraving of a medieval tournament from the 1400s. Public domain in the US

An updated Marshal’s Handbook for Rattan Combat (includes Combat Archery and Siege Weapons) is now available. Read the details and download a copy here:

Updated Marshal’s Handbook for Rattan Combat Now Available

Comments are strongly encouraged and can be sent to:
SCA Inc.
P.O. Box 611928
San Jose, CA. 95161

You may also email:
SCA-comments@sca.org.VISIT WEBSITE

From Their Royal Majesties: Winter War Maneuvers

It is too soon for great optimism, but we are cautiously optimistic.

Two weeks ago, in consultation with Our Witan and event stewards, we postponed events in the first half of February. We appreciate all of the effort and input that went into that difficult decision, as well as the work preparing for these events.

We are pleased to announce that Winter War Maneuvers is going forward as scheduled, with N95/KN95/KF94 masks required for all indoor activities, including fighting, both armored and steel. If you cannot fit an N95/KN95/KF94 mask in your helmet/mask while fighting, you may wear a multilayer non-woven surgical mask while fighting, but you are expected to wear an N95/KN95/KF94 mask while not fighting.

We recognize that the masking requirement makes staying hydrated difficult, and we encourage people to bring a straw, take a break outdoors to drink some water.

In January We required N95/KN95 masks at Coronation, and we capped attendance. We are not planning to cap attendance at this time.

It is imperative that if you are feeling unwell, you should stay home from an event. If someone in your household is currently positive, you must stay home, even if you are asymptomatic. As much as we enjoy seeing one another in person again, we would rather have smaller events than to have no events at all. The health of the kingdom is Our priority.

We remain honored to be
King Hirsch and Queen Magdalena
Peace. Love. Calontir.

Podcast with Mounted Combat Instructor

Bavarian engraving of a medieval tournament from the 1400s. Public domain in the US

Gleaned from the Calonlist:


If you are unfamiliar with Guy Windsor, he is a noted instructor in historical martial arts. He has started a podcast during the pandemic, and this episode (https://bit.ly/3fNz4yB) is with Jennifer Landels, a mounted combat instructor near Vancouver, BC.

I thought the equestrians might like to be informed…
Logan

Announcement: Armored Combat with Rebated (Steel) Blades

Bavarian engraving of a medieval tournament from the 1400s. Public domain in the US

Yesterday’s meeting of the SCA’s Board of Directors meeting approved the addition of “Armored Combat with Rebated (Steel) Blades” to the Marshal’s Handbook. This activity will allow the Society to explore more fully the art of armored combat, using simulators very like the swords used in our period of study. The inclusion of steel fighting in armor is the culmination of eighteen months of hard work and experimentation. Steel combat in the SCA is tournament only, uses only single and two-hand swords, no thrusting, and aims to explore multiple different tournament formats as well as judged blows.

If you’d like to know more about this, check out section IX of the freshly updated Marshal’s Handbook, the SCA Steel Experiment Facebook page – or you can have a look at this YouTube video, which gives a good introduction and shows the fighting form as it was practiced last fall in Aethelmearc.

Here are the links:

Link to Marshal’s Handbook: https://www.sca.org/marshal_handbook/

Link to YouTube video: https://youtu.be/ZW9T-3Mu-Pw

Link to the Steel Experiment Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SCA-Steel-Fighting-Experiment-2248270048818486/

Regards,
Master Alan Gravesend
Marshal of the Society

Announcements: RFC – Proposed Corpora changes related to the office of the Society Marshal – 09/01/2020

Men harvesting wheat, Queen Mary’s Psalter, circa 1310. Public domain in the US

The Board of Directors is currently requesting commentary regarding a number of proposed changes to Corpora that relate to the office of the Society Marshal.  Those proposed changes, and the reasoning for same, are outlined in the document here: RFC – Proposed Corpora changes related to the office of the Society Marshal – 09/01/2020

Commentary may be emailed to comments@sca.org.

Please use the title “Corpora – Marshal’s Office ” in the subject line. Failure to use this subject line may cause your commentary to be misdirected.

In lieu of email, commentary may be sent by US Mail, Postage-Prepaid, to:

Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
RE: Corpora – Marshal’s Office
P.O. Box 360789
Milpitas, CA 95036-0789

Commentary regarding these proposed Corpora changes, whether sent by email or US Mail, must be received by the Board no later than September 1, 2020.

This announcement is an official informational release by the Society for Creative Anachronism , Inc.  Permission is granted to reproduce this announcement in its entirety in newsletters, websites and electronic mailing lists.

 

Click to access SocietyMarshalGovDocsProposedChanges.pdf

Announcement: A Letter from the Gulf Wars General

Unto my Shield-brothers, Spear-sisters, Comrades and Kin, do I Eques Uldin, by Grace of Their Royal
Majesties General for Gulf Wars XXVIII, send the call out to one and all for WAR!

Their Majesties Dongal and Catalina have called upon Their Baronies, Shires and Cantons to join them
on the fields of Gulf Wars, and preparations are well under way. Soon we will march east, the Falcon
Host soaring amongst a sky of black stars. Make ready your harness, make ready your voices, we shall
sing together in glorious victory or death.The levy has been summoned. Her Majesty Catalina has called forth her Fyrdmen to stand fearlessly
shoulder to shoulder with her in battle. Will you join Her?

If you will be attending the war in March please take a moment to sign the Muster so that Their Majesties
may know all who will be attending.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehYoy-oqBNriYWJmx_AsYMYiIj8FAzCB0iEFsy302tb_wd9g/viewform

Please note that pre-registration for Gulf Wars is now open, and will close February 15th, 2019. You can
register by mail or online at https://www.gulfwars.org/registration/. Be sure to register as camping with
Calontir! Pre-registering is the only way to ensure we have the allotted land we will need for the
Host we bring.

Winter War Manuevers will be held on January 26th in the Barony of Mag Mor. I request that all who are
able to attend. There will be classes covering shield wall tactics, spear work, and charging. There are
many drills planned for the day; we will fight until they make us leave!

The War Council and I are happy to announce the Calontir Scutari, a new shield design. Please see Sir
Aiden O’Shea’s announcement concerning construction dimensions. We anticipate being able to field a
few of them at the war.

In ever faithful service,
Eques Uldin of Ravenscroft
Baron@baronyofvatavia.org

The Calontiri Scutari: Description and Pattern

Harvested from Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/CalontirWarCouncil/posts/525210114632082


The Calontir Scutari is a center grip War Oval of a standard dimension to be used in the more mobile, fluid formations and scenarios like open field battles, ravine/res battles, and broken field battles. The Scutari is not designed to replace the Scutum, but to augment its use so that the Army can be more effective in certain scenarios that require mobility and tactical flexibility.

The Scutum wall is the best at what it does and in the scenarios that we need the Scutum wall there is no substitute. But, for quite a while Calontir has been using the scutum in different capacities. It’s use in some of these capacities are not ideal, but the lack of consistency of sizes and shapes of secondary shields do not allow for good unit cohesion if needed to be used as a line of defense. The Scutari will allow the Army to maintain a line defense but give us the mobility to advance and reform quicker, as well as allow us to defend in different ways that we can not do with the Scutum wall.

The Scutari should be made in one of two ways:

The Calontiri Standard

  • The Scutari should be made from 6061 T-6 Aircraft Aluminum of .100 inch thickness or other acceptable SCA combat legal variant. If you wish to build your shield in a spangen style that is acceptable as well.
  • War Oval Dimensions: 24″ wide x 40″ high with a 2″ vertical curve. (NOTE: the Scutari can be made flat, but a slight curve allows for better use) Rounded top and bottom should be a full half circle design, not a tapered point or other shape.
  • Centergrip should be at the center point vert/horz. on every shield. The hole for the boss should be between 6″ – 7″ in diameter to allow any full gauntlet to be used.
  • The boss should be between 3″ – 4″ deep allowing for any full gauntlet to be used. The Handle should be between 1″ – 1.5″ in diameter metal pipe or similar design. The handle should be vertical along the center line of the shield, not horizontal and not offset to the right or left. If you want to pad or wrap your handle for grip that is acceptable. Also, guide straps can be added for transport.

The concept of The Calontir Standard is to allow any fighter in the army to use or pickup a dropped Scutari at any time. Right or left handed and be able to effectively use that shield in the line. So, The Calontir Standard is set to allow the most variety in user, very much like the design of our scutums.

The Calontir Custom

Since the Scutari is not designed to be used as a solid “wall” or grounded, some fighters may choose to make their own Scutari to specifically fit their own body type. Below is how you determine the parameters of “The Calontir Custom” and still be able to use the scutari within the army line

  1. Get into your fighting stance, knees slightly bent. As if you were standing in the Calontir line with a shield.
  2. Measure from the top of your forward knee to the bottom of your nose. That will be your vertical measurement
  3. Get out of your stance and stand straight. Measure from the outside edge of your shoulder across to the other outside edge of your shoulder. This will be the horizontal measurement.

This design will allow a Dreadnaught class fighter to build a shield that will protect them on the field. It will also allow a Cruiser weight fighter to build a shield that will protect them as well.

The rest of the manufacture of the shield will be the same as “The Calontir Standard”. Same center grip, hole, and grip design.

Calontir to Adopt Shafted Combat Archery

Archery practice at earthen butts, c1325. The center markers are small wreaths. Detail from the Geoffrey Luttrell psalter. Public Domain in the United States

Gleaned from Facebook:


 

The Kingdom Earl Marshall Halvgrimr riddari announced at this past Crown Tournament that Calontir will be adopting the Society standards for shafted combat archery, with possibly a few variations.

Halvgrimr admonished all marshalls to familiarize themselves with the Society standards as they take immediate force in Calontir Combat Archery.

Halgrimr also acknowledged the dedication and work of THL John Bowyer in accomplishing this goal.

UPDATED: RESCINDED Marshals Please Read: Change to Helm Inspections Starting October 1st

Ed. note:  This directive was rescinded later, and will not go into effect 10/1/2016. Per Syr Duncan:

After being told two weeks ago that we had to start inspecting helms off of the head the SEM has decided that we need to wait until he has a better idea of what we are looking for and how. To that end he is suspending his earlier edict to inspect helms in any manner differently than what we are already doing. Sorry for the inconvenience. I am at work and have no way to access Facebook, can someone please forward this the Kingdom Facebook page and the calon list?

YIS,
Duncan


From Syr Duncan of Skeene, Earl Marshal of Calontir
I received the following from Sir Padraig, the Deputy SEM for Rattan combat. We are to begin this process now. I am not worried about if we inspect the same helm at several different events. We are supposed to make this part of our normal inspection process until further notice.

I think it is because of a rash of concussions, goose eggs and pressure gashes in the recent past. I know this will be a bit of a pain in tracking how many inspections we do and how many fail because of not enough padding but I have no choice in the matter. We need to begin this process OCTOBER 1.

Quoted message follows:
” I am asking one and all to begin a round of helm inspections that would
include a check of the interior padding. We should be looking for
proper coverage, thickness and resilience. I would Appreciate if
your Marshals would get a count of how many helms were inspected,
how many failed and why. It would be nice f we could have this info
by kingdom included in your end of year reports. I would also like
you to instruct your Marshals that if any head injuries occur,
bleeding lumps, tko’s or Mo’s even, that they inspect the injured
fighters helm and include any finding good or bad in the report to
you. I think in short time we can find out if our inspection has
been sloppy in the past, or if there really is a problem that we can
put a finger on.
In service
Padraig”

Thank you,
Syr Duncan of Skeene

 

Illustration of the Battle of Barnet (14 April 1471) on the Ghent manuscript. Public domain in the US

Illustration of the Battle of Barnet (14 April 1471) on the Ghent manuscript. Public domain in the US