The Baelfyr
Official newsletter of the Principality of Insulae Draconis
AS LIX, Volume 32, Issue 10, October 2024

Table of contents


Cover artwork: Susannah gets a visit from the Doctor

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From their Highnesses

Unto the populace of Insulae Draconis greetings.

The season of war draws to a close, the wheat is harvested and the fruits and nuts hang ripe from the trees. As we all gaze upon our beloved land and marvel at its riches, we consider our strengths and weaknesses and how we may position ourselves so that future generations may continue to enjoy the fruits of our principality and the glorious spectacle that is our society.

We consider that the fullest harvests are reaped in those shires, cantons and hamlets where collective action and spirit are strong. Where wise seneschals and harmonious groups harness the enthusiasm of their members to develop common interests, expertise and share the workload.

We consider it a weakness where the workload depends on only a few strong backs and hearts, or folks labour in isolation. For as all wise persons know even a will of iron may corrode over years of neglect.

To ensure that we have a growing and thriving principality to hand to our successors, it is our intention to work with our seneschals to develop a plan for the next five years to double the participation in the Principality’s activities. Our aim is to commence an organised continuity of growth that we can hand to our successors. This means not only bringing in new people, but supporting the existing and future activities in a manner that will let them thrive.

This means that we will need warriors of all flavours, armourers, marshals, archery marshals, bowyers, fletchers, cooks, brewers and all manner of other artisans.

We must stress here that it is our command that our populace do not to work themselves beyond their capacity and burn themselves out, but work collectively to harness their skills teach newcomers and allow the sum of their efforts to go far beyond what can be achieved alone.

We are early in this path. By the end of our reign this path will have only just begun. We hope you will join us with joyous hearts and open minds and that we all will grow together in numbers and spirit.

Yours in Service

Alexander & Agnes

Principes Insulae Draconis

From the Minister of Arts and Sciences

From the desk of the (Outgoing) MOAS Insulae Draconis:

PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING YOUR NEW MOAS ID!

As I look back over the past two years in my term as MOAS of Insulae Draconis I can honestly say that that it has been the most rewarding time that I have I spent in SCA so far.

Each month, I have been amazed, thrilled and on several occasions even startled by your collective creative and inspirational genius. I have constantly been touched by, and have often been privileged to bear witness to your overwhelming kindness and willingness to help one another; to be so welcoming and to accept each other - ‘just as you are’ - which I think in the times that we live in today is so very, very important.

I feel confident that my successor will carry high the burning brightly Candle of this office - and am positive that this office will move from strength to strength under her gentle guidance.

I would like you all then to join with me in giving a very warm and special Insulae Draconis welcome to your new Minister of Arts and Science Officer for Insulae Draconis - The Honorable Lady Órlaith Caomhánach.

And of course I cant resist one final plea – does your Shire have a vacant A&S officer? If not could you spare a couple of hours each quarter to? If so please contact your MOAS ID officer at moas@insulaedraconis.org for more information.

Áfríðr Eiríkrsdóttir (Manda Barrow)
MoAS Insulae Draconis (Retired)

Bystander Intervention Training

By Henric van den Casteele

Noble cousins,

Following the workshop in July, the Insulae Draconis Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) team will run another short “Bystander Intervention” workshop on Zoom to help empower our populace will the tools they need to intervene in harassment and other uncomfortable public interactions, 5-6pm on Saturday 9th November.

Bystander intervention provides different options for defusing and disrupting harmful behaviours, keeping everyone safe without escalating the situation. It is a useful skill to have in all areas of life, and we hope that those not already attending Kingdom University in Gotvik will be able to attend.

Yours in service,

Henric van den Casteele (they/them), on behalf of the Insulae Draconis DEIB team.

The DEIB team works with the Seneschal to increase awareness of relevant issues, promote relevant initiatives, and act as a point of contact for information and advice for relevant matters. They can be reached at accessibility.diversity@insulaedraconis.org.

Lost and Found at Ormthing

By Áfríðr Eiríksdóttir

LOST Bunting belonging to Thamesreach

Can I ask everyone to check their stashes, cupboards and boxes - I am looking to track down the whereabouts of the Thamesreach bunting.

Note: these were not at the event and have been on a little sojourn for a while.

If you have any news at all please contact myself or Oriane d’Avallon

MOAS Bunting

Muchly missed and last seen decorating the A&S space under the great awning in the court yard at Caldicot Coronent.

Blue and white alternate bunting. The blue triangles have a single candle design on them

Please contact me (Áfríðr) if you have my little cherubs. Amnesty assured.

Found

Good news… I now have a new hat…. unless of course, it is claimed.

A lovely steel grey colour with decorative trim. It was returned to me in my box of flags.

Please contact me if you are missing this lovely head wear to arrange safe return.

Many thanks

YIS

Áfríðr Eiríksdóttir

Contact email: archery dot pontalarch@gmail dot com

The Writ and Record

By Nicholas de Estlecce

I haven’t had much time for new research this month, so I thought I’d go through some heraldic registrations I’ve done in recent years.

The Company of the Dawne

The device for the Company had already been designed, and the name in widespread use during the Covid years, but it required registration, which is a little more tricky. The initial thought would be to name it after one of the private mercenary companies that operated in Europe during our period, especially within Italy. One of the more famous of these is ‘The White Company of the Hawk’ (Compagnia Bianca del Falco), led by the Englishman John Hawkwood. This was also known as the ‘The English Company’, and earlier ‘The Great Company of English and Germans’ under its first commander, Albert Sterz.

The problem is that these patterns don’t match the use of a concept like The Dawn Company. You certainly don’t find words like dawn used in the same ways as adjectives such as white. In modern English, however, you might translate something on the lines of ‘The Company of the Dawn’ as ‘The Dawn Company’. So let’s try that.

Dawn in Italian translates to Alba, so we’d be looking for a name like ‘Compagnia dell’ Alba’. Alba is the name of a town, and a surname (although my knowledge of Italian records wasn’t good enough to document it to period). However, in both cases you would have ‘The Company of Alba’ (‘Compagnia di Alba’), rather than using the nickname of ‘the Dawn’, analogous to the ‘the Hawk’. So we leave my limited abilities in Italian.

In an English context, what about private military companies? As far as I could see they were all named for people, so again not ‘of the’, and nothing based on more nebulous concepts such as the dawn. Names in period tend to be associated with definitive places or people, rather than generic concepts, which is far more common in modern naming. There are exceptions, usually associated with religious virtues, or otherwise with heraldic imagery, but heraldry is limited to identifiable things.

However, there is one way to get to a ‘Company of the’ in English, and that is with the crews of ships, using its name. This pattern is evident in documents such as HCA 30/840/30, from 1636, in the UK National Archives: “John Holt, Andrew Davys, Edward Burges, Briant Middleton, Thomas Smyth, Edward Dale, James Lucy, Thomas Shotten, Edmond Weekes, Emanuel Rogers, Josias Wilkinson, James Symes, John Clarke, Roger Russell, John Jones, Phillip Pritchards, Thomas Ayres and Constantine Woodroff, company of the White Lion of which Thomas Middleton was the master”. It’s also a pattern that the College of Heralds recognizes for registration. So we have the pattern, and the problem changes to documenting a ship called the Dawn.

To this end, I went through a number of the SC8 records ay the UK National Archives, as well as some other directly transcribed catalogue entries. The SC8 series have the advantage of being freely available as digital images, so you can see what is actually written, albeit often in Norman French. The extracted names can be found here. (which is based on just a sample, and hence far from comprehensive). This shows the development of the three main patterns: saints, places and people, the latter as full, first or surnames. But no concepts in the way we would think of them.

The most promising avenue, would be personal names. It’s probably rarer not to be able to document something in the English naming pool than to be able to. For example, Darth Vader is a plausible English name using period naming patterns, although, to my knowledge, no actual individual ever bore it.

Examples of such ships include:

Dawn is a modern first name, but I couldn’t document that to period. I was also somewhat surprised to only find Dawn as a surname a couple of times. However, the variant Dawne was far more common. I usually use parish records as my first stop for finding names; they are after all intended to be lists of every person who was born (given baptism was ubiquitous), married and died (given that burial was essential), and for those interested in the details:

Hence, using a ship named for someone in the Dawne family, we end up with the registered name of ‘The Company of the Dawne’.

This doesn’t reflect the actual purpose of Insulae Draconis’s Dawn Company, but does reflect a common SCA practice of a new guild, institution or group being named first and registered later. Unfortunately, many of the naming patterns that tend to be imagined as period in sound and construction tend to actually originate in the pages of fantasy novels, rather than in medieval practice. This leads to quite a lot of registrations in which established names have to be retrospectively engineered to fit a period pattern, in order that they can pass College of Heralds standards.

This isn’t arbitrary, but a reflection of those researching names wanting to apply the same standards of period practice as any of those who research, for example, cloth, clothes or cooking, and much as a cook would encourage you to use and adapt period recipes, I encourage you to check period naming patterns before the fact.

The Armourers Guild

I was consulted on the name and armoury of this new guild at its inception, which meant I was able to follow period patterns from the start. From a College of Heralds point of view, this guild was generic enough that it didn’t need a name registration, and any arms could be registered to the Armourer’s Guild of Drachenwald.

Having said that, however, the guild still needed a decent name for its charter. In actual fact, I had difficulty in tracking down many examples of such guilds across Europe, which may just reflect the esoteric nature of the search and perhaps a lack of online translations. However, being English myself, as was the founder, the most obvious example to follow was that of the guild in the City of London. This still exists, now combined with the Brazier’s Guild, a merger which happened in 1707, and pops up as a sponsor of events at the Materials Science Department of Cambridge University from time to time. The Armourers Guild of the City of London was founded in 1322, and received a Royal Charter in 1453, which refers to the Brothers and Sisters of the Fraternity or Guild of St. George, of the Mystery of the Armourers of the City of London.

I retained the essential pattern, but made some of the terminology more neutral, whilst using period wording, and replaced the English patron saint of St. George, with Albion, who in many ways occupies the same position for Drachenwald. Thus, it became The fellowship of the guild of Albion of the Mystery of the Armourers of the Kingdom of Drachenwald.

Next came the business of registering the guild arms. In SCA terms, this had to be a badge registered to Drachenwald, as the SCA has the slightly odd notion that people and groups can only register one device, but numerous badges. I’ll forego my usual exposition on this approach.

In looking to follow period inspiration, there was obviously the London guild arms. I tried to find some other European examples, but the only one I could turn up was the Florentine ‘Arte dei Corazzai e Spadai’

The combined arms of the Armourers and Braziers Guild of the City of London (modern rendition in colour)

The armes of all the cheife corporatons [sic] of England, 1596 English (LUNA: Folger Digital Image Collection, STC 26018)

Arte dei Corazzai e Spadai’ (modern rendition)

It’s worth noting in passing that the London guild’s arms exceed the SCA general limit for complexity, and provides a period example for documenting an exception. With 7 charges (chief, chevron, swords, gauntlet, helms, roundel and cross) and 4 colours (Or, argent, sable and gules), it comes in with a complexity count of 11, with the default limit being 8.

I took both as examples for possible arms, and myself and the founder decided upon the London derived example, perhaps biased as we’re both culturally English. Like the name, the emblem of St. George was replaced with Albion. However, one of the key features of Albion, is that they are black., which wouldn’t work on the black chief. As such, I decided to move the charges off the chief on to the field itself, which also required the helms to become a colour. Following the style and palette of the original, they also became black. It wasn’t the motivation, but this change also has the effect of reducing the complexity as measured in SCA terms, by removing the chief, roundel and cross, and the tincture gules, although adding a dragon, giving a new count of 8.

Registered device (as a badge) of the Armourers Guild of Drachenwald.

Whilst the registered example uses great helms, the submission explicitly requested they be blazoned as just helms. This allows people to adapt the helms to their personas’ place and time as an artistic detail, although there’s no getting away from the fact that the overall design will remain late period, English guild style.

For those interested in the minutiae of the SCA heraldic rules, there are a couple of potential problems with the device, although they would in practice be negated by the fact that it is based on a period example, and such examples will always trup existing rules. The first is often referred to as the Unity of Orientation rule, wherein charges must be aligned together. However, the decision directly addressed this, stating “This badge does not have a Unity of Orientation issue under SENA A2D2c; that section explicitly only applies to charges that have comparable orientations, which swords (long charges) and gauntlets (compact orientable charges) do not.”

The second issue comes down to the statement that ‘A single charge group may only have one tertiary charge group on it.’, the assertion being that the swords and gauny gauntlet could not be described together as a single group. It’s a shame the decision didn’t comment on this. However, one commenter had a look for the patterns of two charge groups in the 1550-1555 Insignia Anglica [BSB Cod.icon. 291], which doesn’t actually include the livery companies, and found examples of the form:

‘an A between two B’ (pretty common) ‘in cross an A between four B’ ‘in saltire an A between four B’

So, whilst under the current rules, tertiary charge groups (charges on charges) nominally have to be a single charge group, it is clear that what might be called simple tertiary charge group patterns also existed, at least in late-period heraldry, and hence can be used in submissions, although you would currently need to send in supporting documentation.

A Feast of Flags

By Áfríðr Eiríksdóttir

A Feast of Flags, Flags, more Flags and of course - Bunting

Ormþing LIX - Couronne de Caldicot was held at Caldicot Castle August 2024. It was to be a moving and memorable event by all those who attended.

Caldicot Castle has a fascinating and rich history. It is thought that a timber motte and bailey was built sometime in the first quarter of the 12th Century by the Sheriff of Gloucester, Walter Fitz Roger. Its full story can be read at Medieval Heritage. And my goodness, it has to be said that even the remaining standing stones make a huge impression upon visitors today.

As Scandians from across the Principality gathered together - the joy that is uniquely ours - when, for the first time, we saw our flags and bunting fluttering from the stone walls in the warm sunshine. There is nothing quite like the sight and so without further preamble I would like to share with you all just a few of the photos I took (very) early on Sunday morning, as I sat waiting for the Castle Staff to come on duty so that I could retrieve the Prince and Princess Badges from the main Feasting Hall.

Gonfalons Galore

Insulae Draconis Gonfalon along with, I think - the Drachenwald dragon shield, hanging on the Square Tower. To give you some idea of scale, the Insulae Draconis Gonfalon is 15 FOOT (4.57 meters) long and 5 FEET (1.52 meters) wide. Basking in the warm sunshine early on Sunday morning.

My grateful thanks to Flintheath - for the loan of their precious heraldry.

The Pont Alarch Gonfalon stirring in the gentle breeze… I think you will agree… A GLORIOUS sight to behold.

Thank you to Pont Alarch for the loan of their Gonfalon

SCA Heraldry - how many do you recognise?

A smaller Insulae Draconis heraldic flag - made in wool on display. I was rather worried about this treasure getting wet if it rained. Happily the weather remained remarkably clement throughout the whole event.

Many thanks to Flintheath for the loan of this amazing piece of artwork.

A few personal heraldry and shire flags to brighten up the castle wall…

Perhaps some shields on the motte might look amazing next time around?

A Fine Display of Bunting

An early Sunday morning addition to the festival of flags… this amazing bunting looked stunning. Perhaps next year there definitely ought to be a shout out for more bunting… lots more bunting… Many many thanks to Lady Amy Osgoldcross for her creative vision and patience in crafting this fabulous display.

Prince and Princess Badges

Insulae Draconis Prince and Princess Badge’s - completed just in time for the Coronet! These were on display in the main Feasting Hall of the Castle.

Lots and lots of sewing - and even more painting than I expected. They both took me around four months to complete… the full (dramatic) saga / (tall tale) of woe, disasters and heroics surrounding the creation of these Badges will have to wait until next time.

A Token of Thanks and Appreciation

I would like to thank everyone who helped me by providing flags - your generosity knows no bounds - and of which I had an abundance - so apologies if your flag was not on display this time around. Do not fear - there is of course always next year.

My undying thanks, appreciation and heartfelt thanks goes to my helpers and support / encouragement team members for their extraordinary efforts and indeed anyone who helped with hanging, arranging, and making sure everything was safe and ready in time. There were several moments when my heart was in my mouth as I watched anxiously when you were scrambling around castle the high places.

As a memento, I presented each with a homemade but beautifully crafted, tiny viking shield painted in my own red and white heraldic colours. I hopefully, managed to gift everyone who stepped up.. but if I missed, and you would like to claim your trophy - please do contact me.

And finally, my very very grateful thanks to Lady Hannah, my Set Dresser Deputy for completing the take down on the Monday - thus allowing me to travel home on Sunday in the heated seat comfort of the car - rather than battle across country on the train.

The castle, I think you all will agree, looked absolutely amazing - and its all thanks to each of you.

Áfríðr Eiríksdóttir Set Dresser @ Ormþing LIX - Couronne de Caldicot

Archery Lesson 2: Bow Poundage

By Pól ó Briain

The bows’ poundage in simple terms is how hard (measured in pounds weight of force) the bow is to draw (pull) back. All we want to concern ourselves with when starting out is that the bow is not too hard to draw. If it is, you are at risk of an injury.

Most bows will have their poundage marked on them which make look something like this 20lbs @28”. This means it take 20lbs of force to pull the string back to 28inches (distance from the bow and not from your brace height) which is a good weight for a youth. 23lbs would be a good weight of a bow for late teenagers and 25lbs would be good for an adult. These are all beginner weights for learning archery on and you may find that you quickly move to a heavier poundage bow. Remember, more poundage does not always mean better. How to test if a bow is to heavy poundage for you.

Take your place on the line. Draw the String back ½ of the way and then ‘come down’* again. Should you feel comfortable with that move onto next step, if not, STOP. Draw the String back ¾ of the way and then ‘come down’ again. Should you feel comfortable with that move onto next step, if not, STOP. Draw the String back to full draw of the way and then ‘come down’ again.

If you are comfortable with the bow at full draw, then the bow is fine for you. Never pick bow that that you can barely pull to full draw. You may be able to shoot 3 or 4 arrows, but you won’t be able to safely shoot 30 or 60 arrows without injuring yourself.

Please note that extra care should be taken with children with the bow poundage. Too heavy a draw weight for children can easily damage young bones and joints. As a good guide for children, find out their draw length in inches and then ¾ of that number should be the correct maximum poundage for them. This is only a guide and not a hard and fast rule. If they find the bow too hard to draw use a lighter bow.

*’Come Down’, mean that archer should slowly relax the string to its starting position without letting go of the string or shooting an arrow.

Events

These are the upcoming events in Insulae Draconis.

To submit an event for inclusion, use the form on the Drachenwald website, https://drachenwald.sca.org/events/calendar-add/. You don't need to provide all information right away; a minimal entry is enough at first.

The day after you submit an event, you'll receive an email with a link to edit your entry. Changes will be reflected on the Principality website within a few minutes, and in editions of the Baelfyr that are published before the event takes place. (If you're unable to find that link, contact webminister@drachenwald.sca.org for help.)

To keep entries consistent between the calendars, The Baelfyr no longer accepts event submissions by email.

12th Night Coronation - Corónú Nollaig na mBan

Hosted by Eplaheimr

Begins: Friday, 10 January 2025
Ends: Sunday, 12 January 2025

Activities: Heavy Fighting, Fencing, Archery, Dancing, A&S, Feast or Potluck, Royalty present

The Prince and Princess will be present.



The Barony of Eplaheimr is proud to welcome all throughout the Kingdom to witness the glorious succession of the Dragon Thrones and the Crowning of the true heirs of Drachenwald. Come one and all to this joyful celebration!

Nollaig na mBan is the Irish name for 12th night - it means ‘Women’s Christmas’. We will also be celebrating the women in our Kingdom and in history over the weekend.

Site address: Petersburg Outdoor Education Centre

Event steward: Baroness Melisende Fitzwalter OL (melisende1380@yahoo.co.uk)

Reservation: Booking opens 1st August: https://fienta.com/12th-night-coronation-coronu-nollaig-na-mban

Cost:
Petersburg Centre
Adult full event, all food - €65
Adult Daytrip/offsite, all food - €50
Adult Daytrip/offsite, no Feast - €40
Child age 6 to 12, full event - €47
Child age 6 to 12, daytrip/offsite, all food - €30
Child age 6 to 12, daytrip/offsite, no feast - €25
Child age 5 and under, using bed - €16 (cost)
Child age 5 and under daytrip/offsite – Free
.
Petersburg House
Adult full event, all food - €85
Adult Daytrip/offsite, all food - €50
Adult Daytrip/offsite, no Feast - €40
Child age 6 to 12, full event - €65
Child age 6 to 12, daytrip/offsite, all food - €30
Child age 6 to 12, daytrip/offsite, no feast - €25
Child age 5 and under, using bed - €42 (cost)
Child age 5 and under daytrip/offsite – Free

Minors between the ages of 13 and 18 will be priced as adults.
Any non-members will be charge €5 extra per day

Payment: Payments can be made on site
Main payment portal will be online through Fienta. Booking is expected to open at the start of August

Site information:
Site is divided into the Centre - with larger bunk dormitories and shared bathrooms, and the House with small ensuite bunk rooms. The site provides sheets and pillows/cases, but no bedding.

Website: https://eplaheimr.org/12th-night-coronation/
Facebook: https://fb.me/e/1Cg9XaFcP

Flintmoot

Hosted by Flintheath

Takes place: Saturday, 18 January 2025

Activities: Heavy Fighting, Fencing, Archery, A&S, Feast or Potluck

Please join us for Flintmoot in Flintheath! An afternoon of A&S projects ongoing in the Hall, along with bardic and cooking. Outside, enjoy rapier, rattan, and archery practice.

Saturday 18 January 2025 from 12 noon to six o’clock (at 4pm, we’ll sit down for a discussion about Flintheath business and planning)

Location, Waterbeach Tillage Hall, CB25 9NJ

If you have not done so already, please submit your membership info in order to be covered by insurance for this event: https://sites.google.com/insulaedraconis.org/sca-uk-cic-insurancedatabase/home

Site address: Waterbeach Tillage Hall, CB25 9NJ

Event steward: Eularia Trewe

Reservation: As per our insurers, membership status is required to attend. If you have not done so already, please submit your membership info by Tuesday, 14 January at 6pm in order to be covered by insurance: https://sites.google.com/insulaedraconis.org/sca-uk-cic-insurancedatabase/home

Cost: Attendance is free - donations appreciated.

Site information: Tillage Hall is a spacious and light community building overlooking the beautiful recreation grounds in Waterbeach.

Inside
There is a brand new kitchen (fitted in Spring 2021) with a large central island and deep serving hatch, opening out onto the hall and providing plenty of worktop space. The kitchen is well equipped with a fridge, oven and microwave with plenty of crockery available for teas and coffees.

There are 9 tables and approximately 60 chairs available for your use stored in a cupboard off the main hall. The hall floor area measures 9.4 x 9.4 meters and has a high vaulted ceiling with velux roof windows.

There are three toilets available, including disabled and baby change. Free Wifi available.

Tillage Hall has a disabled toilet and entrance and fire exit doors suitable for wheelchair users.

Parking
The car park is shared with the recreation ground and can get busy on football fixture days (typically Saturday mornings).

Public transit
Walking distance from the Waterbeach train station
Nearest bus stop PR5 Park & Ride at Recreation Ground

Website: https://www.flintheath.org.uk

Pontalarch Shire Day

Hosted by Pontalarch

Takes place: Sunday, 19 January 2025

Activities: Heavy Fighting, Fencing, Archery, A&S

Site address: Tockwith Village Hall YO26 7PR

Event steward: Haesel of Berneslai (exch.pontalarch@gmail.com)

Cost:
Members £10 Non Members £13

Payment: Payments can be made on site
Payments can be made online. Please contact exch.pontalarch@gmail.com for details.

Flintmoot

Hosted by Flintheath

Takes place: Saturday, 15 February 2025

Activities: Heavy Fighting, Fencing, Archery, A&S, Feast or Potluck

Please join us for Flintmoot in Flintheath! An afternoon of A&S projects ongoing in the Hall, along with bardic and cooking. Outside, enjoy rapier, rattan, and archery practice.

Saturday 15 February 2025 from 12 noon to six o’clock (at 4pm, we’ll sit down for a discussion about Flintheath business and planning)

Location, Waterbeach Tillage Hall, CB25 9NJ

If you have not done so already, please submit your membership info in order to be covered by insurance for this event: https://sites.google.com/insulaedraconis.org/sca-uk-cic-insurancedatabase/home

Site address: Waterbeach Tillage Hall, CB25 9NJ

Event steward: Eularia Trewe

Reservation: As per our insurers, membership status is required to attend. If you have not done so already, please submit your membership info by Tuesday, 11 February at 6pm in order to be covered by insurance: https://sites.google.com/insulaedraconis.org/sca-uk-cic-insurancedatabase/home

Cost: Attendance is free - donations appreciated.

Site information: Tillage Hall is a spacious and light community building overlooking the beautiful recreation grounds in Waterbeach.

Inside
There is a brand new kitchen (fitted in Spring 2021) with a large central island and deep serving hatch, opening out onto the hall and providing plenty of worktop space. The kitchen is well equipped with a fridge, oven and microwave with plenty of crockery available for teas and coffees.

There are 9 tables and approximately 60 chairs available for your use stored in a cupboard off the main hall. The hall floor area measures 9.4 x 9.4 meters and has a high vaulted ceiling with velux roof windows.

There are three toilets available, including disabled and baby change. Free Wifi available.

Tillage Hall has a disabled toilet and entrance and fire exit doors suitable for wheelchair users.

Parking
The car park is shared with the recreation ground and can get busy on football fixture days (typically Saturday mornings).

Public transit
Walking distance from the Waterbeach train station
Nearest bus stop PR5 Park & Ride at Recreation Ground

Website: https://www.flintheath.org.uk

Pontalarch Shire Day

Hosted by Pontalarch

Takes place: Saturday, 22 February 2025

Activities: Heavy Fighting, Fencing, Archery, A&S

Site address: Tockwith Village Hall YO26 7PR 10am - 6pm

Cost:
Members £10 - Non Members £13 - First Time Event FREE

Payment: Payments can be made on site
Payments can be made online. Please contact exch.pontalarch@gmail.com for details.

Du fait de cuisine

Hosted by Flintheath

Begins: Friday, 28 February 2025
Ends: Sunday, 2 March 2025

Activities: A&S, Feast or Potluck, Cooking

The Princess will be present.

Join us for a weekend of classes on cookery and food!

We’re still open to class proposals - if there’s something you would like to teach, submit a proposal via this link: https://forms.gle/kwKGFrUCRXWeaAYd6

Site address: Silverwood Scout Camp, Silkstone, Barnsley S75 4LB

Event steward: Aðísla Arnulfsdóttir (cuisine-steward@flintheath.org.uk)

Reservation: Event reservations are now open at this link: https://forms.gle/bZgKvhbn5sE9f1c86

Cost: £65 - full weekend
£60 - day trip
£50 - concession

We will apply a £5 (full weekend) or £3 (day trip) non-member surcharge for all SCA non-members.

Payment: Payment information will be provided after registration, Foreign guests can pay at the door
Children are welcome at this event. If you plan to bring children, please contact the event team to discuss registration and payments.

Site information: http://www.silverwoodcamp.org.uk/

Website: https://sites.google.com/drachenwald.sca.org/commando-catering/events/du-fait-de-cuisine/registration?authuser=0
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1102048981641912/

Lough Devnaree University

Hosted by Glen Rathlin

Begins: Friday, 14 March 2025
Ends: Sunday, 16 March 2025

Activities: A&S, Feast or Potluck


Come join the people of Glen Rathlin and the rest of Lough Devnaree for a weekend of learning

Site address: Crawfordsburn scout camp

Event steward: Caitriona of the Ravens

Reservation:

Bookings will be by Fienta

Site information: Crawfordsburn scout camp

Thamesreach Fencing event

Hosted by Thamesreach

Takes place: Saturday, 22 March 2025

Activities: Fencing

Flintmoot

Hosted by Flintheath

Takes place: Saturday, 22 March 2025

Activities: Heavy Fighting, Fencing, Archery, A&S, Feast or Potluck

Please join us for Flintmoot in Flintheath! An afternoon of A&S projects ongoing in the Hall, along with bardic and cooking. Outside, enjoy rapier, rattan, and archery practice.

Saturday 22 March 2025 from 12 noon to six o’clock (at 4pm, we’ll sit down for a discussion about Flintheath business and planning)

Location, Waterbeach Tillage Hall, CB25 9NJ

If you have not done so already, please submit your membership info in order to be covered by insurance for this event: https://sites.google.com/insulaedraconis.org/sca-uk-cic-insurancedatabase/home

Site address: Waterbeach Tillage Hall, CB25 9NJ

Event steward: Eularia Trewe

Reservation: As per our insurers, membership status is required to attend. If you have not done so already, please submit your membership info by Tuesday, 18 March at 6pm in order to be covered by insurance: https://sites.google.com/insulaedraconis.org/sca-uk-cic-insurancedatabase/home

Cost: Attendance is free - donations appreciated.

Site information: Tillage Hall is a spacious and light community building overlooking the beautiful recreation grounds in Waterbeach.

Inside
There is a brand new kitchen (fitted in Spring 2021) with a large central island and deep serving hatch, opening out onto the hall and providing plenty of worktop space. The kitchen is well equipped with a fridge, oven and microwave with plenty of crockery available for teas and coffees.

There are 9 tables and approximately 60 chairs available for your use stored in a cupboard off the main hall. The hall floor area measures 9.4 x 9.4 meters and has a high vaulted ceiling with velux roof windows.

There are three toilets available, including disabled and baby change. Free Wifi available.

Tillage Hall has a disabled toilet and entrance and fire exit doors suitable for wheelchair users.

Parking
The car park is shared with the recreation ground and can get busy on football fixture days (typically Saturday mornings).

Public transit
Walking distance from the Waterbeach train station
Nearest bus stop PR5 Park & Ride at Recreation Ground

Website: https://www.flintheath.org.uk

Pontalarch Shire Day

Hosted by Pontalarch

Takes place: Sunday, 30 March 2025

Activities: Heavy Fighting, Fencing, Archery, A&S

Site address: Tockwith Village Hall YO26 7PR 10am - 6pm

Event steward: Haesel of Berneslai (exch.pontalarch@gmail.com)

Cost:
Members £10 - Non Members £13 - First Time Event FREE

Payment: Payments can be made on site
Payments can be made online. Please contact exch.pontalarch@gmail.com for details.

Flaming Arrow

Hosted by Glen Rathlin

Begins: Friday, 2 May 2025
Ends: Sunday, 4 May 2025

Activities: Archery, Feast or Potluck


Another weekend of archery, food and good company

Event steward: Caitriona of the Ravens

St Bede's Fair ~ Flintheath's Anniversary

Hosted by Flintheath

Begins: Friday, 23 May 2025
Ends: Monday, 26 May 2025

Activities: Heavy Fighting, Fencing, Archery, Dancing, A&S, Feast or Potluck, Camping, Sewing, Equestrian

SAVE THE DATE! Flintheath invites you to join us again at Manor Farm for St Bede’s Fair to celebrate the Shire’s 40th anniversary!

Event steward: The Noble Renart

Strawberry Raid IV

Hosted by Dun in Mara

Begins: Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Ends: Monday, 2 June 2025

Activities: Heavy Fighting, Fencing, Archery, Dancing, A&S, Camping, Sewing

The Princess will be present.

The Shire of Dun In Mara welcomes you to Strawberry Raid IV, six days of camping around the beautifully restored 15th-16th century tower house of Sigginstown Castle, in the beautiful sunny South-East of Ireland.

We will enjoy a range of activities from the arts, crafts and camp cookery to the martial pursuits of armoured combat, fencing and archery. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome across the board

Site address: Sigginstown Castle, Sigginstown, Tomhaggard Co. Wexford, Ireland Y35 XK7D

Event steward: Aodhan Dha Cheist (aidanbarron1@gmail.com)

Cost:
To be confirmed

Payment: Payment information will be provided after registration

Site information:
https://www.sigginstowncastle.com/

Website: https://duninmara.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1016997163331731/?ref=newsfeed

October Crown 2025

Hosted by Depedene under Wychwood

Begins: Friday, 10 October 2025
Ends: Sunday, 12 October 2025

Activities: Heavy Fighting, Fencing, A&S, Feast or Potluck, Royalty present



October Crown Tourney

Event steward: Valda ingen Chaemgein

Branches

These are the branches that make up Insulae Draconis, and contact details for their officers.

To update the information here, use the form for the Drachenwald regnum: https://forms.drachenwald-sca.org/forms/regnum-officers/

Depedene under Wychwood

Northern England

Exchequer

Valda ingen Chaemgin (Michelle Parker ) She/Her
Email exchequer@depedene.org

Armoured Combat Marshal

Joel ben Stuart He/Him
Email marshal@depedene.org

Dun in Mara

East coast of Ireland

Seneschal

Alays de Lunel She/Her
Email seneschal@duninmara.org

Exchequer

Etienne the younger
Email exchequer@duninmara.org

Minister of Arts and Sciences

Katie of Dun in Mara (Katie) She/Her
Email artsandsciences@duninmara.org

Herald

Aoífe ní Aodhagáin (Eva Mühlhause) She/Her
Email herald@duninmara.org

Chronicler

Aodh Ó Siadhail (Drew Shiel) He/Him
Email chronicler@duninmara.org

Eplaheimr

Central, west and south Ireland

Seneschal

Eplaheimr-Jin Unegen (Yann Coussot)
Email seneschal.eplaheimr@gmail.com

Exchequer

Robert of Eplaheimr (Robert O' Rourke) He/Him
Email exchequer.eplaheimr@gmail.com

Minister of Arts and Sciences

Viscountess Susannah of York
Email eplaheimr.moas@gmail.com

Herald

Fianna Rua Nic Mhathúna (Davina Mc Mahon) She/Her
Email fiannaruasca@gmail.com

Chronicler

Melisende Fitzwalter She/Her
Email chronicler.eplaheimr@gmail.com

Web Minister

Melisende Fitzwalter She/Her
Email chronicler.eplaheimr@gmail.com

Flintheath

East Anglia

Seneschal

Captain Kenneth Elliot (Kenneth Askew)
Email askewstacy@yahoo.com

Exchequer

Nicholas de Estleche dictus le Tardif (Nicholas Adams)
Email exchequer@flintheath.org.uk

Chatelaine

Shannon of Oak of Honor Hill (Shannon Webster)
Email chatelain@flintheath.org.uk

Minister of Arts and Sciences

Bronwen Selwyn (Susan Stallman)
Email moas@flintheath.org.uk

Herald

Alexandre Lerot d'Avigné He/Him
Email herald@flintheath.org.uk

Chronicler

Rebecca of Flintheath She/Her
Email chronicler@flintheath.org.uk

Web Minister

Eularia Trewe She/Her
Email webminister@flintheath.org.uk

Glen Rathlin

Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the historical Province of Ulster

Exchequer

Natacha of Glen Rathlin
Email exchequer@glenrathlin.org

Harpelstane

Scotland

Seneschal

Elen Benet (Helen Lever)
Email seneschal@harpelstane.org

Web Minister

Maria Harsick
Email webminister@harpelstane.org

Kingeslake

Athlone Institute of Technology

Klakavirki

Iceland

Seneschal

Samuel of Klakavirki (Sam O'Donnell) He/Him
Email Klakavirki@gmail.com

Exchequer

Pól ó Briain (Paul O'Brien) He/Him

Minister of Arts and Sciences

Padraig of Klakavirki He/Him

Archery Marshal

Alexandria of Klakavirki (Anna Reneau) She/Her
Email evil.barbarian@gmail.com

Mynydd Gwyn

Wales and west of England

Pontalarch

Central England

Seneschal

Alessandra di Riario She/Her
Email sen.pontalarch@gmail.com

Exchequer

THL Haesel de Berneslai
Email exch.pontalarch@gmail.com

Chatelaine

Hildr of pont Alarch She/Her
Email chat.pontalarch@gmail.com

Armoured Combat Marshal

Wolfram von Falkenstein (David A McIntee) He/Him

Archery Marshal

Áfríðr Eiríksdóttir
Email archery.pontalarch@gmail.com

Social Media Minister

Hannah Zamoyska Lancaster She/Her
Email media.pontalarch@gmail.com

Thamesreach

Greater London, England

West Dragonshire

Southern England

Exchequer

Alex of Long Riston (Alex Crompton) He/Him
Email a.crompton1992@gmail.com

Herald

Thomas Flamanc (John Sawyer) He/Him
Email jpgsawyer@gmail.com

Web Minister

Raphe Cuthbert (Ian Walden) He/Him
Email raphec@doc2prod.co.uk

Insulae Draconis Regnum

Prince Alexander of Derlington and Princess Agnes Boncuer

Prince@insulaedraconis.org
princess@insulaedraconis.org

Progress

12th Night Coronation - Corónú Nollaig na mBan 10 January 2025-12 January 2025
The Prince and Princess will be present.

Du fait de cuisine 28 February 2025-2 March 2025
The Princess will be present.

Strawberry Raid IV 28 May 2025-2 June 2025
The Princess will be present.

Officers

Seneschal

Meliton
Contact: seneschal@insulaedraconis.org

Deputy Exchequer

Aoífe ní Aodhagáin (Eva Muhlhause) She/Her
Contact: exchequer@insulaedraconis.org

exchequer

Mary Verch Thomas (Mary Frost) She/Her
Contact: exchequer@insulaedraconis.org

Minister of Arts and Sciences

Órlaith Chaomhánach She/Her
Contact: moas@insulaedraconis.org

Herald

Shirin Perot-duxt (Sarah Brider) Any
Contact: herald@insulaedraconis.org

Archery - Captain General of the Archers / Branch Archery officer / Branch Archery Officer/Regional Archery Deputy

Aodhan Dha Cheist (Aidan Barron) He/Him
Contact: archerymarshal@insulaedraconis.org

Marshal of Fence

Esbiorn Jensson (David Cordes) He/his
Contact: rapiermarshal@insulaedraconis.org

Chronicler

Sela de la Rosa She/Her
Contact: chronicler@insulaedraconis.org

Signet

Arianhwy Wen/Aria Gemina Mala/Ari Mala She/Her
Contact: signet@insulaedraconis.org

Deputy Webminister

Yannick of Normandy He/Him
Contact: deputy-webminister@insulaedraconis.org

Webminister

Eadbald æt Underbrycge (Adrian Wright) He/Him
Contact: webminister@insulaedraconis.org

Social Media Minister

Renart of Flintheath She/Her
Contact: socialmedia@insulaedraconis.org

Principality Map