Steps towards a barony

The seneschals of the three shires held a meeting at Coronation, chaired by Master Etienne. Attendees were:

Mistress Ariel

Lord Raphe, WD seneschal

Baroness Mary, ID seneschal

Lord Caohmin, representing Lady Valeria, as MG seneschal

Lady Genevieve, T'reach seneschal

Lord Robert (arrived late)

Etienne has graciously agreed to assist us with planning this baronial process, helping us define poll questions, and count the poll results.

Agreed on these steps to date:

1. Each shire meets to discuss the merits of dissolving and joining the proposed barony, considering questions like: what do we get out of it? how would it change how we play locally? would we want to merge with just one other group, if a third decides to withdraw?
2. Assuming agreement, the three local seneschals plus ID seneschal draft a proposal outlining what we want to do, providing as much detail as possible. The deadline for this document is end of February 2007 to follow WD's local meeting. We CC Etienne, as our mediator and assistant in this process.
3. We consider what questions we can cover in the first poll to seek official consensus. Etienne has written to the BoD ombudsperson for Drachenwald, asking for advice about how many questions can reasonably be put together on a single poll, ie. can we combine several questions about group status change into one poll?

The following steps weren't discussed at this meeting, but are additional steps we must complete.

1. We register a name and armory with the College of Heralds: the BoD won't consider a group for advancement to barony without both name and device. This is the slowest part of the process, the part we can't control.
2. We discuss who might be interested in being baron/ess.
3. Armed with consensus on baronial status, a name and armory, we send a written petition that states all this agreement (signed by the ID seneschal) to the Crown and kingdom seneschal who, after checking we've covered all the requirements, forwards it to the BoD. The BoD reviews applications for changes of branch status at its quarterly meetings.
4. We call for volunteers willing to take on a baronial offices: Seneschal, Herald, Exchequer, Knight Marshal, Minister of Arts and Sciences, Chronicler, Chatelaine.
5. While it is the Crown that appoints a B&B, how we put forward candidates for the position is up to kingdom custom - it's not defined in law. The closest 'standard' barony in Drachenwald is Knight's Crossing, where the seneschal runs a poll, and presents the results to the Crown. But it's important to realize that it is not a straight vote; the final decision rests with the King and Queen.

Polling questions -

The most exhaustive approach to questions would be:

• Does your shire want to amalgamate with the two other shires?
• Does your shire want to become part of a larger group, even if one of the other shires withdraws?

Note: This question is only valid for Thamesreach and Mynydd Gwyn. If West Dragonshire withdraws, the process is ended, because it sits between the borders of Mydydd Gwyn and Thamesreach. Baronies must be geographically connected.

• Does your shire want to be part of a 'supershire', or a barony?
• If you want to be part of a barony, do you want your shire to change to be a canton (retaining local officers and baronial officers), or have a single slate of officers for the larger group?

Note: Retaining cantons would not solve our problem of having a lot of offices to fill. However, the option exists.

Starting the heraldic process

Lord Robert has submitted a proposed name, LongWhitney, as a household name. Once accepted by the College of Arms, he can transfer the name to the barony, if it's acceptable to the populace.

Robert is also working on some new armory.

The intent is to retain the main tincture of the three groups' existing arms (argent, azure, vert), and to try to design something that is reflective of the area. Ideally it'll also be simple, bold, and easy to draw.

Robert will present this name, and the armory options, to the groups - either using this wiki as forum, in a local meeting, or via the yahoogroup. We should have consensus on both the name and the armory, so we can assure the BoD that yes, this is the choice of the majority of the members in the three shires.

Genevieve wrote up an explanation of What happens to the shires' armory if we amalgamate under a new name and arms.

If we're anxious to proceed with advancement, we could temporarily transfer one existing set of shire arms to the barony, because they're already registered. (For that matter, we could all amalgamate under one name, just as the shire of West Dragonshire 'donated' its name to the entire region.)

This option would save us waiting on registering a name and armory.

This isn't a great solution though: the other two shires would possibly feel put out, and 'temporary' solutions have a knack for becoming permanent ones. However, the option exists.

Other things we can do to demonstrate our intent

Assuming that we are happy with the prospect of a barony, we could

• Start a local newsletter, just as the crown principality now has a newsletter, the Belfyr. It need not be long, or demanding, but it should meet the requirements laid out in the Society Chronicler policies.