This page lists the rules in SCA governing documents that apply to us, while we want to advance a group to baronial status.
Don't just take my word for it though - check the original yourself, to make sure I haven't missed anything relevant.
The Society is full of urban myths and misunderstandings, often mistaking tradition and custom with law or Corpora.
I encourage everyone to read this at least once, so you know what the process is.
We can save ourselves a lot of discussion and potential disagreement if we are all familiar with the requirements.
Information is power.
Corpora
These are the relevant sections of Corpora that affect baronies.
III. Branches
C. Branch designations
5. Baronies and Provinces: Baronies and provinces are large branches within and subject to the administration of a kingdom (or principality, if any). They are alike in status and in the ability to administer other branches within their borders, but differ in that baronies possess a Baron and/or Baroness, ceremonial representatives appointed by the Crown, and therefore have the ability to create and administer awards, while
provinces do not. A branch or contiguous group of branches may petition for baronial or provincial status at the members’ option, subject to the approval of the Crown and (if applicable) the Coronet, if the resulting entity meets the requirements listed below:
- At least 25 members.
- A set of officers acceptable to the Crown (and Coronet, if applicable).
- A name and device registered with the College of Arms.
- Consensus favoring advancement in branch status, and favoring the type of branch (barony or province) specified in the petition. This consensus is determined by kingdom law and custom. If the branch is to be a barony, arrangements shall have been made with the Crown at the time of application for baronial status to select and appoint a Baron and/or Baroness in accordance with kingdom law and custom.
- A strong record of activity in a variety of fields of Society endeavor.
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D. Establishment and Advancement
1. The Society and Kingdom Seneschals will work together as necessary to process petitions for branch establishment or advancement. Society members who wish to form a branch, advance an existing branch in status, or advance a group of branches in status must first determine whether the area they have in mind is eligible for such treatment. This process shall involve consultation with the Kingdom (and Principality, if any) Seneschal, and with the Seneschals of any nearby branches.
2. The Society permits very broad participation by people who are not members as defined in the By-Laws. However no part of the Society can be required to solicit or heed their views regarding branch status, or any other situation where the opinion of the populace is to be consulted. Law, custom, or actual practice may allow consultation with nonmembers, but it cannot be required.
3. If necessary, the members shall reach a consensus as to a proposed name (and device, where required) and register it with the College of Arms before any petition for recognition can be granted.
4. The members of the proposed branch shall prepare a petition for the proposed action,
stating the proportion of their numbers favoring the move, and demonstrating that the requirements are met.
The petition shall be submitted as specified by kingdom law and custom. The Kingdom Seneschal shall review the petition to determine whether the proposed branch elevation conforms to Corpora and kingdom law and custom, consulting royalty and other kingdom or principality officers as appropriate for the level of branch under consideration. If the Kingdom Seneschal decides to recommend that the petition should be granted,
the action to be taken depends on the level of branch, as follows...
7. Baronies and provinces: The Kingdom Seneschal shall forward the entire petition package, including statements regarding the opinions of the relevant officers and royalty, to the Society Seneschal for review. The Society Seneschal shall determine the acceptability of the petition and either notify the Seneschal that the branch advancement may proceed, or that there are deficiencies which need to be corrected before the petition can be approved. The Society Seneschal will report the change in status to the Board.
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V. TERRITORIAL BARONS AND BARONESSES
A. Appointment and Removal
1. The Crown shall appoint a territorial Baron and/or Baroness according to the laws and
customs of the kingdom when a branch is granted baronial status, or whenever a new Baron and/or Baroness is required. The barony‘s opinion on the matter must be requested and received in writing, and the appointments must not be substantively opposed by the populace of the barony. Territorial Barons and Baronesses are officers and must maintain appropriate membership status.
2. The Crown may suspend a territorial Baron and/or Baroness for the duration of a reign, for just cause stated in writing and presented only to the Baron and/or Baroness. Suspension would prohibit the use of the baronial titles and arms, the conduct of baronial courts, and the presentation of baronial awards.
3. The Crown may remove a territorial Baron and/or Baroness for just cause stated in writing and presented only to the Baron and/or Baroness; however, the Crown must request a written opinion from the populace of the barony before taking such action.
B. Responsibilities
1. The basic duties of the Baron and/or Baroness are ceremonial in nature in reflecting the royal presence in the barony. The Crown may assign additional duties and responsibilities, according to the laws and customs of the kingdom.
2. Territorial Barons and/or Baronesses are responsible to the Crown and (if the barony is within a principality) to the Coronet. The Baron and/or Baroness shall work with the baronial officers as circumstances dictate, and shall keep these officers informed as necessary for the efficient performance of their duties and effective liaison within the barony.
3. The privileges, duties, and rights, ceremonial and otherwise, of the office of territorial Baron and/or Baroness are established by the laws and customs of the kingdom, and shall include the right to make such awards as the Crown (or the Coronet, if applicable) shall specifically delegate, and to establish and present non-armigerous awards specific to the barony.
4. A territorial Baron or Baroness may hold any other Society office for which he or she is fitted and qualified, save only those of Baronial Seneschal and Baronial Exchequer, but must not allow the duties and responsibilities of such office and the office of Baron or Baroness to conflict.
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Kingdom Law
6.04 Branch Required Officers
6.04.1 All branches of Drachenwald of Baronial/Provincial level or greater are should have, at a minimum, the following officers:
Seneschal
Herald
Exchequer
Knight Marshal
Minister of Arts and Sciences
Chronicler
Chatelaine
6.05 Territorial Baronies
6.05.1
Territorial Baronies may be established within the Kingdom of Drachenwald in accordance with the terms for establishment as outlined within the Corpora. In addition, the following requirements must be met:
6.05.1.1 The petitioning group must meet the minimum requirements specified in Corpora and must be able to guarantee that this minimum will be maintained between the time of filing and the time of approval by the Board of Directors.
6.05.1.2 The petitioning branch must have a sustained record of activities, including the hosting of Principality or Kingdom-wide events.
6.05.1.3 Request for the advancement to baronial status must be coordinated through the Crown, as well as the Kingdom Seneschal.
6.05.2
The title of territorial Baron or Baroness shall be awarded by the Crown upon petition by the members of the Barony in question.
6.05.3
When a Barony is left without either a Baron or Baroness the following procedures are in effect:
(I snipped the sub-sections for this rule - not relevant to advancing a group, though good to know there's a process in place)
6.05.4
At any time the members of a Barony may petition the Crown for the appointment of a Baron/Baroness to rule with its current Baroness/Baron.
6.05.5
If the members of the Barony in question wish to remove a territorial Baron and/or Baroness, they must first seek arbitration through the grievance procedure outlined in 12.02.2.
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6.05.5.1 (snipped for brevity)
6.05.6
Territorial Barons and Baronesses have the right to give non-armigerous awards and positions of honor.
6.05.7
Territorial Barons and Baronesses hold their Baronies in Fealty to the Crown. This fealty must be presented at Coronation. If unable to attend, the Territorial Baron and/or Baroness will provide fealty to the Crowns prior to the day scheduled for Coronation.
6.05.8
The length of a single term for Territorial Barons and Baronesses is a maximum of two years. After consulting with the members of the Barony, the Crown may, at their discretion, ask the Territorial Baron and/or Baroness to serve another term. It is recommended that Territorial Barons and Baronesses serve no more than two consecutive terms.
6.05.9
The Baron and/or Baroness of a Territorial Barony of Drachenwald must step down from office when no longer residing in the Barony.
6.05.10
Barons and Baronesses of Territorial Baronies of Drachenwald may participate in the Crown List.. They are required to submit the name of an acceptable candidate for Vicar with other documentation required for participation in the Crown List (see 7.02). Should the Baron or Baroness be victorious in the Crown Tournament, the Vicar assumes responsibility for the Barony immediately. The Vicar must conduct a polling for the new Baron/Baroness within 90 days.
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Society Seneschal's Handbook
The handbook is a goldmine of information about running Society groups, drawn from generations of experienced seneschals.
Keep in mind it addresses all SCA groups, most of which are in the continental US.
Unfortunately the document is locked, and does not allow you to copy and paste sections of text.
If anyone knows a way around this feature, please let me know.
So you'll have to read it for yourself.
The relevant sections are:
Responsibilities of seneschals
IX. Branch management (establishing or suspending branches)
Establishing New Branches
II Setting branch borders
III Territorial claims
VII Branch status changes
B. Creating of barony or province - starts page 37 of document
D. Branch demotion or dissolution
This is not quite as relevant, as we're not dissolving a group for bad reasons, but amalgamating one for good reasons.
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Society Chronicler's Policies
This handbook outlines what official publications (ie. newsletters) must contain in order to be official. A lot of it is aimed at kingdom chroniclers, and a big chunk refers to how to manage the finances to show that you're not dipping your fingers in the collective till.
Section C onward deal with starting local newsletters.
Here's a particularly telling bit, about electronic distribution of newsletters (emphasis mine).
I don't know if this ruling can be applied to wikis: arguably you could start a new page for each edition of the newsletter, and set up a template so that the same required content existed in it regularly. You can also lock a wiki section, so that noone can edit it anymore, thus 'publishing' it permanently in that version.
4. Distribution Requirements
a. Electronic distribution of the newsletter
Group newsletters may be distributed in either printed or electronic format, or both. If a subscription fee is charged for the local group newsletter then it may not be provided for free in an electronic form. It is permissible to set different prices for the electronic and printed versions of the newsletter. It is important, however, that the burden of the expenses of the office (reporting copies, supplies, etc.) falls evenly on both print and electronic subscribers, and local chroniclers should examine all costs associated with the office in order to determine a fair price for both print and electronic subscriptions. If the local newsletter is provided free of charge to any and all members of the populace that ask for a copy, then the newsletter may also be provided in an electronic form to those members of the populace that desire it. Specific permission to publish electronically must be received from each contributor and the electronic newsletter must also adhere to the provisions found in the Electronic Publications Policies.
Note that a group website is not a newsletter. Newsletters are published on a regular basis (usually monthly or quarterly) and do not contain dynamic content.
Note also that past issues of newsletters cannot be posted to group or other websites without first obtaining the required permissions for electronic publication.
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