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Ratified May 17 2019 and approved by the Cantons in June 2019.
Amended June 19, 2019 to add the office of Chancellor Minor.
Amended February 21, 2020 to clarify voting age and term limits.
Amended September 3, 2021 to change “Bylaws” to “Charter”.
Amended October 20, 2021 to add the office of Social Media Officer.

(Also available in PDF format.)

1. THE PROVINCE
   1. The Crown Province of Østgarðr (the “Province”) is a branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (the “Society”), an educational non­profit corporation. 
   2. The Province operates within the Society’s Kingdom of the East (the “Kingdom”) with the same responsibilities and privileges as a Barony.
   3. The purpose of the Province is to further the mission and activities of the Society within its territory.
   4. The territory of the Province consists of New York City and adjacent portions of New York State, within boundaries which are defined more precisely by the Kingdom.
   5. The Province’s Cantons are Society branches that cover a region within the Province’s territorial boundaries.
   6. The Province’s Populace includes currently enrolled members of the Society whose residence is within the Province’s territorial boundaries (the “Membership”) as well as all people who regularly participate in the Province’s events and activities, and all newcomers who are interested in participating.
2. CHARTER
   1. This Charter describes the local operating procedures of the Province.
   2. All activities of the Province are governed by applicable modern law, the Governing Documents of the Society, and the Laws of the East Kingdom, each of which supersede this document.
      1. Where possible, the Charter should be interpreted to be consistent with those Superseding Documents.
      2. If the Charter is found to require revision to comply with those Superseding Documents, the Officers’ Council should make any necessary revisions in no more than three months.
   3. the Charter, and any future proposed revisions to it, must be announced and published in draft form at least twenty-eight days before they are voted on by the Provincial Officers’ Council, in order to allow them to be discussed by the Officers and the Populace.
   4. The Charter will take effect and be binding on the Province when it has been approved by at least two-thirds of the members of the Provincial Officers’ Council.
   5. Revisions to the Charter may be proposed by anyone in the Populace in a Provincial Commons Meeting or Officers’ Council Meeting, either by appearing in person, or by sending suggested revisions to the Seneschal in writing, which the Seneschal shall then present for consideration at an upcoming meeting.
   6. Revisions to the Charter must be approved by at least two-thirds of the members of the Provincial Officers’ Council in order to take effect.
   7. Notwithstanding the above, revisions to the Charter which contain only changes that fall into the categories shown below do not require prior announcement and may be approved by a simple majority vote of the Officers’ Council:
      1. Addition of new Provincial Awards or Championships to be granted by the Viceregents.
      2. Addition of Lesser Offices, or elimination of vacant Lesser Offices.
      3. Changes to make the Charter conform to the Superseding Documents.
      4. Corrections of typographical or grammatical errors that do not change the intended meaning of any provisions.
   8. the Charter that is currently in effect shall be made readily available to everyone on the Province’s web site.
   9. Provisions of the Charter that address the operations of the Cantons and their officers are binding on each of the Cantons.
   10. Cantons may create their own charters to govern their internal affairs. Canton charters do not supersede those of the Province, and cannot create binding obligations for the Province without the Province’s consent.
3. NOTIFICATIONS
   1. When making required announcements to the Populace, the Province will use its primary official communication channel and at least one of its other official communications channels.
   2. The Province’s primary official communications channel is the Province’s official populace mailing list.
   3. The Province’s other official communications channels are:
      1. The Province’s official website.
      2. The Province’s official newsletter.
      3. The Populace’s official social media presences.
   4. Notifications, approvals, or authorizations provided for or required herein may be delivered by any means approved by the Kingdom for Officers’ written communication, including:
      1. In writing delivered in person.
      2. In writing delivered by postal mail.
      3. In writing delivered by email, using EastKingdom.org email addresses for each party who possesses one.
4. VICEREGENTS
   1. The Viceregents are the titular heads of the Province.
      1. There may be one or two Viceregents at a time.
      2. Viceregents may choose to take the title of Viceroy, Vicereine, Viceregent, or an equivalent title in another language of the Society.
   2. The responsibilities and privileges of the Viceregents include the following:
      1. To represent the interests of the Kingdom within the Province.
      2. To represent the interests of the Province and its Populace to the Kingdom.
      3. To serve as exemplars of service and comportment, encouraging the Populace to excel and present their best selves within the Society.
      4. To participate in the deliberations and voting of the Provincial Officers’ Council, as described more fully below.
      5. To call for and preside over Provincial court.
      6. To fairly and appropriately bestow such Provincial awards as are established in the Charter.
      7. To preside over the selection of Provincial Champions.
      8. To invite Royalty to Provincial events.
      9. To preside at High Table at events in the Province if they so wish, or in accordance with Their Majesties’ wishes if Kingdom Royalty is present.
   3. The term of office for Viceregents is three years.
      1. Viceregents may serve for a second term of three years if they so wish, and if affirmed by a majority vote of the Officers’ Council.
      2. Viceregents may choose to step down before the end of their term.
   4. The procedures for succession of the Viceregents are as follows:
      1. Prior to the expected end of the Viceregents’ term, or upon the position becoming unexpectedly vacant, the Provincial Seneschal shall announce these succession procedures to the Populace, along with a deadline for nomination of candidates, no less than 30 days from the announcement.
      2. Any person meeting the eligibility requirements for Territorial Baronage under the Governing Documents of the Society and East Kingdom Law may become a candidate for Viceregent if they have held a legal residence within the territory of the Province for at least the past year.
      3. All candidates for Viceregents shall be self-nominated.
      4. Candidates may run either individually or as part of a two-person candidate pair, but not both. Each candidate may only be part of one candidate pair — they may not be on the ballot more than once.
      5. Candidates must notify the Provincial Seneschal in writing, and include their legal names and signatures, Society names, proof of Society membership, and primary home mailing addresses that lie within the boundaries of the Province.
      6. No more than twenty-eight days after the deadline for nominations, the Provincial Seneschal shall notify the Kingdom Seneschal or their designee, providing the names of the candidates, and requesting that a polling be conducted as set forth in Kingdom Law.
      7. The Provincial Seneschal shall request that the Kingdom tabulate the results of the polling using the “Borda Count” method described below.
5. PROVINCIAL OFFICERS
   1. The Province will maintain a full roster of those officers required by Kingdom law (the “Greater Offices”). The Greater Offices are Provincial Seneschal, Herald, Knight Marshal, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Chronicler, Minister of Arts and Sciences, Minister of Lists, and Chatelaine.
   2. In addition, the Province may establish any other offices that it feels are appropriate or necessary (the “Lesser Offices”). The Lesser Offices are Webminister, Historian, Chamberlain, Marshal of Fence, Captain of Archers, Youth Marshal, Chancellor Minor, and Social Media Officer.
   3. The Seneschals of the Cantons are simultaneously Canton Officers, and Provincial Officers, and deputies of the Provincial Seneschal.
   4. Provincial Officers agree to fulfill the responsibilities of their Office.
      1. All Officers with a Kingdom-level counterpart are subject to the policies and requirements of those offices, including timely filing of all required reports.
      2. Provincial Officers must provide regular reports to the Provincial Seneschal and the Officers’ Council on their activities and any issues that need to be addressed.
      3. Provincial Officers should participate in at least half of the Province’s Commons Meetings each year, either in person, or by phone or video conference when those options are available.
      4. Provincial Officers who are required to file written reports with Kingdom or Regional counterparts must send a copy of those reports to the Provincial Seneschal. (Copies may consist of email CCs, screenshots, photocopies, or any other equivalent.)
      5. Officers may act on behalf of the Province as required within their areas of responsibility and subject to the limitations of authority set forth herein. Execution of contracts on behalf of the Province requires the authorization of the Provincial Seneschal.
   5. The Seneschal is the chief administrative Officer of the Province.
      1. The duties and responsibilities of the office are set forth in East Kingdom Law and the East Kingdom Seneschal’s Policies.
      2. The Provincial Seneschal should attend and participate in at least three quarters of the Province’s Commons Meetings per annum.
      3. The Kingdom Seneschal’s Policies state that Seneschals must either attend all of the events sponsored by their branch, or ensure that a deputy will attend in their absence.
   6. All Greater and Lesser Officers’ terms last for two years, except as provided for below.
      1. Officers may serve multiple terms except as limited by East Kingdom Law and Kingdom Officers’ policies.
      2. The schedule of Officers’ terms will correspond to calendar years, with new officers generally being selected near the end of the calendar year and new terms beginning at the start of January.
      3. The exact date of the selection and seating of new Officers may be adjusted by the Seneschal based on the schedule of meetings or other considerations.
      4. If an office becomes vacant, and a new Officer fills that position at a time other than that regularly scheduled for that office, their first term shall consist of completing the regularly-scheduled term of office of their predecessor.
      5. The Province may seat an officer for a term of one year in order to avoid having the terms of office of the Seneschal and Exchequer both end at the same time, to provide stability to the Province’s financial management.
      6. Any Officer may resign at any time without prejudice by writing to the Provincial Seneschal, and to their corresponding Kingdom Officer and Kingdom regional deputy if applicable.
   7. The Provincial Seneschal will call for candidates to fill Provincial Offices.
      1. Prior to the scheduled end of each Office’s term, or upon such an Office becoming unexpectedly vacant, the Provincial Seneschal shall issue an announcement specifying the due date and procedure for nominations.
      2. Candidates for Provincial Offices must meet any requirements set by the corresponding Kingdom Officer, Kingdom, or the Society for that office, including, but not limited to, holding a paid membership in the Society at the time of their selection and maintaining it throughout their term of office.
      3. Candidates for Greater Offices must have, for at least six months before the expected start of their term, either been a resident of the Province, or been a non-resident who was regularly active in the Province’s activities.  Should a candidate for Provincial Seneschal or Exchequer reside outside of the Province, prior written approval of the Kingdom Seneschal must be obtained.
      4. Anyone interested in serving the next term of a Provincial Office, including the current office holder, should notify the Provincial Seneschal and the Viceregents in writing, and show they meet the requirements of the office, including a current Society membership and any pre-approvals or authorizations from the Kingdom or Society required for that office. A summary of their background and a statement of their intentions for the coming term, while not mandatory, may be included to help the Officers and Membership evaluate their candidacy.
      5. Candidates for Greater or Lesser Offices (but not Canton Seneschals) must be approved by the Provincial Seneschal and the Viceregents, who may veto a candidate by unanimous decision.
   8. When there is a single candidate for a Greater or Lesser Office, they may be confirmed or rejected for the position by a simple majority vote of the Officers Council.
   9. When there is more than one candidate for a Greater or Lesser Office, a vote of the Membership shall be held.
      1. After the closing of nominations, the Provincial Seneschal shall announce a vote to the Officers and Membership, informing them of the candidates and specifying a due date for replies that is at least twenty-eight days in the future.
      2. The Officers Council and those in the Membership who are at least fourteen years of age are eligible to vote by submitting to the Provincial Seneschal their preferences in writing, via a paper ballot presented in person or any other means approved by the Kingdom for Officer communication, including email.  On the due date, their preferences shall be tallied using the “Borda Count” method described below.
      3. The candidate favored by this vote shall succeed to the office, pending approval or rostering by the relevant Kingdom superior if necessary for that office. If the selected candidate is not approved by their Kingdom superior, or if they fail to submit their request for rostering / warranting within twenty-eight days, the office shall go to the next-highest-ranked candidate, continuing until a candidate is selected.
   10. If a Provincial Office is vacant, the following procedures shall be used:
       1. In an emergency, the Provincial Seneschal may make a temporary appointment of an officer to a term of not more than three months so that a normal selection may take place, subject to the corresponding Kingdom Officer’s approval, if applicable. The temporary nature of the appointment will be indicated by use of the term “Acting” before the Officer’s title.
       2. If there are no suitable volunteers for a Greater Office, a temporary committee shall be formed that includes the Seneschal, Viceregents, and outgoing officer if available, with the goal of recruiting a candidate who may be appointed to the position on an “Acting” basis as provided for above .
       3. If there are no suitable volunteers for a Lesser Office, the position may be eliminated, or may remain vacant and be re-announced in the Province’s official communications channels until the position is filled.
   11. Provincial Officers may be removed from office for cause as set forth below.
       1. If an Officer is not fulfilling their responsibilities or is acting contrary to the best interests of the Province, the Provincial Seneschal, a Viceregent, or a petition of three members of the Officers’ Council may request that the Officers’ Council discuss the issue at an upcoming meeting.
       2. The Provincial Seneschal will decide whether this will be discussed at the next Commons Meeting, or if a Special Meeting shall be called.  If it is the Provincial Seneschal who is under discussion, then the Viceregents will make this decision.
       3. The Officer in question, and all members of the Officers’ Council, must be given at least fourteen days notice of this meeting and the topic to be discussed, in order to allow them to make arrangements to attend.
       4. Following the discussion, the Officers’ Council may decide that no further action is required, or may advise the Officer of the problem and outline steps that they should take to address it, or may recommend the Officer’s removal.
       5. A decision to recommend removal from office requires the agreement of at least two-thirds of the members of the Provincial Officers’ Council.
       6. If the Officers’ Council recommends the removal of an Officer whose position requires approval or rostering by a corresponding Kingdom Officer, the Provincial Seneschal or Viceregents shall communicate the recommendation to that Kingdom Officer and Kingdom Seneschal; otherwise the removal shall take effect immediately.
   12. Any Officer may appoint their own deputies as needed.
       1. Officers are encouraged to recruit deputies and train them in their responsibilities to ensure a pool of experienced candidates will be available to help fill their position should it become vacant in the future.
       2. Members of the Populace interested in taking on a Provincial Office in the future are encouraged to contact the current Officer and volunteer as a deputy.
       3. Appointments as a deputy last until the end of the officer’s term, and may be renewed if desired by the Officer or their successor.
       4. Appointments as a deputy may be terminated by the Officer at any time.
       5. Deputies may resign their own appointment at any time and are not obligated to volunteer for the office in the future.
6. OFFICERS’ COUNCIL
   1. The Officers’ Council is the general decision-making body for the Province.
   2. The Officers’ Council includes the Viceregents, all of the Greater and Lesser Officers of the Province, and the Canton Seneschals. Officers’ deputies and Event Stewards are not voting members of the Officers’ Council.
   3. Votes may be held when necessary to determine the will of the Officers’ Council.
      1. On matters requiring a vote of the Officers’ Council, each person on the Council shall have one vote, even if they hold more than one office.
      2. Votes of the Officers’ Council shall not be binding without the participation of a quorum, consisting of a majority of those persons who currently have a seat on the council.
      3. An Officer who is unable to attend or participate in a meeting of the Council may delegate another person to cast their vote by providing a written proxy which specifies the topic areas it covers and the dates on which it may be used. Proxies do not count towards quorum.
   4. The Officers’ Council may establish Committees with specific areas of responsibility, which may either be permanent or temporary.
      1. The Finance Committee is a permanent committee that consists of at least the Viceregents, the Provincial Seneschal, and the Provincial Exchequer. Those permanent members of this committee may also designate up to two additional people to serve on the committee with them. All expenditures or financial commitments on behalf of the Province require the approval of the Finance Committee.
   5. The Officers’ Council will hold meetings on a regular basis to review officers’ reports, make decisions, discuss upcoming events, and conduct any other necessary business.
      1. Meetings of the Officers’ Council will be chaired by the Provincial Seneschal, their deputy, or another person designated by the Provincial Seneschal.
      2. Provincial Commons Meetings serve as public meetings of the Officers’ Council.
      3. An agenda for the meeting should be made available in advance of the meeting by the Seneschal or another person they designate.
      4. Meetings shall be made accessible via telephone or video conference when possible to allow the participation of those unable to attend in person.
      5. Written records of all meetings and any decisions made therein (the “Minutes”) shall be made available to all Officers and the Populace by its official communications channels within no more than twenty-eight days following the meeting.
   6. Special Meetings may be called when the Officers’ Council needs to gather in private or at a time that no Commons Meeting has been scheduled.
      1. Special Meetings may be called by either the Seneschal or a Viceregent.
      2. If three members of the Officers’ Council petition the Seneschal in writing, the Seneschal will schedule a Special Meeting within forty-five days.
      3. Advance notice must be provided to all members of the Officers’ Council at least fourteen days before any Special Meeting.
      4. Special Meetings will be open only to members of the Officers’ Council, unless otherwise agreed to by a majority vote of the Council.
      5. Individuals who are not on the Officers’ Council may be invited to attend and participate in all or part of a Special Meeting by a Viceregent, Seneschal, or by three members of the Officers’ Council.
7. COMMONS MEETINGS
   1. The Province will hold public gatherings known as “Commons Meetings” on a regular basis to facilitate meetings of the Officers’ Council and gatherings of the Populace.
   2. Commons Meetings are open to the Populace, and may include time set aside for informal conversation and other activities in addition to a formal meeting.
   3. Commons Meetings are usually held on the third Friday of each calendar month.
      1. A Commons Meeting may be rescheduled by the Seneschal if needed to avoid conflict with holidays or other activities.
      2. The Commons Meeting for a given month may be canceled by the Seneschal due to officer availability or other issues, as long as at least one meeting is held in every calendar quarter.
   4. Commons Meetings will rotate through various locations from month to month, and should include sites in each Canton and in the non-Canton areas of the Province on a regular basis to facilitate attendance by the Populace from all parts of the Province.
8. BORDA COUNT
   1. When a voice vote or show of hands is insufficient to determine agreement, or when a secret ballot is required, the Province will use the variation of the Borda Count mechanism of ranked-choice voting described below.
   2. The polling announcement or paper ballots will ask voters to unambiguously rank the choices from “most preferred” to “least preferred.”
   3. Each ballot returned by an eligible voter will be tallied to allocate points to the choices in the order in which they were ranked, with the top-ranked choice receiving as many points as the number of choices ranked on that ballot, and each subsequent lower-ranked choice receiving one point less than the choice before it.
   4. After all votes have been tallied, the choices will be ordered by the points each received, with the one receiving the highest score being the winner.
   5. In the case of a tie, the Provincial Seneschal’s preference between the tied choices will determine the winner.
9. ORDERS AND AWARDS
   1. The Orders and Awards set forth below may be granted by the Viceregents at their discretion, based on their judgement and on the feedback of the Populace. The Populace are encouraged to contact the Viceregents to nominate others worthy of these awards.
   2. The Order of the Seahorse is granted to members of the Populace or other supporters of the Province who have served Østgarðr or who have distinguished themselves in the arts and sciences.
   3. The Order of the Sea Dog is granted to members of the Populace for service at the Canton level.
   4. The Order of the Silver Sea-Lion is granted to members of the Populace who both excel in the martial arts and also provide leadership and training in these areas.
   5. The Order of the Silver Lantern is granted to members of the Populace who both excel in the arts and sciences and also help to spread that knowledge to others.
   6. The Order of the Sea-Urchin is granted to members of the Populace under the age of eighteen who have distinguished themselves in service, arts and sciences, combat, or other areas of the Province’s activities.
   7. The Award of the Sea Star is bestowed upon individuals who have, on a particular occasion, served the Province well and “made things happen.” It may be given more than once.
10. PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONS
    1. The Province will hold contests on an annual basis to determine the provincial champion in the following categories:
       1. Armored Combat
       2. Fencing
       3. Archery
       4. Thrown Weapons
       5. Arts and Sciences
       6. Bardic
       7. Youth Combat
    2. Each Provincial Champion will serve for one year in the Viceregents’ guard and is expected to assist in organizing the championship to select their successor.
    3. The Viceregents reserve the right to deny any competitor admittance to the championship contest.
11. EVENTS AND DEMOS
    1. The Province sponsors events for the Populace and their guests, and demos which are open to the public.
    2. The Provincial Seneschal shall maintain a calendar of upcoming events and demos in and around the Province.
       1. Every event or demo to be sponsored by the Province (a “Provincial event”) must have the approval of the Provincial Seneschal.
       2. The Provincial Seneschal and the Provincial Chatelaine shall coordinate all upcoming public demos.
       3. The Provincial Seneschal shall generally avoid approving multiple events or demos within the Province on the same day, unless in their judgement the events do not conflict with each other.
       4. The Provincial Seneschal shall consult with other members of the Provincial Officers’ Council before approving a bid for a Kingdom-level event.
    3. The Provincial Seneschal will coordinate with other branches to ensure events and demos are scheduled appropriately.
       1. If the Province wishes to sponsor an event or demo outside of its territory, the Provincial Seneschal or Viceregents will seek the agreement of the group within whose territory the site lies.
       2. Any Canton which wishes to sponsor an event or demo within the territory of the Province must have the approval of the Provincial Seneschal, which shall not be unreasonably withheld.
       3. Any other Kingdom branch which wishes to sponsor an event or demo at a site within the territory of the Province should contact the Provincial Seneschal, who shall be the sole Officer authorized to issue an approval.
    4. Each Provincial event must have a designated Event Steward (sometimes informally called an “autocrat”) who is responsible for planning, implementing, and reconciliation of the event.
       1. Events may have two co-Stewards.
       2. First-time Event Stewards are strongly encouraged to have an experienced co-Steward.
       3. Event Stewards must be eligible to serve as an Officer of the Province and must maintain a valid Society membership throughout the period of their involvement with the event.
       4. Event Stewards are considered temporary Officers of the Province from the date their event is approved through the date of the event and the conclusion of any subsequent business related to it, including the filing of all required reports.
    5. Any invitations to Royalty to attend an event within the territory of the Province must be made by the Viceregents. Event Stewards for such events are responsible for working with the Viceregents to determine the details of the visit and the wording of the invitation.
    6. Anyone proposing a Provincial event should prepare an Event Bid document setting forth the details of the event. The Bid should contain an estimated budget including the following:
       1. The price of attendance and any other fees to be charged;
       2. Estimated number of attendees in each fee category;
       3. Other sources of income (e.g. auctions, donations, etc.);
       4. Total expected income (calculated from the above);
       5. Fixed costs (e.g. site fee, equipment rental, tourney prizes, etc.);
       6. Variable costs (e.g. food);
       7. Contingency fund for last-minute unexpected expenses (as a rule of thumb, this is often about ten percent of the total known expenses);
       8. Total expected expenses (calculated from the above); and
       9. Net income/loss (i.e. expected income minus expected expenses).
    7. Expenses related to a Provincial event will normally be committed or disbursed only after the Event Bid has been approved by the Seneschal and the event budget has been approved by the Finance Committee. However, the Finance Committee can authorize such expenditures, and will typically do so for event-specific insurance, refundable site deposits necessary to reserve a date, and other time-sensitive expenses related to the event.
    8. Between ten and fifteen days before a Provincial event, the Event Steward must provide the Finance Committee with a revised budget proposal reflecting the following:
       1. Pre-registrations received to date in each category;
       2. Projected future registrations in each category; and
       3. Anything that has changed from the original bid.
    9. After receipt of the revised budget proposal, the Finance Committee may modify the event budget as it deems necessary.
       1. If the Finance Committee does not provide the Event Steward with a modified event budget within three days of receipt of the revised budget proposal, the revised budget remains in force.
       2. After receiving a modified event budget from the Finance Committee, the Event Steward may ask the Finance Committee for an additional budget modification in response to last-minute changes that may affect the budget; if the Finance Committee does not modify the budget within three days of receipt of the request, the most recently approved budget remains in force.
    10. Event Stewards are authorized to make expenditures on behalf of the Province as set forth in the approved budget, and are to be reimbursed for those expenses promptly following the completion of the event.
        1. Expenses significantly above those set forth in the approved budget must be authorized in advance by the Finance Committee or Officers’ Council.
        2. The Province is not required to reimburse Event Stewards for any unauthorized spending above that set forth in the approved budget, but may choose to do so if the Finance Committee decides it was appropriate.
    11. Event Stewards must maintain adequate records and receipts to account for all funds received and expended.
    12. Within ten days after a Provincial event, or an event sponsored by a group whose funds are held in trust by the Province, the Event Steward will ensure that all cash and checks received have been be turned over to the Provincial Exchequer.  Within five days thereafter, the Provincial Exchequer shall deposit all collected cash and checks. The Provincial Exchequer may appoint a designated representative who shall make that deposit and provide a copy or image of the bank-verified deposit slip to the Provincial Exchequer within five days of the deposit.
    13. Within ten days of the end of a Provincial event, or an event sponsored by a group whose funds are held in trust by the Province, the Event Steward will report to the Provincial Exchequer the amount of Non-Member Surcharge fees collected, and the Provincial Exchequer will forward the required report and payment due to the designated Kingdom representative.
    14. Within three weeks after a Provincial event, the Event Steward shall present to the Provincial Exchequer a financial report for the event in the form specified by the Society.
        1. The financial report for the event must accurately reflect all event-related income, expenses, reimbursement requests, Non-Member Surcharge fees collected and disbursed, and any profit share distributed to the Kingdom.
        2. It is the responsibility of the Event Steward and the Provincial Exchequer to work together, including others as needed, to ensure that all event reports required by Kingdom are properly filed within thirty days.
    15. The Event Steward shall ensure that any required waivers are collected at the event and submitted to the Provincial Seneschal, who shall forward them to the Kingdom Waiver Secretary or their designated representative.
12. INFORMAL ACTIVITIES          
    1. The Province organizes informal activities for the Populace and their guests. Informal activities may include social gatherings, classes and workshops in the arts and sciences, martial practices, and other types of undertakings.
    2. Activities other than events and demos may be organized by any Officer and do not require advance approval by the Officers’ Council.

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Viceregents:

The Viceregents are our landed nobility, selected by the kingdom following a polling of the populace for terms of three or six years.

To email both Vicereines simultaneously, please click here.

Officers:

Officers are elected to serve for two-year terms.

Provincial Champions:

Champions win their titles through competition in annual tournaments.

Provincial Awards & Orders:

Information is available about all our provincial awards & orders, including links to lists of recipients.

If any information on this page is incorrect or missing, please e-mail the webminister.

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The Crown Province of Østgarðr has a long and honorable tradition of cooking. This page is to serve as a showcase for cooking, feast preparation, recipe reconstruction, etc. carried out by Østgarðrians. See the links at left for sub-topics.

Copyright statement

Worked-out versions of medieval recipes are the intellectual property of their creators. If you wish to reprint any of these recipes, please include the creator’s name and send a courtesy copy of your publication to the creator. If you reprint the medieval originals, please include all the relevant bibliographic information; the recipes are in the public domain, but many of the translations and editions are not.

Cooking Workshops

There are cooking workshops roughly once a month; see the Østgarðr Calendar of Events for dates.

• Cooking Workshops, usually on first Sundays, after archery practice ends at Cedar Creek:
  Countess Brekke Franksdottir welcomes not only those who want to learn medieval recipes, but those who want to peruse cookbooks and talk about learning how to cook medieval recipes for the modern audience. RSVP to Countess Brekke for more information.

Discussion

• There’s an Østgarðr Cooks’ email list; visit Østgarðr Cooks or email ostgardr-cooks-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
• Likewise, there’s an East Kingdom Cooks’ Guild e-mail list.
• There’s also an email list for SCA cooks around the world; visit SCA-COOKS to sign up. (The URL notwithstanding, the list is not specific to Ansteorra.)
• A similar group is the SCA Food and Feasts discussion group.
• Most recently, a Yahoo group named SCA-AuthenticCooks has been formed, with the goal of discussing not only historically authentic recipes but historically authentic practicesand mindsets. In other words, not to be a modern cook who cooks authentic medieval dishes, but to be an authentic medieval cook.

Østgarðr Feasts 

I’d like to include menus and selected recipes from as many of Østgarðr’s medieval feasts as possible. If you’ve cooked a period feast in Østgarðr in the past and have this information handy, please contribute it. If you’re putting on such a feast in the future, please consider making the information available here.

• Twelfth Night, Jan. 1995, by Gideanus Adamantius Tacitus.
• East Kingdom Baronial Dinner at Pennsic, August 1996, by Andrea MacIntire.
• An Evening in Alsace, Jan. 17-18, 1997, by Andrea MacIntire.
• Valentine’s Day, Feb. 15, 1997, by Rufina Cambrensis and John Elys.
• Agincourt, November [but I’m not sure what year; 1997 or earlier — webmaster], by Andrea MacIntire
• Re-Opening Digbie’s Closet, Mar. 27, 1998, by Alexandre Lerot d’Avigne.
• Crown Tourney, May 2, 1998, by Gideanus Adamantius Tacitus.
• Midsummer Frolic, June 20-21, 1998, by John Elys and Rufina Cambrensis.
• The Cheese Farmers’ Harvest Festival, Celtic Silliness, March 18, 2000, by Andrea MacIntyre.
• A Platina Dinner at Østgarðr Commons, June 16, 2000, by Andrea MacIntyre.
  This page was selected as the Gode Cookery Site of the Month for August, 2000.
• Medieval Supper Club (in Lent), Mar. 23, 2003, by Brekke Franksdottir.
• Lunch at the Northpass Arms Tavern, 2003, by Andrea MacIntyre.
• Whyt Whey’s Yule Event, Dec. 6, 2003, by Alexandre Lerot d’Avigne.
  • Planning for Yule
  • Focusing on Yule Menus
  • The Yule Menu
• Goodies prepared for guests at John Elys’s Laurel vigil, 2003, by Andrea MacIntyre.
• Coronation of Kelson II and Geneviere II, by Dietrich von Schwelgengrüber, 2 April 2005
• Coney Hop, by Ibrahim al-Rashid, 17 Feb 2008

Articles and Other Documents by Østgarðrians

• The Old East Kingdom Cooks’ Guild: documents about the (now-defunct) Kingdom-wide Cooks’ Guild founded in 1974, by Brekke Franksdottir.
• Some Recipes of al-Andalus: an article on vegetarian Arabo-Andalusian dishes, by Stephen Bloch (John Elys, formerly Joshua ibn-Eleazar ha-Shalib), from the Fall, 1990Tournaments Illuminated.
• Camp Cooking Without a Cooler: an article by Deborah Peters (Rufina Cambrensis) from the July, 1996 Seahorse
• The Pilgrim’s Picnic Basket: an article by Phil Troy (Gideanus Adamantius Tacitus) from the Spring, 1996 Tournaments Illuminated.
• More Cooler-Free Camp Cooking: an article by Deborah Peters (Rufina Cambrensis) from the July, 1997 Seahorse.
• On the Road with Cooler-Free Camp Cooking: an article by Deborah Peters (Rufina Cambrensis) from the July, 2002 Seahorse.
• A statement of philosophy from Phil Troy (Master Gideanus Adamantius Tacitus).
• On Preserving Food with Honey, by John Elys and Rufina Cambrensis.
• Mushroom Pasties after the Menagier de Paris, by Alexandre Lerot d’Avigne.
• Bored? Cooking for the Next Generation!
  Class notes for one of Lady Andrea MacIntyre’s cooking classes for kids
• The Vassal with the Vessel, an article by Lady Andrea MacIntyre on the Great Cooking-Pot Experiment.

Just for Fun…

• An exercise in culinary reconstruction, by Rufina Cambrensis and John Elys.
• A recipe that needs help, by Richard the Poor of Ely.

Other Cooking Pages We Like (not necessarily by Østgarðrians)

• Prof. Thomas Gloning’s enormous collection of pre-1800 cookbooks, full text on the Web.
• The Middle Kingdom Cooks’ Collegium, which includes a bunch of interesting articles and recipes.
• Terry Nutter’s Culinary History Page
• Robin Carroll-Mann’s Brighid’s Kitchen, a collection of translated and/or redacted recipes, largely from 16th-century Iberian sources
• Someone’s Bibliography of Historical Cooking (I can’t find the person’s name, although Phil thinks it’s by Judy Gerjuoy, aka Mistress Jaelle of Armida)
• Greg Lindahl’s SCA Food Page, which includes among other things many sections of Cariadoc-and-Elizabeth’s Miscellany
• Serve It Forth!, a quarterly hardcopy newsletter on pre-17th-century cooking.
• A Food Timeline developed by Morris County Library, New Jersey, USA
• Regia Anglorum’s Beehive Oven Page
• Personal page of Jules Hojnowski (ska Catalina Alvarez).
• Alia Atlas’s Workroom
• The SCA-COOKS mailing list (To subscribe, send mail to majordomo@ansteorra.org with body “subscribe sca-cooks”. Despite the email address, it is not an Ansteorra-only list!)
• World Spices, a mail-order spice merchant recommended on the SCA-COOKS mailing list (no, we haven’t ordered from him yet ourselves).
• Food Heritage Press’s Books on Medieval Cookery (When last I checked the list, it included no “clinkers” and a number of “must-haves”, which, fortunately, I already have.)
• Stefan li Rous’s Florilegium, a collection of lots of articles from the Rialto (the Usenet newsgroup rec.org.sca) and various SCA-related email lists, sorted by subject. Many, but not all, are relevant to food. The quality of scholarship varies, and you will frequently find three messages in the same file flatly contradicting one another, so you have to assess the information yourself… sorta like Real Life….
• The Olde Cooking Page. An extensive and well-organized collection of recipes and bibliographic information on historic cooking. It covers a broad time period, from classical Rome to the 19th century, including ample information on the SCA’s period. Since the page maintainer is Swedish, there’s more Scandinavian stuff than you might find elsewhere.
• J.L. Matterer’s Boke of Gode Cokery, a collection of medieval recipes, modern interpretations of same, photographs of same, historical commentary on same, etc.
• Another article on camp cooking without a cooler, this one by D. Arthur Glenn.
• Have you ever wondered about the instruction in medieval recipes to “draw it through a strainer”? Cindy Renfrow (author of Take a Thousand Eggs or More) has collected some 16th-century pictures of strainers (now hosted at ostgardr.org).
• Jeff Berry’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to Ancient Cookery, formerly known as the Caer Galen Cook’s Corner.
• Cheap Cooking, a site discussing ways to save money on ingredients, appliances, etc. Could be useful if you’re trying to cook Coronation on $5/person.

We can’t endorse all the pages on the Medieval and Renaissance Cooking Webring, since pages are added to it all the time, but the maintainer of the Web ring has set a list of standards that look reasonable to us.

So you’ve heard that there’s an event or other gathering of interest in a week or two, and you’d like to go and see what this group is like. There are several different ways SCA-folk get together:

Kinds of gatherings

Events

Usually considered the central focus of the SCA. Usually held at a rented site (church, fraternal-order hall, community center, YMCA camp, etc.) or a public park. Most events are on Saturdays, from late morning to late evening, but some are on Sundays, some are just an afternoon or evening, many are a whole weekend, and a few last a week or longer.

An event often includes such activities as an armored combat tournament (swords, spears, battle-axes, etc.), a fencing tournament, an archery tournament, musical or theatrical entertainment, dancing, classes, etc.

Local events

An event organized by a local group (Canton, Province, etc.) and intended for mostly local people, although if the event is announced in the Kingdom newsletter and appears on the Kingdom event calendar, anybody can attend. Usually under a hundred people.

Kingdom events

Typically larger events of several hundred people, who may have travelled hundreds of miles to get there. Some are tied to a time of year, e.g. Twelfth Night; some are focused around a particular tournament or ceremony, e.g. Coronation, Crown Tourney, Archery Champions, Fencing Champions, Bardic Champions, etc; and some are simply large events that traditionally draw people from all over the Kingdom.

Inter-kingdom events

The largest events, generally scheduled on a long holiday weekend or even a week or more, with thousands of people. The best-known and largest is the Pennsic War, held every August in western Pennsylvania.

Schola or University events

These may be organized at a local, Kingdom, or inter-Kingdom level. They’re distinct from other kinds of events in that the central focus is not a tournament or a ceremony, but rather a series of classes on various SCA-related subjects.

In-persona events

At most SCA events, people’s conversation is a mix of medieval and modern topics; you may hear a conversation switch in rapid succession from e-mail spam-blockers and car repair to who got what SCA award to how to build a 15th-century hat. Some events, for part of the day or part of the site, are in-persona: people are expected to confine their conversation to topics that a person in the Middle Ages or Renaissance could reasonably have discussed. This is not as difficult as you might think: what you’re having for dinner, the quality of the entertainment, and the remarkable beauty and/or wit of your dining companions are all things a medieval person could reasonably discuss.

Demos

Although the majority of SCA events are “for ourselves”, allowing us to educate and entertain other SCA-folk, Østgarðr also provides demonstrations for schools, museums, churches, etc. Demos differ from events in that there’s a clear performer/audience distinction; we are putting on a show for somebody else. Some demos are primarily educational: we’re there to show what various aspects of life were like in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Other demos are primarily about recruiting: we’re there to show off what the SCA does, with the hope that some of the audience will decide to try it themselves. A demo usually has a coordinator, who maintains communication with the site and organizes what’s supposed to happen when. Demos are not necessarily “open to all comers”; if you want to demonstrate something, talk to the coordinator well in advance.

For example, we demonstrate annually at the Fort Tyron Park Medieval Festival, in Manhattan.

We’ve also provided numerous demos for school groups, covering such topics as clothing, food and cooking, spinning and weaving, leatherwork, herbs and medicine, calligraphy and illumination, archery, armor and weapons, and (always popular with children) combat using swords, axes, spears, etc.

Practices

In between formally-organized events and demos, there are lots of less-formal gatherings, typically at a member’s home, in a public park, or (in some cases) at a rented site, for which people are expected to chip in. The most common practices around here are fighter practice, fencing practice, archery practice, dance practice, music practice, brewing workshop, cooking workshop, calligraphy workshop, heraldry workshop, etc. See our Calendar page for details on these recurring activities. For most of these gatherings, pre-1600 clothing is allowed but not required (especially if the gathering is on a weeknight after people get off work or school). Although each practice has a focus activity, there’s usually a good deal of socializing as well.

Business Meetings

The Crown Province has a business meeting once a month, and each Canton has its own business meeting, ranging from every three months to twice a month. At these meetings, people will discuss the organization of upcoming events, report on what happened at recent events, make announcements, and socialize with their friends. Medieval clothing is not required, and most people attend in street clothes after work or school.

What to bring

Age Restrictions

In general, the SCA welcomes participants of all ages, but if you’re under 18 years old, don’t try to attend events or (most) practices or meetings without a parent or legal guardian; you’ll be turned away at the door. Parents or legal guardians will be required to sign waivers for their charges. (And if you look like you might be under 18, bring proof of age.) An exception is practices held in public places, like dance practice in Central Park or fighter practice in Central Park, McCarren Park, etc.

There are youth divisions for fencing and armored combat that allow people ages 6 to 17 to fight with rapier and padded rattan weapons, with a parent’s permission and under the supervision of a trained youth marshal. (Youth aged 16 or 17 with prior experience in rattan fighting may receive special authorization to advance to adult armored combat before turning 18.)

Money (Event Expenses)

Almost all SCA events charge a site fee before you can get in the door. This pays for rental of the site, day-board (see Food, below), and incidental expenses related to running the event. If there’s a profit, it goes into a Canton, Provincial, or Kingdom bank account, generally to be used towards future events. You can make life much easier for the people running the event (and save yourself a few dollars) by reserving and paying in advance. Membership in the SCA, Inc. (see How to Join, below) is not required in order to attend events, but most events have a member discount of five dollars, so if you’re attending at least one event per month, it’ll probably save you money. Some events take donations instead of a set site fee; they may have a suggested donation, but people can donate less or more depending on their own income. Many events also have merchants who will be happy to sell you books, clothing, feast gear (see below), weapons and armor, and at larger events even furniture and tents; some can accept credit cards, most can accept checks, and all can accept cash.

How to dress?

Unless stated otherwise, period clothing is required at events — but the standards are “some attempt at pre-1600 clothing,” so if you don’t happen to have a highly authentic historical costume in your closet, you can either improvise or borrow something. If you want to borrow clothing, contact the Chatelaine a few days before the event. In any case, most events provide changing rooms where people can change from modern clothes (“mundanes”) to historical costume on arrival and change back before they leave.

Food and Feast Gear

Most indoor events include in the site fee a “day-board”, i.e. a buffet-style lunch. Dishes and silverware may be provided for this, but not always; see “feast gear” below. Many indoor events (and a few camping events) also have a more elaborate dinnertime feast, which is usually an optional add-on to the site fee. Bring your own feast gear, or dishes and silverware, for this: ideally a wooden, ceramic, or metal plate and soup-bowl, a wooden, horn, or metal spoon, a knife for cutting things up (the size of a modern steak-knife), some kind of cloth napkin, and possibly a fork (forks weren’t common in most of Europe until late in SCA period, but nobody will snark at you for using one). Some people with Oriental personas use chopsticks. Many people bring candles and candle-holders to light their tables, but some sites don’t allow exposed flames so you’ll need something enclosed. After dinner, as people segue back into their 21st-century selves, there’s frequently a do-it-yourself dishwashing station, or you can just bring a plastic bag, throw your dirty dishes into it, and wash them when you get home. Some smaller events and less-formal gatherings — practices and business meetings — are on a pot-luck basis: bring one dish, in roughly the amount of food that you would eat, and share it with others. These dishes don’t have to be from medieval recipes, nor home-made, but if you’d like to try cooking some medieval recipes, there are plenty of skilled cooks in the Province who can advise you, and there are hundreds of medieval recipes available on the Web.

How to Join

You can attend SCA events as long as you wish without ever formally joining an organization; however, if you’re attending a lot of them, you may find it useful to become a paid member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.. This will get you a membership card, a monthly Kingdom newsletter, and a discount getting into most events. While you’re reading about SCA membership, consider subscribing to the Society-wide quarterly magazine, Tournaments Illuminated; it’s a few dollars more, but it has a lot of interesting and useful articles.

You may also choose to subscribe to the Østgarðr monthly electronic newsletter, the Seahorse by emailing our chronicler at Seahorse@ostgardr.eastkingdom.org

Other info links

Start by visiting the SCA Newcomer’s page, where there are a number of useful guides. In reading these, remember that some customs differ from Kingdom to Kingdom: for example, some Kingdoms (including the East) hold most of their events indoors, in rented buildings, and wouldn’t dream of holding a significant event without a feast, while other Kingdoms hold most of their events in public parks, and at dinnertime people take down their tents and go out to a restaurant.