The A.S. XLI Customary,
containing the Customs, Guidelines, and Traditions of the
CONTENTS
SECTION I -- SCOPE
SECTION II -- DEFINITIONS
SECTION III -- OFFICIALS OF THE
SECTION IV -- DEFENDERS
SECTION V -- OPERATING GUIDELINES
SECTION VI -- SPONSORED BRANCHES
SECTION VII -- AUTOCRATS AND EVENTS
SECTION VIII -- AWARDS, ORDERS AND RECOGNITIONS
SECTION IX -- TRADITIONS
SECTION X -- HISTORY
SECTION XI -- REGISTERED
SECTION XII – FINANCIAL POLICY
SECTION I -- SCOPE
1) These are the
rules for governance of the
2) These rules are superseded by
Federal, State and local Laws and Ordinances, the Governing Documents of the
Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., and the Laws of the
SECTION II -- DEFINITIONS
Autocrat: An Autocrat is a person to whom the
Council has given responsibility for the management of an event.
Baronial
Coronet: The
Baronial Coronet is the Baron, Baroness, or both of these acting in concert.
Barony: The Barony (adj., Baronial) is the
Barony of Three Mountains unless otherwise specified.
Bid
Committee: A Bid Committee is a meeting of the officers of the
Budget
Committee: A meeting, a meeting of the officers of the
Consulting
Autocrat: A Consulting Autocrat is an experienced Autocrat guiding a
less-experienced or new Autocrat in running an event.
Consensus: Consensus is the
general accord of Citizens at a Baronial Council.
Contingency
Deputy: A Contingency Deputy is a person approved by Council who is
capable of performing the duties of an office when the officer is unable to
function.
Coronet,
Baronial: q.v., Baronial Coronet.
The
Council, as appropriate to context, is either a Baronial business
meeting, or the body of Citizens (q.v., IV) in attendance at a business meeting
of the Barony. The
Crown,
the:
The Crown is the King and Queen of An Tir acting in concert.
Defender: A Defender is one who
has been victorious in a tournament and serves as Canton Defender.
Deputy: A Deputy is a person
chosen by an Official to assist in the performance of the Official’s duties,
and who may be in training to succeed the Official.
Governing
Documents: Governing Documents are the Articles of Incorporation,
By-Laws, and Corpora of The Society, and the Governing and Policy Decisions of
its Board as found in its Organizational Handbook..
Kingdom: The Kingdom is the
Liaison: A Liaison is a person
who reports between the Barony and other branches of the Society.
Member: A Member is a paid
member of the Society as defined in Governing Documents..
Meeting
Head:
A Meeting Head is a person who is approved by Council to hold a Baronially sanctioned meeting.
Moderator: A Moderator is a
person who presides over Baronial meetings.
Office,
Required: Required Offices are those required for a branch of the
Society to be a Branch, as listed in Governing Documents and/or Kingdom Law.
Officer,
Acting: An Acting Officer is a person approved by Council who is
acting in stead of an officer and has the same rights and responsibilities.
Officer,
Great: A Great Officer holds an office defined as such in Governing
Documents, Kingdom Law and/or by an action of the populace. (Currently, the
Great Officers are, in order of appearance in III, the Seneschal(e),
the Herald, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Minister of Arts and Sciences,
the
Officer,
Lesser: A Lesser Officer is any
Officer of the Branch that is not a Great Officer, makes independent decisions,
and usually has a Kingdom Superior. (As of this printing the Lesser Offices of
the Barony are, in order of appearance in III, the Stock Clerk, the Librarian,
the Demo Coordinator, the Chamberlain, the Games Minister, the Dance Minister,
the Rapier Marshal, the Baronial Archer, the Baronial Children’s Archer, the
Minister of the Lists, the Historian, the Web Minister, the Gold Key Officer,
the Dean of Pages, the Pied Piper, and the Waterbearer.
Others may be created as needed.) The
Official: An Official is a
person acting in an official capacity for the Barony (e.g., Baronial Coronet,
Officer, Successor, Autocrat).
Plume,
The:
The Plume is the official newsletter for the Barony of Three Mountains.
Quorum: A Quorum is achieved
if the seneschal (or designate) is present, one other officer, and two other
members of the branch are present.
Successor: A Successor is a
person who has been approved by Council as the designated successor to an
Office.
Society,
The:
The Society is the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., PO Box 360789,
Milpitas, CA 95036-0789.
SECTION III -- OFFICIALS OF THE
Note:
No one is permitted to be Contingency Deputy to a position they cannot hold
(e.g., the Seneshal[e] cannot be Contingency Deputy
to the Exchequer). If an office is open, the responsibilities of the office
fall to the overseeing Officer, or to the Seneschal(e)
if no overseeing Officer exists.
1)
General Duties for all Officials include, where applicable, but are not limited
to:
A) Being a paid member of the Society.
B) Contacting the office’s Kingdom superior as soon as
possible after assuming an office.
C) Training successors.
D) If one’s office is a Required Office, the officer
is encouraged to train a Contingency Deputy for the office who is a member of
the Society and who is acceptable to, and approved by, the membership of the
branch.
E) Functioning as an unofficial “clearinghouse” of
activity within the
F) Acting as a general clearinghouse of information
regarding local resources, instructors, and suppliers for matters relating to
the office.
G) Maintaining an inventory of the office, including
regalia and reference materials, to be reported as the Chamberlain specifies,
and in any case, not less than once a year.
H) Working with Autocrats to ensure that the duties of
the office, relating to an event, are fulfilled.
I) Training, encouraging, and guiding
others in volunteering for activities and offices within the Society.
J) Encouraging multiple deputies and giving them
specific duties.
K) Using one’s position to assist in the accomplishing
of the goals of others within the Society as appropriate.
L) Bringing to Council such paperwork as is necessary
for the general function of the office.
M) Having a copy of The Plume available at the
Official’s address (as the
N) Ensuring that Branch property is returned to the Branch
at the close of the Official’s tenure.
O) Ensuring that accurate and complete contact
information is provided to the Chronicler for inclusion in The Plume.
P) Informing the Chronicler of pertinent information,
in writing, regarding activities.
Q) Providing copies of written monthly report to the Seneschal(e) (or designee), Chronicler (or deputy), and
Coronet, either by email (subject to the Seneschal(e)’s deadline) or in person
at Council. A “nothing to report” may be sent by email or given verbally at
Council.
R) Attending Council as often as possible.
2)
The Seneschal(e) is the administrative head and legal
representative of the
A) Performing the Office of Seneschal(e)
in accordance with directions from Kingdom and/or Regional superior(s).
B) Acting as moderator of the Baronial Council, and if
unable to attend, ensuring that a moderator acceptable to the Council is
present.
C) Ensuring that Council meetings are conducted in
accordance with the Customary.
D) Coordinating the amendment of this Customary as
necessary with the consent of Council.
E) Referring proposals to committees as appropriate.
F) Sitting as a member of the Council of the
Exchequer.
G) Reviewing the bank statements monthly.
H) Ensuring that the Branch books are audited at least
annually.
I) Overseeing Lesser Officers and/or Deputies, which
may include:
i) The Stock Clerk, who is in charge
of maintaining and providing materials for distribution as the Council
requires.
ii) The Librarian, who is responsible for maintaining
the Baronial library (as required by Governing Documents and/or Kingdom Law);
maintaining an up-to-date list of references owned by the Canton; maintaining
an up-to-date copy of the Customary, which will be made available for cost, as
requested in writing.
iii) The Demo Coordinator, who is in charge of
coordinating branch demonstrations for the Society.
iv) The Dean of Pages and/or
the Pied Piper are responsible for educating people on appropriate age-related
aspects of both our historical period of study and the Society, and for
coordinating activities and establishing guidelines for them at Baronial
Events. The Dean of Pages is responsible for children aged twelve to seventeen,
and the Pied Piper is responsible for children under twelve; these two offices
are often administered by one Officer.
3)
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the Treasurer of the
A) Performing the office of Chancellor of the
Exchequer in accordance with directions from Kingdom and/or Regional
superior(s).
B) Providing a summary report of the Baronial finances
to Council monthly including a copy of the bank statements.
C) Ensuring that there are
written financial procedures for the
D) Sitting as a member of the Council of the
Exchequer.
E) Providing reasonable access to Baronial financial
records, as requested in writing to the Seneschal(e).
F) Acknowledging donations to the
G) Collecting and handling properly all event monies
and receipts either personally or through a designated representative.
H) Preparing an annual budget of non-event expenses
for submission to, and approval by, Council.
I) Overseeing Lesser Officers and/or Deputies, which may
include:
i)
The Chamberlain, who is responsible for maintaining an up-to-date inventory of
the
4)
The Minister of Arts and Sciences is responsible for fostering the practice of
period arts and sciences within the
A) Performing the office of the Minister of Arts and
Sciences in accordance with directions from Kingdom and/or Regional
superior(s).
B) Ensuring that an Arts and Sciences meeting is scheduled and open to Citizens.
C) Assisting those with questions in the arts and
sciences in finding the information or resources needed, if possible.
D) Encouraging arts and sciences competitions within
the
E) Working with and fostering communications with any
arts- and/or sciences-related groups and guilds as applicable.
F) Maintaining a list of resource people and their
skills.
G) Overseeing Lesser Officers and/or Deputies, which may include:
i) The Games Minister, who is
responsible for the instruction and promotion of Period and Society-compatible
games.
ii) The Dance Minister, who is responsible for the
instruction and promotion of Period and Society-compatible dancing.
SECTION IV -- DEFENDERS
Note:
The branch is not required to have
defenders, and the following bylaws are listed as suggested guidelines
only. The branch will decide at a later
date whether or not it will institute defenders.
1) The
populace will decide whether Defenders may succeed themselves. All Defenders
have equal standing.
2) Defenders
have the right to wear regalia appropriate to their station.
3)
The general tenure of a Defender is approximately one year. The tenure begins
when the Defender is recognized during the Canton Moot at the Tournament in
which there was victory, and it ends during a Canton Moot of the following
year’s Tournament before a successor is recognized. General tenure guidelines
may be modified if circumstances dictate. Currently, the host of Defenders may include, the Armoured Defender,
the Archery Defender, the Rapier Defender, the Arts and Sciences Defender, the
Equestrian Defender, and the Children’s Defender.
4) Responsibilities
of Defenders include, but are not necessarily limited to:
A) Attending as many
B) Assisting in coordinating a tournament to choose a
successor.
C) Attending both the tournament to choose a successor
and the successor’s investiture.
SECTION V -- OPERATING GUIDELINES
1)
Proposed changes to the operating guidelines may be suggested at any
2)
The
A) Decisions are made by a consensus of the populace.
The Council will work towards consensus. If consensus is not achieved, then as
a last resort a simple majority vote will be taken.
B) Minutes shall be kept of council meetings, and
accepted into the records at the next council after any necessary corrections.
These minutes shall be kept in the Seneschal(e)’s file
as legal records of the proceedings of this
i) Minutes shall include, as
applicable: date, time, and place of meeting; who is moderating; list of
attendees signing in; acknowledgment of acceptance of the previous minutes and
any corrections; financial report; acknowledgment of correspondence received;
reports of Officials; reports of committees; event reports; summaries of
discussions of old and new business (to include not less than the item of
discussion and conclusion); a brief account of the business discussed off the
record; records of the appointment of committees and the names of their
members; record of adjournment and the time. All written reports received will
be attached as part of the minutes.
ii) The minutes shall be published on the email list
and any other appropriate forum.
C) During a Canton meeting, if the moderator
determines that the situation warrants, proceedings may be interrupted for an
off-the-record discussion which shall not be recorded other than as a note in
the minutes of the subject discussed and that it took place.
D) Discussion of a single subject will be limited to
10 minutes, with the allowance of an additional 15 minutes at the moderator’s
discretion. Unfinished discussions will be remanded to Old Business for the
next meeting.
E) The Chancellor of the Exchequer shall have up-to-date
financial records available at the beginning of the
3)
An Official’s term of office shall be two years except for Autocrats and other
short-term capacity Officials whose terms shall end upon completion of their
duties. Greater Officers are encouraged to declare a period of open
applications 6 months to a year before the ending of the term, with selection
no later than 3 months prior to changeover to allow for training time. Lesser
Officers shall declare a period of open applications 3-6 months before the
ending of the term. An Officer may then reapply for another term. It is
strongly encouraged that Officials take a break after two consecutive terms.
A) Requests for applications for replacement of
Officers will be published in The Plume, electronic media, or other media as
appropriate. Applications shall be in writing and the names of the applicants
shall be published for two months before a decision is made by Council.
i) Discussions of an Official’s
selection will be off record, and shall include considerations regarding the
necessity of an Officer’s presence at Council should an applicant be unable to
attend Council frequently or at all. Candidates and others of significant
relation to the candidate will leave the room prior to the discussion. Those of
significant relation to the candidate will be polled privately by the moderator
before a final decision is made by Council.
ii) The recommendation of the Council shall be
forwarded to the appropriate warranting authority. Should there be no
warranting authority, the decision will be made by
Council.
4)
Officials determined to be deficient in the performance of duties shall be
subject to sanctions by the Council, (e.g., warnings, suspension, and/or the
Kingdom superior shall be requested to remove the Officer from the position).
Officers who miss three consecutive Council meetings without submitting a
report shall be determined to be deficient in the performance of duties.
5)
From time to time the Branch may rent or loan property on a case by case basis.
6)
Property belonging to the
7)
An action by the Council may override this document in special circumstances.
(q.v., I.2)
8)
Meeting Heads will report to the appropriate Officer as directed by the Seneschal(e). Those in possession of branch property must
report monthly; others must report at least quarterly. Meeting Heads will also
provide an inventory of Baronial property with their report as specified by the
Seneschal or Chamberlain (if one is active).
SECTION VI -- SPONSORED BRANCHES
The
1) Officers
of a Sponsored Branch will report to their Baronial-Official analogue no less
than once a quarter.
A) An officer of a Sponsored Branch reports to the
officer’s analogue as often as the officer is required to report to the Council
of the Sponsored Branch. The report will not be less than the Officer’s
Sponsored Branch Council report.
B) The Sponsored Branch Seneschal(e)’s
report shall include the minutes of the Sponsored Branch’s Council meeting.
C) Only reports from the officer will be accepted.
2)
Sponsored Branch Bank accounts shall be held in the Baronial account. The
Exchequer of the Sponsored Branch shall keep a ledger of income and expense,
and shall submit a copy for the current period to the Baronial Exchequer as
part of the Sponsored Branch’s Exchequer report to the Baronial Exchequer. The
Baronial Exchequer shall compare the ledger to the actual income and expenses
of the Sponsored Branch to determine the Sponsored Branch Exchequer’s knowledge
of correct procedure.
3)
Sponsored Branch Events shall first be approved by the Sponsored Branch’s
Council, and will then need to be confirmed in Baronial Council. The autocrat
will present the event proposal to the Baronial Council and must provide the
same information as Baronial Autocrats.
A) There will be a Consulting Autocrat for each
Sponsored Branch event. (q.v., VIII.5)
B) As applicable, for the three months prior to an
event, the Sponsored Branch’s Autocrat will make progress reports to the
Baronial Council.
C) An Official of the Barony, chosen from those
willing, shall attend the regular meeting of the Sponsored Branch at least once
each quarter, and, if the Sponsored Branch has an immediately upcoming event,
in the month preceding it.
D) The Sponsored Branch autocrat will comply with all
other requirements for Baronial Autocrats.
4)
Each branch is required to have written decision making guidelines which shall
include a financial policy. The Sponsored Branch is required to provide a copy
of its proposed guidelines to the Baronial Council, which must approve it.
A) The Barony shall lend a copy of the required
library (as defined in Governing Documents and Kingdom Law) to each of its
Sponsored Branches in order to facilitate this. Included in this library will
also be a copy of the Baronial Customary.
B) The library shall become a gift to the branch if
they are approved for full branch status, or shall be returned to the Barony if
the branch is not approved.
5)
Baronial Officials are expected to act as mentors to their analogues in the
Sponsored Branch. Any Sponsored Branch officer who does not have a Baronial
analogue shall look to the Baronial Seneschal(e) to
fulfill that role (q.v., III.Note).
SECTION VII -- AUTOCRATS AND EVENTS
1)
For the
A) Timelines for event submissions to Council are
determined by the size and type of event:
Small (50-100 people) -- 4 months.
Large (100-300 people) -- 6 months.
Major (over 300 people) -- 8-10
months.
Note: These guidelines may be waived at the Baronial Council’s
discretion in extenuating circumstances; however, this may make for an
unsuccessful event.
2)
Autocrats or their Contingency Deputy are required to attend the three Branch
and/or Council meetings, as applicable, prior to the event for which the
Autocrat has responsibility. Reports shall be presented monthly from the time
of acceptance of the proposal until event closure.
A) Autocrats are to work with Officials to ensure that
event-related duties are fulfilled.
B) As applicable, Officials who have duties at
upcoming events are required to attend the last two Council meetings prior to
that event. If the Official cannot attend, an informed deputy may be delegated
to attend the meetings in stead.
C) Autocrats are to ensure that any event-related needs
are fulfilled, including but not necessarily limited to:
i) Creating copy for publication which
includes directions and all pertinent contact information for the Autocrat and
any other necessary assistants, so that anyone is able to contact the autocratting staff should they have special needs or
questions.
ii) Getting event copy to Kingdom Calendar, and
appropriate newsletters, for publication after it has been approved by the Seneschal(e). Event copy must be submitted to The Plume
editor and the Web Minister for publication.
iii) Posting any necessary signs for visual assistance
to the site.
iv) Ensuring appropriate and sufficient waivers and
sign-in sheets are provided and used, and submitting them to the Seneschal(e).
3)
Officials and Autocrats shall give a closing report on an event at the Branch
and/or Council meeting immediately following the event, barring circumstances
beyond their control. If this Council meeting is the week after the event, the
autocrat may, instead, first file a preliminary report at the Council meeting
immediately following the event, provide the moneys and a draft financial
report to the Chancellor of the Exchequer submit sign-in sheets and waivers to
the Seneschal(e), and then present the closing report
at the next Council meeting.
A) An event will not be considered closed until:
i) Sign-in sheets and waivers are
submitted to the Seneschal(e) at the next Council
meeting.
ii) A financial report has been submitted to the
Chancellor of the Exchequer (within 30 days).
4)
Autocrats shall appoint a Contingency Deputy who shall be kept fully informed
of the details of the event. Autocrats may appoint additional deputies as
needed for the running of an event.
5)
If a person approved as an autocrat has insufficient experience in running
events (e.g., by size), or is new to the area, a Consulting Autocrat may be
required by the Council. Sponsored Branch Autocrats must have a Consulting
Autocrat. (q.v., VII.3.A)
Note: The Council has the right to require an Autocrat
to have a Consulting Autocrat for an event. The Council may not require an
Autocrat to use a specific Consulting Autocrat, but it may require the Autocrat
to choose a different Consulting Autocrat more acceptable to the Council.
6)
It is recommended that no Autocrat have more than one event open at a time.
7)
It is recommended that no Autocrat be in charge of the same event for more than
two consecutive years.
8)
Officials and Baronial Champions having office-related obligations at a
Baronial Event are not required to pay a site fee, as determined by the
Autocrat, for that event.
A) Autocrats shall not retroactively comp Officials, Baronial Champions, and/or others for an
event once final gate is closed.
Note:
Events are held for many reasons; to have fun, to teach, to show what we can
do, to make money. An event does not need to meet all
of these criteria in order to be successful.
SECTION VIII -- AWARDS
, ORDERS, AND RECOGNITIONS
1)
At this time the
SECTION IX -- TRADITIONS
1) To
be filled in once we have some…
SECTION X -- HISTORY
1) To
be filled in once we have some…
SECTION XI -- REGISTERED
1) Name, Arms, and Badge in
submission.
SECTION XII – FINANCIAL POLICY
Note:
The financial policies of the
1)
All financial decisions are made by consensus of the populace at a branch
meeting..
A) When expenditures are approved, the minutes of the
B) When an advance is approved for goods or services,
the person given the advance is responsible for ensuring that a receipt
describing the good or service performed is provided to the Exchequer upon
completion of the project or event. This receipt can be signed and dated by a
2)
To ease reporting, deposits shall be divided so that it is clear exactly where
the revenue came from.
A) The Exchequer shall keep a log of all receipts of
funds to the
3)
Events
A) Autocrats shall provide receipts for all funds
associated with holding an event. These receipts and an accounting of related
expenditures shall be given to the Exchequer as soon after an event as
possible, not to exceed the time period from the end of an event until the
immediately following Baronial Council.
B) Autocrats shall appoint a person to be responsible
for Gate that meets with approval of the Exchequer. No more than one person
shall be responsible for putting money in and making change from the cash box
per shift.
C) When Gate closes, the Gate
person shall count the cash box in front of the Exchequer, or the Exchequer’s
Deputy. The Exchequer or Deputy shall recount the money in front of the Gate
person. Both the Gate person and the Exchequer or Deputy shall sign and date a
receipt of monies received.
D) Whenever the Exchequer is carrying cash at an
event, the Exchequer shall be accompanied by an escort. This escort shall
accompany the Exchequer to the bank for deposits, if a deposit is made during
an event.
4)
Officers
A) Baronial officers are provided with an annual
budget. Expenditures within the budget do not have to be authorized separately
by Council. The Baronial officer shall provide an accounting to the Exchequer
detailing what the expenditure is for and when the expense was incurred.
B) If there are expenditures over and above the budget
amount for that office, the officer shall bring the issue to Council for
approval.