Greetings to all who read this, and apologies if you get copies from multiple
forums.
This proposal was written by my husband, Master William de Montegilt and sent
to the Board of Directors of the SCA last week.
As he does not read many e-lists due to real life time constraints, he asked
that I post it so that those who are interested might provide input to the
Board of Directors.
If you think parts or all of this proposal may have merit, please write to the
Board of Directors and ask that they put the proposal out for comment by the
membership. This does not indicate support for the proposal, just lets the
Board know that there is interested in the membership in the concept.
If you have questions, please feel free to email me and I will pass the
questions on to William and then post answers or send private replies. Since I
may not be subscribed to every list where this gets posted, you may email me
directly at:wendyc <at> vivid.net.
This may be cross posted if there is interest but please post the text in its
entirety.
In Service to the Society,
Mistress Irene von Schmetterling
--
Marshallate Reformation Proposal
Introduction
My name is Bill Colbert. In the SCA, I am William de Montegilt. My first SCA
activity was a small tourney in Towson, Maryland, in March of 1975. I was a
spectator. My second SCA activity was a fighter practice. I have been a
rattan combat fighter for more than 28 years, and a warranted marshal in two
kingdoms. I am not a knight, nor have I ever picked up a rapier. I do not
participate in period combat studies. I do enjoy fighting, very much. This
information is included so that any biases are evident.
Safety in all forms of SCA combat is a particular interest of mine. It may
have something to do with my first two fighting seasons both ending early with
a broken arm. I don’t like to be hurt, and I don’t like to see my friends
hurt. Also, I believe that a really serious fighting-related injury, or a
death on the field (any field) might very well spell the end of combat in the
SCA. The financial circumstances of the Society are such that a large
judgment exceeding our liability insurance would cripple the organization.
The present structure of the Marshallate within the Society is, I believe,
conducive to such a disastrous event. The reason for this is that decision
authority for safety, standards, and practices, within the kingdoms and at the
Society level, are made almost entirely by people very experienced in rattan
combat. That is just fine for rattan combat, but it is not fine for rapier
combat, nor equestrian activities, nor siege weapons, nor period combat
studies. The Board of Directors agrees, at least in the case of equestrian
activities. As of the April 2003 board meeting, the equestrians were made
independent of the Marshallate.
Now, I recognize that there are exceptions to the above assertion. But for
the most part, the situation is as stated. All, or nearly all, of the kingdom
earls marshal and the Society Marshal, presently, and historically, have been
experienced rattan fighters. Precious few of them have had any other sort of
fighting experience. Look within your own kingdoms, and see if this is not
the case.
The main thrust of this proposal is to decentralize decision authority for
safety, practical techniques, and equipment standards, for each combat-related
activity to the deputy for that activity. The Society Marshal and the kingdom
earls marshal would have different responsibilities than at present. They
would continue to be responsible for coordinating reporting to their
respective crowns and corporate superiors. They would have the added
responsibility of encouraging all forms of fighting, and fighting-related
activities in their kingdoms, or in the case of the Society Marshal, in the
Society as a whole.
What comes next is a synopsis of the evolution of Society combat. This is
intended to illustrate how we got to the current situation. The elements of
the Proposal will follow that.
History
On May 1, 1966, the Last Tourney was held. It was a backyard party. A total
of ten fighters competed that day. I have spoken to three of The Ten (Flieg
Hollander, Henrik Olsgaard, and Dave Thewlis), and they confirm that the
weapons used in what became the first tourney of the SCA were modern fencing
equipment, broomsticks, and trash can lids. Within two years, rattan combat
had become the standard (only) form of combat used in the Society. I mention
this to illustrate that the evolution of combat within the SCA has occurred,
literally, from the beginning.
In A.S. 6, the Society Marshal published a statement to the effect that all
fighters should expect to give and receive full force blows at all times, in
order to simulate the reality of medieval combat. This idiocy engendered a
variety of amusing ballads, and intervention by the Board of Directors, who
appointed a new Society Marshal. I mention this to show that, even very
early, the Board was willing to intervene in combat-related situations they
found patently unsafe.
When I began fighting in A.S. 9, there were only four kingdoms. Combat
archery did not exist. Light weapons were not used. Face thrusts were not
used. In the East Kingdom, ladies were allowed to train as fighters, but
could not participate in any tournament competition, much less a Crown
Tourney. There were a few siege weapons, but they were for demonstration
purposes only, and were not used in combat.
There was no organized study of historical fighting techniques from any era of
the period, and the development of rattan combat fighting was evolutionary
rather than historical. By that I mean that many techniques were tried, and
the ones that tended to work were kept.
Today, all these things are part of Society combat activities. We have Lady
knights, and even one Lady who was queen, in her own right. Many battles are
enhanced by the presence of combat archers, and at Gulf Wars, the sky darkens
during the castle battle with the missiles of the siege engines. Rapier
combat was introduced in 1979, and has thousands of adherents today. Finally,
the translation and study of actual period combat manuals is perhaps the
fastest growing combat-related activity. It certainly is the most dynamic.
Fighting and the Society
The first event was a tourney. As we all know, the Society attempts to
recreate “the Middle Ages, as they should have been”. I have heard this
referred to as the “Romantic Arthurian” model.
>From the beginning, the tourney has been the centerpoint of most Society
events. Throughout its early history, this meant, exclusively, rattan
combat. Rattan combat tournaments are held even today at the vast majority of
Society events. It tends to capture the imagination of the viewing public
more than any of our other activities.
The assignment of responsibility for all combat-related activities to a
Marshallate organization composed of rattan fighters made perfect sense….as
long as there were only rattan fighters.
There is now a much wider menu of combat-related activities than was imagined
when the present structure was set up. The Marshallate has evolved somewhat
in response. As presently (September 2003) constituted, each of the combat-
related activities has a deputy to oversee it. This deputy has the obligation
to make policy recommendations to the kingdom earl marshal or the Society
Marshal, as appropriate. However decision authority remains with the kingdom
earl marshal or the Society Marshal, regardless of the level of his or her
qualifications, actual experience, and interest in the particular activity.
The Problems
Safety - It simply does not make sense for someone with no direct knowledge or
expertise in an activity to be regulating it. In this case we are talking
about regulating it at the level of actual fighting techniques, equipment
standards, and safety practices. You wouldn’t want a fire safety specialist
making decisions about airplane safety. Yet that is exactly the situation
that non-rattan fighters are faced with. It represents an obvious danger to
the participants.
Liability - We do not have a Society with a large financial endowment. It is
well known that the Society operates on very narrow fiscal margins, with no
major reserve funding. The loss of an injury-related lawsuit significantly in
excess of our liability insurance would cripple or liquidate the Society. If
I were the attorney arguing such a case from the other side, I would be
overjoyed to find that at three separate levels (Society Marshal, Crown, and
kingdom earl marshal), oversight responsibility was being performed by persons
with no direct knowledge of the activity.
Membership dissatisfaction - It should come as no surprise to anyone that
members participating in combat forms other than rattan combat have been
subjected to arbitrary rule changes, arbitrary equipment changes, arbitrary
technique rulings, and arbitrary activity elimination. These have occurred at
the Society Marshal level and the kingdom level, often changing from reign to
reign, and demonstrably by people acting on erroneous or inadequate
information. They have been done by officers without direct expertise in
these other combat forms. The members have also had to endure, on many
occasions, these types of actions by officers with active dislike or overt
hostility to their activities, even, in some cases, to pursuing an agenda to
eliminate them.
Concerning the last point, I wish to make it clear that I am not talking
exclusively about rapier combat. Similar problems, although fewer in number,
have occurred with combat archery (on again, off again, hit ‘em, don’t
hit ‘em), siege weapons (ever had anyone firing onions at you during a
battle? It’s happened.), and equestrian activities. It is occurring right
now with period combat studies. Notice I said “studies”, not fighting. In
the past few weeks we had the absurd situation of a kingdom earl marshal
initially forbidding the showing, at an event, of a videotape illustrating
historical combat techniques taken from period fighting manuals. The
justification presented was that this might confuse fighters as to what was
legal on the field. This decision was even upheld by the Society Marshal. I
believe, however, that the earl marshal in question has rethought his
position. Still, the incident illustrates that the Marshallate as presently
organized is not equipped to deal fairly and appropriately with alternative
combat-related activities.
There are, literally, thousands of members who use siege engines, fight with
rapiers, and study historical combat techniques. They also hold events, cook
feasts, serve their Crowns, and in short, behave like all others members.
They deserve better treatment and more respect than they have gotten up to
this point. They deserve to be as safe in their activities as we can make
them, just like we rattan fighters.
The elements of the Proposal that follows will address each of these issues.
Reorganization of the Marshallate
Society Level:
Discussion and justification for this have been argued above. In summary, the
present organizational structure places people with little or no expertise,
and occasionally outright hostility, in decision authority over combat-related
activities other than rattan combat. This compromises the safety of the
participants, our membership. It also significantly increases the legal
liability of the Society in case of an injury lawsuit. It also exposes
participants to the whimsy of officers not particularly interested in their
activities.
Arguments in favor of such a reorganization include:
All three of the major problems discussed above are solved or at least heavily
mitigated.
People not interested in a particular activity are no longer required to be in
the loop. They can confine their attentions to activities that do interest
them.
If done correctly, cross-activity technique sharing is enhanced. I refer here
particularly to the efforts of those studying historical combat techniques on
both rattan combat and rapier combat.
The positions of Society Marshal and king earl marshal will have a larger pool
of candidates as they will no longer be tied to just rattan combat expertise.
Arguments against might include:
It isn’t traditional. It dilutes the influence of rattan combat as the
primary form of fighting within the Society.
The present Society Marshal and kingdom earls marshal won’t like it. It
removes much of their authority.
As a strong believer in both tradition and rattan combat, I will address the
first argument below, later in the Proposal. As to the second argument, well,
yes. That’s the idea.
Proposed: The office of Marshal of the Society, as described in Corpora, VI
D., will become a reporting office for activities related to combat and
archery. Information coordination activities, working with the Chirurgeon
General to promote safety, and working with the Minister of Arts and Sciences
will continue as present. Supervision of combat and related activities,
supervision of subordinate marshals, and making policy decisions,
interpretations and clarifications regarding the Rules of the Lists as they
apply to a particular type of combat are now assigned to the deputy society
marshals for each activity. In particular, deputies will be appointed for
rattan combat, rapier combat, siege weapons, historical combat studies, youth
combat, and archery/thrown weapons. Other deputies may be appointed as
needed, however these deputies will have decision authority over their
particular activities. Warrants for the Marshal of the Society and the
Deputies defined below are signed by the Board of Directors.
Note: New text is underscored.
Enabling legislation - Corpora is changed as follows: the text of VI
(Society Officers) D (Marshal of the Society) is deleted in its entirety and
replaced with:
“The Marshal of the Society is responsible for reporting on activities
related to combat and archery to the Board of Directors. This includes
coordinating the reporting from the Deputy Society Marshals for each activity,
and from the Earls Marshal of the kingdoms. The Marshal of the Society will
also work with the Chirurgeon General to promote safety in the Society’s
martial arts, and with the Minister of Arts and Sciences to encourage research
in armor and weapons. Further, the Marshal of the Society will have the
responsibility to encourage and promote participation in combat and archery
activities by the membership. The Marshal of the Society may appoint such
Assistant Marshals as are necessary to fulfill these responsibilities.
Deputy Society Marshals are created for the following activities: Armored
Combat, Rapier Combat, Siege Engines, Archery, Youth Combat, and Period Combat
Studies. The Deputy Society Marshals are responsible for activities in their
respective areas. This includes directing the appropriate Deputy Earls
Marshal of the kingdoms in matters concerning the supervision of combat and
related activities at Society events and the manner and conduct of duties of
all marshals of their activities throughout the Society.
The Board specifically authorizes these Deputy Society Marshals to make
policy decisions, interpretations, and clarification regarding the Rules of
the Lists, for their respective activities only, and with the proviso that
such rulings must be reported to the Board at the following meeting. These
rulings will stand until and unless overruled by the Board.”
Before I discuss the effect on the kingdoms, I want to explain some of the
reasoning here.
First, additional deputy Society marshals can easily be created should
circumstances dictate. Second, I have included a deputy, rather than an
assistant for siege engines. The reason for this is that some of these use
sufficient force to be quite dangerous in uneducated hands. They need to be
regulated by someone who really understands them.
Third, I feel that having the Archery deputy have responsibility for target
activities and combat archery is a Good Thing. The reason is the necessity
of having some sort of Society-wide standards, particularly when it comes to
arrow construction, so that we can all play safely together.
Fourth, most kingdoms now have some form of youth combat, and others are
considering it. This activity is still in its early stages, and there is a
real opportunity here for the kingdoms to share best practices, if there is
someone to do the coordination. A Society-wide set of minimum standards is
probably an important outcome. I believe this level of official attention is
appropriate, as I don’t think we have any assets more precious than our
children.
Finally, although there has always been some level of interest, it is only
recently that there has been dramatic growth in the interest level in the
translation and study of historical combat techniques. The important word
here is “study”. This is not a competitive activity. There are no
tournaments. There are practices and demonstrations. As some of these use
weapons or other physical activity, there is risk to the participants. It
isn’t purely theoretical. Consequently, it is necessary to have regulations
and equipment standards overseen by someone with expertise in the activity.
Placing the sidesword experiment here instead of under the Deputy Society
Marshal for Rapier Combat might be worth considering.
I was recently asked why the study of historical combat techniques should be a
Society activity. The justification is simple, and comes from the Articles of
Incorporation, section II, which says: “…The purposes for which this
corporation is formed include: (a) Research and education in the field of pre-
17th Century Western Culture. (b) Generally, to engage in research; publish
material of relevance and interest to the field of pre-17th Century Western
Culture; to present activities and events which re-create the environment of
said era, such as, but not limited to, tournaments, jousts, fairs, dances,
classes, et cetera…”
Now that is exactly what the period combat studies folks are doing, and
certainly more so than those of us who fight with rattan and rapier. Some of
these techniques can probably be transferred to the armored and rapier combat
fields, as they were used in period.
Kingdom Level:
Proposed: The earls marshal of the kingdoms become reporting officers with
the responsibility to coordinate information flow from the deputy earls
marshal in their kingdoms and to report to the Society Marshal. They also
have the duties to promote safety by working with their kingdom Chirurgeon and
to promote general equipment standards improvement by working with their
kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences.
For a kingdom to participate in a particular activity, it must appoint the
appropriate deputy earl marshal for that activity. Warrants for a kingdom
earl marshal are signed by the Crown and the Society Marshal. Warrants for a
deputy earl marshal are signed by the Crown and the appropriate Deputy Society
Marshal. The reasoning here is to make certain that persons with appropriate
interest and expertise are overseeing each activity.
Enabling legislation - Corpora is changed as follows: the text of VII
(Kingdom, Principality, and Local Officers) D (The Earl Marshal) is deleted in
its entirety and replaced with:
“The Earl Marshal is responsible for reporting on activities related to
combat and archery to the Crown and the Marshal of the Society. This includes
coordinating the reporting from the Deputy Earls Marshal for each activity
within the kingdom. The Earl Marshal will also work with the Chirurgeon to
promote safety in the kingdom’s martial arts, and with the Minister of Arts
and Sciences to encourage research in armor and weapons. Further, the Earl
Marshal will have the responsibility to encourage and promote participation in
combat and archery activities by the membership.
Deputy Earls Marshal may be appointed for any of the following
activities: Armored Combat, Rapier Combat, Siege Engines, Archery, Youth
Combat, and Period Combat Studies. However, none of these activities may be
performed in the kingdom without an appropriate Deputy Earl Marshal being
appointed. The Deputy Earls Marshal are responsible for all combat-related
activities in their respective areas. This includes overseeing the conduct
and safety of all martial arts in their respective areas, including but not
limited to tournament lists, wars, practices, and combat demonstrations. The
Deputy Earls Marshal are also responsible for appointing and warranting
subordinate marshals for their respective areas.”
Corpora VII I. (Duties of Other Officers) is changed to read: “Specific duties
of Kingdom Lesser Officers, deputies, Principality Officers, and Local
Officers are defined by Royalty and the appropriate superior officer unless
otherwise defined in Corpora.
Corpora VII J. (Appointment to office) 1, add after the first
sentence: “Kingdom Deputy Earls Marshal are appointed by the Crown after due
consultation with the outgoing officer, the Earl Marshal, and any other
appropriate Great Officer.”
Corpora VII K (Warranting / Rosters) 1, first sentence is changed
from “Kingdom Great Officer’s appointments are confirmed by a signature from
the Corporate Level and the Crown, on the standard warrant form.”
to “Appointments of Kingdom Great Officers and Deputy Earls Marshal are
confirmed by a signature from the appropriate Deputy Society Marshal, and the
Crown, on the standard warrant form.”
Again, the purpose here is simply to ensure that people with appropriate
interest and expertise are in charge of each activity.
The Crown:
I expect this will actually be the most controversial part of this Proposal.
First let me say that I have been a member for more than 28 years and a peer
for nearly 25. I have always endeavored to support my Crown and my Kingdom,
no matter where I have lived.
When there was only rattan combat, it made sense to have the Sovereign oversee
the fighting. One could safely assume that he (it was always a he then) was
pretty good at it. Unfortunately, few Sovereigns, are expert in other forms
of combat activity, and probably none are in all of them. It makes sense,
therefore, to reduce the responsibility of the Crown for these areas. The
justification is exactly the same as for the Marshallate.
On the other hand, I’m a firm believer in traditions, and am not trying here
to change the way we select our Crowns.
Therefore, what I am proposing is a compromise between the traditional
privileges of the Crown and the safety and enjoyment of the membership.
Specifically, Proposed:
The Sovereign retains final oversight responsibility for rattan combat within
the kingdom. Oversight responsibilities for other activities devolve to the
appropriate deputy earl marshal.
Access to the fighting field, any fighting field, is granted at the pleasure
of the Sovereign. The Sovereign retains the right to remove any fighter, at
any time, from any field.
Rattan combat remains the only formal tournament lists for royal ranks and
titles, unless a specific exemption is granted by the Board.
Enabling legislation - Corpora is changed as follows: IV (Royalty) A.
(Selection) 1. “Royal Lists must be conducted at a tournament announced in the
kingdom newsletter as being for that purpose. Crowns or Coronets who wish to
conduct a royal list in a manner other than individual armored combat must
obtain the prior approval of the Board of Directors.”
Corpora IV C (Duties) 9 is changed to read: “The Sovereign supervises armored
combat on the field of honor.
Corpora IV C 10 is renumbered as IV C 11.
Corpora IV C (new) 10 is added, as follows: “The privilege of access to the
combat fields, regardless of the type of combat activity being performed, is
granted at the pleasure of the Sovereign. The Sovereign may remove any
fighter, at any time, from any tourney or melee combat field, for any period
of time, up to the duration of the Reign. Such action shall not be construed
to indicate a safety violation has occurred; no Marshallate action may be
taken as the result of this exercise of Royal prerogative. Safety violations
shall be addressed through reports to, and appropriate actions by, the
Marshallate.”
Other Changes
These are required, mostly for consistency, to complete the proposed
implementation.
Proposed:
Corpora IX (Society Combat) A. (Society Combat-Related Activities) 1, first
sentence is replaced with: “Society combat-related activities are defined as
armored combat, rapier combat, combat archery, marshalling, scouting, banner
bearing in combat, youth combat, and period combat studies.”
Corpora IX A. 2, first paragraph is replaced with: “A participant in any of
the Society combat-related activities as defined above must be authorized by a
marshal warranted and designated by the Deputy Earl Marshal of a kingdom for
that activity, or his representative, as able to authorize individuals in the
appropriate activity.”
Corpora IX A. 6, is deleted in its entirety and replaced with: “Prior to the
authorization of a minor in any Society combat-related activity, the parent or
guardian of the minor must witness the activity, discuss it with a witnessing
marshal, and execute a Waiver, indemnity, or other required document for the
minor. The witnessing marshal must be explicitly authorized to perform this
function by the Deputy Earl Marshal for Youth Combat of that kingdom. The
marshal who authorizes a minor person for any form of Society combat-related
activity must the Kingdom or Principality Deputy Earl Marshal for Youth
Combat, or the Kingdom or Principality Deputy Earl Marshal for that activity.
This need not be the same person as the witnessing marshal.”
Corpora IX B (The Rules of the Lists) 2, is deleted in its entirety and
replaced with:
“No person shall participate in Combat-Related activities (including armored
combat, rapier combat, combat archery, marshalling, scouting, banner bearing
in combat, youth combat, and period combat studies) outside of formal training
sessions unless and until he or she shall have been properly authorized under
Society and kingdom procedures.”
Corpora IX C (Rapier Fighting in the Society) is now superfluous and therefore
deleted.
Other Documents
As near as I can determine, no changes to the Articles of Incorporation, By-
Laws, or Corporate Policies of the SCA, Inc. are required to implement this
proposal.
Other Considerations
Should the Board of Directors act favorably on this Proposal, presumably after
consultation with the membership, a reasonable amount of time should be given
for implementation so that the kingdoms have a chance to adjust their
organizations. Six months seems about right, a year is probably too long.
In Conclusion
My motivation for this Proposal is simple. I am worried about the Society.
We do not seem to be growing. We do seem to be aging, and a significant
number of the kids drop out on reaching adulthood. The membership is well
aware that the organization has financial difficulties.
We also have too much friction. When I joined, I was given to believe that
the Society was inclusive. There were many, many different activities, and
people were encouraged and rewarded for excelling in any field of interest. I
continue to believe that should be one our ideals; it may be our very greatest
strength.
Alas, for reasons that completely elude me, I have witnessed, time and again,
one group trying to restrict the activities of another group. And they
weren’t even interested in participating themselves, they just didn’t want
anyone else to do it.
But I also believe that we are a Society that puts a high premium on courtesy
and on honor. The reason that people stay in the Society for decades is that
generally the organization brings out the very best in its members.
This proposal is designed to make fighting in the Society safer and more fun
for everybody. The conclusion is simple. If more people are having more fun,
then the Society is stronger, interest is up, and everybody gains.
Certainly the Field of Honor is big enough for all of us.
And please believe that I remain in Service to the Society, this XXV
Septembris, A.S. XXXVII.
Bill Colbert (William de Montegilt)
From: wendyc@vivid.net
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Received on Sun Oct 5 16:49:55 2003
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