Hartwood

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Vert, on a roundel argent within a laurel wreath Or a hart's head erased sable

The Shire of Hartwood (Mid to Upper Vancouver Island, B.C.) is located on Insula Magna in the Principality of Tir Righ. There are only two important rules in Hartwood: No setting yourself on fire, and no swimming in armour. You may ignore rule #2 if you break rule #1.

History

Once upon a time, way back in 1989, a group of people plotted and planned and formed the Shire of Hartwood. It was a small shire, but in the fullness of time, it spawned two more groups, Cragmere (Courtenay, Campbell River and area) and Ravensley (Port Alberni).

Hartwood has long had ties to the Barony of Seagirt (Victoria and area). Another group with close ties to the Insula Magna (Vancouver Island) groups is the Shire of False Isle (Powell River), which lies across the Strait of Georgia to the north-east of Hartwood (formerly the Shire of Cragmere).

In AS 43-44/2009, talk started to turn towards amalgamating the three groups – Hartwood, Cragmere and Ravensley into a barony. There have been many discussions, but in the end, it was decided that Hartwood would make a bid for barony status, with Cragmere and Ravensley joining it under the Hartwood banner.

As of May 1st AS45/2011, the Shires of Cragmere, Ravensley and Hartwood are one: The Shire of Hartwood.

Timeline of General History

Notable Residents

By no means an exhaustive list, these are some of the Hartwegian gentles you may bump into:

Champions

Armoured

Decided at the Championship in September:

  1. Azemar de Toulouse, AS XLIX - AS L (2014-2015)
  2. Gnaeus 'Attius' Germanus, AS L - AS LI (2015 - 2016)
  3. Wulfgar Bradaxe, AS LI - AS LII (2016 - 2017) CURRENT

Archery

Decided at the Championship in September:

  1. Cunegonda van den Bossche, AS XLIX - AS L (2014 - 2015)
  2. Elizabeth MacAndrew, AS L - AS LI (2015 - 2016)
  3. Melles Aniko, AS LI - AS LII (2016 - 2017)
  4. Borgarr Flokason, AS LII - AS LIII (2017 - 2018) CURRENT

Bardic

Decided at Yule in November:

  1. Guencenedl 'Gwynafel' ben Madudhain, AS XLIX - AS L (2014-2015)
  2. Nichola inghean Muireadhach, AS L - AS LI (2015 - 2016)
  3. Nichola inghean Muireadhach, AS LI - AS LII (2016 - 2017)
  4. Halima al-Rakkasa, AS LII - AS LIII (2017 - 2018) CURRENT

Craftsman Champion (A&S)

First Championship April 30, 2016:

  1. Elizabeth Chatfeld, AS LI - AS LII (2016 - 2017) CURRENT

Historical

Old Hartwood has had many champions in the past; so have the former Shires of Cragmere and Ravensley.


Events

Current

Hartwood has several traditional events, with new traditions being made each year. Some that we've come to look forward to:

Newcomers

Held in February, members are encouraged to bring a friend. There are displays and demonstrations of heraldry, fiber arts, archery, combat, and much more; a handful of craft classes to pique the interest; a potluck supper in the evening so we can get to know one another.

Memorable Newcomers include AS L (2016) when the perfect storm of a successful Heritage Days demo, a local newspaper article about our upcoming event, and Newcomers happened in quick succession -- we had over 50 guests.
-- Cunegonda

University of Tir Righ Session

In April we gather to learn and share our knowledge. Classes vary each year, and organizers are always interested in hearing what the populace would like to learn. In AS LI (2016) we will host our very first Craftsman Championship, and we often have a potluck on Saturday evening. The continuous sharing of knowledge is one of the most vital aspects of our society, something done year-long, but in April we celebrate it specifically.

Memorable (T)UTR's include AS XLVII (2013), when a 10 year old Miranda had to fill in for her mother and teach a bunch of adults how to paint silk banners -- and did so quite well! Or AS XLVI (2012), the Year of the Plague; several instructors were sick, injured, or suddenly unavailable, and half the classes had to be cancelled. In AS L (2015), we began a new tradition of sleep-overs in the hall, to be continued in AS LI (2016).
-- Cunegonda

Championship and War

Once held in August, we now hold our Championship and War in the somewhat less hectic month of September. One final outdoor camping event for the year, we hold both our Armoured and Archery Championships at this event; we also often feature rapier phoenix tourneys, and war scenarios on the Sunday when possible. Bardic on the Saturday night can last until morning's light. Of all our events, this one seems to inspire the most camaraderie, year in and year out.

Memorable Championships include our first, in AS XLIX (2014), when I shot in the finals with Miranda and prevailed; the following year, Miranda shot against her mother in the semi-finals, and Sir Liam in the finals to take the championship. Again in AS XLIX, Azemar battled long and hard against Sextus in the shade of Ravens Key Castle, going through every weapon combination possible. The crowd cheered, and yes, we were entertained. In AS L (2015), Seamus came up to host a Phoenix Tourney, marking the renewal of Rapier in our community. Also in AS L, we had a lovely Inn to host an Embellisher's Guild meeting and Bardic that lasted until 4 am; older members who had drifted away returned, bringing their memories of the birth of our Shire. We proved the versatility of our community, and were reminded of the strength friends from far off lands give us; an emergency came up and the Champion could not be there, so Edward of False Isle and Sextus stepped up to MIC and run the championship right away.
-- Cunegonda

Yule

As we head into winter and all the many family gatherings that take our time, our Shire comes together to break bread, reminisce over the year's activities, and recognize our gratitude for Hartwood's strong community. Hartwood holds our Bardic Championship at this event, but there is usually additional displays or competitions for Arts & Sciences. We are often blessed with Royal Presence at this time of year.

Memorable Yules... ah, too many to count, and all for the wrong reasons. From broken hearts to family emergencies, food poisoning and heart attacks, there was a three year streak where Yule was flat out cursed. So alarming was the escalation in disasters it seemed as if surely someone would actually die the next year; fortunately for us all Doireann broke the trend, and AS L (2015) went off perfectly. The funny thing is so few people who attended all those other years noticed that things were falling apart behind the scenes -- when the ball drops, our Shire is filled with people who reach out to catch it. We adapt, and carry on ... and let nothing get in the way of our merriment!
-- Cunegonda

Historical

Cragmere and Ravensley likewise had their own traditional events.


Awards and Tokens

Current Awards and Tokens

  • Stag Tag (Combat Arts: Armoured, Rapier, Cut & Thrust, Combat Archery, Jousting) - Fieldless, a Hart's head caboshed sable; numbered
    • Recognition of an individual who, while residing in Hartwood, has fought in the Combat Arts with their own kit under Hartwood’s banner.
  • Raven Tag (Target/Equestrian Arts: Target Archery, Thrown Weapons, Equestrian.) - Fieldless, a feather in pale sable
    • Recognition of an individual who, while residing in Hartwood, has competed in the Target/Equestrian arts with their own kit under Hartwood’s banner.
  • Swan Tag - Fieldless, a feather in pale argent
    • Recognition of a person's active participation in A&S such as, but not limited to: competitions, demos, teaching, largesse.
  • Stag's Mark - Fieldless, a hoof print sable
    • Recognition of a person living outside the shire who has been of great benefit to Hartwood.
  • Sable Hound - Fieldless, a dog statant sable
    • Recognition of excellence in service by an individual to the Shire of Hartwood.
  • The Lure -
    • Recognition of excellence in demos, assisting newcomers, inspiring activity and presenting our society in the best possible light.
  • Exemplar
    • Awarded to the embodiment of the Society's ideals; courtesy, honour, kindness, generosity.

Previous Awards and Tokens

  • Stag Tag - Given to a fighter in the shire at their first event where they had all their armor, passed inspection, and fought
  • Hart's Blood - Given to a rapier fighter in the shire in honour of their first event where they were authorized and fought
  • Silver Stag - Token for service to the shire
  • Golden Stag - Token for excellence in arts & sciences
  • Crimson Stag -

Cragmere and Ravensley of course had their own tokens.

External Links

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