Richard Fergus Fitzalan
Sir Richard Fergus Fitzalan, Baron Glymm Mere
House Arkeep
In 1978 upon returning to Olympia, WA (from Pullman), Rich and Wendy Edwards created a medieval society they called "House Arkeep". There was no local SCA branch in Olympia and so they created their own group without SCA connections. Rich took the name Fergus Fitzalan.
Shire of Evercleare
In 1981, Fergus met Angharad at the Evergreen State College and attended the "Lusty Month of May" event that she hosted with the help of folks from the SCA. Shortly thereafter Angharad founded the incipient shire of Evercleare and Fergus was the founding minister of Arts. During the next decade, Fergus served at various times as the minister of Arts, Chronicler (founding the branch newsletter The Looking Glass), minister of Sciences, Gamesmaster, Chief Scribe, Constable, and Seneschal.
Barony of Glymm Mere
In 1993, Fergus changed his name to Richard Fergus Fitzalan. Richard Fergus Fitzalan and Gwendolyn Fitzalan served as founding Baron and Baroness of Glymm Mere from January 1993 to February 1995.
Kingdom Service
He has served as Kingdom Gamesmaster and Kingdom Chronicler and Kingdom Arts & Sciences Guild Deputy. He has also served on many retinues from 1982 to 2024.
Chivalry
Fergus began fighting in 1982. He served as Royal Huscarl to then King Thorin Njalsson. He founded the Beevairian Company (the Baronial company of Glymm Mere) in the mid 1980s. He was squire to Duke Thorin Njalsson and served in that capacity for nine years. He was Knighted at September Crown in 1993. He is also a Knight Companion of the Company of Saint Ulrich and a Companion of the Company of the Shattered Lance.
In 2023 at September Crown, Sir Richard, who was knighted on the same site 30 years earlier, renewed his knightly vows before King Morgan and Queen Livia. Then he returned the “spurs of Caid”, which had been given to him at his knighting, to the Crown so that they might be given to a new, younger knight to carry on. King Morgan then declared then to be the Spurs of An Tir, and that they would be passed down to every new knight in An Tir from then on.
Squires
Richard's squires (past and present) include: Stergar the Smiling (Sir Richard's first squire), Sir Godric ap Rhys, Sir Aleksii Konstantinovich Chernoi, Squire Connor McGuire of Roscommon, Squire Cian MacDara, Squire Dunstan McLeland, Squire Cedric Helmbreaker, and Squire Tristan FitzMaurice.
Poet and Wordsmith
Sir Richard is a published writer of poetry in medieval forms. He is apprenticed to Mistress Keilyn Fitzwarin of the Kingdom of Atlantia for the study of medieval poetry. He has three chapbooks: The Errant Knight (1995), A Long Knights Journey Into Day (1996) and Mid-Knight Today (2000) in addition to many poems published in other books, newsletters, and magazines. As of 2024, he has written more than 400 poems in dozens of medieval forms. He has also written words for ceremonies and scrolls as a Wordsmith of An Tir. Performing his poem “An Tir Besieged” he won the position as Baronial Bardic Champion of Glymm Mere in 2021.
Historian
Sir Richard is a published historian with a degree in History from Washington State University. He has written articles and social posts about the history of An Tir, his home branch of Glymm Mere and various specialized subjects. He created the An Tir Scanning Project, which is meant to digitize old print photos of early An Tir history before our older members are gone and their photos lost forever. This project has also digitized branch newsletters and documents for preservation.
Awards
- Award of Arms - 26 Feb AS 17/1983 -Ulfred and Adara
- Crystal of Glymm Mere (Glymm Mere)-10 Dec AS 18/1983 - Mary Margaret MacInnes
- Forget-me-not - 14 Jul AS 19/1984 -Angharad
- Goutte de Sang - 14 Jul AS 19/1984 -Thorin and Angharad
- Red Hart (Glymm Mere)- 28 Jul AS 19/1984 -Mary Margaret MacInnes
- Sergeant (Glymm Mere) - 8 May AS 28/1993 - Gwendolyn Fitzalan
- Throne Favor - 16 May AS 28/1993 -Barak and Lao
- King's Favor - 17 Jul AS 28/1993 -Barak
- Knight - 5 Sep AS 28/1993 -Rorik and Helena
- Court Baron - 4 Feb AS 29/1995 -Tjorkill and Elowen
- Throne's Favor - 13 July 31/1996 -Thorin and Sineidin
- King's Favor - 13 July 31/1996 -Thorin
- Jambe de Lion - 24 May 32/1997 -Darius and Morgaine
- Order of the Ewer (Glymm Mere) - 6 Dec 43/2008 -Godric and Kara
- Baroness's Favor (Dragon's Laire) - 13 Dec 43/2008 -Brighid Ross
- Order of the Iron Wolf (Glymm Mere) - 2 May 44/2009 -Godric and Kara
- Baroness's Favor (Glymm Mere) - 12 Dec 44/2009 -Kara
- Baron's Favor (Glymm Mere) - 12 Dec 45/2010 -Godric
- Belated Rose - 4 Sept 46/2011 -Dagmaer
- King's Favor - 19 Nov 46/2011 -Thorin
- Forget-me-not - 17 Dec 46/2011 -Dagmaer
- Bardic Champion of Glymm Mere - 18 Apr 2021
- Beacon of Glymm Mere - 7 May 2022
- Bountiful Hand - 3 Dec 2022
- Lion's Strength - 3 Dec 2022
- Wordsmith - 24 June 2023
- King's Favor - 14 July 2023 - Athanasios
- Pelican - 2 Sept 2023 - Morgan and Livia
Photos
