Mergret Dyer

Clinton War 2008

Azure, a Garb Or, and on a Chief Argent, three Sable Bees marked Or

The Shire of Mountain's Edge, Summits, An Tir

• Born 1528 Chipping Campden, Glouchestershire, England
• Titles: Her Ladyship
• Awards: See Order of Precedence for [1]

Persona

Mergret Dyer was born in the nineteeth year of the reign of King Henry VIII in 1528. She was the daughter of a man whom was a weaver for Lord Campden of Chipping Campden, Glouchestershire, England. Chipping Campden is set on the edge of the Cotswolds in a gentle valley, amid rolling hills, verdant pastures with grazing sheep as far as the eye can see. You would enjoy St. James church which was completed in 1500AD with the creation of its 120-foot pinnacled tower, a landmark for miles around. It was not uncommon for Lords of large estates to have their personal weavers on the land. One day on her way hauling a cartload of raw wool from the sheep fold of the manor to her father's shoppe, a young lord of the manorhouse had his way with her. Mergret became with child and ran away to prevent disgrace falling upon her family, but the child died at a young age. Mergret has been traveling alone ever since.

Mergret also is a Forester. One day she is going to explore into the persona of a peasant from Alsace 1300-1400s ..

Heraldry

"Azure, a garb Or and on a chief raguly argent three bees sable marked Or."

Meanings of my Device:

• Silver or White (Argent) Peace and sincerity
• Blue (Azure) Truth and loyalty
• Gold (Or) Generosity and elevation of the mind
• Bee - Efficient industry
• Garb (wheat sheaf) - The harvest of one's hopes has been secured
• The Raguly Chief partition lines are made of slanted squares and denote difficulties that have been encountered.

Areas of Focus

Mergret has a strong focus on ancient agriculture. Ancient Agriculture, honeybees, wild edible foods, forestry, Sheep-to-Shawl, wild natural dyes for fiber, draft animals, pack animals, illumination and calligraphy, cheesemaking, and many other farm and animal focused skills.

Mergret has many things she enjoys doing, they include but are not limited to: Blacksmithing, 1500-1600 foods cooked with traditional methods, Medieval Gardening & Agriculture, Working bone and horn, Handspinning, loom work, dyeing with period dyes, Contact Juggling, School Demonstrations, Lucet, Embroidery & Blackwork, beginning Woodworking & Handcarving, Mead making & other brews, Viking Wire Weaving, relearning Maple Alto recorder, Nine Man Morris and other games, Chess, Drum Circles, Baking, Leatherwork, Stained Glass, Inkle Loom, Scribework & beginning illumination.

Finding new homes for very large antique weaving looms.

Leadership

• The Shire of Mountain's Edge A&S Officer 2023 to Current
• An Tir unofficial Foresters Guild Exchequer 2024 to Present -
• The Summits Chronicler - March 2026 - March 2028

Demonstrations

1998

• School demonstration with Mtn Edge in Newberg, Oregon

2009

• Old Fashioned Parade Newberg (won)

2023

• Flax demonstrations at various events to promote flax working, giving away a truckload of harvested flax fiber.

2024

• Amergin's Revival A&S Demonstration "Inexpensive Plausible Garb for All"

2025

• Set up a demo An Tir Forestry Guild at Mountain's Edge Defenders
• Mac MiniCon - Handspinning, wool processing, scribal
• McMinnville Highland Games demo, 2 days

Competitions

• 2009 Terra Pomeria's Defenders A&S, 2 entries, in-period mouse trap, bone working.
• 2023 Tain Bo Mead Contest
• 2023 Acorn War Mead Contest (tied for 1st)
• 2024 Tain Bo Mead Contest
• Egils Mead Contest (2nd)
• 2024 Apple & Song Bread Competition (won)
• 2025 Cooking contest at Bar Gamels (won), Cooked Rabbit with Figs and Mudéjar Spices over an open fire from an animal I butchered

Teaching

2005

• Tanning animal skins

2009

• Boneworking

2019

• "Vegetables and Seed Saving in the Middle Ages: with Eleanor de Bolton (canceled due to icestorm, but released the handouts I made)

2023

• multiple Forager's Walks as a guide
• Taught cheesmaking class

2024

• Teaching making Roman Grave Find Rings for A&S Night, donated to largess

• Salves & Ointments for Fighters Acorn War
• multiple Forager's Walks taught wild edible plant ID

2025

• multiple Forager's Walks taught wild edible plant ID
• June - Care and Feeding your Fighter Tournament of Chivalry & Defense
• June - Making Haymaker's Drink at Tournament of Chivalry & Defense
• August - Tanning Hides 2 day class
• many 1-on-1 informal classes on various subjects, such as drop spindle, lucet, cordage
• November - Mushroom Hunting Foray TP Foresters Guild.
• December - Sheep butchering, 2 people learning, carcass will be spitted at Egils

2026

• Grafting Apple Trees (pending)
• Pomegranate class (pending)
• Forestry Guild Fishing Trip (pending)
• Forestry Guild Wild Edible Foods Class (pending)
• Forestry Guild Overnight Camping Trip (pending)
• Dyeplant collection class (pending)
• Mushroom Foray, teaching (pending)

Service

• Helping out when and where I can at events, and offsite
• On Scribal Team for Coronets Amalric Blackhart and Z
• On Scribal Team for Coronets Ivan Shield Bane and Mina de filia Philipe
• On Scribal Team Coronets Marcus Longinius Rufus and Livia Atella
• On Scribal Team for Monarchs Octamasades II and Achaxe II,
• On Scribal Team Coronets Finris Christianson and Seraphina Ferrisdotter
• Illuminated Charters for Stefan De Kilpatrick of Terra Pomaria and Anna Elizabeth von Engleber, Landed Baron/ess of Terra Pomaria

2023

• Embroidery for Princes' Finn and Eduardo
• Made items, found items, and donated to Largesse
• Arranged for a flax fiber harvest in garb on 27 acres of flax grown at a local farm. 19 people attended. We went viral worldwide attracting attention of museums, archaeologists, and Ruth Goodman within 72 hours of posting.
• Bringing newcomers, making them garb and paying their first site fee

2024

• Made items, found items, and donated to Largesse
• Retinue for Prince Finn (fill in, not full time)
• Retinue for Princess Mina(fill in, not full time)
• Retinue for Baron Stefan (fill in, not full time)
• Bringing newcomers, making them garb and paying their first site fee

2025

• Made items, found items, and donated to Largesse
• co-coordinator Spring Coronet 2025, under Asny Brunsdotter
• Retinue for Princess Mina(fill in, not full time)
• Retinue for Baron Stefan (fill in, not full time)
• Judge for Bardic Competition Amergin’s, three sections
• November 2025 Embroidered elevation garb for Sindri, 40 hours
• Bringing newcomers, making them garb and paying their first site fee

2026

• Baked 5 loaves of bread for MidWinters, and was a server for dinner
• Made items, found items, and donated to Largesse
• Charter design team for Baron Eoghan Ua Cleirigh and Baroness of Adiantum Muireen inghean Ui Cleirigh of Adiantum
• Bringing newcomers, making them garb and paying their first site fee

Guild's

• An Tir Forester's Guild since 2022
• Meridian Herbalists Guild since 2022 - current
• An Tir Brewers' Guild since 2023 - current

Challenges

AEthelmearc Royal Foresters Guild Challenge from September 5, 2024, to July 25, 2025

• Create a persona-appropriate tinder pouch out of cloth or leather.
• Sharing the items made and documenting on Forestry Facebook page, and my personal blog
• Created 3 pieces of garb related to the Forestry Guild garb requirements.
• Teach an in-person class on a forestry topic multiple times.
• Compile 3 pieces of safety equipment for use in hiking or camping, either medieval or mundane (e.g. solar blanket, compass, whistle, first aid kit, etc. even if it is not medieval as a backup).
• Field test medieval appropriate gear on a day hiking trip or saunter.
• Headed setting up SCA hiking events
• Went for a 3-mile (minimum) hike in garb. More than once
• Went on a hike of five or more miles in garb and with period footwear with period soles.
• Identify 3 edible plants that would be safe to forage, and explain why and how to prepare them for consumption
• Build a period fire-making kit with all the gear you need to make fire using two or more period methods.
• Create fire starters. E.g., char cloth, whittled wood shavings, wax based, etc.

Awards

• Griffe et du Lion (An Tir)

    By: Athanasios Belisarios, Alianora Greymoor
    Jun 10, 2023 (AS LVIII)

• Gime Stone - Sapphire (Terra Pomaria)

    By: Clovis, Ximena
    Aug 12, 2023 (AS LVIII)

• Award of Arms (Summits)

    By: Ivan Shield Bane, Mina de filia Philipe
    Sep 9, 2023 (AS LVIII)

• Grail of the Summits - A&S (Summits)

    By: Amalric Blackhart, Z
    Sep 7, 2024 (AS LIX)

• Blue Pearl (Terra Pomaria)

    By: Anna Elizabeth von Engelberg
    Sep 23, 2024 (AS LIX) 

• Throne's Favor (Summits)

    By: Amalric Blackhart, Z
    Oct 26, 2024 (AS LIX)

• Bayanihan (Summits)

    By: Amalric Blackhart, Z
    Nov 16, 2024 (AS LIX)

• Jambe de lion

    By:  Nicolai Rabenis Von Tachov, Ana de la Sara
    Feb 8, 2025 (AS LIX)

• The Argent Quill

    By Ivan and Mina
    April 26, 2025

• Mountain & Grail (Summits)

    By Marcus Longinius Rufus and Livia Atella
    Sep 20, 2025 (AS LX)

• Morgan's Rose (Summits)

    By: Marcus Longinius Rufus, Livia Atella	
    Sep 20, 2025 (AS LX)

• Sable Scrivener (An Tir)

    By: Octamasades Skuthikos, Achaxe Ek Auchatae	
    Nov 1, 2025

SCA Points in Time

1996

• First event in Shire of Coeur du Val, Principality of the Summits, started developing persona

1997

• Started to learn Rapier & Blacksmithing

2000

• Moved to Principality of Tir Righ

2001

• Started to learn Inkle Weaving

2002

• Started to learn Lampwork

2009

• Moved to Barony of Terra Pomaria, Principality of the Summits, started to learn bookbinding. Entered first Arts & Sciences Championship Competition.

2010

• Name passed. Working on yet another version of persona device which had been working on since 1996 and continues not to be happy with it.

2012

• Device passed, Terra Pomeria, Principality of the Summits

2015

• Moved back to the Shire of Mountain's Edge.

2022

• Teaching myself to sew dresses

2024

• Became a heavy fighter's inspiration from March 2023-December 2025
• Started illuminating charters

2026

• Started illuminating first scrolls