Camlann Medieval Village

See Roger the Goliard for more information about the founder of Camlann Medieval Association.

Here follows an essay by Rowenna de Manning about Camlann Medieval Village, sourced from public information, the Camlann website present and past, and recollections of building and participating in the first five years of Camlann Village.

In 1981, Roger Shell, known in the SCA as Roger the Goliard, founded a company, Camlann Enterprises, for the purpose of buying property to establish a historic village park depicting a medieval village in southern England in the year 1376. Establishing a historic village park with a specific time and place was a long-held dream that he spoke of to friends. Camlann is not an actual place in England, it's a placename from legend. From a blog post on the Camlann website, "Most of the Arthurian accounts written after the 11th century name 'Camlann' as the location where (King) Arthur fought his last battle ... and where Arthur was mortally wounded..." Camlann is a place of legend, not located on a map.

The first Camlann Medieval Fair, described in a paid Crier ad as "a medieval entertainment," took place on three weekends in August 1981 on a few acres of rented property just off Cherry Valley Road near Duvall. The site was rustic. Volunteers cleared paths through the woods, and a tourney field and a parking lot were cleared with chain saws and hand tools. Timber and canvas booths and a stage were constructed. Roger submitted paid advertisements to the Crier to notify nearby SCA groups of the opportunity to volunteer at the fair. He advertised the fair to the public using posters and community notices in local newspapers. The final weekend of the fair was remembered for its rainy weather, including a torrential downpour on Saturday evening.

Roger located a property he described as nearly ideal and purchased it. The property at 10320 Kelly Road NE, Carnation, Washington was slowly developed, mostly through volunteer labor by supporters of the project, to establish paths, build booths, and clear open areas needed for the medieval village. A parking lot was built next to Kelly Road. Booths and stage areas were crafted out of timber and canvas. A kitchen building was constructed. In August of 1982, the site opened to paying visitors. For the years 1983 to 1985, Roger placed a paid advertisement in the Crier to notify nearby SCA groups of the opportunity to volunteer at the fair. The fair was advertised to the public using flyers, community and arts organization notices, and word of mouth. A number of people, perhaps 15 to 20 regular participants from SCA branches, volunteered at the fair in the early years.

The fair had performers of music, dance, puppetry, magic, storytelling, period crafts, and craft demonstrations. There was SCA-style heavy armored combat in a tourney field overlooked by a raised stage with ladies witnessing the deeds of knights and rewarding winners.

In 1986, Roger incorporated the Camlann Medieval Association, a non-profit organization. There were grants from arts organizations such as 4Culture, in support of construction and operations at Camlann Medieval Village. He served as President from 1986 to 2025.

Camlann Medieval Association subsequently established an annual summer season when the village was open to visitors on weekends from May to September. The focus shifted from a fair to the living history village as construction of buildings progressed. Volunteer participants populating the fair were gradually replaced by craftspersons doing 14th century medieval crafts and arts, and re-enactors depicting village residents.

A re-creation of a medieval inn was built on the Camlann site and is a small restaurant serving cuisine of the late 14th century family-style, a few days each week, reservations required. Over time, additional reproduction 14th century buildings were constructed. From an article in the Seattle Times dated July 29, 2024, "Camlann itself was built from scratch, largely by Shell himself with the help of volunteer craftsmen, and all the buildings are as close to authentic as possible, constructed from mortise and tenon carpentry (meaning, fitted together without nails)." Camlann Village is an attractive and educational re-creation of a village in England in 1376. Camlann Medieval Association is enrolled in The Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums.

Camlann Medieval Village and Camlann Medieval Association were not established by and are not part of the Society for Creative Anachronism.