Radnor of Guildemar Ermine, a sword inverted Or, overall a hawk displayed, all within a bordure dovetailed gules. |
Ysabeau of Guildemar Counter-ermine, on a point pointed argent, a hawk's foot and sinister wing elevated conjoined gules. |
Marie Hill Ranch
Cloverdale, CA
Chronicles:
"Beltane was indeed a wonderful event, even though I missed great chunks of it due to driving and
to enjoy the beautiful green hills and oak trees.
"His Majesty Radnor has defined a "court" to be just like a previous court, except that it will take no longer than 90 minutes. While this may mean that there are more frequent courts, each individual court will be of a manageable length. This seemed a very sensible idea to the small percentage of the populace who were actually at court.
"His Majesty also passed out tokens to the populace at court to deliver to those who normally camp farther out and keep more to themselves. These tokens are "the King's Cup", and the message to go with the tokens is that His Majesty has at the Royal Pavillion drinks -- both of spirits and those merely for the quenching of thirst -- and if a person arrives with a token he or she need only say that they have the King's Cup, and His Majesty will provide them with drink. (I suspect that He wouldn't turn someone away who didn't have a Cup, either, but I don't know for sure.)
"Another highlight of the event for me was Duke Uther's speech. Radnor had approached Their Majesties Fabian and Eliska, and Duke Uther stood to remind the populace not only who Her Grace Ysabeau was (as if we would forget), but also to tell of his experiences in their household and what grace she brought to it. It was a very moving speech, with humor and sentiment and love for the two of them. I cried.
"Someone else has mentioned that the composer of "Fair Mistlands" sang [Linda-Muirreal von Katzenbrasse], with the West Kingdom Choir, a new arrangement [by John Rossignol and Allesandro Cantori] for Flieg [Frederick of Holland]. It was very nice. Lots of people cried.
"Prince Rorik [Roric] announced that Ed Levin Park (a huge county park right next to Milpitas) has agreed to an arrangement where they will let us camp, and also do improvements in the park to our wishes. We will need to put in some sweat equity (the first work party is this next Saturday -- talk to Duncan about volunteering), but will get money on our account for the work down. In this way, we might get free events. There was more, but I don't remember any details, and I hope I haven't made any major mistakes.
"Bryn [Bryne McClellan] was knighted. I am very, very disappointed that I missed the ceremony, so I can't give you any details, but she looked wonderful in her white belt.
"The salon was superb. The dresses (oh, the dresses) of the ladies made me very jealous. I'm getting too tired to finish this, but I hope someone else will comment on what all went on." -- Branwen ferch Emrys
"The site was, as always, absolutely stunning. With all the rain earlier in the year, it was even more green than usual. Very pastoral. (It is, after all, a sheep ranch.)
"My lady [Aldith Angharad St. George] and I arrived shortly after the site opened, and decided to camp next to where the Bellatrix camp would be. One of Paul of Bellatrix's squires was there (Brett) who immediately without any hesitation offered to help us set up, and our camp went up faster than usual due to his help.
"The first two days of the event were very nice. With no structure to break up the day, we spent a lot of time schmoozing and laughing with old friends such as Kevin Perigrynne and Patrice du Couer Fidel among others. Bachi Ball was played in the mornings on the large eric, and since there was no fighting planned, those who played had the whole field to themselves. (This meant for some really amazing games, with one having 10 players ...)
"Friday came along, and in the afternoon the Princesses of the three Principalities all had their Rubber Duckie Races, to raise money and gather toys for the Toys for Tots folk. Not having watched said said races, I was amused to see coming from the creek later in the day all three Princesses with their gowns soaked up to the waist and up the back. Curious ...
"Friday evening had a tournament for the champion of Wolfscairn (won by Leohtulf of the Silver Hills).
"Saturday was the usual Coronation type day. Morning court came, and among the business done in court the Bard of the West (Veronica da Lugano) sang a beautiful song about the West and history and brought me to tears. Not for the first time in this court. Bryne McClellan was named the first female knight in many years in the West, and her ceremony was wonderful, with many good things said, and again tears came to my eyes. When the lineage of the chain she was given by Leohtulf was read, many people listened with wonder (this is the chain given by William of Hoghton to his son many years ago, and it has an amazing history). There were of course many other pieces of business in court, including the release of Her Majesty's Guard, and more.
"We broke for awhile for Coronation, and much scurrying was done to get everyone in place for the Coronation itself. My spouse and I had been asked to be the Cup Bearers for Coronation, so we went off to get into line for that. The only drawback to being in line as far back as we were is that we couldn't hear anything being said in court. On the other hand, it was an honor to present Their Majesties Radnor and Ysabeau with the cups and ask that they drink deep to the health of themselves and the Kingdom.
"In the first court of Their Majesties Radnor and Ysabeau, the first piece of business was the naming of Eliška z Jihlavy as a Countess. During the ceremony her scroll was presented by the scribes who worked on it (who could be at the event) -- a large number -- and this brought Her Excellency to tears.
"More courts happened, with lots of fun stuff. The Queen's Champion tournament was held in a different fashion than usual. Most of what happened at the event is what we normally see at Beltane, but it was just a nice pleasant event. I will cherish this event, as we see the beginning of what we can assume (from past experience) will be a great reign, following the reign of Their Predecessors Fabian and Eliška, which was also a great reign. What more could the Kingdom ask?" -- Hirsch von Henford
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Radnor of Guildemar Ermine, a sword inverted Or, overall a hawk displayed, all within a bordure dovetailed gules. |
Ysabeau of Guildemar Counter-ermine, on a point pointed argent, a hawk's foot and sinister wing elevated conjoined gules. |
Description of this event (if any), taken from The Page, or from memory of at least one person who attended the event.
The West Kingdom History Website was created by and is maintained by Hirsch von Henford (mka Ken Mayer).