In Transition

Hello my lovely readers!  I thought today we would wander through one of the rabbit holes that has had my interest of late, so that I can share some of the fun things I have found.

Example of 1530s Tudor gown.

Since I started in the SCA, my persona has been 16th century Scottish.  I placed myself around 1530, as I love Anne Boleyn's style of dress.  It's more fashionable than the Katherine of Aragon era, but not as extreme as the later wives.  Having now created two gowns in that fashion I have mixed feelings about them.  While I still love those styles, I have found that they are complex to make, complex to wear, and that if you change size at all, they will no longer fit or wear properly.  The basic style can be simplified a little to make it appropriate for a more working class persona, therefore making it a little simpler to make and definitely easier to wear.  I have one of these gowns, and I do really like it.  It still requires a little more in the way of proper underpinnings, so if you want something 'no fuss', this probably isn't your cup of tea.

Now it should be noted that I very rarely dress as my persona, as in general it is not at all practical for me at events.  While I don't run around as much as I used to, I still tend to end up moving chairs or carrying something around at some point.  For this reason I've been looking for a more practical style so that I can be in persona more frequently.  That is an area that I'm very much wanting to improve in, and wearing appropriate clothing can go a long way towards making you feel the part.

If you are familiar with Tudor garb, then you are probably aware of the book The Tudor Tailor.  One of the people who helped the creators of that book came out with one of her own, titled The Queen's Servants. A friend of mine loaned me her copy to peruse, since she is an expert at enabling research rabbit holes.  In it were styles that royal servants were wearing during the time of Henry VII. (Remember that royal servants tended to be minor nobles, so this was much nicer than what you might find a merchant's servant wearing, but was still clothing that you could be functional in.)  Since my persona is somewhat equivalent to a minor noble, I thought this might be a good area of research.  My thoughts were rewarded, as I found (in my opinion) the most marvelous dress!

This is a whole style of dresses that sort of look like they are from the 14th century, but not quite.  The shape is very similar to cotehardies / gothic fitted gowns, but they have various cool necklines and cuffs!  There are also really cute pointy hats!!!  There seems to be a few different sleeve styles, so that you can have gowns to work in and gowns to just be pretty in.  Perfect!

I have completely fallen in love with this transitional style.  It seems to have existed from about 1480-1520.  I've even been working on research to move my persona earlier to match this style.  I've obtained a copy of The Queen's Servants for myself, and have fabric to pattern with.  On the agenda this summer: creating a pattern for my new gowns!

Images from The Queen's Servants.

Adding a Little Presence to the Period

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of attending Darkwater’s Village Faire event.  This has always been one of my favorites, since the emphasis is on classes rather than fighting.  This year it was going to be especially exciting, since Gavine and I would be learning the ropes as Vicar & Vicaress, in preparation for stepping up at Trident Tourney in January.

Now I’ll be honest, while I think all the styles of combat we practice are very cool, I seldom make time to go and watch the lysts.  Being service and arts oriented, I’m usually doing something that keeps me away from the field.  While I am Baroness that will obviously change, which is why I found myself lyst-side for the Baron’s Champion Tourney.

I don’t know very much about heavy weapons, and I’m really thinking I will have to find somebody to teach me the highlights so that I understand better what I’m seeing.  Even my uneducated eyes, however, could see that the caliber of fighters for this lyst was much higher than what we normally see at Baronial events.  So right from the start, I was already impressed.

Now, you might be asking yourself what’s the big deal about a lyst with good fighters in it?  We see that all the time, why are you writing about it?  Good question!  While the fighting was excellent and entertaining, it was things around the lyst field that inspired me to write.  As I looked around, I started noticing how few camp chairs were present.  Most of the people watching the lyst were sitting in wooden chairs, or on the ground.  One entrant had a small arming pavilion set up with his chair and gear inside.  Another had his and his consort’s chairs set up side by side, with their banners behind them fluttering in the breeze.  So many of the mundane items that I’ve become used to seeing everywhere, just weren’t present.  I was surprised to realize just what a difference all these little touches made to the atmosphere.

I find myself lately seeing more and more people taking those little extra steps to create a better period presence when they are at events.  I’ve always been a fan of this, but thought it was only something that you could do if you had been in 20 years, or had tons of money to spare.  That’s absolutely not the case though.  We have people here in our Barony that have only been playing a year, and they already have period wooden chairs that they use.  That they made themselves.  For relatively little cost and effort.  Proof that period presence is something that can be done without spending a lot of money!

One of our fighters here in the Barony (L Aidan) who is a big source of inspiration, has done something with his weapons that I found amazing when I noticed it during the lyst.  When he taped his swords, he did so in a way that makes it look like it comes to point.  It’s still round rattan, but the silver tape he used, and the way he tapered it at the end, gave the optical illusion that it was a regular sword.  That is such a simple thing, and yet the look it gave him when he took the field was remarkable.  Now granted, this fighter has also gone out of his way to create armor and garb appropriate to his persona so that he presents a complete look, but changing the way you tape your sword is a small thing that anybody could do. 

Another person that has become a huge inspiration to me is HL Philippe.  He is the fighter who set up beautiful wooden chairs lyst-side for both him  and his consort.  He then took the time to bring their banners from camp and stand them behind the chairs.  I believe they also had a small wooden box between the chairs to act as a table.  Looking across the field and seeing this, was like looking through a small window into the past.  He is also the person who has been teaching anyone who wants to learn how to make period chairs and tables, and has been doing workshops to help people make them.  Having spent time at a lyst sitting in both a period chair and a camp chair, there really is a huge difference.  With the camp chair you end up feeling more laid back, relaxed, and casual because of the way you sit in them.  With the period chairs, however, you sit more upright.  This lends itself to shifting to a more persona-focused mindset.  I’m not sure it’s really something I can quantify, but there is a different feeling.

I know, that’s all well and good but how can you start doing things like this on a limited budget?  I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit, since I decided a while ago that I wanted to start increasing my period presence when I’m at events.  Here’s some ideas that I’ve come up with.

• Clothing.  One of the simplest ways to increase your presence is to wear clothing that is more accurate.  You can learn to make a period style of pants, instead of wearing sweat pants or pajama pants.  Wearing a tunic?  Take the extra effort to make a period style tunic, instead of a t-tunic.  I’ve made both, and there’s not much extra work to the period style.  Not to mention, when you make things to your measurements, they will fit better and you’ll be more comfortable.  What you wear doesn’t need to be fancy, or complicated.  It also doesn’t need to be hand-sewn to look period.  It’s more a matter of making it so it fits you properly, and is a period style.
• Chairs.  Camp chairs are one of the most commonly seen things at events, and are one of the most glaring examples of modernity.  One thing you can do is cover it.  A spare wall hanging, a tablecloth, a sheet, even a simple piece of fabric will do the trick.  Another thing you can do is look at getting a wooden folding chair.  These can be found fairly inexpensively at stores like Walmart or Target.  They’ll give you that wooden chair look without much time or expense involved.  If you’ve got a woodworker in your area, talk to them about making a period-replica chair.  A lot of SCA artisans are willing to barter for their goods, so if you don’t have money to outlay see if this is an option.
• Beverages.  This is one of the places where I know I need to improve.  It’s very easy to just throw a bottle of water or can of soda into your basket or pouch, then drink directly out of it.  If you just take the time to pour your beverage into a mug, and dispose of the bottle/can, it can make a huge difference.  This doesn’t cost you anything but a little extra effort.

 There are lots of other ways that you can increase your presence, such as getting period shoes, having banners hanging in camp, using a pavilion instead of a modern tent.  Some things are pricey, some are not.  The point is that you don’t have to start with the big expensive things, you can start with the small things and work your way up.  I’m noticing that while the grand gestures help a lot to set the stage, it’s all the little details that help you feel you’re living the dream.

The Kirk, the Saints, and a Place to Live

This week has been mostly about saints and religion.  Living in early 16^th Scotland, Ilene would most definitely have been Catholic.  The reformation didn’t really take hold until the 1560’s, and I have placed myself as currently living in 1540.  Being Catholic, saints would have been important to me.  When I was asked in my persona interview who my patron saint was, I managed to rattle something off, but afterwards I was a little appalled that I never thought to research who it would be.  So that’s what I’ve been doing.  The best part is, it’s a wee bit complex. 

Patron saint of Edinburgh  Living in Edinburgh, I would have known that the patron saint of the city was St Giles.  I also would have known that there was a church on the Royal Mile dedicated to him.  

Patron saint of Cordiners  As my husband was a cordiner (shoemaker), I would have known who the patron saint of the guild was.  In this case it was St Crispan.  He was also the patron saint for lace makers and weavers, which I think is very cool.

Patron saint of our church (kirk)  I would also have known which saint our church was dedicated to.  I have determined that if I was living nears Kings Stables Rd, West Port, etc, then I would have most likely attended St Cuthbert’s Church.  As the name implies, the patron saint is St Cuthbert.  Unfortunately the church took very severe damage several times over the years, so the current structure only dates back to the 1800’s.  St Cuthbert himself seems pretty cool, so I’m pretty happy with this discovery. 

My personal patron saint  So apparently in addition to all the saints I listed above, I also would have had a personal patron saint.  After talking to a friend who is Catholic both in real life and in her persona, my patron saint would have been a woman.  This makes sense, since there was quite a bit of superstition about the female sex, and there were things that could not be said to/in front of a man because of it.  For the time being I have chosen St Hilda.  From what I’ve read she was firm in her faith, but adaptable to the times as well.  She was both compassionate and business-like.  My friend is going to loan me some books on the Catholic saints when I’m ready, so that I can learn more than just the tidbits that are online.  Once I do, I might change this, but it will work for now.

In the midst of all this religious research, I’ve been trying to learn a little more about where in the city I would have lived.  So far I have not had much luck in determining when Kings Stables Rd and Johnston Terrace came into being, so I’m still searching about those.  I have confirmed that Cowgate Road and the Grassmarket were both most definitely in existence, as well as West Port.  I did find just this morning a great site with some period maps of the city.  It’s pretty exciting to look at them, and see how the city grew over the ages. 

I’m also finding quite a few books that are now in the public domain, and available for download via Google Books.  Here’s the ones that seem especially interesting.

• Burgh laws of Dundee: with the history, statutes, & proceedings of the Guild of merchants and fraternities of craftsmen by Alex Johnston Warden
• The incorporated trades of Edinburgh with an introductory chapter on the rise and progress of municipal government in Scotland by James Colston
• History of the incorporation of cordiners in Glasgow by William Campbell
• Old Glasgow weavers: being records of the Incorporation of Weavers by Robert M’Ewan
• The Baxter books of St. Andrews: a record of three centuries by JH Macadam
• Cassell's old and new Edinburgh by James Grant

 Needless to say I’ve got some reading to do.  I’m not sure what direction I’m going to take next in my research.  I know I want to find out what the restrictions were on purchasing wool and spinning.  Maybe I’ll head there next!  Anybody have any suggestions on topics?

Edinburgh - Finding Home

Shortly before Village Faire and the persona interview competition, I had made the decision to change where my persona lives.  I had originally placed myself in the Western March, as a Johnston married to an Armstrong.  After doing some research, however, I've determined that life on the borders was a little rougher than I would prefer.  Since I get to choose my alternate life, I'm picking one that's not full of hardship.  :)

Once I made the decision to change, it was natural to choose Edinburgh as my new home.  It was the capital city, and would be much easier to find information on.  There was all kinds of cool stuff happening there, such as the addition of a printing press very early in the 16th century, the creation of a school for surgeons, and so on.

Today I've been researching Edinburgh, seeing what I could find out about it's history, and where I might have lived.  I know that I would have been in what is now considered Old Town, as New Town was not built until after 1600.  I have found that the Grassmarket was the largest market in the city, and it was where cows and sheep were taken to be sold and then slaughtered.  The cordiners (shoemakers) guild was located at the west end of the market, in West Port.  Since my husband is a leatherworker, and specifically wants to be a shoemaker, it seems natural to pick a location near to where the guild was located.

Right now it looks like I will be settling either on King's Stables Road, or Johnston Terrace.  I'm going to need to try and find out a little more about the history of each before I make a final decision.  I am excited by the fact that where King's Stables and the Grassmarket meet is where the jousting grounds were.  This was also the main area for all things equestrian. HMMMM, I see this being figured into my newly revised persona story.

In the course of all my digging today, I found a few very cool sites.
National Library of Scotland - Online Resources  This site has a few Scottish bibliographies, that I will need to dig into further.  There are some other very cool resources on here also.
British History Online - Extracts from Edinburgh Records  This site looks exceptionally cool.  There are extracts from documents and records from Edinburgh dating to before and after the time period I'm looking at.  The only downside is that you can only view them on the website, there is no option to download the info that I could find.  I will definitely be spending some time on this site in the future.
National Archives of Scotland - Crafts & Trades  This site potentially looks like it will be a valued resource, but I need to dig a little deeper to confirm that.  The information is definitely there, but I'm not sure yet how much of it is available online.  I'll have to look into this further, and determine how much help it will be.

Village Faire 2010 - Spinning, Weaving, & Personas...Oh My!

This past weekend was my home Barony’s (Darkwater) Village Faire event.  This has become one of my favorite events of the year, as it is jam-packed with classes.  This year I was not part of the staff, so I actually got to take a few of the classes.

Spindle Spinning:  Since I started knitting over the summer, I’ve been reading various blogs by other knitters who also spin.  While I’ve seen this numerous times since I’ve been in the SCA, I never had a particular desire to try it out.  It looked interesting, and like something I would enjoy learning at some point, but that was about it.  Suddenly spinning has taken on a whole new interest for me, however.  The idea of being able to spin my own yarn, which I can then knit, is intriguing to say the least.  I’ve previously taken a class on spindles, and saw how they work, but I didn’t own one so I couldn’t try it out.  Then a very kind Laurel in my Kingdom offered to send me one with some roving to practice with.  I was ecstatic!  As soon as it arrived I tried it out, but had no idea what I was doing.  Then I saw that there would be a class at the event all about this.  I showed up a few minutes early, with spindle and roving ready.  It was AMAZING!!!!  Lady Gwenhwyvar Threadgould taught the class, and I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher.  By the end I understood the mechanics, and was actually starting to develop some consistency (just some!).  I am completely infatuated with this new art.  I’m already eyeing the roving I have left, thinking I will need to purchase more so that I can keep practicing. 

Tablet Weaving Looms:  the very kind lady Siobhan was teaching this class, and was even willing to teach it twice.  I showed up at the end, as I had something else I had to attend that hour.  She pulled back out all of her supplies, and spent the next hour showing me how to put the loom together, and giving me basic instruction on reading patterns and doing the actual weaving.  I’ve been interested in trying card weaving for some time, but did not have the instructions on how to create the pvc looms, nor the funds to buy a wooden one.  I now have a loom I can play with!  And I know how to build more if I need to.  So I’ve asked my father-in-law to make a shuttle for me, since he is an experienced woodworker.  As soon as I have that, I will be warping up (?) my loom and seeing what I can do!

In addition to the classes, Village Faire is also where the Baronial novice art/sci competition takes place.  Last year we added a category for persona interviews, and I was determined to enter this year.  I am very proud to say that I did so, and according to the judges did very well!  I didn’t win, but I am still very pleased.  The winner did an amazing job, and based on the description of her interview that I heard I hope I will eventually have as thorough a knowledge of my persona as she does hers.  I did manage to answer most of the questions accurately, and even pulled a few answers out of thin air when I couldn’t remember or didn’t know the correct information.  I made it through, however, and am very much looking forward to next year.  I already have plans for what I need to research.  *grin*

Speaking of personas, Baroness Adelheid and I hosted an in-persona luncheon.  The idea was to bring your lunch and join us under the Baronial pavilion, while staying in persona the entire time.  We had several people join us, most of which managed to avoid mundane topics.  In my opinion Adelheid and I did a very good job of sticking to our goal, and managed to not break character once we had started.  I found that I love the challenge of putting what I want to say into persona-appropriate terms.  We’ve decided that we will definitely have to do another luncheon, although we haven’t figured out when.

Overall I had a wonderful time at the event.  While there were some very interesting classes that I wasn’t able to take due to time conflicts, I made it to the ones that were most important to me.  This alone made the event worthwhile.  Add in all the great persona practice, and I think this will go down as one of my most memorable events.