Baronage Succession


Greetings to the Barony of River Haven, tis I Count Stephen Aldred your recently appointed Baronial succession coordinator.

At Great Northern War, Baron and Baroness Dimitrii and Josseline announced their intention to step aside. That being the case, any who wish to be considered for the Baronage should make themselves known to me. 

What does it take to be a landed Baroness or Baron? Well, 

  • You represent the Crown and are the face of the Barony. 
  • You sit up front in court (best seat in the house – EVER) and reward members of the group for their efforts. 
  • You get to go to meetings, talk to people about their concerns, be on speed dial for the Barony and above all be discrete. 
  • The Crown will ask you about your group and you will walk the public stage of Lochac with the Crown and your cousins (the other B&B’s). 
  • You must be a member in good standing and commit to maintaining membership throughout your tenure.
  • You don’t have to be part of an established couple to nominate, although having two people who know each other and work well together does help. 
  • You can nominate as a Baron or Baroness alone, a pair of Barons or Baronesses, or a Baron and Baroness together, it’s your choice. 
  • You don’t need to be a peer or even a longstanding member, Mathilde and I were chosen to be Baron and Baroness Politarchopolis around 18 months after we joined the SCA. 

What you do need to be is enthusiastic, willing to work with people across the Barony (and beyond your borders), able to do public theatre (court) and embody an identity for your group. Every successful Landed Baroness or Baron is forever somebody’s Baron/ess, the authority figure who welcomed them in during the first steps of their SCA journey. 

If you think you’d like to take up the role, please talk to people in your group and across Lochac, like Dimitrii and Josseline, or a previous Baronial couple. Talk to the populace about their expectations. 

If you know somebody that you’d love to see on the Baronial seat, talk to them and encourage them to stand. Nominations close on 5 July and should be sent to davidrhunt@hotmail.com before midnight River Haven time.  Please include a statement (with in game photograph/s) outlining who you are, how you would approach the role and what you seek to achieve for the Barony. Your statement will help the Crown and populace understand you and your suitability to fulfill the Baronage role. If you would like to contact me prior to sending a nomination in, feel free to, either by email or facebook messenger for a chat. 

Date and or event Milestone 

  • 5 – 8 June Great Northern War
    • Dimitrii and Josseline announce their intention to seek successors for the River Haven Baronage
  • 20 June to 5 July
    • Nominations for successors to the Baronage of River Haven
  • 5 – 12 July
    • Nominations are assessed and forwarded to Their Majesties, for their consideration.
  • 19 July (or before)
    • Announcement of candidates for the Baronage and publication of their statements
  • 29 July  Baronial Wednesday at the hall
    • Meet the candidates session, in person and live streamed
  • (00:00:01) 5 August to (23:59:59) 19 August
    • Polling period
  • 23 August (or earlier)
    • Polled opinions collated and forwarded to Their Majesties
  • 7 September or another date at Their Majesties discretion
    • Notification to candidates, followed by announcement of the Baronage succession by Their Majesties
  • 7 November 
    • Baronial succession event

 

Once the nomination process has been finalised, I will advise the candidate list to the Facebook group and send another email through the members list. If you have any questions about the process please feel free to contact me directly via email (davidrhunt@hotmail.com using a subject relating to River Haven Baronial Succession) or by private message through Facebook messenger. 

As it is winter in Politarchopolis, I will be in France throughout this process, please bear this in mind if you have a need to contact me, as France is 8 hours behind River Haven time.

Yours in Service Count Stephen Aldred

Laws of Lochac re Territorial Baronage

IV.7 Territorial Baronages 

IV.7.i Appointment The Crown shall appoint as Baronage those individual(s) deemed most fit to represent the Royal presence in the Barony. The Crown shall give consideration to the wishes of the populace of the barony and the advice of the reigning Baronage before making such an appointment. 

IV.7.ii Vicars In the case of an extended, but temporary, absence of the Baronage, they may request that the Crown appoint a Vicar to fulfil the duties of Baronage until their return. 

IV.7.iii Membership Landed Baronages must be members of SCA Ltd or SCA NZ for the duration of Their tenure.

IV.7.iv Reporting 

The baronial reporting schedule will be annual as follows: 

▪ May Coronation; River Haven. 

The verbal reports given in Court should be brief and informative.

Corpora of the SCA provisions relating to Territorial Baronages:

3. The Crown may delegate the following authority to those territorial princes and princesses within their Kingdom and may not delegate these powers or authorities to anyone else:

a. decision making powers on legislation or principality law within the approval of the Crown; 

b. distribution of armigerous awards and orders with prior approval of the Crown; 

c. banishment within the principality with prior approval of the Crown; and 

d. signature authority for warrants and rosters with prior approval of the Crown

V. TERRITORIAL BARONS AND BARONESSES 

A. Appointment and Removal 

1. The Crown shall appoint a territorial Baron and/or Baroness according to the laws and customs of the kingdom when a branch is granted baronial status, or whenever a new Baron and/or Baroness are required. The barony‘s opinion on the matter must be requested and received in writing, and the appointments must not be substantially opposed by the populace of the barony. Territorial Barons and Baronesses are officers and must maintain appropriate membership status. 

2. The Crown may suspend a territorial Baron and/or Baroness for the duration of a reign, for just cause stated in writing and presented only to the Baron and/or Baroness. Suspension prohibits the use of the baronial titles and arms, the conduct of baronial courts, and the presentation of baronial awards. 

3. The Crown may remove a territorial Baron and/or Baroness for just cause stated in writing and presented only to the Baron and/or Baroness; however, the Crown must request a written opinion from the populace of the barony before taking such action.

 B. Responsibilities 

1. The basic duties of the Baron and/or Baroness are ceremonial in nature in reflecting the royal presence in the barony. The Crown may assign additional duties and responsibilities according to the laws and customs of the kingdom. 

2. Territorial Barons and/or Baronesses are responsible to the Crown and (if the barony is within a principality) to the Coronet. The Baron and/or Baroness shall work with the baronial officers as circumstances dictate and shall keep these officers informed as necessary for the efficient performance of their duties and effective liaison within the barony. 

3. The privileges, duties, and rights, ceremonial and otherwise, of the office of territorial Baron and/or Baroness are established by the laws and customs of the kingdom. These shall include the right to make such awards as the Crown (or the Coronet, if applicable) shall specifically delegate, and to establish and present non-armigerous awards specific to the barony. 

4. A territorial Baron or Baroness may hold any other Society office for which he or she is fitted and qualified, save those of Baronial Seneschal and Baronial Exchequer, but must not allow the duties and responsibilities of such office and the office of Baron or Baroness to conflict.

Other Awards

4. Non-armigerous awards and orders may be established by a kingdom, principality or barony, according to the laws and customs of the kingdom. The names and insignia of these awards and orders must be ratified by the Laurel Sovereign of Arms. Below kingdom level, orders may not convey Arms, unless specifically delegated by the Crown. The Crown must approve any non-armigerous award or order before it may be recognized by the College of Heralds of a kingdom and given a place in its Order of Precedence. 

5. Only royalty and territorial Barons and Baronesses may bestow awards. If an award is established for a specific branch, only the royalty or Baronage of that branch may bestow the award, unless the power is specifically delegated in a manner consistent with Corpora and kingdom law and custom.

Current as of 18 June 2026