May Crown ASL

On Saturday 2^nd and Sunday 3^rd May 2015, the May Crown Tournament of Lochac was held in the Barony of Ildhafn at the Hunua Falls Camp, 203 Falls Road, Hunua, Auckland, New Zealand. The event stewards were Master William de Cameron, Mistress Katherina Weyssin and THL Anna de Wilde.

Saturday

Closure of the Order of the White Scarf of Lochac

Saturday was a clear and sunny day. It began with court and the admission of Don Ludwig von Regensberg as the 26^th member of the Order of the White Scarf of Lochac (OWL) before said Order was closed. The existing members have been instructed by the Crown to maintain their titles and regalia, however, it is no longer a polling order and is thus closed to new entry.

Creation of the Order of Defense Peerage

The closure of the OWL was followed by the creation of a new peerage. Throughout its history, Lochac has been supported by three pillars: the Order of Chivalry, the Order of the Laurel and the Order of the Pelican. A fourth was added to this – the Order of Defense – now the premier fencing award in the Kingdom. Master William de Cameron, Master Caleb Adolphus and Master Damian Greybeard were made the inaugural members of this new peerage, which was described as being a new link forged in the chain that binds the Kingdom.

Crown Invocation

Invocation court began in the afternoon following lunch, held within a stunning list field decorated with banners and with pavilions at either end.

The entrants and their consorts presented themselves to the Crown, including:

1. Baron Rudiger Adler of Ildhafn, fighting for Baroness Aleynora Brodier of Ildhafn
2. Sir Radbot von Borg, fighting for Countess Catalina Oro Sol
3. Viscount Sir Brusi Anderson of the Shetlands, fighting for Mistress Isobel le Breton
4. Sir Steffan Glaube, fighting for Lady Branwen verch Lewis ap Thomas
5. Sir Callum MacLeod, fighting for Lady Katherine Stewart
6. Master Bernard Stirling, fighting for Lady Cecily de Montgomery
7. Master Grim of Thornby, fighting for Baroness Alexandra de Santiago
8. Sir Rowand Bridgeford, fighting for Mistress Tailtiu na Gortrua
9. Lord Luan an Fael, fighting for Lady Robyn atte May
10. Lord James of Southron Gaard, fighting for Lady Madeline de Eyncourt
11. Lady Madeline de Eyncourt, fighting for Lord James of Southron Gaard

After they presented themselves to the Crown and populace, each combatant was assigned to the Kings side, or the Queens side. Those on the Queens side were tasked with challenging a combatant on the Kings side for the first round.

Crown Tournament and Results

Lists were run by Lord Maximilian von Monsterberg, who used in ingenious method of attaching printed devices/names to strips of leather for the herald to announce from.

6 rounds were fought – the first five were single kill, double elimination and the finals were fought as a best of three. Sir Philippe de Tournay fought each of the byes.

Round 1

Sir Brusi Anderson of the Shetlands (win) v Lord Luan an Fael
Lord James of Southron Gaard v Sir Steffan Glaube (win)
Master Bernard Stirling (win) v Baron Rudiger Adler
Master Grim of Thornby v Sir Rowland Bridgeford (win)
Sir Callum MacLeod (win) v Lady Madeleine de Eyncourt
Bye: Sir Radbot von Borg (win)

Round 2

Lord James of Southron Gaard v Lord Luan an Fael (win)
Master Grim of Thornby (win) v Lady Madeleine de Eyncourt
Sir Rowland Bridgeford (win) v Sir Callum MacCleod
Sir Radbot von Borg (w) v Master Bernard Stirling
Sir Steffan Glaube (w) v Sir Brusi Anderson of the Shetlands
Bye: Baron Rudiger Adler (win)

Fallen at the end of Round 2: Lord James and Lady Madeleine

Round 3

Baron Rudiger Adler v Lord Luan an Fael (win)
Sir Callum MacCleod v Sir Brusi Anderson of the Shetlands (win)*
Master Bernard Stirling (win) v Master Grim of Thornby
Sir Rowland Bridgeford v Sir Radbot von Borg (win)
Bye: Sir Steffan Glaube (win)

*Sir Callum and Sir Brusi fought on chairs

Fallen at the end of Round 3: Baron Rudiger, Sir Callum and Master Grim.

Round 4

Lord Luan an Fael v Sir Rowland Bridgeford (win)
Sir Brusi Anderson of the Shetlands (win) v Master Bernard Stirling
Sir Steffan Glaube (win) v Sir Radbot von Borg**

** Radbot and Steffan did a slow-motion replay of the killing shot, which greatly entertained the crowd

Fallen at the end of Round 4: Master Bernard and Lord Luan

Round 5

Sir Steffan Glaube (win) v Sir Rowland Bridgeford
Sir Radbot von Borg (win) v Sir Brusi Anderson of the Shetlands

Fallen at the end of Round 5: Sir Brusi and Sir Rowland

Round 6 (Finals)

Sir Radbot von Borg won the first
Sir Steffan Glaube won the second
Sir Steffan Glaube won the third

Sir Master Steffan Glaube and Lady Branwen verch Lewis ap Thomas were named as the 27^th Crown Prince and Princess of Lochac. Sir Radbot von Borg was named Champion Elect.

Victory Feast

The feast theme for Saturday night was Italian 16^th century food, run by THL Vettoria da Verona.

The menu for the feast was:

First Credenza Course

DF V                       Bread Rolls (on the table)

DF GF                    Maiden’s jelly – using a recipe from Messisbugo, pigs’ trotters cooked in vinegar and wine, seasoned with salt, cinnamon, pepper, and sugar.

DF GF V                Rice fritters – following Rosselli’s recipe, cooked rice mixed with almond milk, rice flour, and sugar, made into fritters and fried lightly in finest quality olive oil.

DF GF                    Sliced beef tongue – taken from Scappi, beef tongue lightly boiled then fried in suet with spring onions, pepper, and orange juice, served dressed with those things over.

DF GF                    Fried prosciutto – referencing Romoli, lightly fried with oil, flavoured with sage leaves, cinnamon and pepper, and dressed with must (red grape juice) and vinegar.

DF GF V                Lettuce salad – made to Castelvetro’s instruction, “salt the salad quite a lot, then generous oil put in the pot, and vinegar, but just a jot”.

DF V                       Gingerbread – made with sugar, rose water and finest flour, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, pepper, cloves, and nutmeg, again following Romoli.

DF V                       Marzipan tortellini – from Scappi, marzipan made from almonds, pinenuts, and sugar, ground together with rosewater, wrapped into tortellini of egg pasta (finest flour, egg, oil, water, salt), fried in oil and served dusted with sugar.

First Kitchen Course

GF V                      Stuffed eggs – utilising Romoli’s recipe, boiled eggs stuffed with a delicate mixture of their yolks, butter, parmesan cheese, ricotta, and freshly beaten eggs, spiced with sugar, cinnamon, pepper, and cloves, fried in butter and dressed with melted mozzarella and a sprinkling of cinnamon over.

GF                          White dish – after a recipe from Rosselli, chicken breast gently cooked in goat’s milk thickened with rice flour, served with rose water mixed through and dusted with sugar.

DF GF                    Sliced goat – again from Romoli, sliced goat meat boiled then fried in suet, mixed with toasted ground almonds, GF bread crumbs, egg yolk, goat broth, and verjuice, spiced with pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and saffron and served with sugar and cinnamon over.

DF GF V                Cabbage soup – taking Scappi’s recipe, Savoy cabbage boiled in water with salt and oil, served dressed with garlic-infused oil, cabbage broth, orange juice, and pepper.

DF GF V                Fried peas – a simple recipe from Rosselli. Peas lightly cooked in water, then fried in oil and dressed with verjuice and sugar.

Second and Final Kitchen Course

DF GF                    Catalan chicken with cherry sauce – using Romoli’s recipe for the chicken, and Scappi’s for the sauce. Chicken cooked whole, then boned and stewed with lemon slices, rose water, salt, sugar, and cinnamon, and served with these over; dressed with sauce made from cherries and finest quality sugar.

DF GF V                Rice soup – a very thick soup made following Scappi’s instructions; boiled in water with oil, salt and saffron, with sautéed spring onions added to serve.

GF V                      Onions with green sauce – from two of Scappi’s recipes. Onions lightly boiled in salted water then baked in butter, served with green sauce drizzled over. Green sauce made with a selection of parsley, spinach, sorrel, salad burnet, rocket and mint pending seasonal availability, blended with GF bread crumbs and ground almonds, seasoned with pepper and salt, and moistened with vinegar.

DF GF V                Broadbeans – after Martino, broadbeans fried in oil together with onions, apples, and figs, flavoured with sage, marjoram, parsley, and mint, and served dusted with cinnamon and sugar.

Second and Final Credenza Course

DF V                       Apple dumplings – apples stewed to a purée in sugar, wine, and rose water, wrapped in egg pasta (finest flour, egg, oil, water, salt), and lightly fried in oil, based on Scappi’s recipes.

DF GF V                Zuccarini – again from Scappi, delicate rings made of egg white, rose water, and powdered sugar, baked then lightly brushed with beeswax.

DF GF V                Stuffed figs – using Rosselli’s recipe, figs filled with a stuffing of almonds, pine nuts, figs, raisins, and rose water, spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Fried in oil and served dusted with powdered sugar.

DF V                       Wafers – following Scappi’s recipe, wafers made of breadcrumbs, fine flour, water, rose water, sugar, egg yolks, and wine, cooked on wafer irons.

DF GF V                                Quince jelly – jelly made from quinces and sugar, using Nostradamus’ recipe.

GF V                      Whipped cream – based on the instructions of Messisbugo.

DF GF V                                Fresh pears – a seasonal selection.

GF                          Parmesan cheese – sliced fresh Parmesan cheese.

A selection of candies of the quantity and variety typically found in the finest feasts of 16^th century Italy:

DF GF V                                Candied Seeds – cardamom, fennel, caraway, coriander

DF GF V                                Candied Nuts – Pistachios, almonds

DF GF V                                Candied Cucumber

DF GF V                                Candied Ginger

DF GF V                                Candied Peel

DF GF V                                Candied Cherries

DF GF V                                Candied Peaches

DF GF V                                Fresh Fennel

Competitions and Court

Three Kingdom Arts and Sciences competitions were held at the event. The winner of the non-European clothing competition was THL Antoinette Travaillie, and the winner of the leatherwork competition was Lady Mery of Ellersly. Unfortunately, there were no entries in the pottery and ceramics competition.

The Worshipful Company of Broiderers ran a voided work competition. There were four entries in all, with the winner being Mistress Kerridwen the Mouse.

Robert of Darby was named the overall archery victor across the various speed and distance shoots undertaken earlier in the day.

During Saturday night Court, the following also occurred:

• Viscount Sir Brusi Anderson of the Shetlands was awarded the Wreath of Chivalry.
• Master Bernard Stirling was awarded the Wreath of Valour.
• Master Bernard Stirling was also awarded with a Golden Sword.
• THL Angele Marie de Savigny was awarded the Red Wyvern for archery.
• THL Anna de Wilde was awarded the Silver Pegasus.
• THL Vettoria di Giovanni da Verona was awarded the Cockatrice.
• Lady Margaretta Haywards, Master Edward Braythwayte and Lady Elizabeth Braythwayte recieved Golden Tears.
• Lady Catherine of Glastonbury and Lady Elizabeth Braythwayte received the Order of the Rowan.
• Baron Rudiger Adler and Baroness Alyenora Brodier receives the Star and Lily.
• Lord Luan an Fael presented an arrow he made to the Baron and Baroness of Ildhafn, named Kinggiyadai’s arrow (in honour of the Khagan and his support of archery). It is to become a third perpetual trophy across the Crescent Isles, joining Thorfyrd’s Arrow and Járnulfr’s Arrow. Lord Luan proclaimed that he would make anyone who managed to win all three arrows and present them to him a dozen arrows.

Sunday

The following day, somewhere in the vicinity of 10 or so combatants played best of three challenges for several hours before the lunch time Court.

There was also a puppet play that gathered a crowd.

In the Sunday Court:

• THL Anna de Wilde was put on vigil by Their Majesties, and invited to become a member of the Order of the Pelican.
• Lord Luan an Fael and Gareth Robertson received Nocks.