Becoming a Sergeant of Seagirt

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The Obligations of the Sergeantry of the Barony of Seagirt are:

  1. To swear Fealty to Their Excellency, and through them, to the Barony of Seagirt,
    the Principality of Tir Righ, and the Kingdom of An Tir
  2. To support the Barony of Seagirt in any wars that Seagirt wages through martial skill, or if unable to support the war effort in another capacity
  3. To champion the populace of Seagirt in combat and by words (award recommendations)
  4. To uphold by word and deed the ideals of chivalrous behaviour as embodied in the Society for Creative Anachronism
  5. To actively promote the Sergeantry to the populace
  6. To maintain a level of competence in all fields of testing, and to make oneself available to candidates who ask for advice or testing dates
  7. To acknowledge that there may come a time when one is unable to uphold one’s obligations, and to retire with humility and grace
Further responsibilities of the Sergeantry include:
  • Encouraging others in the practice of their chosen area of expertise
  • Assisting the Baron or Baroness, as appropriate, in areas of Baronial Affairs
  • Serving as retinue for visiting nobility

The Privileges of the Sergeantry of the Barony of Seagirt are:

  1. To wear the Sergeantry regalia as an appropriate token of this achievement
  2. To receive written certification that one has been duly tested and admitted to the Sergeantry
  3. To take on and train students at arms
  4. To be recognized as Their Excellency’s Guard, serving both on and off the field of battle and within Baronial courts and ceremonies
  5. To display a Sergeantry pennon at events
  6. To be a valued advisor to Their Excellency pertaining to the Sergeantry with the ability to speak freely and without fear of retribution
Further rights of the Sergeantry include:
  • Attending the Baroness, as appropriate, in Court, Procession and tasks related to
    assisting the Baroness at events and practices when the need arises
  • Advising the Baronial Coronet in matters of peace and war

The Guidelines for the Sergeantry of the Barony of Seagirt are:

  1. The Sergeantry is self-administering, and Sergeantry members will elect one
    member as Sergeant Prime
  2. All Codes of Conduct and regulations specific to the Sergeantry will be
    developed with the approval of Their Excellency and enforced by the Sergeantry
    and Their Excellency. Such codes will not conflict with Corpora of the Society for
    Creative Anachronism, the laws of the Kingdom of An Tir, the laws of the
    Principality of Tir Righ, or the Customary or the Financial Policy of the Barony of
    Seagirt
  3. The Sergeantry will provide comment to Their Excellency on aspects of the
    testing that may need revision from time to time
  4. Any member of the Sergeantry who has not been in contact with Their
    Excellency for a period of two (2) years will be considered retired
  5. Retired Sergeantry may apply to Their Excellency by following steps 1 and 2 of
    the Commencement Trials
  6. Sergeantry are obligated to either swear fealty to an incoming Baronet or give
    notice to the Heirs that they wish to retire from such duties before the Heirs are
    invested
  7. A member of the Sergeantry may be removed by a two-thirds majority vote if just
    cause is shown, and no conflict resolution is successful. The sanctioned member
    may appeal to Their Excellency, who reserves the right to final judgement
  8. Their Excellency may suspend any member of the Sergeantry for gross failure in
    their commitment to the Sergeantry or for violation of the Obligations until such
    time as the members of the Sergeantry can convene to discuss further actions

Requirements:

  1. Coordination of Trials
    Candidates will arrange their own trials to take place either at an event or practice and arrange for the necessary equipment. This can include regularly scheduled practices, or special practices with a week’s prior advertising so that the populace may witness the trial. Some trials will require the Sergeantry to prepare and may require additional lead time. Combat Leadership Trials will take place during the Sealion War.
  2. Candidates will be evaluated by:
    1. Their Excellency or their designate
    2. An active member of the Sergeantry or their designat
    3. A member of the populace
  3. Candidates will test in the following trials:
    1. Commencement: candidates will confer privately with Their Excellency Seagirt, then apply in court to officially start their candidacy
    2. General (5 tests): candidates will demonstrate a well-rounded SCA character by participating in Persona Development, Heraldry, Games, Dance, Bardic, and Geography challenges. Exceptional skill is not required to pass these tests but an attempt with good grace is expected
    3. Specific (4 tests): the candidate will declare a specialty: Sergeant (armoured combat), Yeoman (combat archery), Gallant (fencing), Forester (target missiles with field knowledge), or Mariner (cut & thrust or fencing with marine knowledge). Each specialty will test in Combat Leadership OR Combat Craftsmanship, Martialate, Individual Weapons Skills, and Military Science. The candidate must pass all of the challenges related to their special quest
    4. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A candidate may confer with Their Excellency to take an optional test instead of one of the General or Specific tests. A candidate is responsible for advocating for themselves and requesting any necessary accommodations. Candidates may choose from any of the tests designed for one of the other quests or design their own in consultation with Their Excellency Seagirt
  4. Additional attempts
    Candidates may re-take any of the tests up to three (3) times at their own request, or at the direction of Their Excellency. A candidate must pass the Specific Trials for their quest to attain the rank they have chosen but may change their focus to a different discipline in consultation with Their Excellency.
  5. The candidacy will come to an end if:
    1. The candidate withdraws
    2. The candidate is unsuccessful after three (3) attempts of the Specific Trials
    3. The candidacy may be restarted as directed by Their Excellency Seagirt
  7. Timeframe
    Candidates have one (1) calendar year to complete their trials. A candidate may confer with Their Excellency to extend their trials in extenuating circumstances.