Baron Conall mac Séagháin Seneschal of Starkhafn seneschal@starkhafn.org

 

From the Branch Seneschals Handbook (8th Edition) of the Kingdom of Caid:

The term "seneschal" appears to have Germanic origins, akin to the Gothic "seneigs", meaning old, and to the Old High German, "scalc", meaning "servant".  Therefore a seneschal was an old and trusted servant of the household, an agent or steward in charge of a lord's estate in feudal times.  The historic seneschal of the Middle Ages was responsible to the "Lord of the Manor" for the efficient administration of the estate and as senior servant had the authority and responsibility given him by the lord of the estate.

In our Current Middle Ages, the Seneschal performs in the same manner.  Each is the senior servant of the estate, be it kingdom, barony, shire or canton.  He/she is responsible for the efficient administration of that area.  More specifically s/he is responsible for:

• The legal representation of the branch.  Submitting the required officer reports on a timely basis.  All office must report at least quarterly.  This includes assuring that each branch office reports on time.
• Participating in financial decisions as a member of the branch's Financial committee.
• Overseeing conflict and dispute resolution when the issue can be resolved at the local level.
• Appointing and supervising autocrats in charge of group activities.
• Arranging events that meet the needs of the populace and the SCA.
• Assuring that the branch complies with real-world law, Corpora, and Kingdom Law either by reference to SCA documents or consultation with the Kingdom Seneschal.

In general terms, the seneschal is the administrator and coordinator of a branch of the SCA.  S/he is responsible for the effective functioning of the group as a whole and in the conduct of its affairs with other SCA groups as well as the real world.  The role of coordinator includes liaison between the various offices, other branches, public contacts and Kingdom officers.

The requirements set forth in Corpora for the job of seneschal are:

• A willingness to assume the position.
• Be a member of the SCA as set forth in Corpora: a member with access to the Kingdom newsletter at their residence.  Such membership must be maintained during the entire tenure in office.
• Be warranted by the Kingdom Seneschal and the Crown.  This denotes approval within the administrative chain of command for meeting the requirements of the position.
• Be of legal age to sign contracts.  In the State of California the age of majority is 18 years.  (Note - The society does not permit discrimination by age, except where modern law requires such discrimination, and does not permit discrimination by gender at all).

For more information about the Seneschallate of the Barony of Starkhafn, contact the Seneschal at seneschal@starkhafn.org.

 

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