[MR] (no subject)

[Roy B. Scherer]

At 08:19 PM 6/24/2008 -0700, Beau Meredith wrote:
>so where did the first peers come from???????

Assuming, as of course we do, that this was a 
serious question, I turned to the history 
resource, <http://history.westkingdom.org/>.
The excerpt below is from <http://history.westkingdom.org/Year0/index.htm>.
(IMHO, the "Peer One Imports" theory is more believeable.)
-- YIS,
-- Britton Morgan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Where did my knighthood come from, you may ask?

"Well, the story is too tawdry to tell, but it 
came from the hand of Joseph Mayhew, who assured 
me at the time that it came legitimately to him 
from his West Virginian ancestors, who received 
it from the Stuarts of Scotland. When last I saw 
Joe, at a science fiction convention in 
Baltimore, he said that he had become involved 
with the SCA, and was quite bemused by the idea 
that all the knighthoods came down from him. I 
think his sense of humor was tickled by the idea. 
I am told he just won Fan Artist of the Year in 
some competition or other (maybe the Hugos?).
"This sounds correct although I don't understand 
"tawdry" - unless there's a lot Don never told us 
either (quite possible). I don't think either Ken 
or I put much store in its legitimacy. But when 
the "is it real" story started to circulate, this 
provide the initial emphasis that you didn't 
bring real-world names, titles or honors into the 
SCA; it was internally consistent and the outside 
world was irrelevant." -- Siegfried von Hoflichskeit

"What is probably most important about all this 
is that it all comes from a Virginia family 
background; Virginia being the only place I know 
where a little boy (when I was young) might still 
be scolded with "Now, that's not being a chivalrous little gentleman!"

"In later years I was shocked by an SCA officer 
asking me "What chivalry got to do with it?"

"And that is the real, true story of how it 
happened. There is a good chance that you will be 
the only one ever to know, because frankly, the 
idea of it coming down from the Knights of Malta 
or some such is far more romantic; and people 
would much rather believe the romantic version. 
(Read some James Branch Cabell, a Virginia writer 
who could conjur the Middle Ages in the most 
amazing way, and who knew the value of romance.)

"As far as the SCA goes I died many years ago, 
and it is always a shock to the elderly and still 
living to see my ghost on those rare excursions 
into Other Ages. I ran into Henrik at the Ren 
Faire a few years ago, but that is about it."

-- Jon DeCles, called The Red Baron


----------

Description of this event, © Copyright 1980 by 
William R. Keyes (Wilhelm von Schlüssel)
This is from The History of the West Kingdom, 
Volume 1 (the only volume produced). When reading 
this text, please keep in mind the following disclaimer:

Disclaimer: This history may have errors in it, 
as much of the detail is “remembered” history, or 
as one of the cover pages of the original 
type-written manuscript states “The material 
within is derived from the information printed in 
The Crown Prints and in The Page, and from the 
memories of the participants.” The original 
document was typed on onion-skin paper, with 
hand-written notes (often in the margins). All 
attempts have been made to reconcile the notes with the original document.

Annotations, when they are added, are from The 
Annotated History of the West, Volume 1, which is 
the same text as Master Wilhelm's mentioned 
above, with commentary from members of the SCA 
who were active at the time of the event, and are 
added to help clarify questions and expand on 
what happened and why. This volume is copyright © 
Ken Mayer (Hirsch von Henford).


----------


end

                 - - Roy B. Scherer
  [ 8 N. Sheppard Street, Richmond, VA 23221; (804) 355-7612 ]
============================================================
         "[T]here is nothing more difficult to 
take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more 
uncertain in its success, than to take the lead 
in the introduction of a new order of things. 
Because the innovator has for enemies all those 
who have done well under the old conditions, and 
lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under 
the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of 
the opponents, who have the laws on their side, 
and partly from the incredulity of men, who do 
not readily believe in new things until they have 
had a long experience of them."
         Nicolò Machiavelli, THE PRINCE, c. 1505
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