Squires

[lorraine]

Though I am a lowly personage I have been chance
 to observe many behaviors of (and talk to) knights
 from this and other kingdoms and have 
read much about the squire subject (mostly in 
Thinkwell and the Rialto).

>From what I have seen all your questions would be 
answered differently by different knights, but 
different liniages of knights tend to use similar
 traditions. My lord for the most part chooses his
squires for their heart.( I will let him explain his
 processes on his own.) Most of the other knights 
I know do also. A few choose theirs for fighting and
 trainability. Some because they are friends. Some
 knights expect their squires to have great honour,
 some to be "winners". 

In our kingdom knights usually choose squires that
 they are or can be friends with. They tend to hold
 their squires to the chivalric ideal of knighthood as
 put forth in the front of the Pleasure Booke 
(available from the SCA stockclerk). These ideals
 include not only fighting ability but ability at courtly
 graces, chess, arts and sciences, dance, bardic,
 service and heraldry. Their squires are not to step
 and fetch but to grow and learn to become a 
knight.

I have seen like behavior in other kingdoms and 
have also seen the knights that require their 
squires to cater to their (the knight's) every need.
 Disgusting as it is to watch it is definitely period 
practice.

Some Knights make the Squire's belt for them, or 
the Knight's lady does it, or the lady or a friend of
 the Squire makes it and even sometimes the
 Squire makes his first belt to prove his desire for 
that path. Some have the Knight's device on the
 end or other emblem of that Knight, some are 
plain, some are decorated, and a few have bottle 
openers on the inside. Some are short, some are
 dragging the ground (so much better for belt wars 
and stupid squire tricks). The initial belt (and belts
 from those dear to the squire) are usually kept as
 legacies to be passed down to the next generation
 of squires.

As far as ceremonies, I have seen them in court
 (recently Sir Karl took his newest squire this way)
, or off to the side (as I have seen Duke Patrick do 
on several occaisions), or privately in camp (and even 
once by letter). They
 can be elaborate or just simple and heartfelt.
All include a swearing of fealty (squire to knight)
 and statement of commitment (both parties) (!!!! all
 this should be worked out before hand, different 
people have different expectations and needs!!!!!). 
The belt is presented (no matter who it is made by)
 from the Knight to the Squire as a symbol of that 
relationship. Most include the proto-squire's 
significant other in some way.

Lots of things need to be worked out in the 
relationship beforehand and re-worked as the 
relationship changes. Does the proto-squire need 
lots of physical training from you directly, or will
 you send them to train occaisionally (or even
 primarily depending upon distance and time 
restraints) with other knights for diverse instruction?
 Does the P-S need  more mental work
 and/or behavioral adjustments? Is the P-S a
 go-getter and need gentle direction and a voice in
 the circle or does that person need attention and
 diligent effort all along the way? Lastly or maybe 
firstly, what are you willing to give in relation to 
your P-S needs? I am assuming of course that you
 take the roles of Knight/Squire as those of
 Teacher/Student. Not playing Amtgard and 
knowing you have many kinds of Knighthoods and
 are a LAPG (not many SCAers consider 
themselves such) I don't know if this is what you 
need.

There are a few knights (Kien, Galen, Conner
 -through his lady-) and a few squires (Alisha, 
Cynric, Caladin, Corwin, etc.) hopefully more will reply.

Lorraine DeerSlayer,
Raven's Fort, Ansteorra
Amatuer Anthropologist