[Sca-cooks] Re: A Question of Serving

[Elise Fleming]

Aurelia asked:
> What happens when there's no Royalty present?   No
> idea.  

If the event is in a barony, I believe it should be the baron/ess's
responsibility since they hold that land from the Crown.  The baron/ess
would probably ask their local herald to handle the matter.  If there's no
barony, one would hope that the event steward would take the responsibility
for arranging the toasts, but not all event stewards are likely to think of
it.  This is something that perhaps each event staff should discuss.  Local
heralds would be the logical folk to end up seeking out who were the higher
ranking folk.  

If there are no ex-royalty (ducal, county, viscounty)  present, then any
bestowed Peer outranks everyone else and, unless I'm mistaken, any bestowed
Peer outranks landed barons and baronesses.  Then come the landed folk
followed by court barons.  Within each of these categories, precedence goes
by "time in rank" - who received the dukedom, the Laurel, before someone in
the same category.  Unless a kingdom has something different than the
above, the next people in rank are those who hold the higher ranked kingdom
awards, and that varies from kingdom to kingdom.  The toasting should, I
believe, be done by residents of that kingdom.  So, if Duke Strongarm from
Ealdormere is present at a Middle Kingdom event, he is not considered in
the hunt for the highest ranking person.

If I'm at a non-baronial, non-royalty event, I usually take it upon myself
(as a Peer) to ask the event steward if arrangements have been made.  It is
unfortunate if toasting the Royalty is left to a feaster to think about and
start.  (I was in one barony where the landed baron and baroness never made
arrangements to toast their liege lords.  We sat in suspense through feasts
wondering if they would do it - never! - and then if anyone would be daring
enough to propose the toasts in the face of their refusal.  Talk about
politics!)  So, again, thanks to Margaret for arranging it!

Alys Katharine

Elise Fleming
alysk at ix.netcom.com
http://home.netcom.com/~alysk/