Falconry

2005-10-29T07:59:46Z

144.135.235.201: /* Falconry terms */

'''Falconry''' (or hawking) is the art of rearing, training and using [[bird of prey|birds of prey]], like [[falcon]]s, [[hawk]]s and [[eagle]]s. Falconers were commonly in the employ of major households, but falconry was seen as a [[sport]] or recreational activity in a similar way to [[hunting]]. [[Period]] [[art]] displays the lords and ladies walking and riding with a bird on their [[glove]]. The bird would be released to hunt for other birds or small animals to the joy of the [[nobility]], but it was the falconer's job to look after and train the raptor. The chief falconer was a respected position within the household. Birds were given as gifts between royalty and prey was bred to hunt with.

Falconry was widespread across [[Europe]] and the [[Middle East]]. There are some claims that it was introduced during the [[Crusade]]s, but there are early references to it by writers like [[Aristotle]] and the [[Roman]]s certainly had falconers.

In [[heraldry]], a [[close|standing]] falcon is often displayed wearing a [[jess]] and [[bell]]s on its legs. These are both signs of the association that was made been the birds and falconry.

==Writings on falconry==
Those familiar with the modern novel "Kes" or "[[Kestrel]] for a Knave" by Barry Hines may remember the poem that ranked the birds of prey according to the rank of those who used them. The poem was found in the [[Boke of St Albans]] (1486). However, the ranking is more a reflection of reality than a set of rules. Falconry was expensive. Some of the large birds are rarer, harder to get eggs of and harder to train. Accordingly, it was the greater nobility who were able to use these birds for falconry.

:'An Eagle for an Emperor, a Gyrfalcon for a King:
:a Peregrine for a Prince, & a Saker for a Knight,
:a Merlin for a lady, a Goshawk for a Yeoman,
:a Sparrowhawk for a Priest, & a Kestrel for a Knave.'

The full list of the falconry [[Laws of Ownership]] from the book is:
:[[King]]: [[Gyrfalcon|Gyr Falcon]] (male & female)
:[[Prince]]: Peregrine [[Falcon]]
:[[Duke]]: Rock [[Falcon]] (subspecies of Peregrine)
:[[Earl]]: Tiercel Peregrine [[Falcon]] (male)
:[[Baron]]: Bastarde Hawk (is this a buzzard?)
:[[Knight]]: [[falcon|Saker]]
:[[Squire]]: [[falcon|Lanner]]
:[[Lady]]: Female [[Merlin]]
:[[Yeoman]]: [[hawk|Goshawk or Hobby]]
:Priest: Female [[hawk|Sparrowhawk]]
:Holy water Clerk: Male [[hawk|Sparrowhawk]]
:[[Knave]]s, [[servant]]s, children: [[Kestrel]]

[[Edmund Bert]] said in his "Treatise of Hawks and Hawking" (1619)
:"Whatsoever he be that undertaketh this profession I will wish him an able body, a quicke and most of all an earnest love and delight thereunto; to such a man a hawke will quickly teach knowledge, but of him that wanteth wit she will make a foole, and of a dull spirit a true pack-horse."

The [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Frederick II]] wrote "De Arte Venandi cum Avibus" (The Art of Falconry) which is regarded as one of the first major scientific writings on the anatomy of birds.

==Falconry in the SCA==
Falconry is not commonly seen in the [[SCA]]. The Society does not have any [[laws]] relating to this craft which is not surprising due to the wide range of [[mundane]] laws that may be found. For instance, in [[Australia]] the native birds are all protected by federal laws but it is the states who manage their use and keeping. In the state of [[Victoria]], falconry is only allowed for the purposes of education and rehabilitation by licensed wildlife officers, so it is rarely seen outside of wildlife centres. Other countries, like the [[United Kingdom]], do allow amateur falconers and falconry clubs.

External laws:
*[http://users.cybercity.dk/~ccc12787/legislation/eng/overview.html Relevant modern European legislation, laws and forms]
*[http://users.cybercity.dk/~ccc12787/legislation/eng/SN1996-34470-0001.html More Danish regulations]
*[http://users.cybercity.dk/~ccc12787/misc/finalassesment.html US regulations]

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==External sites==
*[http://www.scottishfalconry.co.uk/falconry_history.htm www.scottishfalconry.co.uk - History of falconry]
*[http://www.hawk-conservancy.org/histfalc.shtml www.hawk-conservancy.org - Brief History of Falconry]
*[http://www.r3.org/life/articles/falconry.html Ancient & Medieval Falconry: Origins & Functions in Medieval England by Shawn E. Carroll]

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Falconry