Royal Citie
In the Kingdom of Ealdormere, Royal Citie is an unofficial designation for a Canton which has been awarded a special Royal Charter for great or historical service to the Crown. This designation is unique to the Canton of Eoforwic in the barony of Septentria. The Charter of the Royal Citie indicates that King Cariadoc of the Midrealm signed the charter, making the Royal Citie truly ancient.
Accusations of graft as regards the creation of Eoforwic as a Royal Citie have never been proven. However, as the saying goes, "Everything you've heard about Eoforwic is true."
Historical Model and Customs
The structure of the Royal Citie is based on that of Medieval London. The "head" of the Citie is the Lord Mayor, elected by the various Guilds of the Citie annually on or around Michaelmas (29 September). In addition to the Lord Mayor, the Guilds of the Citie elect a Sheriff. The Lord Mayor and Sheriff often run as a joint ticket.
The Lord Mayor and Sheriff serve terms of one year; if the calendar permits, the hand-over of offices happens at the annual Feast of the Bear (a major event in the Barony of Septentria) which is often held in Eoforwic.
Upon retirement, Lord Mayors become Aldermen of the Citie. While the office of Alderman has no duties associated with it, Aldermen are well-respected citizens. Also, in official proclamations, the Corporation of the Royal Citie is described as "The Corporation of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the Royal Citie of Eoforwic".
Upon retirement, Sheriffs return to the ranks of the populace.
The Lord Mayor is addressed as "Your Worship", as in "Good evening, Your Worship." The Sheriff has no formal title or form of address.
In the history of the Royal Citie there have been several female Lord Mayors. Their titles have been a matter of personal preference: variations seen have included
- Her Worship the Lord Mayor
- Her Worship the Lady Mayor
- Her Worship the Lady Mayoress
At feasts within the walls of the Royal Citie, after the toasts to the Crown, Heirs (if any) and the Baron and Baroness of Septentria, it is entirely correct to drink a toast to "The Corporation of the Royal Citie of Eoforwic".
The Citie administration includes a variety of offices and officers, ranging from Admiral to Rat-Catcher. These offices are within the gift of the Lord Mayor and are distributed at His Worship's pleasure.
The Corporation sponsor both the Night Watch of the Citie (rapier combatants) and the City Guard (heavy fighters). Accordingly, the Corporals' Courses offered by the Royal Citie have the patronage of the Lord Mayor and the Corporation formally appoints the Corporals and Corporals-Major of the City Guard and arranges for their rank insignia.
Law and Function
Strictly speaking, the "Royal Citie of Eoforwic" is a household within the Society for Creative Anachronism, whose membership consists of all the members of the Canton of Eoforwic. Neither the Royal Citie nor its officers have formal precedence within the Kingdom of Ealdormere.
The election of the Lord Mayor and Sheriff are a fund-raising activity. "Guilds" are registered at the time of voting, usually with silly names (e.g. "The Guild of Disappointed Maple Leafs Fans", "Tha Gild ov Peepel Hoo Kant Spel" "the Guild of Procrastinators", who always register but never get around to voting). Each guild gets one vote for Mayor and one for Sheriff. Every member of Eoforwic gets one free guild registration. Further guilds may be registered for a cash fee, on a sliding scale (i.e. the second guild costs a dollar, the third guild costs two dollars, the fourth costs five, the fifth ten and so on). Candidates often offer largesse to the populace; popular choices are baked goods, chocolate and cash to subsidize guild registration fees. The candidates with the most votes become Mayor and Sheriff respectively.
All funds realized through the electoral process create a discretionary fund held on behalf of the Lord Mayor and used for charitable or other purposes that SCA-held money can't be used for (such as flowers for a member in hospital or a keg of beer for a Pennsic party) at the pleasure of the populace as a whole, as approved by open vote at a regular business meeting of the Canton. The Lord Mayor's fund is entirely separate from the funds of the Canton of Eoforwic.
Individuals wishing to be appointed to a civic office for the year may wish to make a donation (large or small) to the Lord Mayor's fund.
The current Lord Mayor of the Royal Citie of Eoforwic is Lord Grom of Eoforwic.
The current Sheriff of the Royal Citie of Eoforwic is Lord Gunnar Halfdann of Lund.
