🚀 go-pugleaf

Greetings,
   about a year back, a set of sumptuary laws were published for Atenveldt,
supposedly codifying long standing practices and customs, virtually none of
which I was familiar with (although I have been a subject of this Kingdom for
more than 20 years now, creak). The laws dictate such things as the number
of inches wide a collar of state may be for various ranks, the height of 
circlets and what should go on them, and my favorite - how many rows
of ermine go on your mantle of state, which is also a new concept. As an 
example, a Crown Prince gets four and a half rows of ermine, how you work half
a row is left as an exercise for the interested reader. These laws seem based
much more on the excesses of Victorian England than anything earlier. 

I have half-seriously considered making a new baronial circlet featuring silver
balls supported by cut pieces of yardstick, to make the job easier on whoever
is responsible for making sure the LAW is enforced. Fortunately (IMHO), since
they came out the laws have been met with that most powerful of SCA weapons,
bored indifference, and have been largely forgotten a scant year later. 

I suppose such laws irritate me most because if actually followed they would 
simply encourage the stratification and creeping classism of the SCA, not to
mention making newbies paranoid about putting ANY decorations on their garb 
for fear of violating some sumptuary code. Recently, a lady of my household
was given a stern lecture by someone from another area because the lady was
wearing a green leather belt she had just made (green belts are defined in the
new laws to be worn by apprentices to Laurels). My Lady's response (as a 
Laurel and Pelican) was to gather the folk of our house together and swear
them in as apprentices and proteges, thus enabling them to wear green or gold
belts. Come to think of it, I'd better swear them all in as squires,
as our household colors are red and gold and we often wear woven belts in 
those colors.

Regards,

Bartholomew