Bog Bylaws Feb 2003

THE BARONY OF ST. SWITHIN’S BOG: LAWS AND POLICIES

The following Laws and Policies do not supercede the Kingdom laws. These local laws are meant for the populace of St. Swithin’s Bog and the daily governing of the group. These Laws and Policies must be reviewed yearly, or as needed, by the officers of the group and appropriate changes made per that group.

The populace and individuals representing the Barony of St. Swithin’s Bog are expected to conduct themselves with honesty and chivalry at all times and obey all laws both Kingdom and mundane.

PART I: TERMS AND VOTING RULES

A. All offices (except where noted) will be limited to a two-year term. A vote of confidence may be called on any office at any time during the term. Two months prior to the end of a term, the officer must announce that his/her term is ending. If there is others interested in the office at that time and the incumbent officer is also interested, a vote by the populace must be held.
B. Persons interested in becoming an officer must announce their intentions for entering the ballot and for which office they wish to occupy, a minimum of two months prior to the vote.
C. All voting for officers and deputies will be done two months prior to the end of the officer’s term. This may change if an office is vacated ant there is no deputy to complete the remainder of the term.
D. Offices will change hands at different times during the year in order to prevent chaos and aid in the smooth transition of the governing body.
      1. The offices of Seneschal, Herald, and their deputies will change at
The Twelfth Night Event.
2. The offices of Exchequer, Arts & Sciences, and their deputies will change
on the first of March.
3. All other officers and deputies will change at the end of the
traditional Three Day Event.
E. All persons interested in becoming an officer must show active involvement in the group for at least one year.
1. Although not required, it is highly recommended that a person serve as
deputy of the office he/she is interested in before taking on the responsibility
of said office.
F. When an officer steps down before his/her term of office is completed, the deputy officer (drop dead) will complete the remainder of the term. If the drop-dead deputy is unable to complete the term, the officer stepping down may appoint a representative to maintain the office until an election for the position can be held.

PART II: OFFICES & OFFICERS

A. REQUIREMENTS
1. All officers must be paid National members and meet Kingdom
requirements. (See AEthelmearc Law & Policy Book and/or Seneschal
Handbook.)
2. All officers must obey and support the laws of Kingdom and the Baronial
Laws & Policies without prejudice.
3. All officers are expected to attend officer meetings as scheduled by
the Seneschal.
i. All officer meetings are open to the populace.
4. All officers will support and train deputies of that office.
5. There will be only one deputy for all offices: the drop-dead deputy. All
others will now be referred to as assistants. All drop-dead deputies must be
paid National members.
6. All officers will provide a list of Baronial property held by their office to the
Seneschal’s office on a yearly basis.
7. Copies of all quarterly, event, and year-end reports will be given to the
Seneschal.
8. Upon the presentation of receipts, all offices will be reimbursed a yearly,
non-cumulative, amount of $50 to cover any administrative expenses, i.e.
printing, postage, or other necessary supplies. Any expenses over $50 must
be voted upon by the Financial Committee.

B. SENESCHAL (President)
     1. The Seneschal office is a two-year term running from January to
     January.
     2. The Seneschal will oversee the finances/expenses of the group,
     including the co-signing of checks, signature cards, Corporate Resolutions,
     and any other related banking procedures. The Seneschal must review
     and co-sign all Kingdom-required Exchequer and Baronial reports. The
     Seneschal will also be responsible for ratified funds heard and voted on by
     the populace.
     3. The Seneschal is in charge of monthly business meetings. This means
     calling on officers or their deputies at each meeting to discuss their relative
     offices with the populace.
     4. Monthly meetings require the presence of the Seneschal, or his/her
     deputy, three other officers or deputies, and at least 10 members of the
     populace of St. Swithin’s Bog. If the Seneschal and his/her deputy cannot
     be present for a meeting, they must inform the other officers as soon as
     possible.
     5. The Seneschal is responsible for scheduling officer’s meetings.

    C. The PENNSIC LAND GRAB AGENT falls under the office of
     Seneschal.
          1. The Pennsic Land Grab Agent is a one-year term, January to
          January, with an automatic roll over to the next year. The office will
          continue to roll over until the PLG Agent no longer wishes to hold the
          office, or another party expresses interest in the office. The PLG Agent
          is not an officer, but an Agent for the Barony.
          2. The Pennsic Land Grab Agent is responsible for obtaining the
          information about the Pennsic War land rush from the Pennsic land
          distributor and for submitting the necessary paperwork to reserve
          camping space for Barony members at Pennsic each year, preferably in
          the traditional area.
          3. The PLG Agent is allotted a yearly allowance of $50.
          4. The PLG Agent shall be present at the Pennsic War for the required
          time and shall assist in the placement of campers to insure fair
          distribution of the reserved land.

D. EXCHEQUER (Treasurer)
     1. The Exchequer office is a two-year term running from March 1st to
     March 1st, as this will facilitate the filing of the year-end report.
2. The Exchequer is required to keep the original paperwork of all
      incoming funds and all outgoing expenses.
a. The bank signature card is also the responsibility of the Exchequer. This card requires four signatures:
i. The Seneschal.
ii. The Exchequer.
iii. The Kingdom Exchequer.
iv. A third Barony member agreed on by the Seneschal and the Exchequer. (Preferably one of their deputies.)
v. No two signatories on the bank card shall share the same       address.
3. The Exchequer is required to have a current balance of the Barony’s
     Account and a complete breakdown of incoming and outgoing funds and
furnish that balance at the monthly meeting. Bank statements will be
      sent to the exchequer with a copy to be given to the Seneschal
      monthly.
4. The Exchequer is required to fill out quarterly and bi-yearly reports to
the Kingdom Exchequer.
5. The Exchequer must not furnish any funds to any person without
      ratification from the populace or consent from the Seneschal.
6. The Exchequer must follow Kingdom rules and laws and train his/her
Deputy in these procedures.
7. The year end report must be published in the Barony’s newsletter one
One month after the report is filed.
8. Any funds going to any of the three signatories will require the
      signatures of the other two parties.

E. CHAMBERLAIN
1. The Chamberlain office is a two-year term running from August to
August.
2. The Chamberlain is responsible for keeping track of all Baronial
property/regalia.
a. Provide complete listings of property/regalia, updated yearly as
                to condition, repair, and removal.
b. Provide copies of listings to Seneschal and bringing to that
officer’s attention any missing property, need for repair or removal.
c. Responsible for obtaining bids for any purchase of Baronial
                property and presenting to the Financial Committee.

F. FINANCIAL COMMITTEE
1. The Financial Committee is responsible for any changes to
           these particular policies.
2. The Baronial Seneschal and the Exchequer are members of the
Financial Committee as are the Baron and Baroness.
3. The officers and their Excellencies shall serve on the financial
           committee for the term of their offices or reign.
4. Two paid National Society Baronial members who do not
           reside at the same address or hold any of the above offices shall
be selected from the populace to fill the final two seats of the
committee. The term for these two members is limited to one
year.
5. Each member of the committee is allocated one vote. The
exception would be when a Baron and Baroness are both serving
on the committee. Their Excellencies shall share one vote
between them.
6. Unless otherwise specified, a majority vote of the full financial
committee is sufficient to carry any decision.
7. All members of the Barony are welcome to observe any
Baronial Financial Committee meeting.
8. The Baronial Exchequer is responsible for creating and
proposing a yearly budget. The members of the committee may
make suggestions to the addition or subtraction of any budgeted
item or propose new items be included in the budget. The final
version of the budget must be approved by vote of the Baronial
Financial Committee members.
9. The Exchequer shall ensure that the final budget is published,
along with the annual financial report, in the Baronial newsletter.
The Exchequer should receive requests for additional funds with
sufficient time to convene the Financial Committee. Changes to a
final budget must be reviewed and approved by the Financial
Committee.
10. The Financial Committee shall create and approve all officer’s
funds (does not include Kingdom Office sponsorships).   The
Exchequer shall maintain a list of these funds, their purpose,
duration, any restrictions, and the method of dispersal of any
funds remaining at the end of the fund’s life. This information
shall be available upon request to the committee.
11. The Financial Committee shall be responsible for approving
documented reimbursements or cash advances in lieu of
documented receipts for amounts greater than $50.00.
Emergency expenses can be reviewed and voted upon via e-mail
or an on-line meeting of the committee.
12. The Baronial Financial Committee shall work in concert with
the Baronial Chamberlain to handle purchase requests for the
Barony. All bids shall be submitted to the Financial Committee
for review and selection. Upon selection of a bid, the
Chamberlain shall notify the person submitting bids of the results
and coordinate the purchase of the approved item. Receipts shall
be handled following the same process for other baronial
expenses.
13. In the event the office of Chamberlain is vacant, these duties
revert to the Exchequer.

G. HERALD
1. The Herald office is a two-year term running from January to January.
2. The Herald is required to submit quarterly reports to Kingdom as
Necessary.
3. The principal job of Herald is to help members of the group acquire
names, badges, and devices. The Herald is also responsible for
announcements at events, tournaments, and arranging and running Royal
and Baronial courts. (The choice of Herald at a court is the sole
prerogative of the noble holding that court.)
4. The Herald is responsible for the Heraldic Library and must make it
and himself/herself available to the populace on a regular basis for
consultation and submissions.
5. The Herald should also keep the populace aware of any changes
regarding submission policies/fees. The Barony does not pay for heraldic
submissions, except for Baronial devices or badges, since these
submissions are for the populace, not one person.
6. The Herald is also responsible for maintaining and updating the
Baronial Order of Precedence.

H. ARTS & SCIENCES
1. The A&S office is a two year term running from March to March.
2. The A&S officer must submit all required reports to Kingdom.
3. The A&S officer will adhere to all Kingdom requirements and laws.

5. The A&S officer will be in charge of the archives and compiling an annual
list of the available literature to the populace. The A& S officer is also
responsible for seeing that loaned items are returned to the A&S archives.
The terms for the lending and return of books to the archives will be
determined by the A&S officer.
6. The A&S officer will be in charge of scheduling and conducting any
monthly A&S classes and informing the populace of such meetings.

I. CHATELAINE
1. The Chatelaine office is a two year term running from August to
     August.
2. The Chatelaine’s main duties are to welcome new members into the
Barony and the SCA, and to see that such persons obtain the information
they need to function as part of the group.
3. The Chatelaine is the "contact" person to whom all inquiries regarding
Society activities should be referred. It is the Chatelaine’s responsibility to
arrange demonstrations of various Society activities, as time and
availability of members to participate allow.
4. The Chatelaine’s duties regarding demos are to get members and
equipment to show the diversity of studies, i.e. dancing, garb making,
brewing, calligraphy, etc., and different types of marshal activities.
5. The Chatelaine’s duties regarding new members are to make them feel
welcome, answer questions about the society, provide beginner
information about event requirements, and introduction to members that
may share an interest in an activity or study.
6. The Chatelaine must work with the Chronicler to compile a yearly
Baronial Directory.
a. The Chatelaine may only give the Chronicler the names of those
who want to be in the Directory.

J. CHRONICLER
1. The Chronicler office is a two year term running from August to August.
2. The Chronicler’s duties are to produce and distribute by the 28th of
each month the following month’s newsletter. This means collecting
articles, artwork and information from the group about upcoming events
and items of interest to the Barony, such as meeting times and places of
various guilds, etc. The minutes from the monthly meetings should be
published in each newsletter.
3. The Chronicler will be reimbursed for the cost of publication and
distribution of the newsletter monthly. Such costs are to be considered
beyond that of the routine administrative fund.
4. The office of Scribe is a Volunteer office and answers to the
Chronicler. The Scribe does not have to be a National member. The
office of Scribe will be responsible for the meeting minutes and will give
them to the Chronicler at the end of the meeting or in an otherwise timely
manner for publication. If neither the Scribe nor the Chronicler can attend
the monthly meeting, the Seneschal must be notified.
5. The responsibilities of the Scribe are not a responsibility of the
Chronicler.
6. The office of Historian falls under the Chronicler.
1. The Historian has no set term.
2. The Historian is responsible for all Barony records and reports.
3. The Historian will keep Barony history alive, i.e. the first time
something hew happens and who is responsible for "war stories,"
family trees, and timelines.

K. MINISTER/MISTRESS OF LISTS
1. The MOL office is a two year term running from August to August.
2. The MOL is the scorekeeper for tournaments and keeps track of who
fights who and who wins that competition.
3. The MOL must work closely with all Barony Marshals.
4. The MOL is responsible for all Kingdom-required paperwork and
waivers.

L. MARSHALS
1. The various Marshals are: Knight Marshal (heavy weapons), Marshal
of Fence, Archery Captain, Thrown Weapons Marshal, and Equestrian
Marshal.
2. All Marshals must be warranted by Kingdom and be paid National
members.
3. The Baronial Marshals will be voted on by the participants directly
under this Marshal. Warranted deputies are encouraged.
4. The Marshals are responsible for the safety and conduct of the
participants on the field, participant authorizations, and equipment
inspection. Marshals must get a signed waiver form and provide Kingdom
rules to all new participants. They must keep the participants updated on
all Kingdom rules that affect them.
5. The Marshals are responsible for getting signed waivers from
either minors, nonmembers, or members who cannot produce a
current membership card at any and all gatherings where fighting
may be taking place. These waivers must be sent to the appropriate
Kingdom official for filing in a timely manner.

M. MINISTER OF YOUTH
1. The Minister of Youth office is a two year term running from August to
August.
2. The Chancellor Minor’s duties of this office are the entertainment and
education of children at Baronial events, not a baby-sitting or daycare
service. It is suggested that the Chancellor Minor obtain adult assistance
when conducting Baronial children’s activities.

N. CHIRURGEON
1. The Chirurgeon’s office does not have a limit due to the training
necessary.
2. The Chirurgeon is responsible for the administration of first-aid only to
the limit of the Chirurgeon’s mundane certification. The Chirurgeon is
responsible for stocking and updating the first-aid kit.
3. The Chirurgeon must comply with all Kingdom requirements (see
Kingdom Law and Policy Book).

O. WEB MINISTER
1. Responsible for maintenance and upgrades of the Baronial web
pages.
2. Responsible for obtaining written consent for publication of
personal information on the web.

PART III: EVENTS AND DEMOS

A. PREFERED DATES FOR TRADITIONAL EVENTS
1. 12th Night- The 3rd weekend in January
2. Spring Thing-
3. Annual Three Day- The third weekend in July
4. Baronial Champs- The first weekend after Pennsic

B. EVENT PROPOSALS
1.   Call for proposals will be made to the populace at the monthly meeting
in October for the upcoming Three Day event; April for the upcoming 12th
Night event; any other event should be proposed a minimum of three months
in advance of said event. This does not include bonfires and other single-
evening gatherings. All Autocrats and Co-Autocrats must be paid national
members. It is strongly suggested that Autocrats are active in Baronial
activities.
2. Both the annual 12th Night event and the Three Day event should
have both an Autocrat and a Co-Autocrat.
3. The proposed event should be delivered in a planned manner, not just
suggested. This should include a written description of the event for
publication in the newsletter.
4. The proposal should include the following information: date of the event,
site, site fee, Autocrat, Co-Autocrat(s), proof of membership, Feastocrat, and
a general idea of cost.
5. Once a bid has been accepted, the Autocrat or Co-Autocrat will
provide progress reports on the event at the monthly meeting until the
event is held.
F. If for some reason the event plans are not progressing as proposed,
the Seneschal and Baronial officers may step in and take over
responsibility for the event.

C. Bid Failure
If no event bids are received by the deadline, any subsequent bids can be presented at an officers meeting/monthly meeting. The minority needed for approval is the Baron/ess, Seneschal and Exchequer.

D. EVENTS
1. The Autocrat has the final word on all decisions during the event;
however, the Seneschal can intervene in case the Autocrat is unavailable or
Kingdom law is being broken.
2. The Autocrat should consult with the Baron and Baroness on
matters of protocol and court.
3. The Autocrat must work with the Marshals to see that all marshal activities
are safe and meet all Kingdom requirements. Waivers must be signed on all minors, nonmembers, and members who cannot produce a current membership card. These waivers must be sent to the appropriate Kingdom official for filing in a timely manner.
4. The Autocrat must work with all officers to complete all the necessary
paperwork within 30 days of the end of the event.
5. The Autocrat or Co-Autocrat must be on site at all times and be easily
identifiable.

E. POST EVENT
1. The Autocrat must see that the site is well cleaned and restored to its
original condition (preferably cleaner than the original condition).
2. The Autocrat must save all receipts and immediately contact the
Exchequer to fill out the Kingdom event report. The event report is the
Autocrat’s responsibility, not the Exchequer’s; however, it is strongly
recommended that consensus between the Exchequer and Autocrat is
reached.
3. The Autocrat must make all the event paperwork known to the populace in
the newsletter.
4. Any monies collected in the course of Events/Demos must be
forwarded to the Exchequer. Failure to do so may result in prosecution.

PART IV: BARON AND BARONESS

A. GENERAL
1. The Barony of St. Swithin’s Bog will have a Baron and/or a Baroness.
2. The Baron and Baroness will serve a 3 year term.
3. The Baron and Baroness will be limited to two consecutive terms, but may
run again upon the next election process.

B. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. RIGHTS
A. The Baron/ess have the right to display the arms of the Barony of St.
Swithin’s Bog and to delegate the carrying of the Baronial banner.
B. The Baron/ess has the right to appoint a Captain of the Guard to serve
at his/her pleasure.
1. The Captain of the Guard will be responsible for deciding the make-up of the guard.
2. Anyone may be appointed to serve in the Guard.
C. The Baron/ess has the right to hold Baronial Court and give Baronial
awards.
1. Baronial awards carry no precedence and are equal in status.
2. Baronial awards shall be known as The Order of St. Swithin.
a. Service: Purpure, three bulrushes Or.
b. Martial: Gules, three bulrushes Or.
c. A&S: Azure, three bulrushes Or.
d. Youth (for children age 16 and under): Pending.
3. There will also be a Special Order of St. Swithin to be given by the
Baron/ess once a year at their pleasure to any individual they feel has
shown outstanding skill, grace, courtesy, chivalry, and service within
the Barony.
a. Sable, three bulrushes within a bordure Or.
D. The Baron/ess has the right to choose various Baronial Champions by
whatever methods he/she desires.
a. Only members of the Barony whose physical residence is with in the borders of the Barony may be considered for Baronial Champion.
5. The Baron/ess will be allotted a yearly amount of $100.00 to cover any
administrative expenses (printing, postage, or other supplies) or traveling
expenses for their office.
6. The Baron or Baroness has the right to resign at any time.

2. RESPONSIBILITIES
A. The Baron and Baroness are Baronial Officers.
B. The Baron/ess has a responsibility to the Barony to conduct
themselves in a manner that reflects the ideals of the SCA.
C. The Baron or Baroness shall make every effort to attend all official
events and meetings held within Baronial borders.
D. The Baron/ess are liaisons to royalty and hold the Barony in fealty
to the Crown.
E. The Baron/ess hold a seat on the Financial Committee.

C. QUALIFICATIONS OF BARON AND BARONESS
1. The Baron/ess must be at least 18 years of age.
2. The Baron/ess must be paid National members of the SCA.
3. The Baron/ess must reside within the Baronial borders for at least 1
year prior to the election process.
4. The Baron/ess must have at one time submitted a name and device to
the College of Heralds.

D. ELECTION PROCESS
1. VOTER ELIGIBILITY
a. Voters must be paid National members and at least 17 years of
age, prior to the start of the election process.
b. Voters must reside within Baronial borders as defined by postal zip codes.

2. ELECTION PROCESS
1. Ten months prior to the end of the Baronial term (September), a call
for letters of intent will be published in the Baronial newsletter.
a. Any Baronial member who wishes to run for Baron/ess may do
so by submitting a letter of intent to the Baronial Seneschal.
b. Letters of intent should include:
i. Qualifications: activities past and recent that member has
participated in, offices held, and any awards received.
ii. SCA name and mundane name.
iii. Ability/willingness to travel.
iv. Ability/willingness to afford costs associated with the office
(travel, phone, garb, etc.).
v. Proof of paid National membership.
c. Letters of intent must be received by the Seneschal no later than
the published deadline (October).
d. Letters of intent will be published in the Baronial newsletter and
sent to the AEthelmearc Crown.

3. BALLOTS
A. Ballots will contain the required vote on change of status.
a. If the majority vote is to change branch status, the election process
will stop and the Crown will be notified.
B. Ballots will contain a list of single candidates and/or couples from which to choose either a single Baron or Baroness or a couple to hold the
position of Baron and Baroness jointly.
C. The candidate(s) receiving a plurality of the votes cast will hold       the office.
i. In the event of a tie, the Crown will choose the next Baron/ess
D. Ballots will be mailed using the mailing labels supplied by the corporate office of the SCA. Any member who is not on this list may vote by showing proof of membership to the Seneschal.

4. VOTING
A. Ballots (votes) will be counted at the Barony meeting seven months
prior to the end of the term of the present Baron/ess (December).
B. Absentee voting will be permitted for members not able to attend the
meeting where the vote is taking place.
1. An absentee vote must be received by the Seneschal no later than 3 days prior to the meeting and will remain sealed until the count of all ballots takes place. Ballots received after the deadline will not be included in the vote.
2. To insure one vote per member, absentee ballots must contain the mailing label sent on the ballot envelope to verify membership.
C. The ballots will be counted by the Seneschal and two other Officers.
1.. None of the Officers counting the ballots may be named on the
ballots nor may any of their family members.

E. RESIGNATION OR REMOVAL OF BARON OR BARONESS
1. REMOVAL
1. A vote of confidence may be called upon the Baron/ess at any time.
2. The vote of confidence will be a formal mailed polling overseen by the
Baronial Seneschal, the Seneschals of any Cantons, and the Baronial
Herald.
a. Should the vote be to remove the Baron/ess, the Crown will be
requested to appoint a Vicar until such time as the procedure to
select a new Baron/ess can be implemented.

2. RESIGNATION
A. Should the Baron or Baroness choose to resign, he and/or she must
send a letter of resignation to the Baronial Seneschal, Kingdom
Seneschal, and the Crown.
B. In the case of a reigning Baron AND Baroness, should only one choose to resign, but not both, the one remaining will serve for the remainder of the term.
C. Should the Barony be left without a titular head, the Barony will ask the Crown to appoint a Vicar and the election process will begin.
a. Should this occur during the last 6 months of the term, no
replacement will be invested; instead the Crown will be asked to place
a Vicar until the next scheduled election process. Any appointment
of a Vicar will proceed according to Kingdom law.

F. MISCELLANEOUS
The Seneschal may not run for the position of Baron/ess. Should he/she
wish to run, he/she must step down prior to the published call for letters of
intent, and take his/her name off the Baronial checking account signature
card.

G. REGALIA
1. All regalia will be inventoried and inspected on a yearly basis by the
Baron/ess, Seneschal, and Chamberlain.
a. Any regalia no longer in use, but still in good condition, may be placed
in the Barony’s traditional fundraising auction at 12th Night.

H. CANTONS
1. FORMATION
a. Will be according to Corpora and the Laws & Policies set down by the
Kingdom of AEthelmearc.

2. FUNDING
1. The Barony will permit a "one-time" transfer of funds of $500.00 to the
Canton after the status of the Canton becomes official.

3. REPORTING
A. The Canton will be responsible for deciding how it wishes to report to
its Kingdom/Baronial Officers if not prescribed already by Kingdom
laws/Society laws.
a. Report directly to Kingdom officers according to Law & Policy with
copies sent to their Baronial Officer.
b. Report through Baronial Officers who would then file complete reports with Kingdom according to Law & Policy.
i. Should this be the chosen report route, Kingdom Officers would
have to be notified by the Canton.

PART V: ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

A. E-GROUPS
1. Official Bog e-group will be listed in the newsletter upon approval by
the Baronial Seneschal.
a. For the purpose of timely inter-group discussion and messaging.
b. Polling for general consensus on issues may be conducted on the
e-group.

B. ELECTRONIC VOTING
1. Only Officers unable to attend monthly meetings may send a vote on
agenda items via e-mail to the Seneschal or Their Excellencies, to be
counted with meeting votes.

PART VI: OTHER

A. MISCELLANEOUS
Disputes are to be handled according to Kingdom guidelines.

Revised February 2003