Castlemere History

Shire Stories February 1, 2002 Castlemere's anniversary date was always celebrated appx. Feb 1st, if I remember right (I remember correlating it to the pagan holiday Candlemas). It was usually actually celebrated at Gen Con South when the founding seneschal filled a bathtub with beer in his hotel room. This was generally held in Feb. or March. If anyone wants old information I can provide the phone number of the now-deceased founding seneschals wife (she was formerly herald), Karen Sheets. ~ Barb/Kara/Wombat February 2, 2002 Ld. Noriuji (Deb Lansden) came in to the shire around 1980 or '81, also now deceased. She held shire herald office I believe, as did Takara I think. The 3 of us made the first Castlemere banner in the style which I think it is now, which passed approval (it was a double sided laurel green cotton trigger banner with 2 white rooks (castles) on the top and one on the bottom 1/3, divided by a white section with a laurel leaves interchanging in the center, painted with white Testers modeling paint, if I remember right. .....Prior to this the shire symbol was a single "Rook" in white on a green banner. ~ Barb/Kara/Wombat February 2, 2002 Nope---used to have some old Meridies stuff back to '79 or '80, had some pix back to '80 (our first Ren Faire at the MOAS now MOSH), some newspaper articles in a scrapbook---but haven't looked at these in yrs---will have to scrape around and see if they've disintegrated, stored in the barn. Now if you could dig up Bissileous---Bill (or William Albert) Renfro, or wife Lesa.....also Roy Beach aka Loraybech might have some info too----he was around then. Will check with Karen, Sheet's wife, tho' may take a while to get in touch with her; don't know if Bill is listed in the Jax phone book (I don't have one), but he used to work at AT&T (Transtech) if anyone works there. I think Roy's in Central Fla someplace? Takara's in Levy Co./An Croisaire, I think. She came in in '80. Oh, BTW, Shakka Ed's got a videotape of one of the Champion of Castlemere lists, ca. about '89-91 or thereabouts I guess. I will ask Ld. Corineous what he remembers---he was a herald and college buddies with Bissileous, hence up here a lot in back in the dark ages. He's got like a photographic memory....(he can remember the dirt on folks back to when god was a kid)....he might also have some photos or something, but post-bad-divorce, I don't know how much he came away with. Also, has anyone checked with Elspeth? She might have stuff too. Castlemere interacted a lot with Blackthorne back around '79 and early '80's. We put on TMT 5 I think together (1980). People in attendance around those years were (earliest): Jim Sheets: Ld Toshiro Musashi/later Ld. James Hawkwood, founding seneschal. He and Carl Smith used to switch back and forth every six mos between Seneschal and deputy I think, due to coaching duties (both were HS teachers). Carl Smith---Ld. Alexander Shadowstalker, later moved off and went to work for Avalon Hill Games I think. Brian Smith (not related)_Ryan the Scot---was shire herald and marshal, I believe. now lives in the Orlando area with his wife. Usually see them at Nightwatch/Illumination in St. Augustine once or twice a yr. where he does British Marine (18th c.) Linda ?--- Ldy Boadicea Artemisia---held shire offices, don't remember what. Bill Renfro---Ld. Bissileous Angelicus----held MOA/MOS office for a while. Married Lesa Lane around '83-84 in an event held in C-Mere and feastcrated by Corineus. Bill was usually MOS when the offices weren't combined. Jim McHone----Ld. Hadji al Malik al Adin---(head of "Assassins Guild") shire chirurgeon. Still around and would probably talk your head off. Teaches English, still, I think at Andrew Jackson Sr. High. Jim Sheet's sister Tawnia was also a shire member, went by different names, one was Rehana or something like that. Karen's brother David was shire herald for a while around '79-80. Ldy Takara came in about 1980. Ted Self ---Merrick Benacre ---did too, and was shire exchequer aboout that same time for a few yrs. Bambi Wishart and son Patrick were involved in the shire and Bambi did lots of artwork for the group around that time, and for our newletter/AS newsletter at that time. I believe Bambi still works at the WillowBranch Library. Andy and Pete Dobson joined the shire around 1980 (TMT 5), had various personas including Cyn and Uriah Lightfoot. Andy was about 14 then. Andy is still in Jax I think, bump into him occasionally. Last I heard Pete was in prison. Tripp Wyckoff joined the shire about the same time as well and was around for quite a while, I think til he went off to college. Oh---lest I forget some that were on their way out by the time I came in in '79---trying not to leave anyone out----Gort and Cass Von Bee-----Cass was also known as "Bunny Buns" for the THREE----Count 'em 3!---maybe---rabbit pelts she wore to events, not to mention what she did for $5 at TMT 4.....won't go into that..... Ld. Noriuji-Deb Lansden came in to the shire around 1980 or '81, also now deceased. She held shire herald office I believe, as did Takara I think. The 3 of us made the first Castlemere banner in the style which I think it is now, which passed approval (it was a double sided laurel green cotton trigger banner with 2 white rooks (castles) on the top and one on the bottom 1/3, divided by a white section with a laurel leaves interchanging in the center, painted with white Testers modeling paint, if I remember right. I loaned this banner out to Bruce and Jenny (Johann and Petahari) a number of years ago and it disappeared.... Prior to this the shire symbol was a single "Rook" in white on a green banner. Another thought----I think BarbHara dated one of the guys in Castlemere (Barbara Crawford, Russ Crawford's wife---they live in Brooker near G-ville) in '78. I was Arts officer around '80, and turned it over at one point to Alexa du Foretnoir/Dr. Margaret McKibben (Corineus' sister), probably about '83 when I moved to Orlando to go to nursing school. Alexa was also shire chirurgeon during those years. During these years Castlemere held a Traveller's Inn event in late summer or fall of '79, Saturnalia at Goldhead St. Park in Dec of '79 (my first real event if you want to call 28 degrees and me having pneumonia an event...ahhh, being young!, cratted TMT 5 at Goldhead St. Park with help from BlackThorne, which was a Middle Eastern Themed event, attended Coronation at O'Leno St. Park in Feb of '80 (and again froze our butts off), visited local events and hung out with the folks from Oldenfeld, held a Mock Court (practice "Baronial Court and Feast") type event at I believe the Red Lion apt clubhouse in 1980, with protocol and precedence newbie type classes given, attended by Master Taly; also attended meetings and local events with Blackthorne; by '81 began attending Meridian events in large numbers such as Coronations and Crown Lysts, Red Tower Tourneys, etc, also events down at Camp Keystone down in Tampa and small events similar to Pirate Fest/Cutlasses and Corsairs in Narval Dorado/St. Pete; In '82, Noriuji, Takara and I cratted Martinmas Moot. I know there were more, just can't think of 'em! OK---I've reached the end of my train of thought for right now---too much info filtering thru what's left of my grey cells. Don't know if any of this helps to fill in any blanks?   ~ Barb/Kara/Wombat Shakka Ed says First Champion of CM was either Billy Reed or a guy named Steve. He said he thinks Billy won it at the MOSH and Steve won it at VFW on Collins Rd.; Tommy Lemmons/Ld. Roland Floydsson won it at Metropolitan Park and Shakka Ed won it at the Sailing Club at Jax NAS. Ed says when Tommy won it there was a cloak, like a Cavalier Cloak that went to the winner. Ed says when he won it, there was the cloak and a glove as the prize. He can't remember who won it after him.   ~ Kara September 16, 2007 Castlemere did produce a short 'public service announcement' around that time that was rotated around local cable channels, I saw it and learned of the SCA from that. Details I can remember were that it was filmed at fighter practice in Riverside, Edmund Curan (then marshal) was fighting I think Wulfhilda, and there was a voiceover something like "enter the current middle ages". After I was active there was still talk about filming another program, but as the report mentioned, the equipment was always impossible to book. Everyone had their own public access program to film then (Wayne's World?) ~ Bran Duncan June 8, 2007 There were other things, like when we took the "Trimaris Strip" (all of coastal Georgia) on the way to Sea Raids and gave it to King Baldar. That was before the first Gulf Wars. We were trying to start a war with Meredies. We had Carolus write a challenge in latin, which all good Kings (or at least their priest or scholars) should know. However, those illiterate Meredians didn't know how to read it. It was years later before someone found it in the files and figured out what it said. Again, HRothy can give the dates, and maybe the people involved. I know Shaka Ed and Loraybech was there. They renamed everything. Shaka Ed (Eldon) had Savannah. They gave me Sea Island (although I was not there.) which I renamed Moonwind Isle. ~ Mistress Aspaia September 21, 2007 Here's a little of the history of the original Castlemere Guard. DISCLAIMER: This recollection is only my personal remembrances and observations from the time. I have intended in no way to insult the memory of Basilleous Angelicus (MKA Bill Renfro, who is still living in the northside of Jacksonville at last count) I was a member of the original Castlemere Guard. As we had so few members compared to today, hanging out with Basilleous and having armor was enough to be in the Guard. The original Castlemere Guard had no meetings, no drills, no paperwork, and only a couple of tabards. There were no forms to fill out, or records kept. What might have passed for planning sessions were talks at fighter practices and when we went out to eat after meetings. We had a showing during a demo at the MOSH (then it was the Children's Museum of Art and Science) in May 1984 as part of a Byzantince Coronation ceremony and honoring Sir Tetsuo, but that was about the only time I remeber it ever appearing publicly. Between late 1982 when I first became active in the shire to the time Bisilleous went inactive in 1985, the Guard was mostly talk. "Wouldn't it be cool if we did this..." Bisilleous had an imperial Byzantine persona, and he patterned the Castlemere Guard after the Varangian Guard. In some ways, he may have unconsciously patterned it as an extension of his own persona. To be fair, the Castlemere Guard was a fun idea, but it amounted to very little. It effectively died when Basilleous went inactive. ~ HL HRothgar