Saturday, January 16, 2016

Alesone's Fealty Oath

In keeping with +Wendy Marques 's desire for her Laurel elevation to be as close as we could make it (within SCAdian traditions) to the creation of a 16th cen. Master Grocer in London, I went searching through the records of the Worshipful Company of Master Grocers to build her a fealty oath.

The Worshipful Company swore a lengthy oath to Queen Elizabeth I in 1584.  It can be found in its entirety at pp. 83-85 of  Some Account of the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London.  The oath in its entirety would have taken a very long time to recite in an SCA court, and much of it has to do with refusing to recognize pretenders to the Crown (a problem we really don't have in the East Kingdom in A.S. 50).  So I extracted some of the best language, then massaged it a little to make it SCA-appropriate and Alesone-appropriate.  The words below are what Alesone loudly and firmly declared today upon attaining her Mastery, echoing the words signed and agreed to by other Master Grocers 432 years ago.

I, Alesone Gray of Cranlegh, being a subject of this realm of the East and acclaimed as a Peer of the Society, hereby acknowledge myself most justly bound with my life, land and goods for the defense and safety of the Kingdom; and so acknowledging, I do swear and avow that I shall withstand, pursue, and suppress all such enemies of the Realm and other mischievous persons, of whatever nation, condition or degree whatsoever they may be, that intend harm to the Kingdom.  And I do further vow and promise that, I shall serve and humbly obey you my Sovereign Lord and Lady, with my powers, body, life, lands and goods; and that I shall resist by force of arms all estates, dignities and earthly powers whatsoever that intend the harm of your Royal Persons.  So say I, Alesone, Master of the Laurel.

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