Background
The title of Chatelaine comes from the medieval term for the domestic administrator for a large estate or castle. This person was the “keeper of the keys” and was the host or hostess for visitors. Other titles for the Chatelaine are used around the SCA, all deriving from this same medieval office: Hospitaller, Castellan, Chatelain (a male version of Chatelaine), or Gold Key Officer. When speaking to members of the general public who are unfamiliar with medieval or SCA terms, the Chatelaine position may be presented as the Recruiting Officer or Hospitality, sometimes even the Welcome Wagon.
In the Barony of Loch Salann, the Chatelaine’s office is primarily split into two separate, but linked, offices: The Chatelaine and the Hospitaller.
Baronial Chatelaine
The Chatelaine’s Office is responsible for recruiting and retention in the barony. They will work with newcomers and current members, alike, to help be the conduit of information. The Chatelaine typically focuses on retention issues and internal affairs, though technically covers everything from demos to public relations. The Chatelaine is the formal head of this division and is responsible for directing any deputies for the office as a whole. A Chatelaine may have as many deputies as necessary to handle the various functions of their office.
The Chatelaine, along with the Seneschal should be aware of any publicity about the group of the S.C.A. In particular, any interaction with the modern media should be cleared with either or both of these officers ahead of time whenever possible. No one else may represent the Society to the media without the knowledge and consent of either or both officers (Chatelaine and Seneschal).
Baronial Hospitaller
The Hospitaller is the primary contact to newcomers: recruiting and outreach for the barony. The Hospitaller is responsible for providing an introduction to the Current Middle Ages to new or prospective members, for advising newcomers of the conventions of the Society, their Kingdom and branch, and for encouraging participation in the Society. The Hospitaller can provide access to educational information such as handouts, booklets and other materials, and coordinate both the library and class access with the baronial Minister of Arts and Sciences. The Hospitaller may also hold a Newcomer’s College or a “Dabbler’s Guild” to provide specialized classes to newcomers on any topic of interest. Some popular classes are local awards, kingdom awards, SCA 101, courtly graces, and more. The Hospitaller also is the liaison to the Youth Minister, including the Pages Primer and the College of Courtly Graces (Artemisia’s youth programs.) The Hospitaller may also have any deputies as needed to handle the various functions of the office.
Deputy for Public Relations
A deputy may be appointed regarding Public Relations: is responsible for identifying contacts at local newspapers, radio, TV, and publicity events such as local renaissance fairs; writing and issuing publicity notices to these outlets about selected SCA activities for recruiting purposes; and strategic planning of group recruiting efforts. This task is sometimes delegated to a well-connected web minister or chronicler. This role may be assumed by the seated Baron and Baroness or may be appointed otherwise. This officer works closely with the Kingdom Media Relations Officer to ensure the effectiveness of media communications and compliance with SCA corporate policies and guidelines on media communications.
Deputy for Demonstrations/ Demo Coordinator
Demonstrations (or “demos” as they’re commonly called) fall under the authority of the Chatelaine. Some branch Chatelaines have deputies known as demo coordinators. The Demo coordinator is responsible for reaching out to area organizations, such as schools, historic groups, farmers markets, etc. to help bring the SCA to the general populace. As needed, the demo coordinator may a deputy to help with staffing the volunteers for the demos.
Deputy for Publications
Local branches are required to establish a branch library and obtain, through gift or purchase, current copies of: The Known World Handbook, the Organizational Handbook (a.k.a. Corpora), any Artemisian publications, handbooks, etc., together with whatever resources the branch deems appropriate, including the officer manuals and handbooks. The Branch Chatelaine is responsible for maintaining the library unless the branch has a librarian or delegates the responsibility to another officer.
Deputy for Gold Key
The Office of Gold Key maintains a collection of clothing, accessories and feast gear that a branch keeps on hand to loan to guests and new members. New members should be encouraged to make or acquire their own garb as soon as possible rather than borrowing from Gold Key indefinitely or for long periods of time. The Gold Key officer is in charge of maintaining this collection; making sure it gets to and from events where it will be needed; and setting up a system for loan and retrieval of the articles. Neither the Gold Key officer nor the Chatelaine is responsible for making or providing permanent garb for newcomers. In some branches, the Chatelaine will serve in both capacities, but it’s helpful to have a separate Gold Key officer. The Gold Key officer may collect fabrics or raise funds to buy fabrics for Gold Key items, arrange sewing bees, solicit donations of suitable articles from branch members, or find other appropriate means of amassing a collection. Gold Key officers report to the chatelaine of the branch. Keeping track of how often the collection is used, at which events, and which items are borrowed the most frequently will help the Gold Key and Chatelaine focus their efforts.
It is important to note that there is no Kingdom gold key collection.
If you are interested in any of these positions and would like to help the Barony, please contact the Seneschal ([email protected]) and the Baron & Baroness ([email protected] & [email protected]).