A Brief Introduction to Officers & Deputies

What Every Office Does…
In Two Sentences or Less

  • The Seneschal is the branch President and acts as the administrative head and legal representative of the Barony. Common deputies include:
    • Required: The Contingency Deputy steps in when the Seneschal is not available.
    • The Social Medial Officer works with the Seneschal and the Kingdom Social Media officer, helping with the administration of official Baronial social media accounts and the coordination of event advertisements and posts.
    • The Family Activities & Events Deputy arranges opportunities for the education and entertainment of youth and families at our events; this officer must pass a background check.
  • The Exchequer is the treasurer of the Barony and is responsible for the handling of all SCA funds within the Barony. Common deputies include:
    • Required: The Contingency Deputy steps in when the Exchequer is not available.
    • The Finance Committee Clerk attends the monthly finance / business meeting and takes minutes
    • The Steward (known as a Chamberlain in other regions of the SCA) maintains the Baronial inventory in the storage unit and coordinates with others when items need to be transported
    • The Librarian maintains our library and keeps track of inventory, loaning books out to paid members of the Barony.
  • The Baronial Marshal is responsible for supporting all combat activities in the Barony, coordinating with the Deputy officers, and performing necessary duties when there is no Deputy for a specific discipline. The Baronial Marshal often doubles as the Armored Combat Marshal. Duties are more fully described in the An Tir Book of Combat and the SCA Marshal’s Handbook. Deputy officers serve in support of specific disciplines:
    • The Armored Combat Marshal is responsible for the conduct of Society-legal armored (heavy) combat within the Barony and for managing that loaner gear.
    • The Rapier Marshal is responsible for rapier and cut-and-thrust. 
    • The Chief Archer is responsible for target archery and associated equipment.
    • The Siege Officer oversees siege equipment development and use.
    • The Thrown Weapons officer is responsible for thrown weapons activities.
    • There may be two youth deputy officers (who must pass a background check): the Youth Armored Combat Officer and the Youth Rapier Officer.
    • The Minister of Lists is responsible for running tournaments at Baronial events.
  • The Arts & Sciences (A&S) Minister is responsible for fostering the practice of all period arts and sciences within the Barony, organizing and scheduling the related events. Common deputies include:
    • The deputy Games Minister promotes medieval games and pastimes by hosting activities at Baronial events and maintains the Barony’s game collection.
    • Other deputies in support of specific arts are encouraged. 
  • Guild masters provide a different kind of service within the A&S community by promoting social, networking, and teaching/learning opportunities for their specific art.
    • The Scribal Guild Master promotes the scribal arts by organizing opportunities to learn, practice, and network with other scribes in our barony.
    • The Culinary Guild Master promotes the culinary arts in the same way and also organizes demos for June Faire.
  • The Chatelain(e) is the primary greeter and facilitator for newcomers to the Barony, coordinates public demonstrations, and arranges the Chatelain(e)’s booth at June Faire.
    • The Gold Key deputy maintains clothing for loaning out to newcomers, including checking items in/out and ensuring those items are in good repair.
  • The Webminister maintains the baronial website, provides technical support for the June Faire website, and provides support for virtual meetings and events. The Webminister may appoint a deputy to maintain the Baronial Calendar.
  • The Chronicler acts as the recording secretary for the Branch, collating the business/finance meeting notes and monthly officer reports into “The Flames,” the Baronial newsletter (link).
  • The Golden Dragon Pursuivant (Baronial Herald) provides heraldic services to the Barony, offering consultations for personal names and heraldry and arranging voice heraldry (including field heralds, town criers, and court announcements) for events.
  • The Baronial Scribe coordinates with the Baron/Baroness to ensure that award charters and scrolls are ready for each Baronial event and maintains a list of active scribes in the Barony.

If you are interested in learning more about any particular office, the Dragon’s Laire Customary (PDF) describes general officer responsibilities and Appendix 1 (PDF) describes each office in more detail. It is also a good idea to read the SCA and Kingdom handbooks for the office: see the SCA document library and the An Tir library. Dragon’s Laire also hosts some Resources for Baronial Officers on our website.