Historical Records of the Barony of Lakenshire
The following is a record of the history of our shire before House Gryphonheart was established. The following activities were based out of our previous location: Lakenshoren Hold.
In the fall of 2000 A.D. we had two very exciting events here in Lakenshire. The first was an Autumn Camp and River Quest on September the 29th through October the 1st which our Lord chose to smile upon with absolutely perfect weather! It was truly a campaign to remember, including Archery, a one on one weapons tournament, canoeing and a strategic forest competition that challenged our two citizen factions at the time to capture one another's leaders and be the first to escape the square mile of forest! The competitions were only rivaled by the food and fellowship around the fire as the men shared their hearts in the study of God's word.
The other event, was our first feast at McNeill Manor in honor of the young Squire, Rane of Ireland, the leader of the Green Faction. (At that early time in our history, there were to competing factions: Blue and Green.) Baron Pheregas and his lady, accompanied by their two oldest children and Sir Hamish Swordbanger, honored the young Irishman's 16th birthday with much pomp and jollification, making merriment late into the afternoon and enjoying the company of the Honorable Lord Steven McNeill and his most hospitable Lady, Shirley McNeill who served 5 full courses plus a great variety of desserts. The event was shared by family and friends of the McNeills and entertainment was provided by the serfs and pages of the Barony. Included in the entertainment were such classic re-enactments as "St. George and the Dragon" and the comedy "The Ugliest Man in the World!". There were also minstrel performances and many a toast, one of which included a recitation of Lord Byron's "She walks in Beauty" by the Baron himself as he toasted 10 years of blissful marriage to his Lady. Truly another event long to be remembered in the memories (and the bellies) of all in attendance, which was nearly everyone in the Shire!
On January 19th and 20th 2001, The Gamer's Guild of Lakenshire sponsored the first annual Gamer's All-Night Lock-in! The event began at 7pm on Friday night and continued through the night, ending at 9am Saturday morning. Of course, various boardgames were played and pizza was ordered. The Baron gave a short devotion around midnight and sometime during the wee hours of the morning, just before the faint hearted began to drift off to sleep, the focus shifted to physical combat and competition which carried the participants through on adrenaline and much laughter. Of course there was lots of snack foods and all involved expressed a desire to repeat the event before next year!
On Feb. 23rd - 25th 2001, Baron Pheregas and the Noble family accompanied Sir Hamish Swordbanger and the Barony's top Squires in a journey to the state of Missouri to compete in the first annual Tournament of Hearts hosted by the esteemed Baronety of Christchurch. The honorable Sir Lynden and his household were wonderful hosts and treated our Barony with the utmost hospitality. Though the weather was rainy and cold, the fellowship between our two shires was warm and jovial.
The tournament consisted of boffer swords and wooden sheilds with about 8 or 9 participants including the Viscount of Blackgold from ROC who also journeyed a great distance to compete. The final round was fought between Sir Lynden Bart of Christchurch and the young squire of Lakenshire, Camalon of Ireland. The duel was well fought by both with Sir Lynden winning by the narrowest of margins, but in a grand act of chivalry and humility, the Noble Sir Lynden deferred the trophy to his worthy opponent, sending the wooden heart home with the Barony of Lakenshire in the possession of Camalon Esquire!
The day also included archery and knife throwing, and both were accomplished despite the torrential rain with all of the knights and squires soaked to the bone as a result. The Lords and Ladies watched from a sheltered Noble's booth as Marshal Sagan of Christchurch took home the Archery ribbon and Sir Robert of Cork, the Viscount of Blackgold won the knife throwing contest.
After the outdoor "water" sports and before the Sword Tourney, all in attendance enjoyed a delightful meal provided by Christchurch in which Sir Hamish and his squires presented tokens of appreciation to the Lord and Lady of Christchurch on behalf of our Barony.
With the brotherhood and common spirit shared at this first Tournament of Hearts, a bond was formed between our shires that we look to nurture in hopes of many more events to come!
Saturday Evening March 17th was St. Patrick's day and the Barony of Lakenshire celebrated the patron saint of Ireland in grand fashion with a feast of magnificent proportions! Sir Hamish and his clan spared no effort to provide those in attendance with delicious food, enjoyable entertainment, and authentic atmosphere! Compliments filled the air at the close of the evening as over 60 lords and ladies from far and near expressed their enjoyment. Clan Mackay provided a meal of roast pork, potatoes, steamed vegetables and many extra appetizers with several "removes" served in succession between poetic readings, and humorous dramas. The Mackay Drama Guild received cheers and joyful applause in response to their unique satirical rendition of St. George and the Dragon which proved to be the hi-light of the evening.
The evening ended with an informative tribute to St. Patrick and short devotional by Sir Vivian the Blackhammer, Knight Errant from the lands of the far north followed by a heartfelt address by Baron Pheregas who shared the exploits and accomplishments of our citizens with our visitors as he explained our purpose and mission.
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