Baronial Custom for the Barony Beyond the Mountain

General Policies

  The baronial custom will be published annually in the Chanticleer. It will also be published annually to the East Kingdom seneschalate.

  The Baron/ess shall be reviewed and chosen in accordance with kingdom policies (Section VI.G Concerning Territorial Baronies).

  The Chanticleer is the official newsletter of the barony. Official announcements may also be posted at the baronial website.

  Baronial meetings are normally held each month with the exception of August. If possible, each canton will host one baronial meeting per year. There will be a meeting held at baronial Yule and baronial Birthday.

  Officer Policies

  The Barony must have the following officers: Seneschal, Herald, Exchequer, Knight Marshall, Minister of Arts and Sciences, Chronicler, and Chatelaine, and Minister of Lists.

  It is not mandatory that officers attend all meetings.  It is recommended that officers make their best effort to attend as many meetings as possible.  Any additional officers may be defined and used as needed to perform their duties within the barony.  The seneschal or their designee shall oversee all baronial meetings.

  It is strongly recommended that all baronial officers subscribe to the Chanticleer.

  Baronial Officers

  Baronial officer reviews occur in odd numbered years, with the exception of the Knight-Marshal’s office as explained below..  Officers do not have term limits.  All applicants for a baronial office must submit a letter of intent for that office to the incumbent officer, the baronial seneschal, and the baron/ess.  If more than one person is interested in an officer’s position at review time, then the candidates will be presented for an election by a general polling of the populace, in accordance with normal baronial policies. In the event that a current officer wants to step down, it is recommended that a notice of three months be given if possible.

  Because the Knight-Marshal’s office falls under the Kingdom Earl-Marshal’s office rather than the Seneschallate, it will be governed by the rules and decisions made by the Kingdom EM and the Regional KM. Applicants for the office should approach the incumbent KM and/or Regional KM. Rather than a populace election, decisions between multiple applicants will be made by the Regional KM or his/her superiors. The Seneschal should be promptly notified of any changes in who holds the Baronial KM’s position by either the outgoing KM or the incoming KM or both.

  Officer titles with an asterisk (*) are not required by kingdom law, but are typically filled at the local level.

  The officers are: Seneschal, Arts and Sciences, Chronicler, Exchequer, Herald, Knight Marshal, Chatelaine, Lists, Chamberlain*, Web*, Archery*, Chirurgeon*, Fence*.

  All officers will be reviewed in June of the review year. Baronial officer review reminders must be published in the April edition of the Chanticleer.  Reviews of potential candidates will take place in May.  Appointments will take place at the June meeting.

  Officer transfers, including all paperwork and related materials must be completed within thirty days of the officer appointment.  The transferring officers shall, together, ensure that the appropriate paperwork is filed with kingdom during this time. If the transfer is not completed within thirty days, the situation will be brought to the attention of the barony for resolution.

  Decision Making Policies

  Any person who resides within the designated boundaries of Barony Beyond the Mountain may have a voice in general decisions within the barony, except for matters that require paid membership as stated by kingdom law or Corpora. 

  Decisions on baronial matters will be made by group accord at a baronial meeting.   Adequate discussion should be encouraged to permit an informed decision to take place.   If the issue requires an immediate decision, then an informal polling of the attendees will be employed.  If the issue is not critical and sufficient objections are raised, the matter will be discussed and tabled until the next meeting.  If the matter cannot be arbitrated or no progress is made toward a final decision on the issue at that time, it will be referred to canton and baronial seneschals for review and final decision. Any decision made at one meeting may be re-examined at future meetings.

  Event Policies

  Any function that represents itself as “The Barony Beyond the Mountain” is considered a baronial event and subject to the following policies.  This includes official events, demos, fund-raisers, and practices and must be listed in the Chanticleer.  The baronial seneschal must approve all events, demos, and practices.  There must be a written approval on file with the baronial seneschal before the event takes place.  A verbal approval is adequate to initiate planning and investigation processes.

  A written contract with the event site is highly recommended for all events.  At a minimum, it should outline fees, a general description of what the barony intends to do, what facilities will be made available at the site, when the site is expected to be opened and closed, site address and contacts (prior to and day of the event).

  All event announcements for baronial events must be approved in writing by the baronial seneschal before they may be published. All financial matters must be addressed to and by the baronial exchequer.

  The event coordinator or their appointee must attend the two baronial meetings prior to the scheduled event. If attendance is a hardship for the event coordinator, they may request that one meeting be moved to a location that would allow them to attend. The barony will make a good faith effort to accommodate their request. The canton requesting the change will be responsible for providing a meeting site. The event coordinator may be suspended from baronial event coordination for two years from the time of their event if they fail to file the required reports within thirty days to the regional authority.

  The baronial seneschal is ultimately responsible for any function of the barony.  The baronial seneschal may cancel an event, or remove an event coordinator if appropriate baronial policies are not followed.  This may only be done if the situation endangers the good name of the barony and must be reviewed by the baron/ess as well.  The situation must be documented in the seneschal’s records.

  An event coordinator should not always be the same person, if others are interested in coordinating the event.  It is recommended that if someone wants to coordinate an event “typically” run by someone else, they should act as the current coordinator’s deputy before taking over the following time.  An inexperienced coordinator must have an experienced deputy, approved by the seneschal, to guide them.

  For any event, the baronial exchequer may not be the event coordinator or be allowed to take any reservations in advance or at the event.

  Custom Amendment Policies

  Baronial custom may be amended at any time by a presentation of a written proposal of the change to the baron/ess and the baronial seneschal.  All proposed changes must then be discussed and approved by the general accord of the populace at a regular monthly baronial meeting.

  Fiscal Policies

  Baronial funds will be budgeted annually to the local officers to defray the costs of performing their duties in service to the barony.  The baronial budget will be created and reviewed by the Exchequer in September and be approved by the general accord of the populace at the next regular monthly meeting.

  All fiscal policies will be guided and ruled by Corpora and East Kingdom law.