1. Purpose
1.1. The purpose of the Herb & Garden Guild is to:
1.1.1. Build a community of people interested in herbalism, gardening, and agriculture within the SCA Kingdom of Lochac.
1.1.2. Research and educate others about the propagation, cultivation, storage, and use of plants and animals in a historical context.
1.1.3. Where appropriate, the Guild will also promote the demonstration and practice of period skills, tools, methods, objects, and food within the SCA time period, prior to 1600AD.
2. Membership:
2.1. Membership is open to any person within the SCA Kingdom of Lochac with an interest in period herbalism, agriculture, or horticulture.
2.2. Membership is automatically granted to anyone subscribed to the Herb & Garden Guild e-mail list: https://mailman.lochac.sca.org/postorius/lists/garden.lochac.sca.org/
2.3. The Guild Administrator can also grant membership to those without e-mail access.
2.4. Levels of membership are:
2.4.1. Level One: General members.
2.4.2. Level Two: Guildmaster / Guildmistress awarded by acclaim and the general consensus of the guild (nominations are to be sent to the Guild Administrator).
2.5. Membership conveys the following privileges:
2.5.1. Right to wear the guild insignia and claim membership,
2.5.2. Right to be listed as a member on the Herb & Garden Guild website (by contacting the Guild Administrator or the Guild Webwright),
2.5.3. Eligibility to hold office in the Herb & Garden Guild,
2.5.4. The right to vote in polls, submit and vote upon motions at meetings of the Herb & Garden Guild, if aged 14 years or older,
2.5.5. Eligibility to organise local chapter meetings and official Herb & Garden Guild events.
3. Officers
3.1. The term of office for Guild officers is 2 years. They may be re-elected into the position, but cannot serve more than two consecutive terms.
3.2. The Guild Administrator: The administrative head of the Guild. They shall be known as the guild master/mistress or head gardener.
3.2.1. It is not necessary for the Guild Administrator to be present at the Annual General Meeting meeting to be appointed.
3.2.2. If the Guild Administrator is not present, they must appoint a representative to chair that or future meetings.
3.2.3. The duties of the Guild Administrator are:
3.2.3.1. Schedule and prepare the agenda for the Annual General Meeting within the first 6 months of each calendar year.
3.2.3.2. Report once per year to the Kingdom Arts & Sciences minister on Guild activities. This should be done within 1 month of the Annual General Meeting.
3.2.4. In the absence of a Guild Administrator, another Guild Officer or member may perform these duties.
3.3. The Guild Chronicler: Responsible for the production of the Guild Newsletter.
3.4. The Guild Webwright (optional): Responsible for the maintenance of the Guild Website.
3.4.1. The Guild Webwright shall use the “Kingdom of Lochac Web Ministers handbook” which can be found at http://lochac.sca.org/webwright/polpub.html.
3.4.2. In the absence of a Guild Webwright, the Chronicler or Administrator will maintain the Guild Website.
3.5. The Guild Administrator and other officers may appoint deputies as necessary.
3.6. Current officers are responsible for advertising their replacements prior to the end of their term.
4. Communications
4.1. The Guild will publish to the garden@lochac.sca.org mailing list all official communications, notifications and news. This list shall be the official point of contact for the Guild.
4.2. Other forums may be used for discussion, sharing of resources and information, but any notices etc. will not be considered official unless also posted to the mailing list.
5. Annual General Meeting:
5.1. An annual general meeting will be held once a year via e-mail on a date deemed appropriate by the Guild Administrator (or, in their absence, another officer, deputy, or member). A quorum for passing a motion at a general meeting is a minimum of three members of the guild, which must include a Guild Officer.
5.2. The purpose of the Annual General Meeting is to:
5.2.1. Vote on the election of new guild officers, or dismissal of current guild officers (if applicable).
5.2.2. Consider and vote on any motions brought forward by members, including any changes to the Guild’s charter.
5.2.2.1. Any changes to the charter must be deemed acceptable to the Kingdom A&S Minister.
5.2.3. Motions for the meeting should be sent to the Guild Administrator.
5.2.4. The agenda for the meeting must be circulated to all members at least one month prior to the event, including an electronic voting form with the agenda. An email posted to the official Herb & Garden email list is considered a dispatch to all members.
5.2.5. Votes will be decided by a simple majority.
5.2.6. Results of the voting should be circulated to all members within 1 month of the Annual General Meeting.
6. Other Guild Meetings
6.1. Additional virtual or in-person meetings can be held at any event where there are sufficient guild members, but no motions are to be voted on at these additional meetings.
6.2. If you do hold an official Herb & Garden Guild meeting, e-mail the Guild Administrator with the name of the event, the date, and (optionally) 1-2 sentences about the meeting.
History and Notes to Charter:
(not part of Charter)
- The Original Guild Charter was first accepted by the guild at Rowany Festival 2005.
- The official herb and garden email list details are on our Contacts page.
- The Herb & Garden Guild petition to attain full guild status within the Kingdom of Lochac was presented to and accepted by Their Majesties King Alfar of Attica and Queen Gudrun Bodvarsdotti in the Saturday afternoon court at Rowany Festival A.S. XLI (7th April 2007).
- The petition, signature list, and charter presented now forms part of the Herb & Garden Guild Paraphernalia and Regalia
- A new charter was drafted and presented for voting at Rowany Festival 2026, where it was accepted
- Any comments on the charter should be sent to the Guild Administrator. The charter may be changed at an annual general meeting as detailed above.