June 2003 - Volume 2, Issue 1 
Our new King and Queen, Don Amador de la Hoya and Dame Etaine Llywelyn
In June our kingdom's focus was on the preparations for the Coronation of our new King and Queen, Don Amador de la Hoya and Dame Etaine Llywelyn. Much time was clocked selecting the food menu, preparing the ceremony and practicing entertainment. Archery on Saturday had unusual twist in that, due to threatening weather, the scenerio was set undercover. Of course this did not phase our combatants. Afterward, Baroness Squire Bridgett O'Flaherty held a colleguim on "Courtly Renaissance Dancing." That evening, our Heir Apparents, Don Amador and Dame Etaine, held their coronation and Spanish style feast. The Coronation ceremony opened the affair, which was elegant and impressive. Following the ministers were sworn in under the new crowns. The banquet was a wonderful spread of tasteful food and The Society of Brewers and Vintners of Castilles donated their spirits to share with the populace. Many people were responsible for the bounteous feast, all headed by Dame Ana Llywelyn. Once again the members of our kingdom shined as they performed for the amusement of the populace. The program included of many examples of belly dancing by our tribe of dancers called Sirocco, Vice and Virtue gave a bawdy singing performance and we ended the night with a wild spin at courtly dancing, a first attempt for our kingdom. The evening also included several knightings. Dame Nest Llywelyn, Sir Alfred of Clophill received their 1st second level knighthoods and Sir Alaric Thorne had bestowed upon him his 2nd second level knighthood. After his knighting, Sir Alfred took Galynne Lire as his squire. Combat and the Arts were held, as usual, at the Crown Event on Sunday. This was the first event opened by our new Crowns and they announce the new ministers for the benefit the the populace who were unable to attend the feast. During lunch break, HRH Don Amador held a collegum on "Proposing Laws, Amendments and Proxies." During July, Castillian members were seen at a couple demostrations held in our area. One was a showing of the new movie "Pirates of the Caribbean." Many also assisted the Kingdom of York with the Shakespeare Festival which was held for several weekends.
Bowman - Galynne Lire Huntsman - Sir Nikademus Fiend from the Kingdom of York Combat lists: Art & Science lists: Chancellor: no report submitted Steward:
Minister of Combat: no report submitted Minister of Arts & Sciences: no report submitted Minister of Archery: Please be reminded that Archery will now be held at 10am instead of 11am. Sovereign of Arms: no report submitted Hospitoler: Webmistress: Chronicler: How to Get Your Collegium Approved and Rules on Giving It Submitted by HRH Dame Etaine Llywelyn 1st - The documentation syllabus must be approved by the Crown prior
to announcing the class.
Autocrated by - Date - Contenders - Watch the Castilles yahoo group list for more information to come.
Fork or Spoon? Which One Can I Use at a Feast?
I have lost track of the number of feasts I have attended where the only utensils provided were a knife and a spoon. I was always told that forks were not period... and accepted that. Fact of Fiction? Fiction... for forks are in fact period. (Say that 3 times fast!) Although there is a description of a kind of hook used to pull meats out of cooking pots in the Bible and a five-pronged forklike utensil used for turning roasting meats in Homer's Odyssey, the first documented use in Europe of a fork with tines at the table while eating is from the eleventh century. St. Peter Damian, the source for this story, was clearly not pleased with its use, having this to say about the luxury in his condemnation of Greek-born Dogissa Maria Argyra in Venice:
but would command her eunuchs to cut it up into small pieces, which she would impale on a certain golden instrument with two prongs and thus carry to her mouth." The second piece of evidence comes from an eleventh-century illustrated manuscript from Monte Cassino of two men using a two-pronged fork. Eustachio Celebrino of Udine writes about the scalco (head steward) in 1526, in a work published in Venice called Opera nova che insegna apparechiar una mensa a uno convito (New book that teaches the use of banquet table implements.) Celebrino had table settings of plates with a piece of bread, a cracker (biscottello), and a cake (pignochato) upon them. The settings were flanked with a knife and fork, which is a very early mention of the dinner fork (pirone). Forks also appear in the inventories of silverware in Florence, taken in 1361, in inventories of Charles V and Charles VI of France, and in Italian cookbooks of the late 1400's. All these references do not mean that forks were common - the fork was known only to the very uppermost classes, and seldom used even among them. Forks were known and used in Spain, at least by the upper classes, by the time of the Armada. A large assortment was recovered from the wreck of La Girona, which sank off the coast of Ireland in 1588. La Girona carried Don Alonso de Leiva and his retinue, who apparently traveled well equipped. Don Alonso is known to have entertained the Duke of Medina Sidonia before the Armada sailed, "in grand style, with musical accompaniment, at his table sumptuously set with silver plate and cutlery and gold-plated candelabra." This cutlery included a large number of forks, with anywhere from two to five tines. These tines are all straight, as opposed to curved, although the five tined variety appears to be slightly splayed at the points. The many pieces recovered are fragmentary - either tines or handles, but few pieces still joined. The handles include a simple baluster stem with a terminal in the form of a hoof, to elegant handles with terminals in the form of serpents or of human torsos, among others. One wonders what was the purpose of so many different styles of fork. References: © 2003 www.castilles.org. All rights reserved. |