Northshield Bardic College: History

THL Owen Alun gives this information about the history of the Northshield Bardic College:

"[The charter was] crafted by Lord Raven, C.M. Joserlin, and signed and sealed April 30th, 1994 by Jafar and Catherine, King and Queen of the Midrealm.

"The College held its organizational meeting at Mermaid's Retreat on May 21st of that year and Ld. Raven was appointed the first Speaker.

"The College holds its annual business meeting at Bardic Madness each year, to choose the new Council members and Speaker.

"Our intention was to create an organization with a minimalistic structure, so that people could not get caught up in the "inner workings" of the college: The only purposes of the college are to encourage bardic performance and bardic activities by and among all people in Northshield, whether they be "professed performers" or not, and to support composers and performers in their work, whether or not they consider themselves "part of the college" or not." --from the original webpage hosting the charter, http://poet.minstrel.com/ncb/ncbcharter.html, last updated March 17, 1998

Council members are elected at the Bardic College's one yearly meeting, held at Bardic Madness in early Spring. Two council members are elected every year, and terms are two years long; at every meeting, one of the outgoing council members is chosen after elections by the four current members to the be the Speaker.

Here is a timeline of the College, starting with the first Bardic Madness (which preceded the College):

Bardic Madness I, Shire of Windhaven (Fox Valley, WI), 1991:
• (Wilhelm Dichtermann's first event.)

Bardic Madness II, Shire of Shattered Oak (Eau Claire, WI), 1992

Bardic Madness III, Shire of Silfren Mere (Rochester, MN), 1993:
• Finn Rex attended this and requested a tourney be held. This was the first event in Northshield not in a Barony which drew royalty since the days of Corin and Myfanwy.
• Finn was presented with the Northshield "straw poll" results which were tabulated at the Seneschals' council meeting that morning.

Bardic Madness IV, Shire of Turm an dem See (Sheboygan, WI), 1994:
• This event was held at a stay-over site which we had from Friday night through Sunday.
• It was after this one that Raven started talking about founding a college, which was chartered in April of that year and held its first elections at Mermaids that May.

Inaugural council members, May 1994:
• Brendan O'Corraidhe
• Nawson ben Mas'ud
• Wyndreth Berginsdottir
• Owen Alun
• Speaker: C.M. Joserlin, called Raven

Bardic Madness V, Colleges of Nordleigh (Northfield, MN), 1995:
• Event information and list of challenges
• This was the year that the basic format of challenges and classes intersecting started.
• Wilhelm entered every single challenge.
• This was the year that Thorbjorn the Graysides performed the "Ta dum" sonnet to end the evening.
• Elected: John Chandler Greyfeather
• Aelfreda, called Goonie (?)
• Speaker: Owen

Bardic Madness VI, Shire of Western Keep (Brookings, SD), 1996:
• Morgana bro Morganwg met Wyndreth Berginsdottir at this event.
• Dafydd, Gwyneth, and Ian attended. Ian gave out tokens.
• The first singing of "Shield my Kinsmen".
• Elected: Herr Wilhelm Dichtermann
• Rosamund of Trenchfield
• Speaker: Wyndreth

Bardic Madness VII, Barony of Jararvellir (Madison, WI), 1997:
• Conn and Kassandra (Prince and Princess of the Northshield) attend.
• Cybele of Rowangrove receives her Award of Arms.
• Elected: Lord Owen Alun
• Lady Cybele of Rowangrove
• Speaker: Chandler

Bardic Madness VIII, Shire of Inner Sea (Duluth, MN), 1998:
• Planning for Bardic Madness South started at this event.
• Event information and list of challenges
• Elected: Lady Robina of Willowood
• Lord Dahrien Cordell
• Speaker: Wilhelm

Bardic Madness South I, called Jongleurs and Japes, at Grey Gargoyles/Tree-Girt-Sea (Chicago, IL), December 1998:
• Event information and list of challenges
• Dag and Elayna attend.
• First successful jointly sponsored event in the Chicago area.
• Cerian Cantwr appointed first Provost of Bardic Madness South.

Bardic Madness IX, Shire of Rudivale (Grand Forks, ND), 1999:
• Tarrach and Fiona attend.
• Elected: Lady Kudrun the Pilegrim
• Berwyn (?)
• Speaker: Cybele

Bardic Madness X, Barony of Windhaven (Fox Valley, WI), 2000:
• Event information and list of challenges
• Owen hands off North Provost position to Wilhelm.
• Kudrun and Cybele enter almost every challenge.
• Elected: Lady Ysolt Pais de Coeur
• Lady Eliane Halévy
• Speaker: Dahrien

Bardic Madness South II, St. Carol on the Moor (Charleston, IL), Dec. 2000:
• Event information and list of challenges
• "For St. Carol, this was their first event in years, first feast in a decade, and first financially successful event since time immemorial."--Cerian

Bardic Madness XI, Shire of Mare Amethystinum (Thunder Bay, ONT), 2001:
• Saeric and Kenneth attend.
• Elected: Bantiarna Deirdre inghen ui Bardŕin
• Lady Charissa de la Sirra
• Speaker: Kudrun

Bardic Madness South III, Shire of Greyhope (Valparaiso, IN), November 2001:
• Bardic performance given by almost the whole population of Greyhope. For many of the individuals, this was their first bardic performance ever.
• Attended by several carloads from Calontir, Ealdormere, and Northshield.
• First challenge entry involving participants from three different kingdoms.
• Speculation begins on the possibility of "spreading the madness further", i.e. additional Bardic Madnesses in other Kingdoms.

Bardic Madness XII, Shire of Rockhaven (St. Cloud, MN), March 16, 2002:
• Wilhelm announces he is moving to Calontir and steps down as Provost. He names Eliane Halevy as new Provost starting with Bardic Madness XIII.
• Elected: The Honorable Lord Aleksandr Vasilevych Lev of Volynia
• Lord Cerian Cantwr
• Speaker: Ysolt

Bardic Madness South IV, Shire of Vonspring (Lansing, MI), November 23, 2002

Bardic Madness XIII, Barony of Jararvellir (Dodgeville, WI), February 22, 2003:
• See photos from the event: TE Leif and Astrid's photos on Their website
• Event website
• Schedule and list of challenges
• Several carloads of visitors from Ealdormere come to add their talents to the day. Second-biggest Bardic Madness ever, held at Folklore Village in Dodgeville, in a lovely hall with an inlaid Compass Star in the floor. Their Excellencies Leif and Astrid, heirs to the Stellar Throne, sponsor a challenge, then stay until the very end of the challenge performances. Master John Chandler and Lord Heinrich co-autocratted.
• Elected: Lady Ciara of Tor Aerie
• Lord Dahrien Cordell
• Speaker: Lady Charissa de la Sirra

Bardic Madness South V, [location?], November 22, 2003

Bardic Madness XIV, Barony of Castel Rouge (Winnipeg, MB, Canada), February 14, 2004:
• Pictures from the Unofficial Northshield Gallery
• Event schedule, class list and challenges
• Baroness Faerisa and THL Kolbrunna worked magic with an all-subtlety feast. THL Aleksandr Vasilevych Lev of Volynia autocratted. THL Madeleine from Windhaven, after many years as a Bardic Madness patron, broke her silence and performed in one of the challenges. Princess Anne and Lady Heir Giulia attended.
• Elected: Lady Katherine d'Amiens
• Baron Berwyn AEthelbryght of Ackley
• Speaker: THL Cerian Cantwr

Bardic Madness South VI, Shire of Baile na Scolairi (Bloomington, IL), November 20, 2004:
• Event website
• Titled "The Feast of St. John the Fool". John is the patron saint of fools, waterfowl, and lozengy fabric.
• Steward: Catalin Zöldszem

This is part of the recognized website for the Northshield Bardic College of the Kingdom of Northshield, one of 18 recognized Kingdoms of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. It is not an official publication of the SCA, Inc. and does not delineate SCA policies. In cases of conflict of material presented on this page or its links, any disputes will be decided in favor of the printed version.