This is the policy for the Shire of Sterlynge Vayle, in the Kingdom of AEthelmearc, a branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. It is subordinate to Kingdom Law & Policy, Corpora, and civil law.

*I. Publication of and revisions to policy.*

A. Sterlynge Vayle's policies must be published in the "The Dragon's Tongue" in full at least once every two years. It should be on the webpage, and available by request from the Seneschal. When published, they supercede all former policies.

B. Changes or additions to these policies become official upon their publication in the newsletter, and must be approved by a majority of the card-holding members at an official business meeting.

C. Business Meetings

Business meetings shall be held the first week of every month except for the month of August (because of Pennsic), and shall be announced in the newsletter the month before. All officers should attend or send a proxy. The September meeting may also be held the last week of August.

*II. Shire Officers*

A. Terms of Office and Election of Officers

Officers shall hold one year terms, except Exchequer and Seneschal, which shall have two year terms. All elections shall be held at the March business meeting, with the Exchequer election occurring in odd numbered years, and Seneschal election in even-numbered years. If an Officer resigns unexpectedly, the Deputy will take over the duties of the office, and solicit letters of intent for a successor. In the event of there being no Deputy, the Seneschal shall appoint an interim officer. If no candidates step forward, the first person to leave for the bathroom during the business meeting shall be nominated for that office, if they do not hold an office already. The person so nominated is not forced to accept the interim post.


At the March meeting every officer should bring three (3) copies of their office's inventory. Copies will be given to the Seneschal, Exchequer, and Succesor. All members who hold shire property should bring two (2) copies of their inventory to the March business meeting. Copies will be given to the Seneschal and Exchequer.

The Shire officer may pick a deputy from those who volunteer. If the shire officer exits office, the deputy becomes the interim officer until the next Shire Business meeting. Then the Interim officer must be ratified. If the Interim officer is not ratified, a new election must be held at that meeting.The election shall be by a show of hands at the meeting, with all Shire members eligible to vote. Any member of the Shire wishing to vote but unable to attend the meeting may send in their vote "by proxy" up to one week prior to the election, either in writing, on the phone to the Seneschal or via e-mail, and the Seneschal shall read those votes into the voting record. The term of office for the newly elected officer shall begin at that meeting, with the outgoing officer transferring all files, records, and shire property associated with that office to the new officer in a timely fashion.

All officers are required to fulfill their duties as per kingdom law. This includes being warranted, possessing a blue card, and filing timely reports. Officers are required to contact their kingdom officer within 30 days of taking office. If an officer does not do this, they shall receive a verbal warning from the Seneschal and a 10 day grace period to remedy matters. If the officer is still unable to begin their duties, they shall receive a written warning from the Seneschal and a further 10 days. If no attempt is made to remedy matters, a new officer will be elected at the next business meeting.

B. Removal of warranted officers

A petition of 5 signatures of blue card holders is required to call for a vote to remove an officer. At the next business meeting, a 2/3 majority may vote to eject an officer. Proxy votes are allowed. Once the signed petition is given to the seneschal, the officer petitioned against shall be shown the petition. This should constitute a fair warning to improve the situation. As per kingdom law, the Exchequer may only be removed by the Kingdom Exchequer, but this vote of no- confidence shall be immediately given to the Kingdom Exchequer for their judgment.

C. Exclusions to Office Eligibility

The Seneschal and Exchequer cannot be Royalty and retain their office. Before entering a Crown or Coronet Tourney, they must prepare their deputy to be their successor. At the moment they win, their office transfers to their deputy. As per kingdom law, the Seneschal and Exchequer may not reside at the same address.

*III. Financial Expenditures*

Expenditures greater than $50 must be approved by a majority of the officers. Expenditures of $50 or less must be authorized by the Seneschal and Exchequer, or by a majority of officers at a business meeting.

*IV. Event Hosting*

A. Autocrats are required to have blue cards and be at least 18. While they are autocrat, they become ad hoc deputy seneschals. The autocrat or the seneschal must remain onsite while the event gates are open. If the autocrat is a martial officer, they must arrange for a deputy to marshal that activity for the event.

Anyone who wishes to autocrat an event must submit a bit no less than 90 days prior to the event date. The bid must include the following information: The event name, location, autocrat name, head cook name, and a budget. If a bid is not approved then it is not deemed a Shire event. If the budget of an approved bid changes 20% or more from the initial submission it will need to be reapproved by a quorum of officers. Competing bids for the same event are encouraged.

B. The autocrat of an event may require any person behaving disruptively to leave the event. If a minor is behaving disruptively at an event, the autocrat may require the adult(s) responsible for that minor to leave the event as well.

C. Sterlynge Vayle shall require proof of age at the door for any events where alcoholic beverages may be consumed.