Exploring Medieval Periods of History

Centerville woman serves as Seneschal of Barony

By Matthew Jackson

Most of the time, Carolyn Pace is a retired teacher living in Centerville with her husband Gary, also a retired teacher.

But several times a year, Pace dons medieval garb and styles herself as Lady Giovanna Lena Caronna, Autocrat and Seneschal of the Barony of Ravensfort.

Pace is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), a worldwide organization devoted to exploring the medieval and Renaissance periods of European history through its clothing, customs, sciences, weapons and more.

Founded in California in the 1960s, SCA is today an organization with more than 100,000 members in more than 800 chapters around the world.

The group is divided into several kingdoms around the world. Texas and Oklahoma comprise the Kingdom of Ansteorra, which is in turn divided into numerous baronies, cantons and shires based on size and location.

The Barony of Ravensfort, which includes all of Walker County, stretches from the Centerville area to the northern edge of Houston, and encompasses Houston, Walker, Trinity, Montgomery, Liberty, Polk, Leon, San Jacinto and Madison counties.

As Seneschal, Pace serves as the leading officer of the Barony, organizing events, overseeing the group’s officers and keeping every member updated on upcoming SCA happenings. A 12-year veteran of SCA, she was introduced to the society by her brother, and quickly became hooked.

“My brother was a rapier fighter in Corpus, and so he invited me to an event they were having, and they volunteered me to be a water bearer, and I got hooked,” Pace said.

After beginning her SCA activity in the Galveston area, Pace continued her involvement when she moved to Centerville, and assumed Seneschal duties two years ago.

From Sept. 18-20 the Barony held its annual “Defender of the Fort” event at a Walker County ranch that has been dubbed by SCA members “The Stones at Ravensfort,” named for the miniature Stonehenge that sits on a hill on the property.

An SCA tradition, Defender of the Fort features two days of fighting, feasting and song by SCA members and visitors. Competitions are held in various categories of combat, including Chivalric, Archery and Rapier, as well as Equestrian contests, Bardic or storytelling contests, and Arts and Sciences contests. The winners of each competition are named the year's “Champion” and will represent that Barony at all other SCA events until the next Defender of the Fort event.

Participants strive for authenticity, donning period clothing, camping in the woods and crafting personas for themselves as an escape from their everyday or “mundane” lives.

The 2009 Defender of the Fort marks the 20th anniversary of Ravensfort's incorporation as an SCA Barony. In addition to the presence of the Baron and Baroness of Ravensfort, the Queen of Ansteorra, Elizabeta di Valore della Rosa (aka Traci Baker) attended the event to celebrate the occasion with her subjects.

For Pace, one of the joys of SCA events is the interaction with other members, all of whom lead very different mundane lives.

“It's like adult playing dress up and getting away with it,” she said. “We have artists, teachers, lawyers, computer specialists, college professors. We have it all, all walks of life.”

When Defender of the Fort ended Sunday afternoon, the SCA members in attendance climbed into their mundane cars and drove back to their mundane lives. The workweek, the bills and the troubles of adulthood awaited them, but the time they shared on the fields of Ravensfort would not be something easily forgotten.

“You step back in time for a weekend,” Pace said on the appeal of SCA. “Everything is chivalrous. You'll see a woman struggling to carry something and these men all run up to help her. You don't see that in our society. Here, you get to get away from your mundane lives.”

For more information on the SCA, visit www.sca.org. For more information on the Barony of Ravensfort, contact Hospitaler Gary Pace at (903) 536-3336 or gpace77586@yahoo.com.

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