The Greenwood CompanyGreenwood badge

...known as Foresters of the Greenwood.

In the Midrealm, The Greenwood Company has been created so that the archers of the realm may have better, more coordinated leadership, to serve the Middle Kingdom.

The Company (as of March 2018):

(As of Apr. 1, A.S.XXXIV, all Companions of the Greenwood Company have been elevated to have Grants of Arms, which allows usage of the THL, which is The Honorable Lord/Lady.)

These have shown leadership in the area of Archery, such that they may be called upon to lead the Midrealm’s archers in war, and be a resource to all in peace.

LAWS OF THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

XVII-1400 The Order of the Greenwood Company

XVII-1401 There shall exist in the Middle Kingdom an Order unto which the Crown may elect such persons as it sees fit. The award shall be called the Order of the Greenwood Company, hereafter referred to as the Order.

XVII-1402 The Order shall be given to individuals who, in the sight of the Crown, have shown excellence in two of three areas of archery and/or thrown weapons: skill, service and the arts and sciences.

XVII-1403 Holders of the Order shall be entitled to place after their names the initials, C.G.C. and may be styled and announced in precedence as Companion of the order of the Greenwood Company. Those holders of the Order may be styled and announced as Foresters of the Greenwood.

XVII-1404 Membership in the Order shall confer upon the holder a Grant of Arms if that individual is not already a holder of a Grant of Arms.

XVII-1405 Membership in the Order shall assure an individual a position, according to seniority in the Order, in the Order of Precedence, equal with Companions of the Orders of the Gold Mace, Bronze Ring, White Lance and Evergreen, but after Companions of the Order of the Dragon's Heart.

XVII-1406 Elevation shall be proclaimed in court to the Middle Kingdom at large.

XVII-1407 Membership in the Order may be terminated only by the resignation of a Companion from the Order, submitted to the Crown in writing.

XVII-1408 Companions of the Order may display the badge (Fieldless) Upon a hurst of pine trees vert, a pheon inverted Or.

(These Midrealm Laws were updated as of August, AS LI (2016)

Schutzenfest

The Greenwood Company has assumed responcibility for running the Schutzenfest, a twice annual archery competition, held in late Winter and late Summer. Details and results are here.

A further comment By THL Robin Arthur Kyrke:

This order is the highest level award that an archer may aspire to in this kingdom and, as such, holds a special place in the hearts of those gentles committed to the art of archery. For this reason, I wish to advise you of the qualities looked for in a potential Forester by myself and some other members of the order so that you may be better informed on this issue. I wish merely to share my views. According to the description in the laws of the Middle Kingdom, a prospective member should show excellence in two of three areas: skill, service, and arts and sciences. Of course, other factors do play a role as well, as I will attempt to explain. Although archery is far more quantifiable than the other combat arts, what sort of scores show excellence in the skill qualification? If an archer is very active, they should be shooting the Midrealm Ranking Shoot and the InterKingdom Archery Competition and sending in scores. A score of around 75+ in the ranking and 180+ in the IKAC would show a high level of skill, but I have seen members elevated with much lower scores. Personally, I feel that the skill component is very important as the Greenwood will be looked to in times of war as a source for possible Archery Champions, very much like the Red Company is for Unbelted Champions. In the area of service, a candidate should be freely teaching, marshalling, running events and practices, helping to set up and take down ranges, encouraging others in the sport, etc. They should be someone others look to for advice and support. In the arts and sciences component, a candidate would show a degree of mastery in the making of archery equipment or accessories for themselves or others. Also, research and a period appearance could be noted as well. A candidate should already have a Dragon’s Barb, unless it is felt that their qualifications are highly exceptional. They should also already be an archery marshal. It shows a commitment and responsibility to all archers and their safety. Most importantly of all, those who wear the green hood will serve as a very visible example to all who see them. How they comport themselves, on and off the range, will affect how others view all archers as a whole and how the archers view the Order. Their actions should inspire other archers to better themselves and not just in their skills. As the Knights inspire the fighters, so should the Greenwood Company be a good example to the archers.

If you think someone meets the requirements and you are interested in recommending them for this order go to the kingdom web site for submissions. If you have any questions concerning the order, feel free to contact any Greenwood Company member.

Here is an updated version of the original Greenwood scroll wording, reflecting the current changes in Midrealm Law. This wording may be used by Royalty for the elected individual.

In all the armies in history there have been archers who have shot and taught from
within the ranks, rising to positions of great honour. An archer has many virtues, such
as skill with the bow, leadership on the line, and teaching of the arts and sciences of
archery. Therefore, We, ________ and ________, King and Queen of the Middle
Kingdom, do herewith recognize _________ as a Member of the Order of the Greenwood
Company. He/She may style himself/herself a Forester of the noble order, and may
bear the badge: (fieldless) Upon a Hurst of pine trees Vert, a Pheon inverted Or, in canton upon his/her shield.

Done by Our hands this ____day of (Month), Anno Societatis (A.S.) ______, in Our
(Place Name).

_________________________ _______________________
Rex Regina

Oath of Loyalty

We here pledge service to the Crown of the Middle Kingdom
To show leadership upon the archery and thrown fields,
To train others in the skills of the range,
And to support our Leige Lord.
Thus we pledge our bows and blades.

View a Greenwood Company ‘Hood’ or two...

A link to a page wherein is described the Medieval butchering and sharing of a deer...from Sir Gawain.

“This is the recognized Web site for the Order of the Greenwood Company, Middle Kingdom (The Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.) and is maintained by THL Diccon de Reinport. This site may contain electronic versions of the group's governing documents. Any discrepancies between the electronic version of any information on this site and the printed version that is available from the originating office will be decided in favor of the printed version.”

“Copyright © 2018. The original contributors retain the copyright of certain portions of this site.”

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