Annes Clotilde von Bamburg

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Information
Registered Name: Annes Clotilde von Bamburg Resides: Gate's Edge Status: Active Joined SCA: 1988
Order of Precedence
Annes Clotilde von Bamburg
Heraldry
Per bend vert and gules, a frog rampant Or.

Annes Clotilde von Bamburg

Previously Known As: Originally used Annes Orflaithe. Quickly changed to Annes Clotilde Von Babenburg. Because there were still royal members of House Babenburg, the heralds changed it to Bamburg which I use to this day.
Nickname(s):
Pronouns:

I have an alternate personae that comes out every so often. Her name is Zelda the Beggerwoman of Ansteorra and has been quite popular at a number of events at Stargate, Loch Soilleir and Gate's Edge. She is a slightly mad, highly irreverent woman of gentle nobility fallen onto hard times.

Additional Registered Heraldry:

• The following device associated with this name was registered in December of 1999 (via Ansteorra): Per bend vert and gules, a frog rampant Or.
• The following badge associated with this name was registered in July of 1992 (via Ansteorra): Or, on a pomme a compass star Or, a bordure rayonny gules. For House Starfire.
• The following badge associated with this name was registered in January of 2001 (via Ansteorra): (Fieldless) A frog sejant Or.

Offices:

• Local Offices Held
  • Premier Hospitaler, Shire of Gate's Edge: 02/1991 to 03/1991
  • Seneschal, Shire of Gate's Edge (x2): 03/1991 to 02/1991 and 03/1998 to 3/2000
  • Exchequer, Shire of Gate's Edge: 4/1996 to 3/1998
  • Herald, Shire of Gate's Edge: 9/2001 to 9/2003
  • Chronicler, Shire of Gate's Edge: 11/2009 to 12/2011
  • Historian, Shire of Gate's Edge (x3): 7/1994 to 5/1998, 2001 to 2008, and 2009 to 2011
  • Hospitaler, Shire of Gate's Edge: Current
  • Financial Committee, Shire of Gate's Edge: Inception to current, with exception of preclusions for other offices.
  • Arts & Sciences Minister, Barony of Stargate
  • Historian, Barony of Stargate

• Regional Offices Held
  • Coastal Region Historian: 2008 - 2012

• Kingdom Offices Held
  • Kingdom Historian (x2): 2003 - 2008, 2012 - 2016

Persona History:

"There and Back Again-A Tale from the First Crusade": Part I
I was born on a summer solstice afternoon in the year of Our Lord, 1075. My mother was late in her travail and alas, I being larger than the normal babe as a result, killed my mother even as she gave me life, a not uncommon hazard of childbearing but still an unfortunate one. My mother, of who's youth and beauty I, of course, have only hearsay to judge, was the darling of my father's dotage, she being his fourth and final wife. His love for her was evident in the size and magnificence of her tomb, her name deeply engraved on the sides. I used to visit it with the Sisters to clean it in later years and I often wondered what she, Anna, would have said to me if she could.

Now I was the last and not the best loved of my father's 15 children. I would not have been overly welcomed even as a son, since he had 3 strapping lads much older than myself. But as a daughter, he had only another mouth to feed. But my father was tender-hearted, some have charged tender-headed, and refused to drown me like an unwanted kitten which has been the fate of some daughters born in like circumstances. While his grief over my mother's death did not permit him to view me with any particular favor, he did grant me my life. For many years until the most recent of times, I felt he did not grant me any great favor but instead may have actually cursed me with the continued burden of living. What change has happened in my fortunes, my tale will unfold at the proper time.

Suffice it to say, I was whisked from my father's sight and wet-nursed, weaned, and toddling under the stern but not uncaring hands of my mother's maidservant, Matilda. It was she who gave me my Christian name, Annes Clotilde, after her two favorite and sainted martyrs. Often, when she punished me for my little pranks, for I was a willful child, she would afterwards give me a little hug or save me a special sweet fruit from the table. Thus I learned that she loved me as no one else did.

My memories of that early time are confused and dim, but I remember the great fire in the hall, how it warmed and comforted the cold nights. I remember the savage hounds my father, Gunter, kept. How they would growl and fight for the bones of the table! Yet these same hounds treated me with great gentleness as I used their sturdy backs or thick bushy tails to hold onto in my attempts at straight walking. I remember the sharp cold on my cheeks as I was carried through the snow up the steps of the cathedral, the smoky smell of the incense from the braziers and the glow of hundreds of candles lighting up the niches of the saints.

But clearest in my memories are of the day I was taken from all of that life and given to the Sisters as a novice. I have no memory of the stern words of my father nor of the tears of my nurse although I have been told of both. You see, I had no purpose to my family, so my father thought that I would be best suited as his gift to God. Then he and the rest of the family could be assured of a constant supplication in prayer and meditation which would stand them in good stead with heaven. I have come to understand that he also had to gift the convent with a large dowery for me, much larger than I am sure he like to spend, since I was so very young, being only 7 years aged. Most women were much older when they enter the orders, many being ancient spinsters of 15 or 16! But he prevailed, not being a man used to being thwarted and in the winter of my seventh year, I walked through the doors of the convent for the first time.

Life was hard but not much harder than living in my home. I was put to such tasks as were suitable for my age, sweeping the yard, finding eggs in the henhouse, carding wool for the spinners, picking up kindling, washing plates, feeding the pigs. Most tasks I had already been given in my father's house. No, I found the hardest tasks by far to be such things as dressing myself without help, sleeping in a strange place and all the prayers! I was so active, I found it nearly impossible to direct my mind towards praying and so was often the object of discipline as the sisters tried to steer my path. They soon found that beatings were of no use, I just became angrier and more willful. Fastings imposed for the purpose of discipline were equally ineffective, at least any season but winter, for I had been taught a few tricks by my beloved Matilda for finding good herbs that have escaped or never been tamed to a garden. Confinement to my cell was the most effective, but only after I had grown more to my adult proportions, for I was so small in the beginning, I could wriggle my way through the grate on my cell window and thus escape their purpose. For many years, the good sisters despaired for my soul.

But not all was grim and doleful among the women of piety. The vestments of the priests were beautiful and the high holidays and feasts were magnificent in my memory. After the old abbess' death, a younger sister became abbess, and la!! Some of HER antics make mine just what they were, child's play. I was always sent to bed early in the even because my primary duty almost from the day I entered was to ring the bell for morning prayers. Since these prayers started before the first cock's crow, I had to retire early if I was to get any sleep at all. Therefore, I missed most of the merrymaking, also being too young to indulge in most besides. BUT there was many a feast and holiday that on the days following I had to bring my lady abbess teas of herbs to sooth her stomach and hot poultices for her headaches. It seems my lady abbess had a fondness for strong and flavorful wines. One even when I had been sent to bed, I found that my food had disagreed with me. Upon passing the eating hall, I chanced to spy within and beheld my lady abbess, her dress pulled up around her thighs for easier movement, capering and dancing about in a most spritely manner with the parish priest close behind her. The other sisters were singing a bawdy tune and keeping time with their hands, spoons, plates or whatever could clash together to make noise. I wished I could stay to enjoy the dancing (nor the song which I wished I knew the words to) no longer, for I was too sick to continue, but they certainly were enjoying themselves. Several sisters also during my tenure as a novice, became heavy with child after certain holidays such as All Saints and Fool's Feast. But ours was a small convent and all save one stayed on and their children, if female, stayed also. Male issue were permitted to stay until breached and then sent to the nearby monastery.

When I was 13 I was judged old enough to attend the feasts and will never forget my first one. It was the feast day of my namesake, Annes, and I was privileged to drink from my lady abbess own cup as an honor to the saint. Sitting at the abbess' right hand, I soon felt the heat of the drink racing my pulse, and I found myself to be delighted over everything which my gaze did fall upon. As the evening progressed, I found that my delighted gaze was most delighted when my vision happened to find the visage of the priest's acolyte who had accompanied his master to this feast. On those occasions when the orbit of his eye contacted my gaze, I felt a thrill of pure delight spear from the top of my head and tingle its way through all my limbs. He was not much older than myself and seemed to blush as rosy as the dawn when he perceived my interest in his countenance. As before, my lady abbess, carried away with the inspiration of her cup, rose to her feet to dance to the music provided by voice and hands and the priest made swift haste to follow her. I made bold from her cup and the honors given me that day for my namesake, was equally swift to shift myself to the chair closest to the acolyte. Then, with delighted swift discovery, I learned his name to be Aelric, his age was only 2 years beyond my own and that he hailed from Saxony as his origin. More of the conversation escapes my memory, but it seems we talked for many a fleeting hour as we drained our cups, feasted, applauded the efforts of the musicians and dancers and laughed at the bawdy verses of the songs. All too soon, the tapers burned low, and I found myself walking arm-in-arm with dear Aelric down the corridor. What passed at the door to my cell, or what passed through the door to my cell, I shall not tell at this time. Suffice it to say, I did not become with child that time nor any other, although my lady abbess did.

But feast days or no, we returned on each morrow to the daily round of prayers, fastings, and work. Such seemed to be my lot for life but God in his infinite wisdom, had other plans for me which did not include continued existence as a nun. No, I was destined for a greater glory and a more unsettled existence, but that I shall tell at another time.

Yours in Service, Lady Annes

Interests:

• Preserving the history of the SCA and Kingdom

Timeline of Activity:

Prior Groups:

• Barony of Stargate

Populace Provided Information:

Alys of Alnwick

My first camping event was at the Stones. I went with Annes Clotilde von Bamburg, who was one of my earliest contacts with the SCA in Ansteorra. We were going to be camping in what she called the "Two Titty Pavilion." She was getting things ready in another part of the camp and asked me to deal with the tent. It was a pile of poles and fabric and ropes I had no idea what to do! I told her that, and she said, "You're a female. This is Ansteorra. See them? They're all squires and knights. They will get the tent up for you - just go ask. " I was surprised, but went up to Sir William Miesko the Bear, and said, "Annes wants me to get this pavilion up. I don't know what to do..." He turned and belted out, "SQUIRES TO ME!" And that pavilion got put up just like that. I was thinking: I like this! Yep, she taught me a little bit about Ansteorra that trip!

Notable Contributions or Accomplishments:

• Steppes Bard for Mahdi and Valaria
• Ravenskald for Brian and Fionna
• Member, The Pearl of Great Price of Stargate
• Guild Principal, Drummers Guild of Gate's Edge, 2002 - 2007
• Guild Principal, Herbalists Guild of Gate's Edge, 1989 - Present
• Autocrat, Midsummer Fair, Gate's Edge, #1, #2, #4, #10
• Feastocrat, Midsummer Fair, Gate's Edge, #5
• A&S Coordinator, North Sea Rades, 2004
• Donated 28 items of award insignia to the Crown (Miguel & Conal)
• Participated in silent auction, Coronation, 2004
• Lady In Waiting to Lissa, Coronation, 2004

Affiliations:

• House Starfire