Arc d'Or of Ansteorra
The Order of the Arc d'Or of Ansteorra is a Grant Level award given in the Kingdom of Ansteorra for excellence in the field of missile weaponry.
Overview
There shall exist in Ansteorra an order unto which the Crown shall select persons who have demonstrated all of the following qualities:
- Exceptional skill with missile weaponry, including archery, thrown weapons, and siege engines, on the target or martial fields;
- by their service to Ansteorra and its people;
- in the promotion of the art of missile weaponry ;
- by their knowledge of the courtly graces; and
- by obedience to the laws and ideals of Ansteorra and for the Society for Creative Anachronism .
This Order shall be known as the Order of the Arc d'Or of Ansteorra.
Companions of the Order shall be entitled to place the initials CAO after their names to designate their membership in the Order, to be styled and announced in procession as “Companion of the Arc d’Or of Ansteorra”.
Precedence
Companions of the Order shall take precedence after all nobility and peerage
and before simple Grants of Rank. The Order of the White Scarf (prior to 15 October 2018), Star of Merit,
Iris of Merit, Centurions of the Sable Star, Arc d'Or of Ansteorra, Golden Lance of Ansteorra and Blade of Merit are held to be of equal precedence.
History
Originally named the "Order of the Arcus Majoris", this Order was created by the 46th Crown of Ansteorra, Aaron and Britta MacGregor, in January 2002, A.S. XXXVI (36) to recognize those with great skill in archery. Unfortunately, this name was found to be unregisterable by the College of Arms.
After much diplomacy between the Principal Heralds, Kingdom Marshals, and Royalty of the kingdoms of Ansteorra and Trimaris, a pair of full reciprocity treaties involving these two kingdoms' Grant-level archery and equestrian awards were created. The official signing of the Treaty of the Arc d'Or and the Treaty of the Golden Lance by the 49th Crown of Ansteorra, Ulsted the Unsteady and Cateau d’Ardennes, and Their Royal Majesties of Trimaris, Bytor and Cherish, took place during Gulfwars 14 in March 2005, A.S. XXXIX (39).
On October 12th 2016, A.S. LI (51), the 75th Crown of Ansteorra, Gabriel of Maccuswell and Sonja Ryzaja, revised the Treaty with Their Royal Majesties of Trimaris, Ari Tyrbrandr and Sibilla Daineto, so that it now includes ALL missile weapons. The Order's award constitution was officially revised on October 15th 2016, A. S. LI (51) by their predecessors, the 76th Crown of Ansteorra, Jason Drysdale and Margherita de Mantua.
Students
Companions of the Order of the Ar d'Or may take formal students known as Arcarius. The term Arcarius comes to us from the Old French archier, which originated from the Latin word arcus, meaning “bow,” with arcarius being used for one who is either a “maker of bows” or an archer.
Insignia/Blazon]
Insignia: A ribbon of five equalwidth stripes of argent, sable, Or, sable, and argent, worn on either calf or above either elbow. Companions of the Order shall also be entitled to wear a white archer’s armguard charged with an Ansteorran star (a mullet of five greater and five lesser points sable) inside the left or right forearm.
Blazon: Sable, on a fess argent a mullet of five greater and five lesser points sable, overall two bows addorsed Or.
