Regia:Authenticity Regulations
How items become ‘Unacceptable’
Items are being continually researched and re-evaluated as new evidence comes to light. As it is Regia Anglorum’s wish to be the most authentic society recreating our period of interest, members need to accept that their kit will have to undergo periodic improvement. To assist in achieving Regia’s aim it is the AO Team’s intention to publish a revised AO Guide every December.
- Items will only ever move by one column in the Event Kit Guides each year. So for instance an item that is currently classed as ‘Optional’ could become classed as ‘Allowable’ next year and ‘Unacceptable’ the year after.
- Any item that is under consideration of being reclassified as ‘Unacceptable’ will always be put on 12 months’ notice for discussion and presentation by the membership. New rulings will never just happen at an event.
- Once an item is officially classed as ‘Unacceptable’ a process of removal will take place. In the first year reminders and warnings will be issued. In the second year final warnings and demands for the removal of the item will be given.
The Regulations
An Explanation of Terms
The following terms are used throughout this document:
Regia Anglorum
Is hereafter referred to as ‘Regia’ or ‘the Society’ in this document.
Event
Any occasion where members of Regia perform in front of the public or for the media is classed as an event. The same standard of Regia authenticity applies to all events.
Authenticity Team
This consists of those members of Regia that have been asked to help maintain the society’s high standards of authenticity. It includes the Authenticity Officer, Authenticity Deputies, Authenticity Assistants and Authenticity Specialists. Together they make and enforce Authenticity decisions.
The Authenticity Team works in co-ordination with those officerships that have a cross-over with authenticity such as Living History Co-ordinator, Master at Arms, Ecclesiastical Officer, Missiles Officer and Equestrian Officer as well as their deputies and assistants.
English
The term English is preferred over that of Anglo-Saxon or Saxon as these latter terms fit better when describing the migration period whereas the term English was used in contemporary writings from the 10th century onwards. It is sometimes written as ‘Englisc’ which is the Old English way of writing the term, although it is still pronounced as the modern equivalent. Only English characters may use items labelled as ‘[E]’ in the Event Kit Guides.
Viking
The term Viking is used to include all those people from Denmark and Norway as well as those from Norse settled Scotland, Ireland and England. It also includes those people from Sweden and the rest of the Baltic area, although it is hoped that members would choose to avoid basing their kit on finds from these areas except for special events cleared by the AO first. Only Viking characters may use these items labelled as ‘[V]’ in the Event Kit Guides.
Norman
The term Norman is used for any European fashion items that were introduced into England after 1041AD. Items labelled as ‘[N]’ in the Event Kit Guides are not necessarily from Normandy and may be from other European sources such as Frisia or Germany.
Encouraged
(Very Common)
These are the items that the Authenticity Team wants to encourage Regia Members to display. Items classed as Encouraged have either numerous provenances or come from well researched interpretations. You should aim to have the majority of your kit from this column.
Optional
(Less Common)
These items are also well provenanced or researched but it is felt that they were less common in the period than those items classed as Encouraged. You should aim to only have some items of your kit from this column.
Allowable
(Interpreted or Rare)
Items in this column are either authentic but not in this period, are rare being based on only one or two provenances, are based on dubious or contentious interpretations or are simply allowed to make our lives during events easier. Ideally you should have very little kit from this column. Items in the Allowable column are much more likely to be banned in the future than other items, although this is by no means a certainty. Those further qualified as ‘Restricted’ [R] in the event kit guides are usually culturally specific and certain criteria must be fulfilled before they can be used.
Unacceptable
These items are not allowed to be used by members of Regia during the stated periods at events. Regia Members must not display any item classed as Unacceptable at an event. All modern clothing and equipment is considered Unacceptable by default.
RICH
To have an item of kit that has been designated as RICH you must be wearing the appropriately corresponding kit. For example a RICH English man would have high quality embroidery whereas a RICH Viking would have silver armbands.
The kinds of people who would be RICH in our period would be Thegns or above. Remember we cannot all portray the RICH and it is estimated that only a small minority of the population would have been in this category.
POOR
Portraying the POOR in our period is fraught with difficulty as we have very few contemporary references and so much needs to be inferred. Just like when portraying a RICH person a member who wishes to portray someone from the lower ranks of society should strive to keep their kit consistent. The POOR includes both the free and unfree and would have been a significant proportion of the population.
Generic Kit
Generic kit (sometimes called basic kit) is a term applied to a generic set of clothing that is acceptable throughout Regia Anglorum’s periods of interest and for all the ethnic groupings that we portray. All members should have a set of generic kit available at every event.
Restricted Kit
There are some items that are allowed but only if certain other prerequisites are met. They are labelled [R] in the Event Kit Guides. Items can fall into this category for many reasons but the intention is to limit their number while still allowing a few examples within the society.
Be warned these items run a higher than normal risk of being banned. Failure to adhere to the exact letter and intention of these rulings will mean that you will be asked to remove the said item from display.
