Gwynnyd of York
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Persona
Once upon a time, long ago in the wild dales in the north of England, there was a swamp known as the Foundering Fen, and in it lived a noble person named Fulk the Weird and all his household. Being a widower, he was overcome by wanderlust, took up the Cross, and went off on Crusade. He left behind him a chatelaine, Gwynnyd of York, to care for the castle (really more of a fortified house, but Fulk had delusions of grandeur) and his daughter Sexburga the Insatiable. Within moments of Fulk's leaving, Sexburga ran off with a passing minstrel, and took with her the few remaining men-at-arms and the rest of the castle's treasury. Gwynnyd kept the household as best she could, what with recusant monks, passing wizards, and other assorted castle personnel, woorying about what Fulk would say when he finally got home.
Fortunately Fulk ran short of money and sold the estate to Belinda of the Flowing Waters. when Belinda came to claim her estates, she brought with her a fighter to defend the castle. (What relief) Gwynnyd was able to hand Belinda an estate that was once again profitable. In gratitude, she kept Gwynnyd as chatelaine.
Gwynnyd is married to a sailor/woodworker, Dicken Fifelcyn, who washed upon the beach one day and was nursed to health and stayed at Foundering Fen. They now have two daughters, Ginevra and Rachel. Their dog was the famous Pennsic Poo-del. Gwynnyd has been reincarnating as her grandaughter since the early 800's, when the original Leofgifu Gwynnydsddottir - who was sired by a Viking army on a noble lady of Gwennydd being held as a hostage in the Kingdom of Deira - came to live in the dales north of York. (This as actually a clever ruse by which I can have costume of all periods in my wardrobe.)
History
The following is from the original charter and history document of the Barony of Roaring Wastes. Published 3/13/95 by the Barony of Roaring Wastes
"Gwynnyd of York has been a member of the SCA since November of 1971. She was of the the first five members of the Canton of the Roaring Wastes, and has held several offices through the years. From 1971 until she graduated in 1975, when the Canton was an official Wayne State University group, Gwynnyd was an officer of the group in several positions, including a long stint as Mistress of Arts. During that time she produced and published with University funds the booklet "Dressing Forsoothy", a manual for altering commercial patterns into acceptable garb. Gwynnyd constructed the first Elizabethan wheel farthingale seen in the Middle Kingdom in 1974, and received a Willow for costuming in 1978. While Gwynnyd has primarily been a member of the Canton of the Roaring Wastes, she has had two other household affiliations. The first was in the early 1970's when she was one of the original ten Tar-Khans of the Great Dark Horde. The second is to the Household of the Foundering Fen, a household chiefly notable for displaying an unregisterable device drawn by the science fiction artist Kelly Freas.
Gwynnyd has also been the groups chronicler, and produced a monthly 8 - 12 page newsletter for an extended period in the early 1980's.
Gwynnyd was cook (the title of feastocrat having not yet been invented) of the first event sponsored by the Canton of Roaring Wastes in the summer of 1972. While only about 20 people actually came for the feast, it did feature a 75 pound half of pig spit roasted over an open fire. This experience convinced her that she that she needed to know more about medieval and outdoor cooking methods. During the years when the Canton of the Roaring Wastes was heavily involved in demonstrations at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, Gwynnyd researched and created the very popular outdoor cooking demo. She has since many time cooked a nine dish meal for 45 people using two cauldrons and a spit. Her other feasts have also been very well received, including two 12th Night feasts and the "Plague and Pestilence" event feast.
Gwynnyd has received several service awards, including the order of the White Wolf from the Barony of Northwoods, the Chalice from the Canton of the Roaring Wastes, and the Order of the Purple Fret."
Middle Kingdom Awards
- Doe’s Grace September 12th 2015
- Evergreen July 11th 2015
- Dragons Heart April 13th 2002
- Court Baroness September 23 2000
- Territorial Baroness September 23 1995
- Purple Fret March 23rd 1991
- Willow September 23rd 1978
- Award of Arms September 23rd 1978
Barony of Roaring Wastes
- Founding Baroness Gwynnyd of York and Baron Niall Milscothach
Other
- Creator of the event Golden Seamstress.
- Has worked many of the past several years at Pennsic University.
- Takes part in the cooking demo at Fort Wayne in Detroit for the event Tyger Hunt yearly.
- A lifetime of creating and spreading the joy of the SCA to everyone.
