Officers:The Code of Law

The Constitution of Regia Anglorum

1. This Constitution shall set down the rights of each of the members of Regia Anglorum
2. All members of Regia Anglorum are equally bound to comply with it, and with the other Regulations of Regia Anglorum. The Constitution and Regulations shall together be referred to as the ‘Code of Law’ (CoL)
3. Within the CoL the use of pronouns of the third person shall be deemed to be generic of both number and gender.
4. Notes within the CoL are part of and have the authority of the CoL.
5. The CoL shall be subject to review and reform by the High Witan of Regia Anglorum.

1. The Title

1. The Society, an Unincorporated Association, shall be called ‘Regia Anglorum’, and is hereafter referred to as ‘Regia’ or ‘the Society’ in this document
2. The Title of the Society shall not indicate a geographical area

2. Aims and Objectives

1. Regia shall be a non-religious, non-political and non-profit-making organisation
2. It shall recreate the society of the British Isles and their near neighbours in the period c. 950-1066 AD as authentically as practicable
3. It shall enable these recreations to inform, educate and entertain the general public.

3. The Government of the Society

i. Regia shall be governed by a committee (hereafter referred to as the ‘High Witan’), made up of a delegate from each recognised local group within the Society, and the Society Officers elected by the High Witan (See R2 below). ii. Each local group within Regia shall be governed by a committee, made up of the chosen leader of that group, and such officers appointed by the group (see C5B below). iii. In the event of the winding up of the Society, the Society may sell or dispose of the whole or any part of the Society’s assets for such consideration as the Society may think fit. iv. In the event of the winding up of the Society, any assets remaining after the settlement of all debts of the Society will be deemed the common property of all members of the Society.

4. Membership of the Society

ii. Persons can only apply to join Regia through a local group, and are initially affiliated to the group through which they applied to join Regia (see R7iv below). Members can transfer their affiliation to another group. iii. Applications for membership may be made by any eligible person iv. Registered drug addicts are not eligible for membership of the Society. v. A member of the Society who is convicted of a criminal offence that is triable only by indictment or an either way offence, which is triable by either indictment or summarily, shall have their suitability for membership reviewed. Members who are in any doubt should consult their Group Leader or the Lawspeaker for advice. A member who is found to have concealed such information may have their membership revoked. a). Any review carried out under the above shall take place within 60 days of the conviction or of the time when the conviction came to the attention of the Society b) Any such review shall be conducted according to the principles of Natural Justice and will be governed by sections 4A of the Constitution and 6 of the Regulations of the Society v. An applicant for membership of the Society who has been convicted of an offence as detailed in C4iv above shall only be admitted to membership at the discretion of his local Group Leader, who shall take the advice of the Society in each individual case. Any applicant who is found to have knowingly concealed such information at the time of application shall have their membership immediately revoked vi. Persons expelled from Regia Anglorum are not eligible to rejoin vii. Persons whose membership of the Society has lapsed (see C4Cii below) can only rejoin Regia by application to the group from which they lapsed. The Society reserves the right, expressed through the relevant local group, to refuse such application without explanation. If their membership has lapsed for more than 12 months then they must make a fresh application to join Regia through the group that operates in their area viii. All applications for membership must be sponsored by a Full Member of the local group to which the applicant will be affiliated. The sponsoring member is responsible for the conduct of the applicant at public events during his probationary period. This period comes to an end at the next public event attended by the new member after the committee of the group decides to confirm the membership of the new member (see C4Aii below) and shall be publicly marked. ix. Regia reserves the right to refuse membership to any applicant. x. Regia reserves the right to immediately expel from a public event any member who, whether by action or inaction, brings the Society into disrepute. Further punitive action may be taken by the member’s group or by the High Witan (see C4A and R6 below) xi. Regia reserves the right, expressed through the High Witan, to examine any behaviour, action or inaction occurring within the Society. xii. All Regia members, of whatever type, are bound by the Code of Law

4A. Probationary Membership

i. All applications for membership must be made on the Society’s current membership form. This must be completed according to the requirements of the Membership Officer and forwarded to him on completion with the capitation fee within 14 days. In addition to this, the local group shall inform the Society Membership Officer of the identity of any new member upon their recruitment. ii. Every new member of Regia joins for a probationary period. This shall last for a minimum of three and a maximum of twelve months, but within these limits shall be completed at the end of the sixth full day of costumed attendance at a Society event. iii. During this period, the Group (or the Society, through the High Witan) has the power to dismiss that person. In such cases, the membership fee shall be returned, kit and equipment issued, lent or purchased at cost from group stores must be handed back and a refund given by the group for the amount spent on such equipment according to condition. The decision of the Group (or the High Witan) allows of no appeal. iv. The Lawspeaker and MO shall be informed of the names of persons expelled by local groups under the above rule. v. Probationary periods may be extended by agreement of the local group and the member concerned vi. Once a member has been formally accepted, he can only be dismissed through a disciplinary hearing. Such hearings may only be held before: a) The Officers of the local group. In this case the member has the right to have the matter heard before an assembly of at least 67% of the local group. b) The HW, whether at its Business Meetings or at a meeting specially convened for the purpose. vii. Such disciplinary hearings must be held under R6 below

4B. Types of Membership

i. Full Membership. Any eligible person of the age of eighteen years or above may apply for Full Membership of Regia through the local group that operates in his area. A successful applicant may then fully participate in the activities and government of the Society and the local group of which he is a member. All Full members are eligible for consideration for Society or group office. ii. Associate Membership. Any eligible person of the age of eighteen years or above may apply for Associate Membership of Regia through the local group that operates in his area. Associate Membership is intended for those who wish to pursue academic or personal research. Associate Members may not participate in public events, nor in the government of the Society. Associate Members are ineligible for Society or group office. Associate members may become Full Members at any time, on payment of the difference in fees. iii. Junior Membership. . Any eligible person of the age of sixteen to eighteen years may apply for Junior Membership of Regia through the local group that operates in his area. A successful applicant may participate in any activity deemed suitable by his group leader. Junior members will be in the legal care and protection of their group leader at Regia events, unless one or more of their parents or legal guardians are present iv. Combatant Junior Membership A Junior member may apply to engage in combat after his sixteenth birthday with the permission of his group leader and his legal guardian(s). Such permission must be given in writing after the legal guardian(s) have attended at least one Society or local group training session. A combatant Junior Member at a Regia event must have satisfied the Society Training Officer that he is capable of and competent in combat. He must carry a black shield to indicate his status v. No Junior Member shall participate in the government of the Society. Junior Members are ineligible for Society or group office. vi. Family Membership. Children below the age of sixteen years of full adult members of the Society are eligible for Family Membership of Regia through the local group that operates in their area. A membership form must be completed by or for them and lodged with the Society Membership Officer. Parents, legal guardians or persons acting in loco parentis are entirely responsible for the safety and good conduct of the child, and that the child is dressed and equipped in the authentic costume of Regia’s period. vii. Temporary Membership. Any eligible person may apply for Temporary Membership of Regia through the local group that operates in his area. Temporary Membership of the Society is available to those who are not certain that they wish to become a Member of the Society, but wish to experience Regia’s activities. The regulations covering the relevant type of membership shall apply in each case. a. Temporary Membership is only available for two Society events and any local training event within a two month period by filling in the appropriate form and paying the relevant fee. The form and fee shall be sent to the MO by the local GL seven days in advance of the first event the Temporary Member is to participate in b. All Temporary Members must comply with the Code of Law and be mentored by the group they have joined. c. Each Temporary Member can only attend further events in that membership year by becoming a Full Member d. The GL must inform the MO, and all relevant Society Officers about the Temporary Member before that member’s participation in an event. e. Temporary Members who successfully apply for Full Membership within fourteen days of the expiration of the two month period shall only pay the outstanding balance due. f. Lapsed Members of Regia are not automatically eligible for Temporary Membership and may attend a Regia event only with the permission of the leader of their former local group, who is solely responsible for their conduct throughout the event. g. A Temporary Full Member’s children may accompany the Temporary Member at an event with the GL’s consent. The provisions above shall apply (particularly d and e) .

4C. Membership Fees

i. Membership Fees fall due annually on the 1st of October. Fees must be paid to the local group by the 31st October; and to the Society’s Membership Officer by 15th November. ii. If a Member’s fees have not been paid by the 31st October, then that membership shall be deemed to have lapsed. Lapsed Members lose all rights, ranks, and officerships (both at group and Society level). A local group may not use the votes of Lapsed Members at the High Witan. iii. Lapsed Members may only rejoin the Society through application to the local group from which they lapsed. The Society reserves the right, expressed through the relevant local group, to refuse such application without explanation. The local group shall inform the Society Membership Officer of the identity of any renewing lapsed member upon their approval, and send their Capitation Fee within 14 days. iv. Lapsed Members who have rejoined the Society may have their group ranks, privileges and officerships reinstated at the discretion of the relevant group. v. After a period of 12 months a lapsed member must make a fresh application to join the society through his local group.

4D. Capitation Fees

i. A proportion of the Membership Fee (the Capitation Fee) is sent, through the Group Treasurer, directly to the Society Membership Officer. ii. The Capitation Fee for each type of Membership is decided by the High Witan, and shall be subject to review and change by the High Witan or those persons appointed by the High Witan to undertake such a review. iii. Changes to Capitation Fees shall be notified to the Society’s members by direct mailing, in such a form as may be thought suitable by the High Witan. iv. Persons applying to join the Society after 1st August will pay the whole annual fee, but this shall be deemed to cover their Membership Fee for the following year. v. Each local group within Regia shall pay the Capitation Fee for a new member to the Society Membership Officer within fourteen days of receipt of that member’s Membership Fee and Membership Form. vi. Membership of the Society shall commence from the date of completion of the Membership Form, and of payment of the Membership Fee. A local group may only utilise the vote of a member in the government of the Society after the Capitation Fee has been received by the Society Membership Officer. vii. Membership may be terminated by written resignation addressed to the local group leader. A copy must be sent to the Society Membership Officer. viii. Membership may be terminated as the result of disciplinary action. ix. A local group shall immediately cease to exist if it has not paid any Full Capitation Fees to the Society Membership Officer by 15th November unless the High Witan grants an extension.

5. National Structure

i. Any reference to land is an administrative format within the Society and has no actual or legal bearing on ‘real property’ ii. Land not within the management of a local group is deemed to be at the disposal of the Society. iii. Local groups shall hold sole rights of recruitment in the areas granted to them under the Code of Law. These areas shall be primarily based on the shire boundaries indicated in the Domesday Survey of 1086, which Survey shall take precedence over later documents. iv. Other documents from the period may be researched where the Domesday Survey does not cover the area in question. v. Disputes over land shall be settled by the Lawspeaker, but parties to a dispute will have access to the High Witan. vi. More than one local group may exist within a shire. 5A. Land Grants and Formation of Groups i. Any Full Member of Regia, or person seeking Full Membership, who lives in an area not already granted to a local group may apply to the Society , through the Eolder and the Lawspeaker, to set up a new group in that area. ii. If accepted, a Grant of Land from the Society to the new group shall be drawn up by the Lawspeaker. No group may be set up without a Grant of Land. iii. All new groups will be attached for purposes of mentorship to the nearest Established Group (the Mentor Group) iv. At the request of either party, mentorship may be taken up by another Established Group, who may be geographically more remote, but closer in background and interest to the new group. v. The Mentor Group will be responsible for the new group’s standards of authenticity and for generally assisting them in all aspects of the life of the Society. vi. The new group leader shall attend High Witans as of right, but must take the advice of his Mentor Group leader into account when voting. At no time may a Mentor Group use or include votes from groups under its mentorship at the High Witan. vii. A period of mentorship is ended by vote of the High Witan on application from the new group. A period of six months is envisaged as a guideline, which may be extended at the discretion of the High Witan. viii. Any Full Member of the Society, resident in land already granted to a local group, may, with the consent of the existing Group Leader, apply to set up a new group. Application for a Grant of Land shall be made to the Eolder and the Lawspeaker. ix. In all normal circumstances, the boundaries of a Grant of Land applied for under 5Aviii above shall be drawn up by the group leader who already administers the land. x. Proposed Grants of Land shall in all circumstances be drawn up in formal terms, giving exact geographical boundaries. xi. Proposed Grants of Land shall be dated, and submitted to the Lawspeaker in triplicate for ratification. Copies of the proposed Grant of Land shall be sent by the Lawspeaker to the Eolder, the Society Membership Officer and anyone else who may be reasonably held to have an interest within seven days of receipt of the proposal. xii. If no objection is lodged within thirty days of the Lawspeaker’s receipt of the proposal, the Lawspeaker shall proclaim the ratification of the Land Grant. He shall inform the Publications Officer and all those whom he has previously informed of the proposal. xiii. An area for recruiting and administration shall be formed by the Grant of Land, All Grants of Land are of equal status and will survive the administrators responsible for their inception. xiv. Grants of Land shall revert to the grantor, whether the Society (under 5Aii) or the former local group (under 5Aviii) if they fall vacant. xv. An area shall fall vacant, and the local group cease to exist, if there are fewer than three paid-up Full Members of the group resident within it both on 31st October and on the 1st May immediately following. xvi. The HW may move to decide that a local group shall cease to exist, and its grant of land fall vacant, if, in the space of a calendar year, it has failed to be represented in sufficient numbers at a sufficient number of Major Events without good cause. The HW shall take account of attendance at local or area events, and at Training Weekends and other activities not open to the public, in determining whether a group is inactive or not. This regulation shall not apply to overseas-based groups. xvii. All other alterations to group boundaries must be notified to the High Witan, through the Lawspeaker. They shall be ratified using the procedures above. xviii. A group is recognised on the payment of its third Full Capitation Fee to Regia. No new group may receive a Grant of Land if it has fewer than three members at the time. xix. A group is deemed Established when it has ten paid-up adult Members. Such Groups may act as Mentor Groups (provided they are themselves out of mentorship) and may create their own regulations for their own activities and affairs. Such regulations must not contravene the Code of Law, nor lower the standards of the Society as laid down by the High Witan and the Society Officers. xx. A group with thirty-six adult Members may apply to the High Witan to be accorded the status of an Eorldom, and its leader to be accorded the status of an Eorl at a public ceremony if it be his wish. xxi. An Eorldom’s status shall revert to that of an Established Group if its strength falls below thirty-six adult members at any time outside the renewals period and it still does not have thirty-six adult members at any time before 15th November in the following year. xxii. A local group shall accurately reflect the peoples found in the group’s area within Regia’s period. 5B. Management of Groups i. All local groups are branches of the Society, and are bound by the Code of Law. All members of local groups are members of the Society, and are bound by the Code of Law. ii. The local group shall administer and enforce the Code of Law within its area. Whilst the method by which this is carried out is to be decided by the local group, the following points must be adhered to iii. Each local group must have a group leader and a treasurer, these two posts must not be held by the same individual. iv. Each local group must have a bank or building society account, in the name of the group. v. Each group must have an Authenticity Officer, and a Training Officer if the group has any combatant members. These posts may be held by any member of the group. vi. The group leader is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Code of Law in the group and the area of the group’s Grant of Land. The Society, through the Membership Officer, shall be informed of the identity and contact details of the group leader. vii.The treasurer is primarily and solely responsible for the administration of the group’s accounts. The Society Treasurer must be informed of the identity of the group treasurer. viii.The group leader and treasurer shall be jointly responsible for the administration of the group’s bank or building society account. ix. The Training Officer is responsible for military training within the group. The Society Training Officer shall be informed of the identity of the group Training Officer. x. The Authenticity Officer is responsible for all aspects of authenticity in the group. The Society Authenticity Officer shall be informed of the identity of the group authenticity officer. xi. The sphere of authority of the above posts in the group shall mirror the authority of the relevant Society Officer in the Society, as set down in the Code of Law. xii.The local group and relevant Society Officer shall share responsibility for the development of local group officers, and shall jointly ensure that such individuals are aware of current Society policies and best practice within each officer’s area of responsibility

6: Safety and Liability

i. Without infringing upon the legal rights of the individual, every member shall at all times ensure that they hold themselves safe and without harm in any situation whilst about the occasions of Regia Anglorum. In so doing they shall at all times ensure that the safety of the general public is held paramount and each member shall act with sober and considered care. ii. In respect of members’ liability, the Society, its officers and/or members cannot be held responsible for any injury, loss or damage occurring to any member or their property. In particular, it is the business of each and every member to investigate, research and understand the specific risks that they may encounter in re-enactment and to decide in cold and sober judgement whether or not they wish to involve themselves in the taking of such risks. Anyone taking part in any of the activities arranged by the Society will be deemed as having taken such a decision by their attendance and participation. iii. All members are required to avail themselves of training sessions held by the Society or its local groups. Persons failing to do so will take upon themselves a greater responsibility for the care of themselves and others. iv. Whilst the duly appointed officers of Regia Anglorum will at all times behave in a manner appropriate to their position, no particular liability shall attach to such officers. Even though they may act in the manner of "professionals", they are amateur volunteers and are specifically excluded from any greater liability than may exist in civil law and apply to every "ordinary" member of the Society. v. No financial responsibility for any action or inaction of the Society or its members, servants or agents shall attach itself to any office within the Society or any incumbent of such an office, PROVIDED THAT the officer has acted in a prudent and proper fashion within the confines of the civil law and the Constitution and Regulations of the Society. vi. In respect of Product Liability, any event, show, performance, private function or training session shall be deemed to be the work of amateur volunteers who will do their best to arrange the business of the day, operating within the Constitution and Regulations of the Society. Whilst acting in such a manner as may be found safe and appropriate to the event, show, performance, private function or training session, no particular liability shall attach to the officers of the Society other than may exist in Law and apply to every "ordinary" member of Regia Anglorum. vii. Each member is expected to make their own arrangements to insure themselves against any injury, loss or damage howsoever caused.

7. Limited Companies

i. Where the Society comes into possession of land, then that ownership shall be controlled by the creation of a non-trading Company Limited by Guarantee to hold the title to the land on behalf of Regia Anglorum ii. The HW shall appoint a Director and a Company Secretary to form the Board of such a company. They shall hold in joint name the single share in the Company. iii. Their authority to dispose of the share or title shall be limited to the specific written authority emanating from a resolution of an assembled HW. iv. Such a resolution may only be passed by an assembled HW if it is supported by the votes of three quarters of the local groups of Regia Anglorum, representing at least three quarters of the total number of Full Members of the Society. v. The Director and Company Secretary shall not have the power to amend the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Limited Company. These shall be defined initially by an assembled HW, and then only amended by a resolution passed under iv. above.
Here ends the Constitution of Regia Anglorum. It forms the first volume of Version 6 of the Code of Law, issued by the High Witan at Birmingham on 30/01/1999, and variously amended by the High Witan Martin Williams, Lawspeaker
pp Oswiu Eadulfing, iurisdictor <br.

THE REGULATIONS of REGIA ANGLORUM

Any reference to Weapons, Wargear, Arms or Armour shall specifically refer to the theatrical props that the members of the society may use in the course of the historical re-creations that they undertake whilst about the business of the society. 1. The High Witan i. The governing body of Regia Anglorum shall be a committee (the High Witan or HW), comprised of a delegate (normally the group leader) from each recognised local group and the Society Officers elected by the High Witan (see 2 below). ii. The High Witan shall have one scheduled meeting in a year, at the end of the display season. This shall be arranged by the Eolder and held before December 1st. It shall be termed the High Witan Business Meeting (HWBM) and shall be of extended format. The costs of hiring a meeting place and a proportion of the transport costs incurred in attending by the members of the HW shall be met by the Society. Food and accommodation costs shall be met by the Society only for the members of the HW. Attendance at the HWBM is a mandatory duty for all Society Officers and local groups. Costs incurred at other meetings of the HW may be met by the Society, at the discretion of the Society Treasurer. Other meetings may be called by the Eolder from time to time. The Eolder shall call for agenda items, ensuring that the completed agenda shall be sent to the members of the HW not less than ten days before the meeting date. iii. Whilst items for the agenda may be transmitted to the Eolder in any written medium, a final version must be sent by post to arrive by the due date. Manifestos for elections shall not run to more than 2 sides of A4 at 10 point Times New Roman iv. The High Witan shall have a quorum when 51% of the membership is represented by local group delegates. Once a quorum is established, it remains until the meeting is concluded. v. The High Witan shall have the power to appoint and dismiss the Society Officers, according to the processes laid down in the Code of Law. vi. Each local group delegate shall hold a vote, equal in value to the number of paid-up, Full members of the group. This vote may be divided by the delegate. All votes shall be taken using this proportional method except on decisions concerning a Point of Order, where each group delegate shall hold one vote, and a show of hands shall decide the issue. Points of Order must be in the form of a question to the Chair, asking for clarification on a point relevant to the current discussion, and relating to the CoL or Custom and Practice of the Society. vii. Society Officers hold no vote of themselves, but only as members of their local group. viii. A group must be represented by one of its members for its vote to be counted. However, the Society recognises that on rare occasions no delegate may be found, and so for one assembled HW in any calendar year a local group may notify the HW of its vote by post, under the following rules. 1. The Notification shall be physically in the hands of the Chair of the HW before the commencement of the meeting. It is the duty of the local group to ensure this. 2. The notification shall contain only the vote of the group's membership (whether for, against, or abstain) on each item of the Agenda, and no other comment or correspondence. The group may split its vote as if it were represented by a delegate. 3. The Notification shall be held by the Chair of the HW and the relevant part revealed to the meeting as each vote takes place. 4. The Chair of the HW shall have the power to declare any or all parts of the Notification to be null and void if the proposal voted on by the HW differs materially from that on the Agenda. In this instance an abstention shall be counted. ix. The Society Membership Officer shall notify the HW of the voting strength of the groups present at the start of the meeting. The membership figures for each group shall be taken at a date seven days before the date of the HW. x. Decisions of the HW have the force of the Code of Law. Changes to the Code of Law necessitated by a motion at a HW shall be presented to the HW at the meeting next after the motion. xi. Amendments to the Code of Law shall be made only by a HW. They must be moved in formal and exact terms. Amendments to the Code of Law must be notified to the members of the Society within fourteen days of passage by the HW. xii. Amendments to the Code of Law shall take effect on the forty-second day after passage by the HW. xiii. A member of the HW may object to a change in the Code of Law. Objection shall be notified in writing to the Eolder, Lawspeaker and Publications Officer within twenty-eight days of passage by the HW xiv. The next HW after the objection is received shall discuss the objection and the change to the Code of Law as its first item of business. The final form of the amendment shall be immediately binding on passage by the HW. Any further objection must be raised as a fresh proposal at a future HW. xv. A HW shall not be scheduled within thirteen days of the previous HW, although meetings may at need be adjourned to the following day. xvi. All motions placed before a HW must be proposed by a member of the HW, and seconded by a local group leader. Where two thirds of a local group’s members wish to raise an issue before the HW and their group leader will not, they may do so provided such a motion is sponsored by a Society Officer. On that matter alone, the members concerned shall send a separate delegate to the HW. Items for general discussion (which may not reach a specific conclusion) may be proposed by any member of the HW. xvii. All motions to do with the responsibilities or competence of a Society Officer must be discussed by the Proposer and the Officer concerned before the agenda is published. Any agenda item which has not been so discussed will be struck out of the agenda. Any motion which would involve the HW in a personal dispute will not be included on the agenda. xviii. Other regulations for the conduct of meetings of the HW shall be decided by the Eolder, in consultation with the Chair of the HW. 1A. Emergency High Witans i. An Emergency High Witan may be requested by any member of the HW. Requests, containing the grounds for summoning such a meeting, must be submitted to the Eolder and the Chair of the HW in writing, unless exceptional circumstances pertain. Within seven days of receipt, the Eolder must circulate written notification of the request to the members of the HW by post to their last known address. Requestors of Emergency HWs must follow the regulations in 1 above regarding proposals to the HW (particularly R1xvii) ii. On receipt of the notification, the members of the HW shall immediately notify the Eolder as to whether the circumstances of the situation are, in their opinion, sufficiently exceptional so as to require an immediate meeting of the HW. iii. Unless two thirds of the Society Officers or a body of group leaders representing two thirds of the Society’s membership are of the opinion that the circumstances are exceptional, the Emergency HW will be held at the next Regia Major Event. Otherwise, the Eolder shall organise a meeting of the HW at a suitably central location (or at the location of a Society Training Weekend or Area Event) at the earliest practicable date. iv. Decisions of an Emergency HW have equal status with those of a scheduled HW as detailed in 1 above. 1B. Postal and Telephonic Votes. i. On the rare occasions where it becomes necessary to consult the HW on a more immediate basis than achievable by 1A above, an opinion may be obtained by circulating a written document to or, if necessary, by telephonic communication with the group leaders of at least two thirds of the society’s membership. ii. Whilst such an opinion shall be immediately binding on the Society, the next meeting of the HW shall discuss the matter, formally ratifying or rescinding the decision of the postal or telephonic vote. iii. Any member of the HW may instigate and conduct a postal or telephonic vote, provided that he has the support of enough voting members of the HW to represent 20% of the Society, and has informed the Eolder, the Treasurer, the Lawspeaker and the Chair of the HW of the instigation of the process and of the Question to be put to the HW. The regulations for proposals to HWs (particularly R1xvii) must be adhered to. iv. The Eolder, the Treasurer and the Lawspeaker may instigate and conduct a postal or telephonic vote at their discretion, provided that they all agree upon such a course. v. The document bearing the Question shall be printed or typed. It shall set out the facts of the case so far as is known. It must be numbered in a recognisable sequence and bear its posting date upon it. It must not bear any other correspondence or information. Special care must be taken to present facts in as clear and neutral way as possible. Whilst it may not be possible for the instigator of the Vote to call upon the assistance of others in the preparation of the document, nevertheless a high standard of care and presentation is expected. The Question shall not be put in terms of a proposal as this could be construed as leading opinion. Neither shall it contain the names of sympathetic or antipathetic persons, as this too could be considered as persuasive. vi. Before instigating the process of the Vote, the instigator shall make every attempt to contact the Society Membership Officer, who will let him know the voting strengths of each group in the Society. vii. For a Postal Vote, a numbered (see iv above) photocopy of the document plus an envelope bearing the identical number as the document and a first class letter post stamp and the name and address of the instigator shall be sent to the last known postal address of every voting member of the HW by first class post. All documents must be posted at the same time. Proof of posting should be obtained where possible. Society Officers (where not themselves voting members of the HW) should be sent unnumbered copies of the document for their information. viii. It is the duty of all voting members of the HW to respond by return of post if possible and certainly within four days of receipt. Response shall be made only in the numbered envelope provided. There must be no other inclusion. Groups which fail to respond shall have their votes recorded as uncast ix. The instigator of the Vote shall tally the votes of the members of the HW immediately upon receipt and shall inform the Eolder, the Treasurer, the Lawspeaker, the Chair of the HW and the Publications Officer of the result of the vote within ten days of the despatch of the voting papers. He shall retain the numbered envelopes and their contents for production at the next meeting of the HW. The result shall be circulated to all members of the HW via the Officers mentioned above. x. In the case of a telephone vote, a document bearing the Question (and fulfilling the relevant requirements of R1Biv above) shall be sent by the instigator to the Eolder, the Treasurer, the Lawspeaker and the Chair of the HW in sealed envelopes, countersigned by the instigator across the flap. The envelope must not bear any other correspondence or information. The Officers above shall safely hold the envelopes unopened against a possible later dispute regarding the wording of the document. xi. The instigator shall telephone every group leader in turn. He shall make every effort to contact all of the group leaders during the time available to him, which shall include the hours from 1130 to 2330 on one weekday (Mon.-Fri.). If the emergency has taken place at a weekend, then a telephone vote may only take place if the Society has no Major Event that weekend. The group leaders of at least 67% of the membership must be contacted, else the vote will be declared null and void. xii. When the instigator makes contact with a group leader, it is his duty to behave with complete propriety. a) He shall not discuss any other matter but the one in hand. b) He shall not lead opinion or attempt to persuade. c) He shall not reveal his own or the stated opinion of any other member of the Society. d) He shall read back verbatim the stated opinion given to him by that group leader. e) He shall ask formally if there is anything that the group leader wishes to add, change or take away. xiii. When the instigator is in possession of the votes of the Society’s membership, he shall immediately inform the Eolder, the Treasurer, the Lawspeaker and the Chair of the HW of the result by telephone in the first instance and confirm immediately in writing thereafter (by post). If a further decision is required at that stage as to what action shall actually take place, the instigator shall seek the advice of the Officers above. xiv. No proxy voting is allowed in either postal or telephonic votes. xv. Whilst the result of postal or telephone votes shall be immediately binding, the next meeting of the HW shall formally discuss the matter as the first order of business, ratifying or rescinding the earlier decision for the minutes of that meeting. 2. The Society Officers i. The Society Officers of the Society shall have the executive power of decision within their several areas of responsibility as laid down below. ii. The Society Officers shall receive no financial reward or other pecuniary advantage for their services and their appointment is therefore honorary. Officers may claim from the Society such properly incurred expenses as the Society Treasurer and the HW shall deem appropriate. iii. No person acting in the capacity of an officer of the society shall be required or expected to place themselves at legal or financial risk as a result of their proper activities on behalf of the society. iv. The society will indemnify its officers and members against any and all legal and financial risks in respect of their honorary positions within the society so long as those risks were properly incurred within their brief as published in the current code of law or as amended by any assembled High Witan. v. Such indemnity shall be covered by the means of an insurance policy that will be undertaken and annually maintained by the society. vi. No officer or member of the society shall be indemnified either by the society or any indemnity insurance policy that the society has undertaken in respect of legal and financial indemnity if they are proven to have acted illegally, recklessly, in breach of the rules of the society or in ultra vires. vii. The Society Officers shall make every effort to avoid alienating any member of the Society by hasty or ill-considered statements or actions. It is the duty of a Society Officer to behave in a rational and ethical way at all times. viii. A decision of a Society Officer on a matter within his area of responsibility may only be overturned by the vote of a quorate HW. Decisions of a HW relating to the area of responsibility of a Society Officer shall be followed by that officer with speed and goodwill. ix. It is equally the duty of the members of the Society to follow the policies, rulings and instructions of the Society Officers with speed and goodwill. Disputes shall be dealt with privately and after the event in the first instance. x. All Society Officers, in addition to any other duty laid upon them by this Code of Law, shall attend at least half of the meetings of the HW held in any one calendar year. The HW has the right to open nominations for any Society Office where the Officer has failed to so attend. xi. At the end of December of any year, all Society Officers shall submit an official report of their actions and results, and forecast their progress for the coming year. The Report must be solely relevant to the area of responsibility of the Officer as laid down in this CoL. Reports shall be typed or printed on not more than two sides of A4, single spaced and displayed in not less than 10-point Times New Roman. Reports must be submitted for publication and circulation as an official document to the Society, by whatever procedure be in force at the time. The Reports shall be collated under the order of the list of Society Officers in R2B below, and circulated to every member of the Society by direct mail to his last known postal address, in advance of the HWBM. xii. Every Society Officer shall keep an up to date record of his activities within his area of responsibility. Where possible these should be prepared using an IBM PC-compatible computer, so that the exchange of information may be facilitated. During the use of computer-based information systems, the user shall be conscious of the provisions of the Data Protection Act. Electronic files should be able to be circulated in ASCII format, and Hard Copies be made available to the HW as a matter of course. xiii. Society Officers must be elected at a meeting of the HW, under the procedure laid down in R2A below. 2A. Society Officership Elections i. Society Officers are elected by the HW for a term of three years, with the exception of the Treasurer and the Eolder, who are elected for a term of five years. Appointments will commence upon the date of the HW that makes the appointment, and conclude at the assembled HW at the expiry of the term of office. ii. The HW alone has the authority to appoint and dismiss officers of the Society. iii. The appointment of Society Officers shall take place at a scheduled meeting of the HW, or at one specifically called for the purpose. Elections shall appear on the agenda for the meeting. Elections shall not be held by means of a postal or telephonic vote. iv. An Officership may fall vacant by means of the resignation of the Officer from his post or from the Society, the lapsing of the Officers Membership (under C4Cii), by the dismissal of an Officer by the HW, or by the expiry of an Officer’s term of office. The HW may also call upon the membership to submit applications for a post whilst an incumbent Officer still holds that position. In such a case, the incumbent shall have the right to re-apply. The HW shall not accept or consider applications at any other time. v. Upon any of the conditions of iv above being fulfilled, the HW shall issue a Notice of Invitation to the Society in order that applications may appear in the Agenda of the next scheduled HW. vi. The Notice shall be sent by the Eolder unless the HW directs otherwise. At need (particularly if the Eoldership be vacant) the Lawspeaker or the Chair of the HW shall send the Notice. vii. The Notice shall invite Full, Adult paid-up members of the Society to apply for the post(s) indicated in the Notice. The HW may decide to specify further required qualifications for any specific Officership. viii. Those members who wish their candidacy to be considered must respond to the Notice by the date laid down in the Notice by means of submitting a Manifesto in accordance with R1iii above ix. A candidacy must be sponsored by the candidate’s Group Leader, or by 67% of the members of his local group, and by another voting member of the HW. A candidacy may not be sponsored, however, by a group bound by active ties of Mentorship to the candidate’s group. x. Manifestos shall be distributed to the members of the HW with the agenda of the HW which elects the Officer xi. Candidates must attend the HW that hears their application and be prepared to answer such questions as the meeting may put to them. xii. Where a HW is not scheduled to occur within 60 days of the post falling vacant, or if the agenda for a scheduled HW is already in preparation when a post falls vacant, the HW may appoint an officer pro tempore. An officer pro tempore shall be appointed where the HW is obliged to appoint an Officer under the relevant section of R2B. xiii. Where the HW is not in session, the Eolder in full consultation with the Society Officers, may appoint an officer pro tempore. 2B. The Officers and their Areas of Responsibility i. The HW shall elect an Eolder. a) The Eolder must attend at least half of the Society’s Major Events in any one year. He shall not also hold the position of Treasurer b) The Eolder will act as the Society’s sole Business Manager and it shall be his special responsibility to seek paid work for the Society. He shall have the power to decide with which events the Society shall involve itself and the amounts of payments, fees and expenses and/or non-monetary remuneration it shall receive in respect of such work. c) He shall not benefit financially from his activities as Eolder undertaken on behalf of the Society in any way that is not shared by other members of the Society. d) He shall not bear any financial risk or burden incurred in the performance of his activities on behalf of the Society that is not wholly shared by all members of the Society and the Society will indemnify him against such risks. e) He shall have the power to decide that up to three Major Events in any one twelve month period shall be Charity Events, performed for no tangible reward. f) He shall liase with the local group leaders and others on an ongoing basis to gauge the opinion of the general membership as to the type of work that the Society shall do. g) He shall work closely with the Treasurer to ensure that the Society is properly funded from events, film-work and other business enterprises. At the discretion of the Society Treasurer, the Eolder may operate a cheque book on his single signature from The Society’s Operating Account. (see iii below) h) The Eolder shall act as Society Organiser, having a general overview of the Society’s organisation and structure. In this regard, he shall have a wide ranging brief aimed at initiating, maintaining and forwarding the Society’s best interests. He shall constantly seek to be well informed about how these aims can be best achieved. In uncontentious and day-to-day matters he shall speak for the HW in particular and the Society in general. i) He shall have many of the duties of a General Secretary to the HW and the Society. These shall include:- 1) He shall be responsible for the publication of a Society Newsletter. This is intended to be published four times a year, on or around the Quarter Days, which a subcontracted printer will send by first-class post to each member’s last known postal address as available in the records of the Society Membership Officer. The Eolder’s responsibility in this regard will be deemed to be fulfilled once the master hard copy of each edition has been posted to the printer. 2) He shall be responsible for the publication and distribution of the Society’s official papers, such as Officer’s Reports, papers relating to the Election of Society Officers, the Agendas and Minutes of meetings of the HW, details of events and other such papers as from time to time may be necessary. Such papers may be published in the Society Newsletter, but at his discretion, the Eolder may from time to time distribute papers to the members of the HW alone. 3) The Eolder’s responsibility for the publication and promulgation of such papers will be deemed to be fulfilled once the members of the HW have been circulated with such papers. 4) The financial responsibility for production, distribution, stationery and postage shall be that of the Society. j) In association with the Lawspeaker and the HW, the Eolder shall have a shared responsibility for writing the CoL. Whilst he shall do his utmost to ensure that the CoL is written and applied for the greater good of the Society and its members, he shall have no responsibility for its interpretation. ii. The HW shall elect a Lawspeaker. a) The Lawspeaker shall maintain and uphold the CoL. He shall ensure that if the CoL is capable of two or more interpretations, that the greater good of the Society and its members is held safe and paramount. b) He shall share a responsibility with the Eolder and the HW for the writing of the CoL. He shall do his utmost to ensure that the CoL is written and applied for the greater good of the Society and its members. He shall have the duty of interpretation of the CoL. c) He shall advise the Society on the laws and customs pertaining to the Society’s area and period of interest (see C2ii above) d) He shall administer the Land Grant system of the Society, working with the MO and the Eolder where it should be necessary, under C5 above. The day-to-day operation of this system may be shared with another Officer if the Lawspeaker sees fit. iii. The HW shall elect a Treasurer. a) The Treasurer shall attend at least half of the Society’s Major Events in any one year. He shall not also hold the position of Eolder. b) He shall not benefit financially from his activities as Treasurer undertaken on behalf of the Society in any way that is not shared by other members of the Society. c) He shall not bear any financial risk or burden incurred in the performance of his activities on behalf of the Society that is not wholly shared by all members of the Society and the Society will indemnify him against such risks. d) The Treasurer shall be responsible for the overall control of all financial affairs of the Society. He shall at all times, as far as is practicable, be in a position to advise the HW upon the current and projected state of the Society’s finances. e) He shall have the right of access to all financial and business interests of the Society, and must be consulted before any financial commitment is made. f) He shall be responsible for the accurate keeping of books of common record and account, and maintaining a proper record of the Society’s financial affairs and transactions. g) He shall prepare a balance sheet and statements of Income and Expenditure annually, based on a financial year ending on 30th September, which shall be presented to the next HWBM. h) He shall be responsible for the proper disbursement of the Society’s funds at Events. He shall define and implement procedures regarding the payment of fuel or other expenses and shall have the final say regarding payment of these monies. i) He shall work closely with the Eolder to ensure that the Society’s business is conducted on a sound footing. j) He may permit the Eolder to draw upon the Operating Account, using a cheque book on the Eolder’s single signature. k) Any member or members of the Society who involve the Society in expenditure which has not been sanctioned in advance by the Treasurer shall be held personally responsible and shall be required to reimburse the Society in full for such expenditure. iv. The HW shall elect an Authenticity Officer (AO) a) He shall attend at least half of the Society’s major events in any one year. b) He shall be responsible for the overview of the authentic portrayal of the life and times of the people who lived in and visited the Islands of Britain in the Society’s general period of interest. He shall at all times ensure that a balance of portrayal is achieved so as not to make exceptional examples from the period the norm. c) He shall make it his concern to augment the Society’s corporate knowledge regarding the visual appearance of the peoples of these Islands and their near neighbours in Northern Europe and thus maintain and constantly improve the Society’s image at events. d) He shall be responsible for encouraging and advising other Society Officers who may have a particular interest and the membership in general regarding all aspects of authenticity of dress, weapons, armour and other equipment, behaviour and attitude. e) He shall be prepared to enforce his decisions if it should become necessary at events. He shall have the power of veto over any matter regarding authenticity. f) He may appoint deputies, the number of which (including himself) shall not exceed 1.5% of the total membership of the Society, unless agreed otherwise by the HW. He shall co-ordinate their activities, and report back to the HW upon them from time to time. v. The HW shall elect a Living History Co-ordinator (LHC) a) He shall attend at least half of the Society’s major events in any one year b) He shall have an overview of all domestic and industrial activities that take place within the Society that have a practical or academic application to the Living History Exhibit (LHE) c) He shall initiate, co-ordinate and apply academic and practical research into the arts and crafts of these Islands and their near neighbours in Northern Europe in the Society’s period of interest. d) He shall have final responsibility for the image presented by the LHE and for ensuring, as far as is possible, the authentic portrayal of life at public displays involving the LHE. All members of the Society shall fall under his jurisdiction (within the CoL) whilst they are within the bounds of the LHE. He shall work closely with the AO in this regard, and may amend but not lessen the force of the rulings of the AO in these matters. e) He shall instigate and maintain systems for the smooth running of the LHE. He may appoint Craft Co-ordinators to advise on matters related to any particular activity. f) He shall organise, in consultation with the Eolder, Training Weekends or similar events where the members of the Society may gain intensive skill training. g) He may appoint deputies, the number of which (including himself) shall not exceed 1.5% of the total membership of the Society, unless agreed otherwise by the HW. He shall co-ordinate their activities, and report back to the HW upon them from time to time. vi. The HW shall elect a Military Training Officer (MTO). a) He shall attend at least half of the Society’s major events in any one year. b) He shall oversee the training of the Society’s members who wish to take part in combat and other military displays within the Society. He shall therefore be responsible, insofar as it may be practical and reasonable, for the safety in use of the weapons that the Society’s members may employ in such displays c) He shall instigate and maintain a policy appertaining to the use of weapons. This shall be published and circulated to at least the members of the HW at the Society’s expense. Changes, additions and other modifications shall be circulated from time to time. d) He shall instigate, maintain and oversee a formalised system of training throughout the Society that will enable a member to acquire and progress in such weapon skills as their length of experience, mode of dress and rank shall allow at any particular time. e) He shall instigate and maintain a policy appertaining to the use of weapons. This shall be published and circulated to at least the members of the HW at the Society’s expense. Changes, additions and other modifications shall be circulated from time to time. He shall derive testing procedures that are aimed at ensuring the greatest safety of members participating in military displays, insofar as that may be possible. f) He shall regularly liaise with local group training officers (see C5Bix) with the aim of ensuring consistent training methods throughout the Society. g) He shall arrange training sessions at Society Events and, working with the Eolder, organise Training Weekends and other similar events where the members of the Society may gain intensive skill training. h) He may arbitrate in disputes that may arise from the use of weapons at events under the aegis of the Society. He shall share this responsibility equally with the MAA. i) He may appoint deputies, the number of which (including himself) shall not exceed 1.5% of the total membership of the Society, unless agreed otherwise by the HW. Outwith this limit, he may make such provision for overseas-based groups as he sees fit. He shall co-ordinate their activities, and report back to the HW upon them from time to time. vii. The HW shall elect a Master at Arms (MAA) a) He shall attend at least half of the Society’s major events in any one year. b) He shall be responsible for ensuring the safety in construction and authenticity in outward form of wargear that the Society’s members may employ in military displays at Society events. All members of the Society shall fall under his jurisdiction (within the CoL) whilst they are within the bounds of the military display area. He shall work closely with the AO in this regard, and may amend but not lessen the force of the rulings of the AO in these matters. c) He shall instigate and maintain a policy appertaining to the use of weapons. This shall be published and circulated to at least the members of the HW at the Society’s expense. Changes, additions and other modifications shall be circulated from time to time. d) He shall instigate, maintain and oversee a formalised system of visual inspection of the members of the Society and their weapons in advance of any military display, aimed at ensuring the safety of members so involved, insofar as that may be reasonable and practical. e) He shall liaise with local group leaders and training officers with the aim of ensuring consistent weapon quality and preparedness throughout the Society. f) He may arbitrate in disputes that may arise from the use of weapons at events under the aegis of the Society. He shall share this responsibility equally with the MTO g) He may appoint deputies, the number of which (including himself) shall not exceed 1.5% of the total membership of the Society, unless agreed otherwise by the HW. He shall co-ordinate their activities, and report back to the HW upon them from time to time. viii. The HW shall elect a Membership Officer (MO) a) He shall instigate and maintain a record of all the Society’s members. He shall have sole responsibility for governing access to such records, and shall issue regulations on this matter in accordance with current legislation b) . He shall collect subscriptions and promptly issue Membership Documents c) He shall pay collected subscriptions into a bank account stipulated by the Treasurer and shall maintain a record of such transactions to a standard required by the Treasurer. d) He shall maintain an accurate figure of the membership strength of each local group in the Society. He shall make these figures available to the HW at the opening of each of its meetings. e) He shall work closely with the Lawspeaker in the operation of the Land Grant system of the Society, and shall maintain a back-up record of all documents relating to it. He shall inform the Lawspeaker if an area falls vacant under C5Axv or C4Dix above. f) He shall bring to the attention of the HW, through the Eolder and Lawspeaker, any membership application that he has reason to believe may be inappropriate or in breach of the CoL. ix. The HW shall elect a Chair (CHW) a) He shall attend at least 50% of the meetings of the HW in any one year. b) He shall have sole responsibility for calling meetings of the HW to order and maintaining order throughout the meeting. c) He shall have sole responsibility for recognising members of the HW who wish to contribute to discussions. d) He must neither express nor contribute opinion nor raise questions during meetings of the HW, but may respond to any Points of Order raised during the meeting. e) He must give immediate attention to any Points of Order by suspending the current discussion until the Point is resolved. He must directly respond to the Point and then recommence the current discussion by recognising the next speaker. f) He may adjourn a meeting, but for no longer than 24 hours. g) He shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie in voting by local group delegates. h) He shall have the sole responsibility for the closure of the meeting. i) He or the HW may appoint another person to sit as Chair pro tempore for a meeting or part of a meeting if it is judged by the voting members of the HW that he has (or may be construed as having) a vested interest in the matter under discussion. x. The HW may elect a Communications Officer (CO) a) He shall have a general oversight of the Society’s electronic and paper communications. b) He shall coordinate all aspects of the Society's communications and, where necessary and appropriate, assist the authors, editors and coordinators in their roles. i) Chronicle - The Society Journal ii) Clamavi - The Society Newsletter iii) The website iv) Internal mailing lists v) Internal web based fora vi) Policy Documents and Officer's Regulations vii) Other documents produced by the society - including the Handbook c) He shall maintain a library of documents produced within the Society. Members of the Society shall be able to request copies of documents from the library. d) He shall maintain the house style of internal communications and their method of delivery. e) He shall work closely with the Press and Media Officer on the website and external publications to maintain a consistent house style. They shall ensure that information is shared between these two spheres. f) When text or images are to be made available by a member or an officer of Regia Anglorum to the membership or the public, the Communications Officer shall have the right of first sight of any document. Where required by issues of plagiarism, copyright, accuracy, libel, obscenity or other legal issues, he shall be jointly responsible with the Press and Media Officer for the editing of text and images. Where matters of size, pace, readability, presentation, or other matters of content, are involved, he shall act where necessary in an advisory capacity. The author shall have the right of last choice in this respect. g) He shall act as a clearing house and archivist for documents or information that require communication to the Society unless otherwise specified by the High Witan. h) He shall advise and assist the society, and its officers, on technical matters that fall within his jurisdiction. xi. The HW may elect a Publicity Officer (PO) a. He shall have a broad responsibility for publicity both between the Society and its clients and internally in order to both raise public awareness of events and at local level to attract new members. b. He shall strive to raise the public profile of the society and seek new opportunities . c. He shall make it his particular concern to work closely with the Eolder in order to provide a prospective client with a range of publicity options. d. He shall procure professional design services where required and produce and promote a range of products for use at both Society and local level. e. He may provide a ‘Publicity Presence’ at selected shows, incorporating literature, membership contacts and corporate hospitality. f. He shall provide related support and services for the benefit of Regia Anglorum, it’s officers, group leaders and membership. g. He shall not alter or re-interpret the image or standing of the society nor create original information without High Witan consultation xii.The HW may elect a Sponsorship Officer (SO) a) He shall actively seek sponsorship for such items, events and projects as the HW may direct. He shall liase with the Eolder in this matter. b) He shall instigate and maintain contacts and good relations with actual and potential sponsors. xiii. The HW may elect a Maritime Officer (MarO) a) He shall have responsibility for all non-fiscal matters appertaining to the ship replicas that the Society shall own or have in its keeping from time to time. b) He shall ensure that the vessels are maintained in a good state of repair and shall liaise with the Eolder and Treasurer in this regard as may be necessary and reasonable. c) He shall maintain a record of those involved in the maritime aspect of the Society’s activities, and those with relevant marine or nautical qualifications or experience. d) He shall arrange training sessions at Society Events where practical and, working with the Eolder, organise Training Weekends and other similar events where the members of the Society may gain intensive skill training. e) He shall have an overview of all maritime matters within the Society. He shall promote the maritime aspect of the Society’s activities. f) He may appoint deputies, the number of which (including himself) shall not exceed 1.5% of the total membership of the Society, unless agreed otherwise by the HW. He shall co-ordinate their activities, and report back to the HW upon them from time to time. xiv. The HW may elect an Ecclesiastical Officer. (EcclO). a) He shall attend at least half of the Society’s major events in any one year. b) He shall initiate and correlate research into the Church in these Islands in the Society’s Period of Interest. c) He shall promote the ecclesiastical aspect of the Society’s activities. He shall control the Ecclesiastical Rank system of the Society, in consultation with the local group leaders of members of the Society involved in this aspect. d) He shall ensure that the bounds of good taste and authenticity are not exceeded by the words or actions of any religious ceremony or display at a Society Event, or by the actions or words of himself or those responsible to him. He shall ensure that all religious ceremonies performed as part of the public displays of the Society are verifiable from primary sources from the Society’s Period of Interest. He shall advise the AO, MAA and LHC in this regard. e) He shall call, organise and attend meetings of all those involved in the ecclesiastical aspect of the Society’s displays. These meetings, known as Synods, may be attended by all those with an interest in this aspect, whether they hold ecclesiastical rank within the Society or not. f) He shall promulgate policy and regulations regarding the ecclesiastical aspect of the Society’s activities. This shall be distributed to at least the members of the HW. g) He may appoint deputies, the number of which (including himself) shall not exceed 1.5% of the total membership of the Society, unless agreed otherwise by the HW. He shall co-ordinate their activities, and report back to the HW upon them from time to time. xv. The HW may elect a Missiles Officer (MiO) a) He shall attend at least half of the Society’s major events in any one year. b) He shall oversee the training of the Society’s members who wish to take part in combat and other missile displays within the Society. He shall therefore be responsible, insofar as it may be practical and reasonable, for the safety in use of the missile weapons that the Society’s members may employ in such displays c) He shall instigate and maintain a policy appertaining to the use and construction of missile weapons. This shall be published and circulated to at least the members of the HW at the Society’s expense. Changes, additions and other modifications shall be circulated from time to time. d) He shall instigate, maintain and oversee a formalised system of training throughout the Society that will enable a member to acquire and progress in such missile weapon skills e) He shall instigate and maintain testing procedures that are aimed at ensuring the greatest safety of members participating in missile displays, insofar as that may be possible. f) He shall regularly liaise with the AO, MAA, MTO and local group training officers (see C5Bix) with the aim of ensuring consistent training methods throughout the Society. g) He shall arrange training sessions at Society Events and at Training Weekends and other similar events where the members of the Society may gain intensive skill training. He shall work with the Eolder and MTO in this regard. h) He may appoint deputies, the number of which (including himself) shall not exceed 1.5% of the total membership of the Society, unless agreed otherwise by the HW. He shall co-ordinate their activities, and report back to the HW upon them from time to time. xvi. The HW may elect a First Aid Coordinator (FAC) a) He shall maintain a list of all members of the Society who are qualified and willing to serve as First Aiders at the Society’s events. b) He shall ensure that adequate First Aid cover is provided for all Society Major Events, where sufficient notice of an event has been given. c) He shall institute and maintain a record of injuries sustained by members of the Society d) He shall ensure that First Aid equipment held by the Society be maintained in a state of readiness. He shall ensure that Society First Aiders are reimbursed for personal expenditure of First Aid equipment (through the Society Treasurer) e) He shall generate specific policies regarding the provision and practice of First Aid within the Society. xvii. The HW may elect a Merchandising Officer (MeO) a. He shall attend at least half of the Society’s major events in any one year. . b. He shall manage the Society’s Merchandising Unit, and shall ensure that a trading stall is operated at Society Major Events as often as is practicable. c. He shall control the Society’s Merchandising Account, and shall return details of all transactions and levels of stock etc. to the Treasurer on a monthly basis. He shall agree an annual budget with the Treasurer for the purchase of stock and the running expenses of the Unit. Any profits of the Unit shall be paid back to the Society’s general funds on an annual basis. d. He shall produce a business plan annually as part of his Officer’s Report, and shall review this regularly. e. He may not make any payment relating to the purchase of stock from his personal accounts. In this regard attention is particularly drawn to R2iii above. f. In conjunction with the Eolder, he shall ensure that any relevant licences required to trade at an event are obtained by the Society. g. He shall give his active consent before any goods destined for the Merchandising Unit are purchased by the Society xviii The HW may elect a Wychurst Project Coordinator (WPC) a. He will be a proven member of the society with experience in managing Regia members at events, training weekends or in other situations. b. He must be prepared to be proactive in organizing and planning the project, both in current detail and forward planning. c. He must expect to attend and work at 75% of working weekends at the site. d. He will identify and encourage Regia volunteers to the project and provide assistance and advice to them in acquiring skills and materials as necessary. e. He will delegate appropriate persons to tasks and provide other persons to support them as necessary. f. He will work to promote the project both within the society and externally, providing frequent reports to the society at appropriate stages. g. He will work with the Eolder in seeking work and funding for the society, where this involves the project, and will assist in organising events and filming on the site where appropriate. 2C. Advisory Councils i. Society Officers may, at their discretion, gather around them a number of advisors. ii. These advisors must include any Deputies they may appoint under the CoL iii. These advisors must be seen to represent the whole membership of the Society, with particular regard to geographical distribution. iv. Whilst such Councils may assist Society Officers in formulating and promoting policies and rulings, their decisions are purely advisory, and are not binding on either the Officer or the HW. 2D. Co-opted Officers i. The HW may co-opt any Full, Adult Member of the Society to fulfil a specific role. ii. Such Officers must be co-opted by a vote at a meeting of the HW, which shall also determine the terms of reference and duration of such a position. iii. Co-opted Officers shall have the authority and duties of Society Officers within their brief. iv. Their posts shall be reviewed annually in any case. v. The HW may decide to promote the Co-opted Office to a Society Office. In this case R2A shall immediately apply, and an open election held. 3. Displays i. A Society Major Event is one deemed to be so by the Eolder or the HW. In general terms the parameters are as follows: a. The event is one that requires a large input from the membership b. The event is one which large numbers of the membership may be expected to attend, working from previous experience. c. The event is one that earns a fee of or in excess of £1000. ii. The membership shall be aware that the Society obtains the principal part of its income from public events. The majority of these events are Major Events, which pay the Society high fees. Major Events are the single best way of ensuring the future growth and success of the Society. iii. Major Events shall at all times take precedence over public events organised at local group or regional level, Training Weekends and banquets and similar social events. Such local events and Training Weekends shall only be booked after liaison with the Eolder, in order to fall under the aegis of the Society with regard to Public Liability Insurance etc. iv. Information regarding Major Events shall be made available to the membership as far in advance as is practical. Announcements or detailed information shall be sent out either in a mailing to the members of the HW or by means of the Society Newsletter. The Eolder shall have the responsibility of ensuring that full details of an Event are sent to at least the members of the HW no less than two weeks in advance of the Event. v. Where such details are not sent out in a general mailing such as a Society Newsletter, it is the responsibility of the local group leaders to disseminate the information to the members of their groups. vi. Leaders of local groups are required to inform the Eolder of the number of their members likely to attend an event at least seven days prior to its commencement. vii. Other work undertaken by Regia, such as film-work, week-long events and so forth may allow the Society to pay its members’ expenses, provide food etc. All such payments are intended to cover out of pocket expenses and are not to be considered as pay within the context of tax or NI. The Society reserves the right to claim a percentage of any fee charged by the Society for its members’ services to a third party, which percentage shall be abstracted at source. viii. A ‘Hosting Fee’ will normally be paid to local groups who are hosts to Regia for a Major Event. This is to reimburse the local group for its efforts in on-site management, pre and post-event activity (e.g. erection of signage etc.) and other matters. The amount is to cover the group’s inconvenience, any costs shall be claimed back through the Treasurer in the usual way. The fee shall be paid to the hosting group within seven days of the closure of the event. The amount shall be fixed by the HW from time to time. ix. Further regulations for Events may be produced by the Eolder, in consultation with the LHC, MAA, MTO and Treasurer, where relevant. 3A. Booking Major Events i. No Society Event of any kind shall be discussed, booked or any kind of agreement (written or verbal) entered into or considered, nor any fee discussed by any person acting or purporting to act as an agent of the Society without the prior knowledge and written agreement of the Eolder. ii. Information that may lead to the booking of Society Events of any kind shall be referred to the Eolder with all speed, as shall all enquiries from clients, prospective or otherwise. iii. Wherever possible, but at his discretion, the Eolder shall involve the local group leadership in discussions with prospective clients for Society events that fall within the Land Grant of that local group. The intention is that all can be seen to be ‘above board’ and that the local group can gain first hand knowledge of the kind of agreement entered into. 3B. Event Infrastructure i. A meeting (the Morning Meeting) shall be held at 1000hrs (or one hour before public opening, if earlier) on each day of an event. All Society Officers (and any of their Deputies) present at the event shall attend, along with a delegate from each local group attending. The LHC, MAA and MTO shall ensure that ‘wic leaders’ and ‘army commanders’ shall also attend if they be neither Officers nor group leaders. The location of the meeting shall be at a central part of the display area. ii. An Officer of the Day (O/d) shall be appointed at the beginning of the event. In general the leader of the local group (or a nearby group where there is no local group covering the event site) shall be appointed. a. He shall have an overview of the event and work closely with the Eolder, LHC and MTO to ensure its smooth running. b. He shall have a general responsibility for the Third Millennium Campsite (TMC), its organisation and placement. He shall expect the co-operation of the members of the Society with regard to the placement of tents and vehicles, and the maintenance of necessary access to all parts of the TMC. c. He shall be responsible for tidying the TMC, ensuring that toilet facilities are functioning, ensuring the timetable of the day is widely known and generally dealing with such matters as shall need his attention through the day. He shall have authority over the areas of the LHE and military display areas outside the hours of public display, and shall ensure that they are clear of dangerous or noxious items or substances before the commencement of the public display each day. He shall expect the cooperation of the members of the Society in this regard. d. He shall remain entirely sober during the hours of his responsibility. e. He shall have the authority of a Society Officer during the hours of his responsibility. f. With the consent of the Morning Meeting, the position of the O/d may be rotated among several persons throughout the event. However the identity of the O/d shall be known at all times. iii. The Morning Meeting shall also approve the appointment of a Site Safety Officer (SSO), on the same lines as that of the O/d. No-one shall hold both positions simultaneously. a. He shall have an overview of all aspects of site safety, on the display areas and the TMC. He shall be available during his hours of responsibility and shall be entirely sober during them. He shall deal expeditiously with all matters as shall require his attention. b. He shall have responsibility for First Aid provision at the event as the Society’s Appointed Person. He shall be made aware of the identity of all members of the Society present at the event who are known to the Society as First Aiders. He shall liaise with the FAC and external First Aid organisations if any be present. c. He shall have the authority of a Society Officer during his hours of responsibility. iv. The O/d and SSO shall make it their joint and several business to ascertain the locations of: a. The nearest doctor’s surgery its telephone number and the number of the local Out-of-Hours GP service. b. The nearest late opening pharmacy c. The nearest hospitals with a 24-hr Accident and Emergency Unit, and the nature of other local NHS hospitals (e.g. Minor Injury Units etc.) d. The nearest working public telephone with a 24-hr. 999 facility. They shall either know and be able to drive the route to these facilities themselves, or obtain the services of a car driver who does. v. The O/d shall also ascertain the location, nature, opening hours, telephone numbers etc. of local food outlets and public houses. He shall make this information available to the attendant membership. vi. The O/d, together with the local group leader shall ensure that ready supplies of potable water, sand and firewood, and sanitation facilities are available on their arrival on site, even if the Eolder has physically checked that such supplies and facilities will be available whilst arranging the event. If necessary they shall take steps to acquire such, and shall receive necessary remuneration from the Treasurer. vii. The local group leader (or nearest neighbouring group leader), shall, on receipt of no less than seven days written notice, arrange the transport of members to and from the nearest railway station and/or bus station to the site, if necessary. viii. A record of those members of the Society attending any Society Event shall be kept at that event and retained by the MO. 3C. The Responsibilities of the Membership i. It is the duty of the individual member, guided primarily by the leadership of his local group, and then by the relevant Society Officers (and their Deputies) to ensure that any items of clothing and/or equipment intended for public display at any Event are: a. safe in their construction and use (under the relevant regulations of the Society Officers) and b. authentic for the display, bearing in mind the location and published dateline (if any) for the Event. ii. It is the duty of the AO and MAA to inform the membership of the details of general and wargear authenticity for Events, and they shall maintain strict control over this aspect of the Society’s function. The member shall bear in mind that, after safety, standards of authenticity are the prime and abiding interest of the whole Society. iii. Members of the Society shall not consume alcohol during the hours of public display of an Event, and shall be sober at any time when they appear in public during those hours. Members of the Society shall not consume tobacco products during the hours of public display of an Event when appearing in public and in such costume as shall connect them with the Society. Detailed regulation of this matter shall be in the hands of the O/d, MTO and LHC at Major Events. iv. The repeated use of foul or blasphemous language by a member of the Society in such contexts as may connect him with the Society, particularly when in the hearing of a minor or minors, the general public, or the Client or the Client’s agent or representative may be dealt with by means of immediate removal of the member from the display areas, followed by such action as a quorate Emergency HW shall determine. Such an EHW may be immediately convened. v. No member of the Society shall take or willingly expose himself to any form of non-medically prescribed drug, nor any compound that could be construed as such at any time when attendant at an Event, nor in any context that may in any way or at any time connect him with the Society, upon risk of immediate removal of the member from the Event, suspension of membership, and such action as a subsequent HW shall determine. Such a HW may be immediately convened. vi. No member of the Society shall wilfully disregard an instruction given to him by a relevant Society Officer (or person holding due authority at an Event) on a matter of health and safety, upon risk of immediate removal of the member from the Event, suspension of membership, and such action as a subsequent HW shall determine. Such a HW may be immediately convened. 4. Financial Procedures i. The Society Treasurer shall issue detailed regulations, pro-formis etc. regarding financial matters from time to time. ii. All claims made upon the Society by the membership regarding payments of fuel expenses for attendance at displays, where such payments have been announced in advance by the Eolder. shall be made on the relevant pro-forma and be accompanied by VAT receipts for the amount claimed. Local groups shall submit claims for their members, and payments shall be made by cheque to the local group, except in exceptional circumstances 4A. Group Projects i. Any Established Group of the Society has the right to make a request to the HW (through the Treasurer) for grants in cash or kind to forward group projects. Decisions on such matters shall be made by an assembled HW. ii. A feasibility study must be prepared and presented to the HW. It shall be accompanied by an estimate of the amounts of money required at any stage, and an estimate of completed costs. Where materials or outside labour are required, three estimates from different sources shall be submitted iii. The local group leader shall generally be held accountable for the overview and accurate accounting of granted materials and money, and the final production of the project. The HW may appoint another person in his place if it sees fit. This accountability shall extend to MODERN law. iv. Reports of project progress shall appear in each issue of the Society Newsletter published during the duration of the project. v. No project shall last more than twelve months unless decided otherwise by the HWBM. vi. If a project is not completed within the stated time, any remaining monies and materials shall come under the management of the Society with immediate effect. 5: Safety i. The Society's policy is to provide and maintain safe and healthy working conditions, equipment and systems of work for all our members and to provide such information, training and supervision as they may need for this purpose ii. The allocation of duties for safety matters and particular arrangements are contained in ‘Safety: Everybody's Business’ available upon request from the Society, and within this CoL (see R3 above). The membership of the Society shall remain familiar with the provisions of these documents. iii. The Society shall maintain an insurance policy in relation to Third Party Risks and Employer's Liability iv. The Society shall keep its safety policies up-to date, by means of regular reviews by the HW and/or relevant Society Officers v. All public displays of the Society, whether of a military nature or not, shall be secured from public access by means of such rope barriers as shall be appropriate to the display. 5A. Health Considerations i. The Society respectfully submits that those suffering from HIV or other blood-borne infections consider their involvement with an activity where edged tools and weapons play a major part ii. All members of the Society shall ensure that they have all their relevant inoculations up to date. iii. All members of the Society shall institute and maintain such personal hygiene procedures as may be practicable when attendant at a display. Procedures regarding the cleanliness of food preparation and consumption areas and equipment shall be instituted and maintained by individuals and local groups. iv. A member taking a medicine (whether medically prescribed or not) which could cause drowsiness shall not engage in a military display, nor use edged tools on the LHE. 5B. Safety of Equipment i. It is the personal duty of every member of the Society to ensure that any item of equipment which they own or use is safe in its construction and method of usage. When in doubt, the relevant Society Officer shall be consulted. ii. Weapons and tools shall be kept free from rust, rot, cracks, burrs or other defects in their material construction. iii. No weapon shall be deliberately thrust into the ground at any time. Where a weapon is accidentally put into the ground, it shall be immediately removed and cleaned before further use. 6: Justice and Discipline i. All procedures involving matters under this section shall conform to the principles of C4A above. ii. Where a meeting under C4A is to be held to examine the behaviour, competence, actions or inactions of a member or members of the Society, the member or members concerned must be informed of its location and nature at least seven days beforehand, whether by post to their last known address, or by hand, with the witness of either an officer of the local group (for hearings at local level), or a Society Officer (for hearings before the High Witan). This section does not apply to meetings of the HW called under R3C. iii. The Lawspeaker must likewise be informed in advance of any such meeting, and shall make himself freely available to the parties to advise them of their rights and duties. iv. The member or members concerned are not obliged to attend the meeting. They may ask a Senior Member of the Society to speak for them at the meeting. There is no duty laid upon any such member to accept the request. v. Where a vote is taken either party may request that it be taken by secret ballot. vi. The proceedings of the meeting must be minuted and signed as a true record by both parties. Copies of minutes and relevant documentation of all hearings held under these regulations resulting in action under R6B below must be held under seal by the Lawspeaker and the local group leader of the member or members concerned. vii. Once a member or members have been cleared of any matter brought against them by either the local group or the HW, the matter may not be raised again nor appealed under 6A below. A hearing before the HW shall not be supplemented by action at local level, nor vice versa. viii. If a member resigns his membership in the period between being informed of a hearing and the date of that hearing, the details of the matter shall be forwarded to the Lawspeaker, who shall hold them under seal and inform the MO of the name of the member concerned. Such persons may not rejoin the society without consent of the HW, who shall examine the matter before giving their consent. ix. The Lawspeaker may issue further regulations on this matter from time to time. 6A: Appeals i. Decisions of local groups under C4A may not be appealed. The Lawspeaker shall refer the matter to the HW for re-examination if, in his opinion, the procedure undertaken by the group contravenes the CoL. If so, he shall notify the Chair of the HW, the Eolder and the parties involved within seven days of his receipt of the documents regarding the matter and shall not entertain any canvassing on the subject. ii. Decisions of the HW (except under R3C or above) may be appealed to the next quorate assembly of the HW, where the matter shall be re-examined. No further appeal shall take place. 6B: Available Penalties i. Expulsion from the Society. The MO shall be informed by the Lawspeaker of the names of expelled individuals after any appeal under R6A above shall have taken place. Expelled members are not eligible to rejoin the Society. Where a local group has expelled a member from the Society, the Lawspeaker shall refer the matter to the HW for ratification. The member or members concerned shall be suspended from all office and activity within their group and the Society until the decision of the HW is made known. The HW shall treat such a referral as a request for an Emergency HW and shall act as under R1A above. If the HW fails to ratify the expulsion, the procedure under R6Bii shall immediately apply. ii. Expulsion from the Local Group. Members shall be suspended from all office and activity within their group and the Society immediately after any appeal under R6A above shall have taken place. The MO shall be informed by the Lawspeaker of the identities of members so affected. Such members must make a successful application to join another local group in order to re-activate their membership. No concealment of the grounds of expulsion shall be made, and the record of the hearing shall be made available by the Lawspeaker to GLs to whom application is made if they so desire. If no successful application is made within six weeks of the expulsion, no further application may be made, and the member or members concerned shall no longer be eligible for membership of the Society. iii. Loss of Officership (Motions of No-Confidence). Officers of a local group may be stripped of their offices by the local group. The HW may strip a Society or Co-opted Officer of his post. In the case of Society Officers, an election under R2 above shall be instigated as laid down. Group Offices shall be filled according to that group’s regulations. iv. Formal Censure of an Officer. An officer may be censured by his appointing body. Notice of such censure shall appear in the Minutes of that body, together with instructions (if any) as to his future actions. v. Re-election of an Officer. An officer may have his post put up for reelection by his appointing body. An officer is at liberty to stand for reelection, if he wishes. vi. Degradation. Local groups may demote their members from Earned Ranks and Group Honorary Ranks (see R8 below). Society Honorary Ranks may be removed by the HW. Earned Rank may be regained according to the regulations of the local group and R8. vii. Public Rebuke. At local group level this consists of either a notice being placed in the group’s newsletter (if any), or a statement being read by the group leader at the next local event held by the group. At Society level, a notice may be placed in the Society Newsletter, or a statement read by the Lawspeaker at the next Society Event he may be present at. Such notices and statements shall restrict themselves to the established facts of the matter and the decision of the body before which the hearing was held. viii. Re-Training. A member may lose the right to bear or use a weapon or use a LHE skill for a period of time. In this instance he must also follow the regulations of the relevant Society Officer before regaining the use of that weapon or skill. ix. Disbarment . A member may be disbarred from attending public events or group meetings for a period of time. 7: The Local Group i. No regulation made by the Society regarding its relationship with local groups, or regarding the relationship of local groups with each other shall contravene C5. ii. Each local group is operated on a quasi-independent basis within the Society. iii. All members of the Society must be members of a local group. iv. Applicants for membership of the Society must apply through their local group, where one holds the Land Grant over their place of residence. Any group may recruit in land held by the Society as a whole. A group may permit an individual to join the Society through another group, but the active consent of both group leaders involved is required. A local group is not required to inform members of other groups resident within its Land Grant of local group meetings and events, although they are generally encouraged to do so. v. In addition to any sanction agreed by the HW under C5Axvi, the MO may refer applicants to another appropriate local group. vi. The MO shall be empowered to refer applicants to another local group if the local group that covers the applicant’s residence has not responded to the applicant’s initial query within a reasonable time. The MO shall make one attempt to pursue the query with the local group before referring to another local group. vii. The local group leader may be held responsible by the HW for his group’s actions. viii. Whilst local groups may make agreements between themselves, they shall not expect the Society to be bound by, or to intervene to uphold or enforce such agreements, particularly if they fall outside the scope of the CoL. ix. The Lawspeaker and Eolder shall issue detailed guidance on the practice of these Regulations where necessary. 7A: Transference of Membership i. Whilst any paid-up adult member of the Society may transfer his membership to any other local group, the Society does not encourage this practice unless the member has moved his place of residence into another group’s Land Grant. ii. If a member wishes to transfer to another group, he must inform the MO, providing written proof that:- a) He has informed his existing group leader of his intention to transfer. b) He has the consent of his new group leader for the transfer to be made c) He has sent both GLs and the MO copies of these documents. 7B: Group Management i. Local groups shall be run by the local group leader (GL), and a council of the group’s officers (particularly those required under C5) and such other Full, Adult, Paid-up members of the group as he may deem suitable. ii. Local groups may choose their GL, officers and council in any way they deem suitable. iii. The Society regards the local group council as advisory to the GL. The GL must pay due regard to the advice of his council. The GL shall hold a casting vote in addition to his own at council meetings. iv. The group council should meet at least monthly, unless prevented by exceptional circumstances. Local group officers shall attend at least half of such meetings in a calendar year. The GL has the power to dismiss group officers who fail to do so. v. Local groups shall hold a General Meeting each year, preferably on or around the 21st December. The location, date and time of such a meeting shall be circulated to the whole membership of the group at least thirty days in advance. Members of the Society shall regard attendance at their group’s General Meeting as mandatory. vi. Local groups shall meet regularly throughout the year. The GL is responsible for ensuring that combatant members of his group attend ‘battle-practice’, whether at Society or local events, or specifically organised on a local or regional basis. Such ‘battle-practice’ must fall within the Regulations produced by the MTO. The GL has the power to debar combatant members of the group from participation in military displays at a local or Society event if, in his opinion, that member has undergone insufficient training in advance of an event, or is unfit to take the field vii. The GL has the power to invite observers to any group meeting. Other group members may invite observers with the GL’s permission. Observers may not speak at meetings unless called upon, and shall be made aware of this before the start of the meeting. 7C Local Events. i. A local group may organise events only within its own Land Grant or in land held by the Society as a whole. They shall be of a nature to fall outside any or all of the parameters of Major Events as set down in R3 above. A group may permit a display to be organised on its land by another group, but the active consent of both group leaders involved is required. ii. The Society may delegate the running of an event to the local group, or to the groups in an area (an Area Show). In such cases, at the discretion of the Treasurer, some or all of the benefits normally accruing to the Society as a whole may be used primarily in the interest of the local group(s) participating in such an event. iii. Local event organisation shall follow that laid down in R3 as closely as possible. All participants in a local event must be members in good standing according to the requirements of C4 and C4B above. iv. It is a duty of the GL to inform the Eolder of a local event as far in advance as possible. Local events must be notified to the Eolder if they are to fall under the aegis of the Society with regard to insurance etc. GLs shall ensure that local events do not clash with events organised by the Society as a whole as far as is practical. 8: Rank i. No member of the Society shall expect undue deference or precedence over another because of any rank or title he may have been awarded at any time. A rank may only be used at a display by a member if he is attired in costume, wargear and/or equipment appropriate to it. The AO is empowered to make rulings regarding disputes in this area. ii. No rank or title awarded by a body within the Society shall have any relevance outside the Society or its activities. iii. No rank or title awarded by the Society shall be regarded as hereditary. iv. Where a specific title is accorded to a rank in these Regulations, that rank shall also be assumed to include all titles of equivalent ranks in the other communities within the Society’s area and period of interest. v. Awards of ranks may be revoked by the awarding body under the processes of R6 above. 8A: Earned Rank i. Probationary Members hold the lowest rank in the Society, and shall fulfil functions appropriate to unfree peasants in the society’s Period on the LHE, and the least well-equipped spearmen in the combat display area. The membership is reminded, however, that abusive behaviour towards another member of the Society is unlawful. ii. After the acceptance of the Probationary Member by his local group (under C4A), he becomes an Established Member, and should be regarded as being of the free peasantry or townspeople. This rank includes a wide variety of socio-economic classes and strata, and progress through these shall be according to the regulations of the local group, providing that suitable progress is made in the appearance and skill level of the member. iii. Progress to the rank of Senior Member is not automatic. A candidate must be able to demonstrate that he is able to adequately mentor new members of the Society, and act as a source of knowledge on any or all matters to do with the Society’s Period. Therefore, he must sit an unseen written test of his knowledge of the period, which shall not fall below a minimum standard set by the AO, who shall be sent a copy of each test before it is sat by the candidate. Senior Members shall hold a position akin to that of the nobility in the Society’s period. Suitable titles etc shall be granted to Senior Members by their local group, which shall not fall outside the boundaries of that group’s Grant of Land. The Society recommends that at least a year’s experience of the Society is necessary before considering candidacy for Senior Membership. Where strata within local nobility existed in the Society’s Period, progress within them shall be according to the local group’s regulations. iv. Where a group requires a separate military hierarchy, its structure shall be decided by the group as a whole. Quality of equipment, skill level and experience shall determine the speed of progression within such structures. 8B: Group Honorary Rank i. The leader of a local group shall be accorded the rank of a Senior Member as of right. However, where he has not passed the examination set down in R8Aiii above, he should aim to pass it at the earliest opportunity. This may be set in the first instance by that group’s Mentor Group, if necessary. ii. The leader of an Established Group shall be accorded the position of the royal representative in that group’s area. He may be elevated to his position in a public ceremony, at which the Eolder, Lawspeaker or CHW may preside. 8C: Society Honorary Rank i. The HW may choose to honour members of the Society for service over time to the Society, or for specific acts of valour or outstanding achievements in research and display. This shall be done by a vote at an assembly of the HW. ii. The HW may make a Vote of Thanks to any individual or group within the Society, to take such form as shall be appropriate in each case. iii. Where a member has served the Society well and at a high level over many years, the HW may accord him the rank of Eorl (or in highly exceptional circumstances, Æþeling). The rank of Eorl is also permitted to the current group leaders of those groups currently holding Eorldom status under C5. Promotion to Eorl or Æþeling must be marked by a public ceremony before the Eolder. iv. The Society may, by vote of the HWBM or by referendum of the whole membership, elect one individual at any one time to hold its titular headship. Such a person shall be accorded the title of King. Kingship shall be renewed every three years. v. The title of Archbishop may only be granted by the HW, to one individual whose active service to the Society’s ecclesiastical displays has been exceptional and prolonged. All other progression within the ecclesiastical structure of the Society shall be governed by the EcclO. vi. The title of Staller may only be granted by the HW, to one individual whose active service to the Society’s military displays has been exceptional and prolonged. All other progression within the military structure of the Society shall be governed at group level under R8Aiv above. vii. The title of Discthegn may only be granted by the HW, to one individual whose active service to the Society’s LH displays has been exceptional and prolonged. viii. Society Honorary Rank confers no benefit regarding a vote or right of audience at the HW. Here end the Regulations of Regia Anglorum, the second volume of Version 6 of the Code of Law, passed by vote of the High Witan January 2000, and as variously amended by the High Witan at Birmingham. Martin Williams, Lawspeaker pp Oswiu Eadulfing iurisdictor