Robert of Dunharrow

Knight - Laurel - Pelican

I joined the SCA at first Northern California Renaissance. Faire in October AS II (1967) on the first weekend (of the two) and was fighting with shortsword & buckler as a pawn in the live chess game the next Saturday. The following day (last day of the Faire) I volunteered my truck to haul the weapons, shields, 2 helms & 6 saber masks (only a couple of fighters had their own helms, shields, swords, etc.) back to wherever they should go. The collective response was "you have the truck, you keep it all at your place and bring it to events."

Master Beverly Hodghead used to help me with repairing the gear. I soon started making personal greathelms of 16 ga. steel for myself & a few others. I think my first helm, designed in cardboard by Duke Fulk & copied in steel by myself, was the first steel greathelm in the SCA except for the 2 that Fulk had spot welded together in a hurry for the chess game from 18 & 20 ga steel. (Those didn't last awfully long even with constant patching.) Sir Jon Fitzrauf soon invented the helms made affordably from discarded freon tanks (his brother had a refrigeration business.)

Soon we got everyone out of sabermasks into steel.
At my first strictly SCA event, 12th Night AS II (Jan. 1968), I saw the formal creation of the Order of Chivalry (10 knights & 2 masters, incl. 3
previous knighted on a sort of ad-hoc basis, without any set rules) & also the first 2 Laurels and the 3 original dukes (who had each won 2 of the
first 6 tourneys.) I was knighted at the first ever overnight tourney in May, AS IV (1969.) I'm the 17th of the Western Chivalry, 18th of the SCA
as a whole (1st King of the East was knighted before me.) In early to middle first decade, we generally gave the squire title to fighters under
21, while older fighters affiliated with a knight were men-at-arms, though the relationship was basically identical. I was never anyone's squire or
man-at-arms. There were only 2 or 3 dozen serious fighters when I started and we pretty much practiced together and taught each other. Master Edwin Bersark taught me the basics at practices most every evening of my first week (preparing for the chess game.) The winter before I was knighted, Duke Richard invited me to come to his house regularly to train me in his style of movement, which was both defense & offense, and greatly improved my success on the field. At the time I joined, only 3 of us were over 30 (Sir Bela at 39, I at 34, Sir Jamie at 31), while about 1/3 of fighters
were in high school, ages 14-18, and the rest mostly early to mid-20's, largely college students.

Kevin Peregrynne became my 2nd squire about 6 weeks after my knighting. (He was 19, I believe.) Within a few years, we had a dozen or so fighters (about 1/3 of West Kingdom fighters). Soon we had 8 knights, of whom 3 were older than myself. Four of them (Jean, Hagen, Kevin, William of Hoghton) eventually won the crown.
- Robert of Dunharrow, KSCA, KSM, OL, OP, Baron, etc.

Households and Groups

Toad Hall (the household of some 70 people)

The Dunharrow Eored (our fighting force)

Known Awards (From West Kingdom Awards List):

Award of Arms (01/04/1969)

Knight (05/17/1969)

Baron (01/08/1971)

Pelican (01/05/1974)

Silver Molet (01/05/1974)

Laurel (05/02/1987)

Augmentation of Arms (04/28/1979)

Queen's Order of Grace (05/02/1981) [Nicorlynn]

Wooden Spoon (05/01/1982)

King's Lance (08/03/1996)

Pied d'Argent (07/28/2007)

Equestrian Champion (Mists) (01/20/2007)

Photos

(links are to Kingdom of the West's photos):

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