Greetings,

First and foremost you should have an idea of the process of going from Shire to Barony. This is a guide once your group has decided to move forward but it will give you an idea of what will be in front of you. You will also want to refer to the Northshield Kingdom Laws as it pertains to Territorial Baron/ess.

As for what to expect, well in my opinion, it is absolutely critical that you get the group totally behind the idea. In truth you could get a majority vote and move ahead, but that minority that isn’t behind it will cause a major fraction and disruption in your group in a time when the group will be very susceptible. Unless there is a very clear and apparent couple/person to step forward as the first Baron/ess, the group will feel some tensions as people put their names forth and the populace ‘takes sides’ to whom they’d like to see do the job. I’d be lying if I said that hurt feelings and bad mouthing candidates doesn’t ever occur, it does and sometimes it can cause huge factions to form in the group. So having a tight knit group and getting everyone on board with the idea is a must to make it through the rough times.

Other things your group will need to factor in from the start; having coronets made (can be very costly), having throne’s made, having banner’s for the Baron/ess to set up a presence, the group will need to fill the role of signet and someone to set up and maintain the group’s Order of Precedence once the Baron/ess decides upon any Baronial Awards, as such enough dedication to scribal arts to support any awards, and the Baron/ess will need constant support in putting gift baskets together.

Those considering becoming Baron/ess will need to understand the job. The Baron/ess is a figure head but actually is accountable to the Reigning King and Queen so the position is something like middle management. The Baron/ess will need to travel quite a bit to Kingdom events (Crown, Coronet, other group’s Anniversary events, neighboring shires events to build a good rapport, etc). There is a lot of out of pocket expenses for being Baron/ess in gifts, tokens, garb, travel, etc, so whomever takes this on should be financially solvent. This role also needs to act similar to a human resource person, they need to assist members of the populace to grow and be involved and make sure those who are being involved get recognized at the Baronial and Kingdom levels for that.

There is a lot more but this is probably enough to wet your whistle. When the group is more on board with the idea, getting a bunch of current and past territorial Baron/ess together to do a Q&A session would probably be the best thing to help people decide what’s best for your group.

Let me know if I can provide any more information or be of service and please let me know of your interest in going from Shire to Barony by emailing me at tang@northshield.org.

In Service,
TANG Deputy Seneschal