Sarra Graeham of Birnham
From EastKingdomWiki
| Photo |
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 Sarra Graeham of Birnham |
| Information |
| Resides: Barony of Ruantallan |
| Status: Active |
| Awards: Order of Precedence |
| Heraldry |
 Or, a cross formy fitchy sable and two quill pens in saltire gules. |
| Award & Office Badges |
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Introduction
Sarra lives in the Canton of Seashire within the Barony of Ruantallan. Her registered name is Sarra Elisabeth Graeham of Birnham.
Persona
Sarra Graeham of Birnham is a 12th century Norman lying low during the English civil war of Stephen and Matilda. She has dabbled in scribery, court music, cookery, and court intrigue to keep clothes on her back; she is silent about which of the above pay better. (From: http://www.fitp.ca/history/speakers.php?year=7)
Interests
She is an active scribe for the EK Signet, with a particular interest in calligraphy, and how the layout of text blocks works within the design of scrolls.
She loves early music, especially choral music from the beginning of polyphony on to Renaissance madrigals and motets. She directs the Ruantallan Choir, an a cappella vocal ensemble that performs within the Barony of Ruantallan and Tir Mara East, and she sings annually with the Known World Choir at Pennsic.
She is a regular feast cook in Ruantallan, with a specialty in recipes and menu design from English cookery from the 13th to the 15th centuries, though she branches out to other parts of Europe and the English Renaissance from time to time. She loves to train new cooks to create feasts of their own, to share the food and love.
She has a particular interest in 12th century costuming, and is working her way through all the skills required to produce a 12th century cote for an English lady. So far, she has learned garment piecing, hand stitches used in construction, embroidery, beading, tablet weaving, some very basic leatherwork, and has done a little fingerloop braiding and spinning on a drop spindle. The next stretch goal is to construct a warp-weighted loom, to date she's made some clay loom weights.
She has a 35 year love affair with target archery, and is currently organizing as many shoots in the Barony of Ruantallan as it takes to get enough practice to record scores like she did before her children were born and distracted her from regular practice.
She likes to organize events and meetings that get people together for just about any purpose, and she also works hard to get groups planning things together, so that the whole burden doesn't fall on any one organizer, because that's how you get people to volunteer again.
Offices & Positions
- Tir Mara Princess's Archery Champion
- Captain of the Archers of Ruantallan
- Secretary of the Seashire Dormancy Committee
- Tir Mara Prince's Archery Champion AS 53
- Ruantallan Archery Champion AS 53
- former Vicar of Ruantallan
- former Principality Signet of Ealdormere
- former Principality Chatelaine of Ealdormere
- founding Seneschale of the Canton of Greyfells
Awards
- 05/26/1985 Award of Arms (East)
- 01/31/1987 Companion of Terpsichore (East)
- 03/26/1998 Companion of the Willow (Middle)
- 05/13/1989 Companion of the Purple Fret (Middle)
- 04/07/1990 Companion of the Dragon's Heart (Middle)
- 04/07/1990 Grant of Arms (Middle)
- 04/21/1990 Order of the Hare Salient (Ealdormere) (Skraeling Althing)
- 08/17/1990 Order of the Golden Otter (Pr. of Ealdormere)
- 08/17/1991 Order of the Laurel (Middle)
- 11/08/2003 Order of the Wain (Ealdormere)
- 02/12/2005 Order of the Pelican (Ealdormere)
- 11/12/2005 Award of the Queen's Favor (Ealdormere)
- 08/29/2009 Court Baroness (East)
- 11/28/2014 Consort's Honor of Distinction (East)
- 01/16/2016 Companion of the Iceburg (East) (Ruantallan)
- 01/14/2017 Companion of the Troubadour (East)
- 10/28/2017 Companion of Apollo's Arrow (East)
- 10/28/2017 Companion of the Silver Crescent (East)