The Order of the Ensis Honoris
(Badge image created by Lord Kieran Blake)
Second Constitution for the Order of the Ensis Honoris:
I. There shall exist in the Barony of the Citadel of the Southern Pass an award, known as the Order of the Ensis Honoris, which may be given by the Coronet, subject to the pleasure of the Crown, to those persons who have shown skill in the art of the rapier, and demonstrated the highest ideals of chivalry and honor on the field of combat.
II. The holders of the award shall be styled as Companions of the Ensis Honoris and shall be entitled to place the initials C.E.H. after their names.
III. The insignia of the order shall consist of a medallion bearing the registered badge of the Order: Azure, a rapier argent between two piles inverted Or.
IV. Arms and Precedence
A. The award shall carry with it, subject to the pleasure of the Crown, an Award of Arms. Companions of the order shall take precedence after principality orders but before a simple Award of Arms.
B. If the award is given to a person who bears an award carrying higher precedence than given above, his/her precedence shall remain unchanged.
C. If the award is given to a person who has previously received an Award of Arms, his/her precedence shall date from his/her election to the Order.
V. Amendments to this constitution shall be made by the Coronet after due consultation with the Crown.
VI. The companionship of all previous recipients of the Order is hereby confirmed.
First Constitution:
By our hands this 14th day of February, A.S. XXVIII, being 1994 in the Common Era.
Ian, Baron Charitee, Baroness
Cyredd II, King Morgana, Queen
Fiachra, White Stag Principal Herald)
By our hands this 24th day of May, A.S. XXXIII, being 1998 in the Common Era
Berold, Baron Eirianedd, Baroness
Hrothgar II, King Madigan, Queen
Pendar the Bard, White Stag Principal Herald
History of the Order:
When the Order was originally confirmed, the Barony was ten years and four months old. The original constitution has in its’ wording the insignia of the Order being ‘subject to the approval of the SCA College of Arms’. The badge for the Order was approved on 28 February 1998 during the reign of Berold and Bahiyyah, four years after the original constitution was signed.
This constitution, like all others except the Lux before it, specified that recipients must already be armigers. This was the only Order created during the reign of Ian and Charitee.
The second constitution written for the Order was done during the Baronial Reign of Berold and Eirianedd (she whom we all know now as Bahiyyah). During this time all of the Constitutions of the Baronial Orders to date were re-written to bring them up to date as far as heraldry and precedential position were concerned. The second constitution includes the approved badge of the Order.
The Ensis Honoris is the Latin translation for “Sword of Honor”. The main charge on the badge is a rapier, which is a form of later period sword, and is rightly used since the Order is one for practitioners of the rapier.
The Premier of the Order was Sir Conrade du Montgomerie and his induction took place on January 15th, 2000. His induction happened just over two years after the badge was passed. He was the first Premier of a Baronial Order to be gifted with a badge of the Order which had already been approved by the College of Arms.
[Link] to the most current listing of the members of the order.