Bio for Baroness Gwenllian Basset

Bio for Baroness Gwenllian Basset

Baroness Gwenllian Basset has been a member of the SCA since 1989, when she moved to our shire from the Kingdom of Acre, Shire of Anjalut (Brooklyn New York). She has been known in the SCA as Rhiannon (Ravensong/Llysieuwraig) Basset, and has very recently petitioned to make her given name more historically authentic by changing it to Gwenllian. She is from southern Wales, the kingdom of Gwynedd, in what is now known as Glamorganshire. She resides at the Basset family estate, called Beaupre Castle, in St Hillarys - mundanely she can trace her actual ancestry to this surname and location - her great-grandfather, John Bassett, was born several miles from the location of this castle.

"I am a Welsh noblewoman, born in the latter half of the 12th century. My father wisely allowed his daughter to be tutored along with her brothers, so I am far better educated than most women of my era, being literate in my native Welsh language, also Norman French, Latin, and the English spoken at the time, as well as having studied literature, philosophy, the sciences and mathematics. My early training of course included the more 'womanly arts' of herbalism and dyeing, sewing, and the skills required to manage an estate. I have been known to shoot a bow as well ... It was politic for my father to arrange marriage for me to a Norman Marcher Baron named Sir Hugh Basset, with whom I often traveled to the English court ... sadly Sir Hugh perished on the Third Crusade, fighting 'the Infidel'. Several of his kinsmen have become embroiled on both sides of the Magna Carta controversy - my 'sympathies' are most certainly with Sir Ralph Basset who opposes King John - meetings of these 'rebel' Barons are known to take place at Beaupre Castle, where I continue to live as a wealthy widow, when not traveling to visit family and friends."

Gwenllian’s SCA interests primarily relate to the recreation of historically ‘accurate’ clothing from a variety of time periods and locations. She also dabbles in a Heian/Kamakura Japanese persona. Outside of the SCA she is an American Civil War re-enactor.

Gwenllian's SCA Awards:

Award of Arms Balfar I & Luna I 10/19/1991	Court Baroness with Grant of Arms Balfar & Luna 08/15/2000	Seamstress to the Crown Balfar & Luna (twice)	Seamstress to the Crown Darius & Roxane (twice)
Seamstress to the Crown Hanse III & Olivia I	Seamstress to the Crown Thorsen I & Svava I	Maunche 09/29/2007