St. Giles College

This is the University of Victoria Medieval Club. We are chartered under the UVic Students Society (UVSS). More information about the real-world operations of the club can be found at the UVic Medieval Club page.

We are also an affiliate of the Society for Creative Anachronism known as Saint Giles College (properly abbreviated as S. Giles) on the island of Insula Magna within the Kingdom of An Tir. The medieval side of the College is governed by our Charter from the Crown and the College Statutes.

As well, several of our members are or have been members of the Pacific Association for Recreating the Middle Ages (PARMA) which is another local living history organization.

Mostly we are a group of people dedicated to playing and working in the Middle Ages and Renaissance (650-1650 C.E.) Anyone with an interest in any aspect of this period is more than welcome at our events and meetings.

History

There has been a Medieval Club on the campus of UVic since at least the late 1970's. Literally thousands of people have attended different types of medieval events in and around the UVic campus. In all that time we have been supported and assisted by the Barony of Seagirt (the first SCA chapter in Greater Victoria).

On the 16th day of March, 1995, the members of the Medieval Club decided to pursue the creation of a new chapter of the Kingdom of An Tir under the name of St. Giles' College. This type of chapter of the SCA, usually associated with university or college groups, had been discussed for years. The explosive growth in membership in the Greater Victoria area in the preceeding years had led to the formation of the Port of Crickstow-on-Sea known in real life as the CFB Esquimalt Medieval Club. It was felt that the UVic group should follow suit.

In order to reflect the type of member usually found, and to make ourselves useful it was decided early on to concentrate on what we do best, teaching newcomers. To that end, St. Giles has set up an elaborate curriculum designed to introduce new members to the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Programs Offered

There are two degrees available at St. Giles, neither of which are recognised outside of the college.

• Fellowship - one who has completed the curriculum of core and elective courses is called a fellow of St. Giles. This program is designed for a newcomer to gain the information and experience neccessary to enjoy our style of living history.


• Doctorate - one who completes a self-designed degree approved by the masters is called a doctor of St. Giles. This program is designed to encourage and support individual research in a particular area of interest.