Emelote of Calais

Persona

Meisterin Emelote of Calais (pronounced: Ehm-eh-loh; she/her) was born in Calais, France in 1494. She is the only child of her parents. Her father was a Merchant of the Staple of Calais and was influential in the wool trade in Calais. Being the only child, her father thought it wise to educate her in the wool business so that she may ensure the family legacy, no matter the man she married. Her family spent time between Calais and their wool estates in the Chichester area of England.

Emelote married in 1512 to Geoffrey of Calais, a Mercer and they returned to London. They were blessed with a daughter in 1525. Unfortunately, Geoffrey died in 1530 from a fever when he was returning from the continent. Emelote then took over their London business and shop and has worked at expanding it. She is determined to move the business to become a larger importer of various goods and supplies to the various London shops and shoppes around England. She enjoys the exchange and challenge of finding the best materials and sundries at good prices. She travels between their estate, London and Calais learning the trade and researching about diversifying in imported fabrics. When she is not working in the business, she continues her husewife duties and teaches their daughter all she needs to know to continue the business when she leaves this mortal coil. The year is now 1535.

Times are prosperous in King Henry VIII's England, in the 1530s and her ability to increase her family's profits had her father give her increased responsibilities with the business, especially after the death of her husband.

While on one of her visits to Calais, she met a man from the Far Far East travelling with one of her merchants. He is very interesting and she is curious about his homeland of Japan. Someday she will crack the very stoic exterior of this man named Saito Takahiro. If someone meets him (he is very hard to find) he will speak about archery.

Sometimes Emelote enjoys travelling and will wear the styles of where she travels to such as Italy, Germany, Netherlands, etc.

Emelote is currently exploring a persona from the Roman Empire - the timeframe is still being researched. You can catch her in Roman clothing at events.

Whereabouts

Emelote currently resides in the Barony of Skraeling Althing.

Heraldry

Offices and Appointments

Current Office

Emelote currently holds no offices.

Past Offices

SCA History

Emelote was first introduced to the SCA from a TV Program called Adrienne Clarkson Presents in which she followed the King and Queen of Ealdormere to Pennsic (1998). At the time she had no idea what the SCA was and searched on what little was available online. She found the Canton of Caldrithig and attended one meeting. She attended her first feast in 1999 and recalls the food was amazing. It wouldn't be until a chance meeting at a party in 2007 that would forever change her.

That meeting had her fall into the realm of historical cooking and never looking back!

Emelote enjoys serving the crown as entourage when she's not in the kitchen. She also likes to provide her time to help people increase their sewing, fiber arts, and cooking skills or show the interested public what we do in the SCA. Emelote has taught classes at Practicum (2010, 2011, 2017, & 2018) and always love to have informal discussions on various topics.

Emelote is married to Lord Saito Takahiro.

Emelote can often be found in the company of TH Laird James Edgarson when he is fighting for her in Crown Tournament. She and THL John Moran enjoy planning the next ridiculous household project and delicious foods and with Lucia de Moranza possibly discussing string things or any other ridiculous projects they can think of. Thank goodness that Penn de Moranza is around to keep the ridiculousness to a minimum, unless it is about food then all bets are off.

She runs the Inn of the Surly Mermaid along with her best friends: Baroness Avelyn Wexcombe of Great Bedwyn and Baron Dafydd ap Alan.

Emelote was apprenticed to Mistress Jhone of Woodcote.

Emelote has taken on Nicole Campana as her first Apprentice.

Interests

Awards

Activities

Emelote has once again had the opportunity to work with The Tudor Tailor team on the Typical Tudor book published in the fall of 2022. She travelled to England to attend the October 2022 Typical Tudor Conference in Nottingham England.

Emelote has found a new hobby to love which is goldwork embroidery. Emelote was able to take the third run of the Medieval Embroidery course taught by Dr. Jessica Grimm which just wrapped up on May 28, 2022. She is still working on her sampler and is excited to complete it. Over the pandemic, she took some virtual courses with Montreal artist Natalie Dupuis (Or Nue: Honouring the Chiaroscuro Tradition, The Humbly Magnificant Couching stitch, Ode to the Palette and Tudor Cherries).

Emelote participated in Trillium Exchange in 2023, the Death-themed Winter 2019 exchange, as the Admin for the Trillium War 2018 and as a participant in the 2016 Winter exchange.

Emelote entered and won her first Pentathlon competition in March 2017. Her entry was themed “The Common and Everyday” which included: Hooks, Eyes and Pins; 4 Seasonal Pottages; a Complete set of Children's clothing based on Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Children's Games Painting; a woven sampler of a Perugia towel; and Rushlights. She also won the following prizes: Princess' Choice prize; the Baron and Baroness of Skraeling Althing's Coronet's Choice: Lapine; and the Jolly Good Cheer prize from the Jolly Procrastinators.

She was the 2017 Kingdom Arts & Sciences Champion.

Emelote has had the opportunity to assist The Tudor Tailor in the reprint of the Queen's Servants which was republished in the fall of 2016.

Emelote had the opportunity to cook with the historians at Hampton Court Palace for the weekend food demonstrations for the public in the Summer of 2015.

Emelote is a member of Royal Guild of Ealdormerian Feast Cooks. She has had recipes in the 2023 Guild Calendar (October:TBD), 2021 Guild Calendar (March:Grilled Trout), 2020 (August; Crustade Lumbard), 2019 (May: Caboches in Potage), 2018 (September: A Pottage of Roysons), 2017 (December: Sauge) and 2016 (January: Tarte Owte of Lent).

Emelote's cooking experience includes serving as a co-feast steward at Hallowmas in Harrowgate Heath in 2007; co-lunch steward at Feast of the Hare in 2009 (with proceeds going to fund Baronial campsite improvements); Feastocrat at Border Spat in 2012 doing thirty dishes in celebration of the Barony of Skraeling Althing's 30th Anniversary; as Master of the Kitchen for the Tudor A&S Display Feast for Kingdom Arts & Sciences in March 2016; Tavern Cook for the Fall Pilgrim's Practice in October 2016 and her national TV debut on the Rick Mercer Report cooking a Bacon and White Bean Pottage at Feast of the Hare November 2016. She helped create the Vigil food table for Marie L'Englois elevation in March 2017 and helped in the kitchen for the Spring Coronation. For the Coronation of Quilliam & Tangwystl (April 2017), she was kitchen help (during the day) and Sewer (the Tudor go between the kitchen and serving staff) during the feast. She worked in the kitchen for the Masque by Moonlight event hosted by the Canton of der Welfengau (January 2023).

Emelote is a member of Guild of Trillium Weavers

Arts & Science entries:

Classes/Roundtables/Seminars Taught

Fun Facts

Emelote was one of the Mouchoir Munchkins (along with Avelyn Wexcombe) for Dame T'Sivia bas Tamara V'Amberview's elevation to the Order of the Pelican in 2009. There is a rumour that a song was written about them in another kingdom.

As of November 5, 2022, Emelote now holds a small parcel of land in the Barony of Ramshaven. “… to the south of St David Street, to the north of Motherwell Way, being 40 miles from Trinovantia, vulgare dictu London aforesaid, for the purposes of sheepe cotes, together with the appurtenances, the right of enclosure and to appoint a shepherd to watch her flock and tend her needs, in consideration of payment of annual rent of three fleeces (or the product thereof).”

Emelote sayings

Contact Information

Emelote can be reached by email.

You can follow Emelote on the following blogs and Facebook pages.

Arms: Sable, a decrescent and a chief fleury counter fleury argent semy-de-lis sable.
Badge: Per bend sinister sable and argent, a decrescent and a fleur-de-lys within a bordure all counterchanged.
Apprentice Ceremony of Nicole Campana (2024)
Meisterin Emelote of Calais Roman Garb (2023)
Meisterin Emelote of Calais Laurel Ceremony (2022)
THL Emelote of Calais (2018)
THL Emelote of Calais (2018)
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