Octobre 2013 : Des nouvelles de la chancellerie d’Alcester de la part de Jeremy Howell

Jeremy Howell nous informe régulièrement de la vie (intense) des Bretvins d’Alcester. Dans cette dernière lettre, nous trouvons une esquisse des festivités du 20ème anniversaire qui sera fêté à la mi-juin 2014. Bonne lecture…

NEWSLETTER October 2013

Ordre des Chevaliers Bretvins Confrerie d’Alcester. “Bois le Vin, sois bon comme lui.”

Chers Amis

This newsletter is just to remind you of the Bretvins Calendar for the next few months and in Particular the Alcester Food Fair this coming Saturday 19th October from 10.00 am. Bretvins and members of the Warwick Saumurais will be present in robes throughout the day to promote the wines of Muscadet and Saumur. Your Confrerie is sponsoring this event together with CA Rooks and our Warwick friends. Please join us on the day, in robes for a while if you can to give others a break at the stall.

I would urge as many of you as can to support the High Bailiff’s parade and Church service this coming Sunday 20th October. The Bailiff and the Court Leet support us well at our Annual Chapter Meeting, and I know they appreciate the touch of colour and variety we add to this occasion.

We will shortly be sending out details and booking forms for the Vendange Dinner in the Town Hall on Saturday 23rd November. Early booking is advised for this very pleasant and traditional evening at which places are limited to 48.

I have written separately regarding bookings for the London Chapter on 14th November.

Fuller details are set out below.

Please enter these dates in your diaries for the next 12 months, kitchen calendars, smart phones or whatever other gadgetry you use to organise your lives.

Imminent Events October, November and December 2013

Alcester Food Fair 19th October. The Chevaliers Bretvins together with our compatriots from the Commanderie du Taste Saumur and C.A.Rookes will be having a presence at the Alcester Food Fair. We will feature the wines of Nantes and Saumur. We hope to make a bit of a ‘splash’ and promote our links with Vallet. Support from Chevaliers in robes will be welcome. John Freeland would welcome specific help on the day moving the wine around and setting up and putting away. To parody de Gaulle, John says ‘Chevaliers, Chevaliers aidez moi’.

Court Leet Service and Parade 2.25 pm on Sunday 20th October. N.B. rendezvous in Bleachfield Street at 2.25. This very special event in the Alcester calendar has been moved back to take place shortly after the election of the new High Bailiff and Court Leet officers. Note that it is in the afternoon, and the service will be followed by the traditional hospitality in the Town Hall.

Alcester’s new High Bailiff Steven Brown was duly elected on 3rd October in the Town Hall. Steven was made a Bretvin in April and becomes a member of the Conseil for his year of office, and we wish him a most successful year.

The Bretvins in Alcester were established in a special protocol ceremony in the Alcester Town hall in 1994 at which the chief signaturies were, the late Lord Hertford, the then High Bailiff, and the Grand Maitre of the Order of Chevaliers Bretvins. Please will as many Chevaliers as can support new Bailiff at the event in their robes. Wives and partners will be welcome.

Alcester Confrerie Vendange Dinner 23rd November This very popular black tie event in the Town Hall is limited to 48 guests. More details will be available later, but meanwhile please register your interest with John Freeland.

Bailliage de la Grande Bretagne in London on Thursday evening 14th November More details in due course. A small subsidy is shared by those attending in order to help with costs. Please let your Bailli know if you are interested in attending.

Bouteille d’Or 15th December in Le Landreau This is one of the key events in the Bretvins Calendar. More details later, but if you think you would like to go, and perhaps be hosted in France please let your Bailli know.

Bretvins events in 2014.

New Year Social in January. Date to be announced.

Fete de St Vincent 25th and 26th January 2014 in St Sebastien sur Loire More details when they are available.

Alcester Bretvins AGM February 2014 Date to be fixed.

Alcester Chevaliers Bretvins Soiree des Dames February 2014 Date and details to be announced later.

Expo-Vall (the Wine Fair) in Vallet15th and 16th March 2014 Details later.

Alcester Confrerie 20th Anniversary Celebrations and Chapter 13th/14th/15th June 2014

This will be our Confrerie’s biggest event since the 20th Anniversary so please reserve the dates in your diaries. Arrangements are now well advanced and the programme will be centred on Stratford because of the availability of hotels and suitable venues. The provisional programme (for which the venues have already been reserved) are as follows :

– Friday 13th, dinner for long distance visitors and hosts at Hillers.
– Saturday 14th, daytime stately home visit for long distance visitors.
– Saturday 14th, evening dinner in The Garden Room at the Grosvenor Hotel Stratford with music and dancing.
– Sunday 15th, Chapter day programme including heartstarter, parade from the Town Hall to the theatre and the river, Chapter ceremony, reception, and gala lunch all based on the Town Hall Stratford.

Full details of the programme will be published later and booking arrangements made clear as there will be limited, though substantial, accommodation in these venues.

Recent Events in 2013.

20th Anniversary of the Bailliage du Pays Galles 22nd September. A delegation of 9 Chevaliers and ladies represented the Alcester Confrerie at their prestigious celebration of their 20th Anniversary in Cardiff. Chauffeured by the doyen of the Morris car club, Chevalier John Ford (not sure how Ford squares with Morris), we were able to pay profound respects to the copious bottles of Muscadet with which we were wined all day.

The day started with a reception in Cardiff Castle, followed by a parade to the City Hall for the Chapter. After that we were compromised into a further sousing of the nectar from the Loire and entertained by a troupe of Welsh Folk Dancers before sitting down to an excellent dinner for 200 guests.

Our Confreres in France have to be congratulated for a wonderful day in which not the least of our pleasures was to meet up once again with our confreres from France, Germany, Belgium, Saarbrucken, Ireland Guernsey, London and of course Cardiff. We hope to see many of them during the course of the next year including at our 20th Anniversary in June.

Retirement of John Mills as High Bailiff John Mills completed a very successful year of office on 3rd October. During his year he served as an honorary member of the Conseil and was a very regular participant in our meetings. We congratulate him on a very successful year and look forward to his continuing his association with our Confrerie. As already mentioned he is succeeded as High Bailiff by Steven Brown.

Conseil Members :

– Bailli : Jeremy Howell
– Chancelier : Bob Laidler
– Maitre de Cérémonies
– Senechal : Paul Frizzelle
– Argentier : John Maries
– Echanson : John Freeland
– Echanson : John Ford
– Halleberdier : Norman Winnett
– Halleberdier : Roger Jackson
– Halleberdier : John Philps
– High Bailiff of Alcester : Steven Brown

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