Noble Company of the Rose
The Noble Company of the Rose, a dependency of The Augustan Society, Inc., exists to foster the true ideals of chivalry. Members fulfill their duties to their fellow men through an active practice of the Code of Chivalry and by individual and concerted charitable activities.
The web page for the Company is here, and the web page for the Rule of the Company is here.
Presumed duties of the Noble Company include:
- Assisting Augustan members in selecting Orders they might join, and making suitable introductions and recommendations;
- Outreach to Recognized Orders of Chivalry to maintain good relations and to invite cooperation on joint projects; and
- Maintaining and funding a chapel at Headquarters, when possible.
While scant attention has been paid to it of late, the Chapel of the Rose was once a tool used to generate a significant amount of donations to the Society. Thus this should not be considered an optional activity whenever a Headquarters exists.
Note: This group is not an order of chivalry, nor should any claim to such be countenanced.
Contents
Charter
The Noble Company is chartered by the Board of Directors as follows. The Rose Council may petition the Board to amend its charter, and the Board may impose amendments to the Charter, or may revoke it entirely.
The Noble Company of the Rose and all property and funds (whether derived from dues or otherwise) belong to The Augustan Society, Inc., whose operations are governed by its By-Laws and Standing Rules. The Society's Board of Directors shall confirm appointments to the Rose Council, and delegates to that Council such powers only as are referred to in this Charter, in the Rule of the Company, and by resolutions of the Board. No Member of the Company is liable for any charge, responsibility, or encumbrance other than his dues to the Company, nor is he entitled to any right, privilege, or service other than those set out in the Rule of the Company.
Rule of the Company
To avoid duplication and the possibility for confusion, the official copy of the Rule of the Company is posted on the main website at <augustansociety.org/cpage.php?pt=41>.
Election of the Magister Rosae
Nominally elected at an annual Meeting in Chapter, a majority of those members in Good Standing present is required to elect. This may oblige multiple ballots.
That said, a Meeting in Chapter has not been held in several decades, and a call has been made to better define same, which may result in removing the election from this meeting.
When no Meeting in Chapter is called by 30 April of each year, or if it fails to muster a quorum, or if it fails to elect a Magister Rosae (MR), then Headquarters Staff will conduct an election by mail.
Headquarters Staff will first send email to all members in Good Standing, asking if they are willing and able to serve as MR, or unwilling or unable. They will then prepare a ballot containing the names of all members in Good Standing, with three sections: Those willing and able; those unresponsive; and those unwilling or unable. Within each section members are listed according to the Warrant of Precedence for the Noble Company.
Normally, this first ballot is mailed with the ballots for election of Directors, with the same deadline. This permits the results to be presented to the Board at their meeting immediately following the Annual Meeting. If one member receives a majority of the votes cast, the Board will then consider if they will be confirmed as MR.
If the Board declines to confirm the candidate, a new ballot will be prepared with that member's name omitted.
If no candidate receives a majority vote, then a new ballot will be prepared with only the names of those members who received at least one vote.
This process may be repeated as necessary until one member carries a majority of votes and obtains confirmation from the Board. During this time, the previous MR will remain in office.
To date, a second ballot has not been required, and lessons learned when that first happens may well illuminate needed changes in this procedure.
Induction to Membership
The process of induction is rather more complex for this Sub-Group than for others:
- Any member of the Company, or Headquarters Staff, may nominate someone to membership. This nomination should be addressed to the Rose Chancellor or such assistant as he may name.
- Headquarters Staff will review the nominee to confirm that they meet all of the qualifications for membership, including being a member in Good Standing of The Augustan Society.
- Nominees who have not had their membership in an Order of Chivlary or other qualifying group recognized by the Society will be invited to petition for such recognition.
- Their qualification confirmed, Headquarters Staff will inform the Rose Chancellor or such assistant as he may name, who will place the nomination on the next available Agenda for the Rose Council. As such meetings are normally rare, he will also notify the Magister Rosae so that the latter could elect to move up the date of the next meeting.
- The Rose Council votes to extend an invitation to membership. Note that when the Rose Council fails to muster a quorum and the Directors present at the next regular Board meeting are seated as the Council, no votes to extend invitations will be taken, as the Board only deals with urgent matters.
- Upon the vote to invite, the office of the Rose Chancellor will extend an invitation, accompanied by a petition for membership. This is normally done by mail, though in some cases email may be appropriate. The Rose Chancellor may ask Headquarters Staff to send the petition, or he may ask them to send the letter as well.
- When the petition and payment of entry fees are received at Headquarters, Headquarters Staff will send a letter of welcome, a Certificate of Membership, a copy of the Rule of the Order, a membership card, and the appropriate insignia. They will also notify the Magister Rosae, put a notice in the next Rose Council Agenda, and send notices for publication to the Rosarum Editor, Augustæum Editor, and the Assistant Webmaster for ENS.
The Rose Membership Certificate is created by Headquarters Staff, then forwarded to first the Rose Chancellor, then the Magister Rosae for signatures, then back to Headquarters to receive the corporate seal and be mailed to the new member. Either signature may be applied electronically at the discretion of each officer.
The Rose Membership Card is created and signed by Headquarters Staff. The original card is sent with the Certificate of Membership. Thereafter, as each member pays his annual oblation, a new card is made and sent with the next available mailing. Renewal cards are not sent with a cover letter, as they serve primarily as a receipt. They will generally be distributed with a regular issue of Augustæum.
Meetings in Chapter
The Members of the Noble Company shall meet annually in Chapter at the call of the Magister Rosae. The primary business to be conducted a this meeting is the selection of the MR for the coming year. When a meeting in Chapter is not held, the election of MR will be conducted by mail.
Other activities at such meetings, and whether they may be held via teleconference, are questions yet to be addressed by the Noble Company.
Administration
These six senior officers sit as the Rose Council:
- Magister Rosae
- Lieutenant ''Magister Rosae''
- Rose Chancellor
- Superintendent of the Chapel
- Rose Herald
- Rose Receiver General
These additional officers are presently off-Council positions:
- Rose Assistant Chancellor, normally the Assistant Secretary
- Rose Assistant Receiver General, normally the Assistant Treasurer
- Rose Training Officer
The senior officers have few specified duties. One hopes that this omission will be remedied.
Finance
The monies held in trust for the Noble Company by the Society include several funds:
- Rose General Fund — All funds not otherwise obligated
- Rose Insignia Fund — Funds held against future purchases of insignia
- Rose Chapel Fund — Funds collected against the future cost of furnishing the Chapel of the Rose, or when such exists, against the cost of future maintenance and improvements
- Rose Training Fund — Funds designated for support of training programs, including expenses of the Vigil project
Normally, once monies are transferred from the Rose General Fund to one of the others, those monies are restricted to those purposes, and may not be recalled or reassigned. One can imagine situations where such might be appropriate, but one would expect such action to require a 2/3 vote of the Rose Council.
Programs
