About Us

We are the Brooklyn area chapter of the S.C.A. located within the Crown Province of Ostgardr covering New York City and the counties of Nassau, Westchester and Putnam. As of October 16, 2023, we are inactive. If you wish to participate in local SCA activities, the Crown Province of Ostgardr (NYC) is a very active group.

The Society for Creative Anachronism (S.C.A.) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to re-creating the best of the Medieval and Renaissance eras (c. 400-c. 1600) from every part of the world. Members study and enjoy various arts and sciences, such as history, culture, music, dance, mock combat, archery, armoring, heraldry, embroidery, costuming, calligraphy, food & drink, etc.

New to the SCA? The Newcomer’s Portal can answer your questions!

Interested in joining? We’d love to have you! Participating with a local chapter is one of the easiest ways to get involved in the SCA.

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About the History of Broken Bridge & Heraldry

(content and sources provided by Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin)

Vert semy of bees Or marked sable, on a pale argent in pale a coney rampant and a laurel wreath vert
Vert semy of bees Or marked sable, on a pale argent in pale a coney rampant and a laurel wreath vert

The canton’s name was submitted in March 2006, and accepted in September the same year. The name is believed to reference one of the canton’s most iconic landmarks, the Brooklyn Bridge.

The documentation provides Old English sources for the two name elements:

Broken – from OE brocen “broken, broken up, uneven” (A.H. Smith, English Place-Name Elements A-IW) p. 52. Ex. Brokenborough (Brochenborge 1086), from Ekwall p. 68.

Bridge – from OE brycg “a bridge.” (see A.H. Smith above, p. 54). Ex. – Tonbridge (Tonebridge, 1086), Stalbridge (Staplebrig, 1086) from Ekwall, pp. 477 & 436.

The canton’s arms were submitted in April 2006, and forwarded to the Society level in May the same year, but then pended in September 2006 and not accepted until April of 2007. The pend was due to a confusion about the color of the bees’ wings: the submission form sent to Laurel blazoned them as “bees proper” but displayed bees with wings Or. (In the Society, bees proper have wings argent, body Or, with the abdomen marked with sable stripes.)

The arms are a reference to two things: Bugs Bunny (who was from Brooklyn) and Coney Island. “Vert semy of bees Or marked sable, on a pale argent in pale a coney rampant and a laurel wreath vert” includes bugs (bees), a bunny (a Coney), but also on and island (pale) with a Coney (see also bunny).

Curiously, the image that was uploaded to OSCAR didn’t match the version sent to Laurel — they both started from the same outline image, but the version on OSCAR had been colored differently, showing argent wings and four sable stripes rather than three. Because the image in OSCAR did depict bees proper, the issue was not flagged in commentary prior to reaching Laurel, at which point the September 2006 pend letter pointed out that the picture on the submission form they had received did not match the proposed blazon. The April 2007 LoAR modified the blazon to match the original submission image, “bees Or marked sable,” and accepted it for registration.

(A similar branch name, the Bailiwick of Broken Bridges, was registered in August 1984 with the note that “Brokenbridge would be a more period form,” but was then released in December 1989 along with many other defunct branch names of the East.)

Ebbet, the Brokenbridge populace badge

Ebbet is the Brokenbridge populace badge. (Fieldless) A coney rampant vert. We welcome members of the populace to display their Ebbet to show pride in our Canton!