Westmarch
The Dukedom of Westmarch is a peerage title awarded by The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, Inc..
Westmarch was created as a title on 3 May 2013[1] when then-CDRE Sir John Neitz was created Baron Westmarch at DemiCon in Des Moines, IA, where he received the accolade from David Weber.
In 2015, Neitz was promoted to the rank of Earl of Westmarch and then on 30 December 2020 was made Duke of Westmarch.[2]
Barony of Westmarch
| # | Name | Elevated | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CDRE John Neitz KR | 3 May 2013 | Baron |
Earldom of Westmarch
| # | Name | Elevated | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VADM John Neitz KCR, MC, DSO | October 2015 | Earl |
Dukedom of Westmarch
| # | Name | Elevated | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VADM John Neitz KSK, KCR, MC, DSO | 30 December 2020 | Duke |
Coat of arms of the Duke of Westmarch
Escutcheon
Argent three hexapumas passant Azure between two bars dancetty sable.
Coronet
The escutcheon is ensigned with the coronet of a Manticoran duke.
Motto
ONWARD
Orders and decorations
Escutcheon encircled by the riband of the Order of King Roger. Pendant from the achievement are representations of the Manticore Cross, the Order of Gallantry, and the Gryphon Star.
Symbolism
The bars dancetty each form the letters "WM" for "West March," and also represent the two primary mountain ranges (coastal and central) of the Westmarch Peninsula. The hexapuma, although it is a Sphinxian lifeform, is depicted for its speed and boldness. There are three to represent the duke, the duchess, and the heir to the title. They are passant to dexter, representing that they are going westward ("west march"). The colors are the livery colors of the family.
Westmarch Rifles
The duke is the honorary colonel of the Westmarch Rifles, an infantry regiment of the Royal Manticoran Army drawing personnel from throughout the duchy. The Rifles are headquartered at Fort Gryphon and are an elite Light Infantry force trained to fight in rugged mountainous terrain and to deploy rapidly on short notice, emphasizing speed and mobility.[3]
The Rifles rely on their ability to operate under restrictive conditions, surprise, violence of action, training, stealth, field craft, and fitness levels of the individual soldiers. Despite the usage of the term "light", forces in a light unit will normally carry heavier individual loads vis-à-vis other forces; they must carry everything they require to fight, survive and win.[4]
The regimental shoulder insignia is based on the arms of the earl, using the same colors and interlaced bars forming a W and M and representing he two main mountain ranges of the region.
Geographical description of territory
The Duchy of Westmarch comprises a peninsula and nearby offshore islands in the northwest corner of largest continent of the planet Manticore, several thousand kilometers to the northwest of Landing.
The Westmarch Peninsula ends at Land's End, the westernmost point of the continent, which features a spectacular geological formation. The Westmarch Way is a popular trail allowing hikers to travel part or all of the last several hundred kilometers to Land's End along a wilderness path, similar to the Appalachian Trail on Old Earth.
The south coast of the peninsula features temperate rainforest giving way to boreal uplands in the interior.
Well known regional products include Westmarch Cheese and Westmarch Cider.
Administration
The duchy's administrative center and primary city is Arcadia. Located in Arcadia is the Magistry Building, which houses the chamber of the Westmarch Assembly (local parliament), and central branch of the Shareholder's Court and Magister's Bench, as well as the executive offices of the regional government.
The regional law-enforcement force is the Westmarch Constabulary.
The Duchy Council is the Board of Directors for the ducal assets and holdings, and is chaired by the duke.
The Duchy of Westmarch Land Trust manages lands that the dukes over the years have set aside out of their holdings for conservation and public good. Mostly wilderness, these lands include some Duchy Parks, and continuous walker right-of-way over several hundred kilometers of the Westmarch Way.
The personal land holdings of the dukedom include the family seat of Arcadia House, as well as considerable commercial real estate interests in the city and land throughout the duchy. The duke's Landing residence is the penthouse of "Westmarch Tower," a bayfront pre-counter-grav tower (since updated with counter-grav) in the Colonial District.
References
- ↑ Admiralty Order 1305-01: Creation of the Westmarch peerage
- ↑ Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty’s New Year 2021 Honors
- ↑ Commissioning of the Westmarch Rifles: Adjutant General Order 2208-01
- ↑ Light Infantry at Wikipedia