The Tawsingham Society (incorporating The Other Pony Club)

Free Information

Tawsingham is a community that brings together all orientations, genders, strands of 'the scene', along with real-time role-players, living history and re-enactors.

It is very different to any other event we have heard of, and it is difficult to get across exactly what happens there, so we have filmed some video clips to give you a taste of Tawsingham. Check out The Tawsingham Videos which are are available in formats for both Apple Quicktime and Windows Media Player. Hopefully watching these will encourage you to read more of the words below, and perhaps eventually attend yourself in some capacity .. feel free to pass the URL or copies of the clips on to friends, particularly those with whom you may like to come to Tawsingham!

Tawsingham Video

All are welcome: Dominants, submissives, male, female, cross-dressers, transsgendered, hetero-, bi- or homosexual adult people: every orientation, every race. Anyone 21 years old, up to people in their eighties; singletons, couples, threesomes and moresomes!

Every interest in the scene can be accommodated; spankers, bondage fans, domestic service, clothing/uniform fetishists, age-play players, human ponies and pets, etc. (Though some events may not suit everybody.)

It should appeal to you even if you don't consider yourself kinky, but you just want to experience life in a historical context, where the power relationships are such that the Master or Mistress of a household has full authority over their wife or husband, servants or slaves, and actually can beat them if they wish, and probably will.

Within the community there is a role for everyone, with simple and clear lines of responsibility and authority, within a structure devised and developed to make sure everybody gets an experience as close to what they want as can be arranged. Masters and Mistresses take full and complete control of all in their household. Servants and slaves must obey and show respect to their Master or Mistress.

It seems to work amazingly well! We held the first event in June 2005, in South West England, the second in September 2005, same place, both were incredibly successful! The theme of these and the next one in June 2006 is that of a English village, some time after Good Queen Bess and before the English Civil War. There were a couple of dozen involved in September, roughly equal numbers of women (most Dominant), men (majority submissive) and TVs (most submissive).

In August/September 2006 we are going to SISC camp in Denmark for Tawsingham Viking. The theme then will be a war camp, preparing warriors to invade England. The main roles will be for (mostly male) warriors, their (mostly female) Captains and (mostly transvestite) camp followers. Many other roles are possible, just ring Sir Guy and discuss what you want and he may well suggest a special role, ideally suited to your inclination and orientation, that you would not otherwise have considered.

You do not need full and authentic period clothes; though if you have them would be really good! Most ladies do love to dress up, but more in a 'pastiche' of the period - something that looks sort of historical, maybe almost historically accurate for everyone but an expert. Masters are expected to dress for dinner too, but a charity shop dinner suit, kilt outfit (or other national dress) would be equally acceptable to period dress. Even a lounge suit if you have nothing dressier. Sir Guy will bring some period kit to loan out and can get some things made, or help you find historical patterns, material or people able to make you outfits.

You can be whichever gender you like within Tawsingham, but you cannot switch from one to the other, or be ambiguous in how you dress and behave; as this would make it difficult for others to 'suspend disbelief' and treat you the way you want to be treated. This means that ladies must wear skirts or dresses, be clean shaven, wear their hair long and look feminine, even if they must use cosmetics to do so. This is an absolute rule for the lower orders, but is more flexible for Mistresses, who could eg wear jodhpurs or slacks. Men will wear trousers, breeches, (or perhaps kilts), etc. Men may have long or short hair, be clean shaven or have beards, etc. as fashions over the years have encouraged either.

You may switch species, however, if allowed or instructed to do so by your Master or Mistress, to be eg a pony, puppy, piggy or other pet. (Whether they can choose such a role for you is decided at the Hiring Fair.) Even a Master or Mistress may choose to switch species, if they appoint someone else to take charge of themselves and their staff whilst temporarily unavailable in Dominant human role!

NB The Other Pony Club remains an important strand within the new Tawsingham Society!

Sir Guy created The Other Pony Club more than a dozen years ago to play with human ponies himself, with like-minded people. Since then he has run scores of events, taken ponies to scores more, introduced hundreds to the sport, and done almost every kind of ponyplay he ever imagined: in the surf, up the mountains, in woods, meadows, quarries, central London, with pony boys, pony girls, gelding ponies (TVs) and magic mares (m-f TSs) in the sunshine, in the shade and in the dark.

So he decided a new challenge was in order in 2005. If you have a broadband link you can see the development of the ideas in four Tawsingham Society newsletters: January 05, March 05, May 05 and July 05.

However some of these are big files, over 1.6 MB in size, so please do not try to download them on a dial-up connection!

To read these files you will need to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader, from their site, if you have not already done so.

The original ideas were published in the novel Sir Guy wrote in 1990, Tawsingham Autumn 2017, of which the prologue, introduction and initial chapter, etc. is available as Tawsingham Autumn 2017 Excerpt.

The full book can also be purchased as an ebook from the online shop, price £2, as product code ZGM08.

Since then, many key concepts; the net, reality TV, BDSM in mainstream culture, etc. have arrived. What was fantasy then, looks more feasible by the day. The Tawsingham Society has made something like it happen, as we did with ponyplay, but initially, just for a few days at a time, not 365 days a year as the novel!

Tawsingham is an old-fashioned structured society; everyone has a place and knows it - because they chose it!

There is a Tawsingham Society Prospectus, Tawsingham Handbook and an Introduction to the Tawsingham Handbook available as ownloadable pdf files, with much more detail to come in this area of our website, soon to be substantially enlarged and new booklets published, which will fill in details.

It will have all we pick out as most fun and best practise from events attended, or heard about, in the decades we have been active in the scene. (With ideas from outside too; historical re-enactment, theme parks and some memorable customs of Old England.)

It may last a day, weekend, days, even a week or so, as Miss Prim's Muir Academies, but Muir Academy involves a dozen or so.

Tawsingham may have hundreds taking part, eventually, though the first event inluded only a score or so people.

It will always include Dominant Masters and Mistresses, submissive wives and husbands, domestic service and slavery.

It is likely to include pony and pet-play dungeon play, corporal punishment and BDSM for those inclined to such things.

It may also include age play from adult babies upwards, possibly in and definitely out of school, lock-ups and prison camps, services role-play.

With so many people it cannot be as tightly organised as Miss Prim’s events, but it does need to have a focus, a reason to exist, some kind of structure and narrative; though those attending can choose to take an active or passive part in such activities, or not.

It may involve people from many other groups; eg The Academy Club, Muir Maids, De Ferre Pony Farm, Ishmael Skyes' The Firm, the UK FemDom Society.

They, and any other club, will be encouraged to bring as many of their people along as possible.

We will try to meet any special needs they may have, and we hope they will all take a full part.

There will be a simple dress code: each person will be expected to dress smartly and in a manner that reflects their station within Tawsingham society, but that need not be elaborate or expensive.

We encourage people to dress up in period clothes; any period from Roman to modern, but ideally Tudor or Stuart, 16/17 century in Tawsingham SW or Viking clothes at Tawsingham Viking. It is not obligatory, but it helps!

It has proven easier than expected to find places to hold events, as with TOP Club, but with possibly scores of people involved we can afford somewhere more easily.

We had two events in 2005, both in SW England. We had planned one Denmark, but that fell through. In 2006 we will be doing Tawsingham Viking, in Denmark.

We would consider anywhere in the USA, UK or Europe, and add a local flavour from the history or culture of the area we hold it in!

We have combined The Academy Club and The Tawsingham Society now, as there was som many who were active in both We will be revising the Tawsingham Handbook, to refect the experience in 2005 and incorporate Tawsingham Viking.

If you would like to eg be on the bench of Magistrates, Beadle, Supervisor of the Workhouse or Pound, in Tawsingham SW, or Captain of a warrior band at Tawsingham Viking, then Sir Guy would particularly like to hear from you. I have some volunteers lined up, but it always helps to have alternatives! Otherwise please encourage any other group who may be interested to contact me.

I also need models for photos in suitable poses and situations to illustrate the web site and handbook, still and video photography. Pretty girls, especially of course, and I may pay expenses, etc.

Please fill in the Tawsingham Questionaire, even if you do not join, to give me idea whether we can make these events work and join The TOP listserver (soon to be renamed or a new one established).

Please send the forms in. Tawsingham works, with enough people, and we need to know about what you seek, in order to provide it!

A sort-of similar experience for a submissive (but not nearly as good) would cost thousands of pounds.

We will only get enough people together if they can afford it, so we are trying to keep costs right down!

The answers from your questionnaires suggested that you consider about £350-£450 a reasonable sum for a week.

It seems that we can deliver that, and far better for some!

It is impossible to tell anybody in advance exactly how much it will cost - for that will depend on choices that you make within Tawsingham.

We have now decided on a single all-in fee, including accommodation, food, even travel to the Denmark event from the UK, and free real ale at Tawsingham SW!

If you are a Dominant and set out to take full advantage of the opportunities, you can have a great time and have yourself pampered rotten and find it has cost you nothing like as much as the figures above! Or bring your friends, significant others and have a pretty cheap holiday too!

If you are a submissive lady, you can probably have a wonderful time, possibly ending up in profit. Anyone else can enjoy Tawsingham as a man or a maid.

It will cost less if they are attractive and have a reputation for being reliable and capable. Otherwise, it may cost you anything up to the figures above, but no more!

PS We will do more pony and petplay, wherever possible at Tawsingham events, and also at De Ferrre Pony Club!

If you want to come to Tawsingham as a domestic servant we recommend the Maid Training Events Miss Prim runs for The Academy Club.

If you want to try ponyplay before coming to Tawsingham we recommend De Ferre Pony Club.

Pony and Pet Links