August 1984 Letter of Acceptances and Returns Cover Letter

August 17, 1984 A.S. XIX

TO: The Members of the College of Arms

FROM: Master Wilhelm von Schlüssel, Laurel King of Arms

Greetings:

Enclosed is my final LOA&R, for August 1984, with 183 acceptances and 39 returns, for a total of 222, an 82% acceptance rate. By September 1, 1984, Master Baldwin will need all LoCs on the following 8 LoIs (which he will process at his September 16, 1984 meeting): Atenveldt (5/17), Caid (6/19), Middle (6/19), West (6/20), An Tir (6/25), Ansteorra (6/25), Atenveldt (6/25), and Meridies (6/28), totalling 167 submissions.

By October 6, 1984, Master Baldwin will need all LoCs on the following 8 LoIs (which he will process at his October 21, 1984 meeting): Calontir (7/4), Caid (7/17), West (7/17), Atlantia (7/21), East (7/22), Ansteorra (7/24), East (7/25), Middle (7/26), and East (7/28), totalling 181 submissions. By November 1, 1984, Master Baldwin will need all LoCs on the LoIs he will process at his November meeting, including, so far, West (8/5) and Middle (8/9).

As always, there are changes to the roster and Mailing List. Mistress Alison von Markheim is no longer Corona, having moved to the West, and should be removed from the roster. Lord Cinhil MacAran,, formerly Blue Tyger Herald, has changed jobs and is now the regional seneschal and therefore is removed from the Mailing List and roster. The Third Shield Herald is removed from the roster and Mailing List for not commenting. The Central Regional Herald in Atlantia is removed from the Mailing List for not commenting. I haven't received LoCs for the last three months from Elmet, Pennon,

Lincoln Herald has a new address: 502 West Main #219, Urbana, IL 61801, 217/328-4930. The Sable Swan Herald has a new address: 185 Cedar Lane, Reno, NV 89511, 702/849-1815. Mistress Eriod of Eire will be moving to Ireland in the fall. Her address, effective October 6th, will be: Deborah Bennett, Cumberland Apts., 17 Westland Row, Trinity College, Dublin, 2, IRELAND. (All five lines of the address are necessary.)

Lord Fergus de Maundeville, Mistress Meriweather of the Four Winds, Lord Kevin Erelong, Lord Cealmhain Realt Dubh, and Mistress Cynthia FitzColline von Schlüssel have resigned from the Laurel Staff effective August 26th. Master Edmund Renfield Wanderscribe plans to turn the office of Clarion over to Master Baldwin as soon as a successor is found to take over the Ordinary. He will continue to remain on the Mailing List as a commentor after that.

After the Symposium I will no longer be Laurel King of Arms, but I will remain on the roster and Mailing List as Laurel Emeritus and a commentor. I ask a boon of all commentors: that they continue to send me copies of all of their letters. I will return the favor. Mistress Cynthia will also comment on the LoIs I receive. (She is quite knowledgeable in history and linguistics.) Monshō, Batonvert, Virgule, and Cypher will remain on the Laurel Staff. Master Baldwin will no doubt appoint other members to the Laurel Staff.

I have sent copies of the latest edition of the Rules and Procedures for Heraldic Submissions in the SCA to the members of the College. It runs to 44 pages, and I advise all of you to read the Rules carefully. Skim through them once and then go back and read them very carefully. Refer to them often until you have assimilated them. They contain the previous edition of the Rules (October 1981), the Supplement to those Rules (January 1983), and all other rule changes and modifications made to date. I have reorganized the Rules to some extent, added a table of section headings, and made a number of editorial corrections. (I would like to thank Vesper, Brachet, Batonvert, and Leveret for reviewing the rough draft of the Rules.) There are a few changes, but most of the material is what has previously been announced, now consolidated into a single document.

This edition of the Rules thus provides a summary of the Rules at the end of my tenure, and will provide a basis for future Rules discussions. It was a lot of work, but it should be very useful and informative. It has grown to the point that any further expansion would make it unwieldy for use by the general populace, although it is already rather streamlined for use by heralds. I recommend that, when Master Baldwin finds it necessary to issue another edition of the Rules, he do so in two forms, a short simplified version for the public and a longer, more detailed version for heralds, with sufficient examples and discussions.

I have also send the members of the College a listing of all SCA branch names, alphabetically, with branch type and kingdom noted, along with registration status. This was compiled by Lord Fergus de Maundeville and should be quire useful. It shows the types of SCA branch names in use, allows for a quick check for name conflicts between SCA branches, and provides information on the registration status of branches, which can be used by the Principal Herald to check to see which branches need to be pushed along to register their names and/or arms.

The Free Trumpet Press now has a growing selection of heraldic material for sale. The Armorial & Ordinary is available for $15, plus $2 for book rate or $5 for first class postage ($6 for Alaska, Hawaii, APO or FPO). The first A&O Update (65 pages) is available for $3, plus $1 for third class/$2 for fist class. The Rules & Procedures for Heraldic Submissions in the SCA (44 pages) are available for $1.50, plus 75¢ first-class postage. The proceedings of the Heralds' Picnic (65 pages) are available for $3.50, plus $1.50 for third class or $2.50 for first class. Checks should be made payable to the "Society for Creative Anachronism College of Arms" and sent to Claire of Lynnwood Keep (c/o Linda E. Duvall, 754 Lambkin, Saline, MI 48176; 313/429-9301). Anyone wishing to make a large order (i.e., multiple copies of one item) should write to inquire about postage for bulk orders.

Cypher continues to work on the SCA Order of Precedence. Mistress Rebecca has sent a copy of the OP printout for each Kingdom to that Kingdom's Principal Herald or herald in charge of the Ops for checking. In a data-entry project of that size, there are bound to be errors. After she has received all of the letters of correction, she will then generate the final Order of Precedence. There will also be listing of all the members of each order, an alphabetical listing of all SCA armigers along with their awards, and statistics on SCA armigers. In the future, to might be possible to combine the Armorial file with the alphabetical OP file to produce a Cypher's Gentry of the SCA, like Burke's Landed Gentry or Burke's Peerage, with each armiger listed alphabetically along with all honors and blazons of the armiger's device and badge(s).

There have been some problems recently with submission forms containing inaccurate or false documentation. References have been cited that do not exits (e.g., the name is not listed on that page of the cited reference) or that are misquoted. I ask all Principal Heralds to do their best to ensure that the cited references are checked before they are listed on the LoI. Master Baldwin has provided a comprehensive list of the references in his possession. He can check any citation from those references personally. Submittors using other references would be well advised to include photocopies of the relevant pages so that he can see the actual reference citation. As much as possible, the submittors should be encouraged to include photocopies of all cited references, or else the Principal Herald should note the references have been double-checked and do in fact say what the submittor claims they do. (I recognize that this isn't always possible and that some documentation is better than none, but do your best.)

It has been pointed out to me that, in the case of submittors with names in foreign languages who desire authentic names and who are willing to have those names corrected, it would be very useful to know what century and what region of a country the person is trying for. There is a real difference in naming practice, grammar, and spelling between 10th- and 16th-century Germany, for instance. There is also considerable difference between Bavaria, Swabia, and Prussia, to give further examples. It helps a lot if we know whether the submittor wants 1) the sound of what is submitted, 2) the spelling of what is submitted, or 3) the proper translation. If the sound is what is most desired, then we can try to use the correct form that is closest in sound. If the translation is desired, then we can use the correct translation, which might be quite different in sound. If a specific spelling is desired, even though it is not standard, then this should be noted so that it isn't corrected as a matter of course, but rather judged as to whether that spelling is acceptable. If the submittor got the name from some source, be sure to list that source. Names that are commonly used and well documented in the past need not be re-documented each time, but uncommon names or phrases in foreign languages should always be documented and explained.

There have been several points of discussion raised.

1) Vesper, in the case of Dunham Wycliffe (LoA&R, p. 16), has presented the reference in Camden's Remains Concerning Britain (1605) on the use of English surnames as English given names in the final decades of the 16th century in England. Camden is not unfavorable towards the idea, although he gives the impression that other authorities are. Certainly, at no other time nor in any other area of Europe in our period does one find the use of surnames as given names. The College has a long-standing ruling that surnames cannot be used as given names unless that particular surname can be demonstrated to have been used as a given name in period. This ruling was adopted with the full knowledge of the citation from Camden. The reasoning was that this was a practice which occurred only at the very end of our period in only one area, and was even then considered a bad practice by many, and that therefore we should not allow it. There was also the fact that it is difficult to put together a clear ruling that would allow such English surnames to be used as given names for Elizabethan-era English personae while still forbidding the use of surnames as given names for all other centuries and places. Such a ruling could also be attacked as biased towards the English by those of non-English persona.

The adoption of the ruling allowing the case-by-case examination of out-of-period given names and made-up given names for consistency with period usage was intended for use with given names created after 1600 but long before the present (such as in the 17th and 18th centuries) that seem quite normal to the ear and consistent with period practice, but which didn't happen to come into use until after 1600. Some surnames, e.g., Douglas, became given names after 1600 and are now very popular. The "consistency" rule allows for the acceptance of a surname that wasn't used as a given name in period but was not too long afterwards and seems both normal to the modern ear and consistent with period usage. Vesper would like to invoke the rule to allow the general use of English surnames as given names, without regard to whether the particular surname has ever been used as a given name, on the grounds that there were English surnames used as given names in period and therefore such usage is de facto consistent with period usage.

In the case of Dunham Wycliffe, I do not know if Dunham has ever been used as a given name. It does not appear in Withycombe or Yonge (or in any other of my references) as a given name in any century. Dunham is definitely a period surname, not a made-up given name. I feel that this matter requires more discussion among the College before this long-standing restriction on the use of surnames as given names can be changed. I also feel that Master Baldwin should be the one to make the final ruling on this matter (after receiving the input of the College), since he is the one who will have to live with and work with the results of the ruling. I have therefore upheld the current ruling and returned the name Dunham Wycliffe. I invite Vesper to appeal the name, as a test case, to Master Baldwin, and to enclose with the appeal a proposal on how the College should deal with such cases without opening the door to the use of any surname of any country as a given name in any language of name.

2) Batonvert has brought up the question of the use of badges for alternate personae as secondary devices. People register a badge under the name of the alternate persona and then display the badge as the device of that alternate persona. The badge is therefore not being used as a badge but instead as a device, while it is being allowed to need only the one major and one minor point of difference expected of a normal personal badge. This can lead to confusion and feelings of ill will by those who observe what appears to be a device in conflict with their submission. This use of a badge is actually a misuse of the term "badge," since it really amounts to a second device. The question before the College therefore is whether or not anything needs to and/or should be done about this misuse of the badge category; and, if so, what? Alternate personae are popular, and people do like to have emblems for their alternate persona. We could stop registering such badges (which would mean ceasing to register alternate-persona names entirely), or we could require two full points of difference between them and other SCA devices, or some other possible remedy. What do you think?

3) Dragon has brought up the question of heralds' use of tinctureless seals for heraldic offices. She asks why heralds are restricted to only tinctureless seals and not allowed to register badges for their offices. The history of this ruling goes back to the early years of the College. In 1970 the badges of the corporate offices (heralds, seneschals, marshals, etc.) were created. The ruling was that all officers of a given office would use the badge for that office. Thus, across the SCA., all heralds use the heralds' badge of Vert, two straight trumpets in saltire, bells to chief, Or. This was confirmed on March 12, 1972, when Master Harold Breakstone' then Laurel King of Arms, ruled that no badges could be registered for lower-level offices below the national level when there was a national badge. This meant that Vesper could not register a badge for the office of Vesper, and that the Earl Marshal of the East could not register a badge for the office of Earl Marshal of the East. Instead, they would use the heralds' and marshals' badges, respectively. (These are examples, not actual requests.)

Master Ioseph of Locksley granted the heralds the right to register tinctureless seals for heraldic offices when he registered the seal for the Dragon Principal Herald on January 31, 1974. That situation has remained to this day, with heralds allowed to register tinctureless seals but not actual tinctured badges. Other offices are also barred from registering badges when there is an existing badge for a higher level of that office. (Thus, if a new kingdom office is created for which there is no corporate counterpart and therefore no corporate badge, a badge can be registered for that kingdom office, but principality sub-offices of that office could not register their own badges.) There are over 700 branches in the SCA, and each branch has the potential to have 6 to 10 officers. Thus, to allow offices to register individual badges would open the way to thousands of badge submissions by branch officers. My personal view is that the situation should remain as it has for so long. What do you think? Should anything be done about this situation and, if so, what?

This completes the formal business for my last LOA&R. I would like to thank all of the members of the College for the support and cooperation and effort you have all put in during my five-year tenure. The College has accomplished a lot in the last five years, and you have all worked hard to help achieve that. When I took office, there were 18 College members, with 15 on the Mailing List. Last month, five years later, there were over three times as many College members (58), with 37 on the Mailing List. In July 1979 1 processed a total of 78 acceptances and returns. This month the total is three times that (222). The Armorial & Ordinary now has three times the number of entries as it did before my tenure. (As a result, I have put out more pages of letters than all of my predecessors combined.) Since I took office on July 1, 1979, the Laurel Office has issued 6,509 acceptances and returned 2,136 submissions, for a total of 8,645, an overall acceptance rate of 75%. In the last six months, the total has been 846 acceptances and 139 returns, for a total of 1,035 and an acceptance rate of 82%. Thus the rate of acceptance has gone up even while we tightened the rules. The higher level of heraldry is easily visible in the ever greater number of good, simple heraldic devices and badges being submitted in the LoIs.

We now have an annual Heraldic Symposium, a heraldic publishing venture, the SCA Armorial & Ordinary, an upcoming SCA Order of Precedence, a heraldic quarterly, kingdom heraldic symposia and collegia, Master Baldwin's consolidated Precedents, lists of Orders, Titles and Branch Names, and a smoothly operating College of Arms. We have all worked hard, and it shows. The College of Arms is now known throughout the SCA as a hard-working, smoothly functioning group. For over five years there has not been a backlog in submission processing beyond the minimum three months. All but one of the kingdoms are caught up on processing submissions, and the last should be caught up shortly. A true feeling of collegiality and attention to scholarship has emerged in the College. Lines of communication and friendship have opened up throughout the College. A number of important heraldic projects are underway.

I am well pleased with our accomplishments during the last five years, and I take great pride in the current state of the College as I turn this office over to Master Baldwin. I look forward to continuing my membership in the College as a commentor and participating in the further growth and development of the College. I would like to thank the 58 current members, and the other 42 past members during my tenure, for their and your support and help. It has been an honor and a privilege and, for all of the hard work, a great joy to have served you as Laurel King of Arms for these five years.

Pray believe, my Lords and my Ladies, that I remain, now and always,

Your servant,

Master Wilhelm von Schlüssel Laurel King of Arms

Master of the Laurel

Master of the Pelican

Companion of the Leaf of Merit Companion of the Queen's Order

of Grace

WvS:CFCvS