Box 522
Mount Pleasant, SC 29465
15 June, 1990

Unto the heralds of the Society for Creative Anachronism and such others as may read this letter, greetings from Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane, Laurel Queen of Arms!

Good gentlefolk,

The material that comes with this letter has been produced through the efforts of dozens of heralds throughout the Known World. Some items, such as the Rules for Submissions, have literally been years in the making. The financial support provided by the Board of Directors has allowed the College of Arms to take the unprecedented step of distributing these basic materials for Society heraldry directly to every group in the Society.

In many areas this packet is being sent to the primary contact for a group as listed by the Kingdom Seneschal. If you are not the herald for your group, please pass this packet to your group's herald. It should become a part of the permanent files for the herald's office and should be passed on to successive heralds with those files.

The following items are included in the packet and may be reproduced as required for use by members of the Society:

  1. The Rules for Submission of the Society for Creative Anachronism. This document covers defines the permissible content and style for names and armorial submissions, as well as the circumstances under which a submission will be considered to "conflict" with a protected name or armory. This document was approved by the Board of Directors in January, 1990, and went into full effect in May, 1990. A table of contents and index are included to simplify use of these rules.
  2. The Administrative Handbook of the College of Arms of the Society for Creative Anachronism. This handbook covers the procedures for submission of names and armory, including definitions of the types of material registered and the categories of items which are protected by the College of Arms. It also outlines the duties of the Laurel Sovereign of Arms, Laurel deputies and Principal Heralds and provides samples of the types of duties which may be expected of heralds below the Kingdom level. A table of contents and index are also provided for the handbook.
  3. A Glossary of Terms as Used in the Rules for Submissions. A glossary of heraldic and other technical terms as used in the Rules for Submissions and the Administrative Handbook. Since a number of heraldic terms differ slightly in their Society meaning from the definitions shown in standard non-Society heraldic references, this is an important reference for beginning heralds.
  4. An Annotated Bibliography of Sources for Armorial and Name Research. An annotated bibliography of sources which may be of use to beginning and intermediate heralds as they consult with members of the Society on names and armorial submissions. A listing of possible sources for acquiring those volumes still in print is included with the bibliography.

As noted above, these materials are the work of many hands. It is impossible to offer appropriate thanks to all those who contributed. However, I would like to note particularly the services of Martin Bröker, Badger Herald of the East, who accepted the difficult job of editor for the last couple of drafts of the Rules for Submissions, freeing me to work on the Administrative Handbook and other pressing tasks, and Vasili iz Naitemneshoi Dollina, Dragon Herald of the Middle, who printed and mailed out to the College many of the drafts of both the Rules for Submission and the Administrative Handbook, often on very short notice.

Thanks also go to my deputy and designated successor as Laurel Sovereign of Arms, Da'ud ibn Auda, and his staff for accepting the considerable responsibility of actually assembling these packets and distributing them across the Known World. After July 1, 1990, Master Da'ud will be Laurel King of Arms and will also have the responsibility for administering and, where, necessary, emending the regulatory material included here.

Your servant,
[Alisoun]

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