Copyright © 1998 Society
for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
600 Cedar Street, NW
Washington, DC 20012
(202) 726-4396
herald@sca.org
http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel
January 16, 1998
Unto the members of the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive do Mistress Jaelle of Armida, Laurel Queen of Arms, and Mistress Sionyn Muirgen ní Dhomnall, Pelican Queen of Arms, send Greetings!
The January Laurel meeting was held on Saturday, January 10, 1998, and considered the following letters of intent: Middle (August 29, redated by Laurel to September 2), Caid (September 3), Lochac (dated August 12, redated by Laurel to September 5), Atlantia (September 7), Drachenwald (September 8), Calontir (September 17), Atenveldt (September 25), East (September 28), An Tir (September 28), Caid (September 29), AEthelmearc (September 29), Meridies (September 29), Ansteorra (September 30), Artemisia (no date but postmarked September 30), Meridies (September 30).
The February Laurel meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 7, 1998, and will consider the following letters of intent: Middle (dated July 30, redated by Laurel to October 30), Atlantia (October 5), Drachenwald (October 6), Outlands (October 15), Atenveldt (October 20), Trimaris (October 25), Meridies (October 25), Middle (October 25), West (October 29), Ansteorra (October 30). Original commentary on these LoIs must be in the College's hands no later than December 31, 1997. Responses and rebuttals to commentary must be in the College's hands no later than January 31, 1998.
The March Laurel meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 7, 1998 and will consider the following letters of intent: Lochac (November 6), Drachenwald (November 7), Atlantia (November 9), Outlands (November 13), Caid (November 20), Artemisia (November 20), Atenveldt (November 20), AEthelmearc (November 24), Meridies (November 24), Ansteorra (November 26), West (November 28), Middle (November 30), and Caid (November 30). Original commentary on these LoIs must be in the College's hands no later than January 31, 1998. Responses and rebuttals to commentary must be in the College's hands no later than February 28, 1998.
The April Laurel meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 11, 1998 and will consider the following letter of intent: Atlantia (December 7), Outlands (December 9), Drachenwald (December 8), Caid (December 16) Ansteorra (December 20), Artemisia (December 20), West (December 21), Atenveldt (December 25), Trimaris (28), Meridies (December 29), Middle (December 31) and Calontir (misdated January 30, 1997, redated by Laurel to December 31 based on postmark).
The May Laurel meeting tentatively scheduled for Sunday May 3, with roadshows later on in the month.
Not all Letters of Intent may be considered when they are originally scheduled on this Cover Letter. Date of mailing of the LoI, date of receipt of the Laurel packet, or other factors may delay consideration of certain Letters of Intent. Additionally, not all Letters of Intent received have been scheduled because the administrative requirements (receipt of the forms packet, receipt of the necessary fees, etc.) have not yet been met.
REMINDER: due to problems with receipt of Laurel packets, until the packet containing the paperwork is received, the letter may not be scheduled.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Pietari Pentinpoika Uv, Schwarzdrachen Principal Herald of Drachenwald, who was inducted into the Order of the Pelican at 12th night court this January in Drachenwald.
PUTTING TOGETHER A PACKET
There were a number of problems with the paperwork this month, from a number of the kingdoms, that resulted in either avoidable returns or extra work for the Laurel office. When you put together the packets please make sure to:
1. Check your color copies to make sure that the tinctures on both sets of forms are what you say they are, and not gules that is really purpure, or sable that is really vert.
2. Make sure that all the required paperwork is included. Too many items are being returned for lack of paperwork.
3. Make sure that the forms are completely filled in. We should not have to be filling in SCA names on the forms.
4. If we contact you in advance about missing paperwork, send it in.
Provincial Arms
There was, at the time of the initial implementation of the Modest Proposal, discussion in regards to the protection of the flags of sub-national regions such as provinces or states. National flags are automatically considered to be important non-SCA armory, but not the flags of smaller subdivisions. The question at hand is how to judge the arms rather than the flags of such smaller political units. This is anarrower issue: while most if not all provinces have flags, only a fraction of them have arms. Atthe same time such arms are by definition more relevant to SCA heraldry than flags. Therefore we are registering as important non-SCA heraldry provincial arms. At this time the arms being registered are those of the provinces of Canada. If similar coats from other nations are brought to our attention on a letter of intent we will likely register those as well. This ruling applies only to coats of arms of analogous regions: not to designs which happen to have an armorial appearance, and not to the arms of smaller regions than provinces.
LoAR Subscriptions and Roster changes:
Send roster changes, additions, subtractions, subscriptions to the LoAR and address changes in a separate letter, not in the body of a LoI or LoC to: Mistress Sionyn Muirgen ní Dhomnall, Pelican Queen of Arms, Jackie Watkins, 3532 Winding Wind Cove, Bartlett, TN, 38135-3044. Please make all checks or money orders payable to "SCA Inc. - College of Arms". The cost is currently $25.00 a year.
Also, remember all administrative issues (requests for warrants, quarterly reports, etc.) need to be sent to Pelican.
And remember to be a principal herald or a submissions herald, you must pass a test in advance of receiving your approval from our office, on the administrative handbook.
Certified mail.
I cannot accept certified mail at home. If you need to send me mail return receipt requested, contact me privately, and I will send you my work address.
Miscellany:
"There is a complaint that 'every knight has to maintain three or four heralds and cannot get rid of them' and another that 'there is no profession more convenient for an idle, greedy man, nor any in which one may talk so much and do so little'."
Heraldry by Henry Bedinfeld and Peter Gwynn-Jones, pg. 26.
Until next month, pray believe that I am, and remain,
Your faithful servant,
Jaelle of Armida
Laurel Queen of Arms