Unto the members of the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive do Dame Elsbeth Anne Roth, Laurel Queen of Arms, and Master Pietari Pentipoika, Pelican King of Arms, send greetings.
The June Laurel meeting was held Saturday, June 3, 2000, and considered the following letters of intent: East (December 31) (delayed due to late receipt of paperwork), Meridies (January 30) (delayed due to late receipt of paperwork), Atenveldt (February 1), Outlands (February 1), Caid (February 14), Atlantia (February 18), Lochac (February 20), Middle (February 20), Calontir (February 21), Drachenwald (February 21), Trimaris (February 21), and Meridies (February 29). The June Pelican meeting was held Sunday, June 18, 2000. Also, the Ansteorra letter (dated February 29) was considered by Laurel at the Ęthelmearc Heralds and Scribes Symposium on June 10, 2000, and the Atlantia letter (dated February 18) was considered by Pelican and Laurel at the Knowne World Heraldic Symposium on June 25, 2000.
The July Laurel meeting was held Sunday, July 16, 2000, and considered the following letters of intent: Atenveldt (March 1), Ęthelmearc (March 11) (two letters), Caid (March 12), Atlantia (March 13), Outlands (March 15), Lochac (March 19), Middle (March 21), An Tir (March 29), Meridies (March 30), and Ansteorra (March 30). The July Pelican meeting was held for Sunday, July 23, 2000.
The August Laurel meeting is scheduled for Sunday, August 6, 2000, and will consider the following letters of intent: Calontir (February 14) (delayed due to late receipt of paperwork), East (February 27) (delayed due to late receipt of paperwork), Atenveldt (April 1), Caid (April 4), Drachenwald (April 16), Atlantia (April 23), An Tir (April 28), Ansteorra (April 30), and Meridies (April 30).
The September Laurel meeting is scheduled for Saturday, September 9, 2000, and will consider the following letters of intent: Ealdormere (February 15) (redated to March 25 based on postmark, and delayed due to late receipt of paperwork), Artemisia (March 17) (delayed due to late receipt of paperwork), Middle (April 20) (redated to May by the kingdom), Trimaris (April 25) (redated to May based on postmark), Outlands (April 30) (redated to May based on postmark), Artemisia (May 1), Atenveldt (May 1), Caid (May 1), West (May 5), Drachenwald (May 18), Ęthelmearc (May 20), Atlantia (May 22), Lochac (May 22), Middle (May 22), Outlands (May 29), An Tir (May 31), and Ansteorra (May 31). Responses and rebuttals to commentary must be in the College's hands no later than August 31, 2000.
The October Laurel meeting is tentatively scheduled for October 14, 2000, and will consider the letters of intent from June. Commentary must be in the College's hands no later than August 31, 2000. Responses and rebuttals to commentary must be in the College's hands no later than September 30, 2000.
Not all letters of intent may be considered when they are originally scheduled on this cover letter. The 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, some letters of intent received may not have been scheduled because the administrative requirements (receipt of the forms packet, receipt of the necessary fees, etc.) have not yet been met.
REMINDER: Until the packet containing the paperwork is received, the letter may not be scheduled.
In the May LoAR an item was pended until October in the item and September in the header. All items that were pended on the letter are pended until the October LoAR.
At last here are some proposed changes to the Administrative Handbook. There are a number of other changes to be made, but those are more minor changes to make the document reflect current practice or to make wording clearer. I have set up an e-mail list, coa-handbook@lists.andrew.cmu.edu, to assist me in creating a draft of the Administrative Handbook incorporating all the minor changes and, after commentary, those substantial changes acceptable to the College. Arval Benicoeur has graciously offered to moderate the e-mail list. Any proposed changes, however, will go before the College of Arms, and Laurel will have the final say on the contents (before submitting it to the Board of Directors for approval). If anyone is interested in joining the list, please contact Laurel.
The anticipated schedule is:
If there are no serious problems with the draft, it will be presented to the Board of Directors at their April meeting. If there are some major problems, I will probably do another round of commentary first.
The changes to the current policy follows.
Currently, all kingdoms are required to display a crown in their arms. This is not a requirement for principalities. If a principality does not choose to display a crown in the principality arms and chooses to go kingdom, the process required is difficult. The principality must poll the populace until they receive approval of new arms, then create new regalia and release their old arms. Their old arms then become unprotected because they can not retain them as a badge; laurel wreaths are not permitted on badges. New principalities are thus virtually required to add a coronet in their arms if they intend to ever become a kingdom.
The proposal is to keep the current restrictions of coronets, thus permitting kingdoms to display coronets on their arms (and to limit coronets on group arms to kingdoms and principalities), but remove the requirement to do so.
Many people argue that the use of a crown in kingdom arms makes the identification of kingdom banners easier for the populace. In reality, such identification has not been necessary; kingdom arms are identified by their use at an event more than the presence of a crown. Furthermore, Hund presented evidence that coronets do not appear in the arms of most Western European countries.
Alternatively, those who would rather that we require principalities to use coronets should comment as well.
If a group wants to change its arms, it cannot protect the original device from conflict, because the laurel wreath is not permitted in badges. Registering a badge with the laurel wreath removed does not give the same level of protection and sometimes is not registerable. This can decrease the likelihood of a group changing their arms even when it is desirable. Therefore, the proposal is to allow, when a group requests a change of arms, that the former arms can remain registered as "ancient arms". Administratively, "ancient arms" would be the same as a badge, including taking up space for the groups that can not register an unlimited number of badges. This gives groups the ability to retain old devices in a similar fashion to an individual retaining an old device as a badge. It does, however, make it easier for the ordinary to become "cluttered" with old armory.
Currently, all awards, armory, and badges registered by a group are listed as belonging to that group. Heraldic titles, however, are registered as belonging to the kingdom even if their purpose is to be a local group title (with the exception of personal titles, a recent change that has yet to make it in to the Administrative Handbook). The proposal is to allow groups below a kingdom to register heraldic titles. This will make it easier to determine which titles are for a group and which are kingdom staff titles and will ensure that the groups that use the title are the only ones who can give permission for conflicts. It will also remove the minor hassle of transferring all local group titles when a principality becomes a kingdom, at the cost of a number of title transfers in the near future (although it is much easier to transfer items within a single kingdom than between kingdoms).
One drawback is that it gives a kingdom less control over the use of titles, including releasing them for defunct groups. Currently the Administrative Handbook leaves it up to kingdom policy to determine which groups can use heraldic titles (and how many). If this proposal is accepted it should also explicitly allow kingdoms the same control. The proposal specifically limits the kingdom's right to give permission to conflict with a local group title and to release the title outside of the current procedure used to release items registered to a defunct group.
The current Administrative Handbook does not mention anything about heraldic wills, although the CoA has recognized them in some form since the time of Wilhelm von Schussel. The proposal is to add explicit rules for heraldic wills. At this point, there is also room for discussion on what the rules should be. Here is a list of proposed rules subject to discussion.
1. Anyone may designate a heraldic heir. To do so, the legator ("parent") sends copies of the heraldic will to the principal herald and to Laurel, signed by both the parent and the heir. Both devices and badges may be transferred this way.
2. A heraldic heir of a device may bear, without registering, the legator's device with a suitable cadency difference. The heir may also register the cadenced arms without needing to get (an additional) letter of permission to conflict from the legator, although all other rules will apply.
3. If more than one legator designates the same person as an heir of their devices, the heir may also display, but not register, their legators' arms quartered and differenced. [Note: this removes the limit of two inherited coats]
4. Upon the actual death of a legator, the heir may ask for a transfer of the device or badges willed to him. This is done as any other transfer, except that instead of a letter of permission for the transfer, the heir notes that there is a heraldic will.
5. If, upon the death of someone with registered armory, there is no heraldic will, then the legal heirs of the deceased have the right to give permissions to conflict, release, or transfer the armory as they see fit.
The name submission of Margaret Elizabeth Stuart in the February LoI from Trimaris has prompted Bordure to ask the following question:
I would ask the College to consider for the future the question of whether a name which uses a doubled name element should really be clear if either of the doubled element taken singly with the rest of the name is a conflict. By our current standards, such registerable names include Mary Elizabeth Tudor , Henry York of Lancaster , Henry Edward Tudor , Mary Elizabeth Stuart , Robert James Stuart , Robert Stuart de Bruce , etc. I am sure that members of the College with more familiarity than I have with French history, etc. could come up with similar examples.
The question I ask is whether or not a line needs to be drawn with this type of name. And if so, where should the line be drawn. I do not like the idea of further restricting available names, but Mary Elizabeth Tudor makes me twitch. My personal thought is that if it is decided that such names should be restricted, that the conflicts should be with exceptionally well-known or prominent individuals.
Please submit your initial views on this by the end of September and responses by the end of November.
Thanks unto Mistress Hillary Greenslade and the Shire of Westgate for successfully hosting this year's heraldic symposium.
The 2001 symposium will be held in the Barony of Nordskogen in the Principality of Northshield in the Middle Kingdom (Minneapolis, Minnesota). The date is still in the air; the autocrats are currently trying to see if they can hold it on June 1-3, 2001; if that fails, they will hold it on May 4-6, 2001. My thanks to both groups who put it bids; it is nice to have a choice of bids and by the deadline as well.
The printed copy of the roster had gotten out of date relative to the database version. A new copy of the printed roster is included with this letter.
The title of Morsulus was never updated in the roster. The new Morsulus is Herveus d'Ormonde, Michael Houghton, 5412 Lakeford Lane, Bowie, MD, 20720, 301-464-8375, herveus@radix.net. He should be on the roster but not the mailing list.
The Board of Directors Herald's ombudsman has changed. The new ombudsman is Beth Morris, 7814 Morning Glen Lane, Alexandria, VA, 22315, 703-339-1109.
Dagonell Collingwood, Garnet Herald (Ęthelmearc), has a new address: David P. Salley, 136 Shepard Street, Buffalo, NY 14212-2029.
Frederic Badger, Black Stag Herald (An Tir), is no longer on the mailing list, although he is still on the roster.
Mordechai Salzer, Sanguinarius Herald (An Tir) has a new address, phone number and e-mail address: Rick Slansky, #43-60 Beacham WY NW, Calgary, AB, T3K 1R8, Canada, 403-295-1934, rslansky@powersurfr.com
Daniel de Lincoln, Arbalest Herald (Ansteorra) has been added to the roster although not the mailing list. His contact information is Tim McDaniel, 6805 Wood Hollow Dr Apt 212, Austin, TX, 78731-3104, 512-795-9668, tmcd@jump.net
Shauna of Carrick Point, Golden Wing Principal Herald (Artemisia) has a new email address, shaunaʂa.net
Alanna of Volchevo Lesa, formerly Partan Herald (Atlantia) is now Golden Dolphin Herald, Evan da Collaureo, formerly Golden Dolphin Herald (Atlantia), is now Kraken Herald, and Gyrth Oldcastle of Ravenspur has the title Conch Herald (Atlantia). Alanna and Evan are on the mailing list and the roster; Gyrth is on the roster only. Similarly, Bran Trefonnen, Sea Stag Herald, is on the roster but not on the mailing list.
James Andrew MacAllister, Scribe Armarius (Caid) should be listed on the roster and not the mailing list.
Drachenwald has a new Schwarzdrachen Principal Herald: Lindorm Eriksson (Christer Romson), Nämndemansbacken 83, S-128 38 Skarpnäck, SWEDEN, +46 (0)8 6002864, christer.romson@spray.se.
The address for Johan Magnusson, Edelweiß Herald (Drachenwald) should be Kummeltie 4, as. 1, FIN-00830 Helsingfors, FINLAND. This is also the address of Jaelle of Armida, Argent Snail Herald (Laurel staff), she requests that only one copy of any mail be sent to this address.
Kenrick Burne of Northampton, Brigantia Principal Herald (East), lives in Woonsocket, not Woodsocket.
Thorvald Redhair, Pale Herald (Middle) is no longer on the mailing list, although he is still on the roster.
Naitan de Yerdeburc's title is Rampart Herald (Outlands).
Timothy O'Brien, White Stag Principal Herald (Outlands), has moved. His new address is Tim Buxton, 1126 1/2 N. Bonfoy Ave., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, 719-963-5051
Send roster changes, roster corrections, to Lord Symond Bayard le Gris, Bruce R. Nevins, 2527 E. 3rd St., Tucson, AZ, 85716-4114, (520) 795-6000, (520) 795-0158 (Fax), bnevins@nexiliscom.com. College of Arms members can also request a copy of the current roster from Symond. Send all other administrative requests or payments to Laurel.
For subscriptions to the paper copy of the LoAR, please contact Symond, above. The cost for an LoAR subscription is $25.00 a year. Please make all checks or money orders payable to "SCA Inc. College of Arms." For subscriptions to the electronic copy of the LoAR, please contact Laurel at herald@sca.org. The electronic copy is available free of charge.
Until then, I remain
In service,
Elsbeth Anne Roth
Laurel Queen of Arms
Created at 2000-08-29T23:50:40