Society for Creative Anachronism
College of Arms

15910 Val Verde Drive
Houston TX, 77083-4921
713-918-2947
herald@sca.org

For the March 2003 meetings, printed June 3, 2003

To all the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive, from François Laurel, Zenobia Wreath, and Mari Pelican, greetings.

The following is a table showing the status of Letters of Intent, Laurel Letters of Pend and Discussion, and Letters of Intent to Protect. The header rows are the dates of the meetings that will consider them, the dates when primary commentary is due, and the dates when responses to primary commentary are due. The key follows.

Wreath meetingMar 22 & 30Apr 19 & 13May 17Jun 14 & 08Jul 12Aug 16?
Pelican meetingMar 22 & 12Apr 26May 17Jun 21 & 08Jul 19Aug 23?&Pens.
 
Comment by   too lateMay 31Jun 30
Respond by   May 31Jun 30Jul 31
Letters of Intent being considered:
AEthelmearcNov 23Dec 19-Feb 24(Mar 24)Apr 26
An TirNov 29Dec 27Jan 27Feb 25(Mar 28)(Apr 29)
Ansteorra-Dec 18Jan 19
[P Jan 27]
Feb 20Mar 20(Apr 21)
ArtemisiaNov 30-Jan 31-Mar 30(Apr 30)
Atenveldt-Dec 20Jan 20Feb 15
[P Feb 26]
Mar 15Apr 25
Atlantia-Nov 24 &
Dec 20
Jan 26-Mar 25(Apr 26)
Caid-Nov 10
[P Dec 03]
-Feb 21(Mar 01)(Apr 20) &
(Apr 30)
CalontirNov 13---Mar 19Apr 24
DrachenwaldNov 23Dec 23Jan 23Feb 24(Mar 25)(Apr 25)
EaldormereNov 22-Jan 31Feb 19-(Apr 20
[P Apr 28])
East-Nov 24 &
Dec 15
Jan 07 &
Jan 23
Feb 23-Apr 06
Lochac----(Mar 25)(Apr 15
[P Apr 28])
MeridiesNov 30Dec 31Jan 31Feb 28Mar 31Apr 30
MiddleNov 11Dec 14Jan 15Feb 17Mar 24Apr 07
OutlandsNov 23Dec 23Jan 23-Feb 23 &
Mar 23
(Apr 28)
TrimarisNov 15Dec 14-Feb 15--
WestNov 27-Jan 21Feb 26Mar 26(Apr 22)
Laurel LoPaD
[LoAR date]
Nov 14
[Aug LoAR]
Dec 18
[Sep LoAR]
Jan 31
[Nov LoAR]
Feb 27
[Dec LoAR]
-Apr 21
[Jan LoAR]

Month day: the date on the Letter of Intent, Letter of Pend and Discussion, or Letter of Intent to Protect.
(Month day): for administrative reasons, this LoI has not yet been scheduled.
[P Month day]: postmarked on that bracketed date, so the LoI is redated or postponed.
"-": no LoI is scheduled for that meeting from that kingdom.
?: tentative.

March: Wreath's meeting occurred March 22, with a road-show meeting on March 30 at the Outlands' Heraldic Symposium. Pelican's meeting occurred March 22, with a road-show meeting at March 12 at Gulf War.

April: Wreath's meeting occurred April 19, with a road-show meeting on April 13 at An Tir's Heraldic Symposium.

June: On June 8, there will be the usual Sunday-morning road-show meeting at Known World Heraldic Symposium, Saint Louis, Missouri, with all the sovereigns of arms. Pelican's regular meeting is scheduled for June 21.

August: Wreath's meeting is tentatively scheduled for August 16. Pelican's regular meeting is tentatively scheduled for August 23, and she will have a road-show meeting at Pennsic War.

September: Wreath's meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 13. Pelican's meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 26.

October: Wreath's meeting is tentatively scheduled for October 18. Pelican's meeting is tentatively scheduled for October 11.

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, et cetera) have not yet been met.

REMINDER: Until all administrative requirements are met, the letter may not be scheduled.

From Laurel: Change to Applications for the Next Laurel and Staff

There are currently two bids under consideration (from Baron Modar Neznanich and Duke Artan macAílin). Copies of these bids were in the February 2003 LoAR. The third bid included with that LoAR, from Mistress Elena de Vexin, has been withdrawn by the bidder.

From Wreath: Period Rolls of Arms and Armorials

One of the best ways to learn about heraldry and heraldic art is to look at rolls of arms and armorials. These documents were compiled by heralds, who drew the heraldry that they saw around them. Thus, period rolls of arms and armorials are excellent sources for "getting a feeling for" period heraldry and heraldic art, either by visual immersion or by logical analysis.

It is important to realize the limitations of most heraldic books and Web sites when trying to learn about period heraldic style. Many heraldry sources discuss individual heraldic elements (such as tinctures or charges) but do not provide any guidelines about how to combine these elements so that the heraldry is appropriate for a particular time and place. A look at a roll of arms or armorial from that time and place will help answer these questions.

In addition, one cannot truly understand period heraldry without seeing period heraldic art. Any person who would like his shield, scroll, or encampment to be decorated in the style of a particular place and time needs to see appropriate heraldic art. A good facsimile of an appropriate roll of arms or armorial will provide that artwork. It is important to be careful to look for a "good" facsimile, particularly when doing research on the Internet. A growing number of Web sites claim to represent a period roll of arms or armorial but use modern heraldic clip art. These sites are poor substitutes for the original artwork.

It is not always easy to find good facsimiles of period armorials and rolls of arms. So, in order to help with the search, the next two sections of this article describe some selected sources that are available, and some places where you might be able to find these (and other) sources.

What are some good books or Web sites about period rolls of arms?

The sources in this list are only a small subset of the sources available in libraries or bookstores. Each of the sources on this list has the following characteristics (except as noted below):

Because this article includes a focus on period heraldic artwork, it does not discuss the many valuable books that describe the contents of one or more period rolls of arms only through blazon.

Some of the books mentioned below are not in English, which is no surprise considering that French may be the premier language for heraldic studies today. Luckily, the grammar / word order of blazon is fairly standard across European languages, so it is not difficult to translate a blazon in an unfamiliar language. A good guide to translating blazon between various European languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch) may be found at http://www.heraldica.org/topics/glossary/.

This article intentionally does not include Joseph Foster's The Dictionary of Heraldry in the list below, because this book does not reliably provide a good reproduction of the original artwork. Foster would often read a blazon-only roll of arms and create his own illustrations.

Where can you find period rolls of arms and armorials?

Libraries: Most heraldic books can be obtained via inter-library loan if you have their publication information. You may also consider seeing whether your local librarian or academic librarian would be willing to order books on rolls of arms for their library. It may be helpful to remind your librarian that these books are both of historical and artistic interest.

Web Sites: Most Web sites are poor sources for period rolls of arms. As noted above, most Web sites do not use period heraldic art. For example, http://www.heraldique-europeenne.org/Armoriaux/index.html uses modern heraldic clip art and geometric stylizations in its depictions of period rolls of arms, giving a very modern appearance to these coats of arms. Other Web sites include some period artwork but are not always clear about the date of the artwork. For example, the International Civic Arms site (http://www.ngw.nl/indexgb.htm) gives dates for when the civic heraldry was originally granted, and will sometimes date an illustration. However, the International Civic Arms site does not always date its illustrations, and the illustrations may significantly post-date the date of the grant. This observation is not a criticism of the site; it just reflects the purpose of the site. If a city has used the same coat of arms since they were granted in the 14th C, and the Web site designer chooses to illustrate that coat of arms with a 19th C drawing, the illustration is still an accurate depiction of that city's arms. But it doesn't help an SCA artist gain an understanding of 14th C heraldic art.

Stores and Publishers: No formal endorsement of these stores or publishers is implied by the following list. Neither the SCA Sovereigns of Arms nor Laurel Clerk are employed in any capacity by these stores or publishers.

From Laurel Clerk: Society Pages

Rosalia O Brogan, Star Principal Herald (Ansteorra), was inducted into the Order of the Pelican at Steppes Warlord on May 24. Vivat!

Send What to Whom

For all Letters of Intent, Comment, Response, Correction, et cetera, send one paper copy to each of Laurel PKoA and Wreath QoA at their mailing addresses as shown on the College of Arms Mailing List.

Send Laurel office copies of all submissions-related paper, including

to Pelican QoA at her roster address: ....

Send Laurel office copies of all submissions-related electronic files to submissions@sca.org. In particular, the Laurel Clerk would very much appreciate e-mailed copies of all LoIs, LoCs, LoRs, et cetera.

Send roster changes and 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.

For subscriptions to the paper copy of the LoAR, please contact Symond, above. The cost for an LoAR subscription is $25 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.

For all administrative matters, or for questions about whom to send to, please contact Laurel Principal King of Arms, whose contact information heads this letter.

Pray know that I remain

In service

François la Flamme
Laurel Principal King of Arms


Created at 2003-06-01T22:47:55