Collected Precedents of the S.C.A.: General


Name Precedents: General

Laurel: Date: (year.month.date) Precedent:
François la Flamme 2003.08 From Laurel: John Hancock Did Not Use E-Mail

There are several letters used in the submissions process that require a signature. If a signature is required, then the letter must include a copy of the handwritten signature. A text e-mail message does not meet the requirement for a handwritten signature. [Cover Letter to the 08/2003 LoAR]

François la Flamme 2003.08 Listed on the LoI as Anastasia MacEwan da Ravenna, this name was submitted as Anastasia de Ravenna MacEwan. The order of the bynames was changed at Kingdom to follow period examples of names having a surname first, followed by a locative byname. The form indicates that the submitter accepts only minor changes, and no indication was given on the LoI that the submitter was contacted and that she permitted reversing these bynames. Lacking evidence that the submitter allowed major changes, or specifically allowed the switch of the order of these bynames, this change should not have been made.

However, without this change, the name is not registerable. There is no evidence that patronymic bynames such as MacEwan appeared after locative bynames such as da Ravenna in either Scots or Italian. Therefore, this name must be returned. [Anastasia de Ravenna MacEwan, 08/2003 LoAR, R-Caid]

François la Flamme 2003.07 [Badge. (Fieldless) A mortar and pestle argent charged with a unicornate natural seahorse azure.] The LoAR designated the badge for use by a particular named academy and stated "Atlantia is not attempting to register the Academy Name at this time, merely wishing to associate the badge with that group." Only registered items (such as order names and household names) and generic identifiers may be associated with badges. As the (particularly named) academy is neither a registered item nor a generic identifier, it must be removed from the submission. One recent ruling affirming this long-standing administrative procedure is in the February 2002 LoAR: "The submission was designated as being for the Tinkerer's Guild. However, this is not a generic designation. A tinker is a period artisan, and thus a Tinker's Guild would be a generic designation (like a Blacksmith's Guild) which could be applied to a badge. However, tinkerer does not seem to be a period occupation. Since the branch does not have the name Tinkerer's Guild registered to them, the designation has been removed."

The Cover Letter to the December 2002 LoAR has a long discussion of what sort of identifiers are generic. The summary definition states, "Names that fall into the generic identifier category are names that would reasonably be used by more than one branch for common functions of the branch. All kingdoms can have a university. All baronies can have a baronial guard. All groups can have an equestrian guild." [Atlantia, Kingdom of, 07/2003 LoAR, A-Atlantia]

François la Flamme 2003.05 [Order Name Order of the Cherubim] The Order of the Cherubim was returned in the February 2003 LoAR for exact conflict with the House Cherubim also owned by the Barony of the Angels. The LoAR states "... Order of the Cherubim is registerable if House Cherubim is released." Following the publication of the return, a timely request, including all admistrative requirements, was made for the registration of the order name and the release of the household name. As this was recently discussed by the College, the extraordinary request is being accepted. [Angels, Barony of the, 05/2003 LoAR, A-Caid]
François la Flamme 2003.04 Listed on the LoI as Hans Schneckenburger, this name was submitted as Hans Schneckenburg and changed at Kingdom to a documented form. The LoI noted that the submitter accepted all changes. However, his form has the "no minor changes" box checked (though the "no major changes" box is unchecked). In cases where the forms are marked in this manner, we interpret the changes allowed as "no changes". [Hans Schneckenburg, 04/2003 LoAR, A-Caid]
François la Flamme 2003.04 Submitted as Ruaidhri Lámgel, Gaelic names are registerable with accents used or omitted consistently. As the byname included the accent, we have added the missing accent to the given name as well.

This submission was documented using a client letter from the Academy of Saint Gabriel. In that letter, he indicated his desired time and culture was 15th C Ireland. As he did not mark his form as requesting authenticity, we have registered this name with only the change to the accent in the given name. [Ruaidhrí Lámgel, 04/2003 LoAR, A-An Tir]

François la Flamme 2003.04 The LoI noted that the submitter "is actually looking for Rowan, but believes that Roana is as close as she can get." Several commenters noted the ruling:

... Rowan is SCA compatible as a feminine given name, this name is registerable with a weirdness for use of an SCA compatible element. [Rowan Bridget Blackmoor, 01/02, A-Atenveldt]

Therefore, the name Rowen de Hauekrig is registerable. We examined the submitter's form to determine whether to register this name as Roana de Hauekrig or Rowen de Hauekrig. The submission form makes no mention anywhere of the name Rowan and notes that the submitter allows no major changes. Neither her form, nor the LoI states that the submitter specifically wishes her name changed from Roana to Rowan if documentation were found for Rowan. Lacking this instruction from the submitter, we have registered this name in the submitted form. [Roana de Hauekrig, 04/2003 LoAR, A-Middle]

François la Flamme 2003.04 From Laurel: Laurel Does Not Know It All

We have all seen instances when a submission was returned that was documented from a previously accepted submission - the old standard phrase is "Past registration does not ensure future registration." We are hopefully continuing to learn and this moving target can sometimes cause a name or device to be returned even just a month after a similar submission was accepted. A few weeks ago there was a discussion concerning the reply to a "But Laurel said ..." argument. The best summary of the situation comes from Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn:

One should always read any decision by Laurel as being prefixed by "Based on the available knowledge, research, and analysis available to us at this time, it is our understanding that ..."

Many heralds (on all levels of the hierarchy) often forget this and word statements of current knowledge as if they were Absolute Truth, but there's still an onus on the listener as well to insert the disclaimer.

We require your help to know "the truth". The current knowledge is extended by the research of the College of Arms, the College of Heralds, and the submitters. Any documentation provided on a submission, whether it is from the submitter, the Kingdom College of Heralds, or the College of Arms commenters, goes a long way to helping us all learn. If you provide "the truth" in your commentary and submissions work, that leads to better recreation and we all benefit from the latest best attempt at determining "the truth". [Cover Letter for the 04/2003 LoAR]

François la Flamme 2003.02 No forms were received for this submission. [James MacLeister, 02/2003 LoAR, R-Outlands]
François la Flamme 2003.02 Some members of the College noted that another piece of armory with similar design was accepted without comment, and asked if the September 2000 precedent had been overturned due to that acceptance. Please note that registrations without comment do not establish precedent. [Ed. Note: this precedent is included here because the point of this precedent applies to both names and armory.] [Magdelena Drucker, 02/2003 LoAR, R-Æthelmearc]
François la Flamme 2003.02 [Designator change Order of the Cherubim from House Cherubim] This submission is not simply a designator change. Household names and order names are different types of items and were formed in different manners in period. In this situation, the branch may submit a registration of an order name with a note that the equivalent household name be released upon registration of the order name.

As designators are transparent for conflict purposes, Order of the Cherubim and House Cherubim are identical and so may not both be registered, even to the same owner. The single exception to this policy is that a branch may register a heraldic title and an order name that are identical except for the designators. This exception is due to the period practice of deriving heraldic titles from the names of orders.

One type of name (such as a household, order, or heraldic title) may not simply be switched to a different type of name by changing the designator. The one exception to this requirement is that heraldic titles may be formed from registered order names without redocumenting the order name. The reason for this exception is that there is sufficient examples of heraldic titles being drawn from order names in period to support such registrations.

Additionally, no documentation was provided and none was found that Order of the Cherubim is a plausible order name in period. Meradudd Cethin's article "Project Ordensnamen OR What do you mean that the Anceint[sic] and Venerable Order of the Most Holy and Righteous Wombat's Toenail isn't period?" (http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/names/order/) dates the order name Seraphim to 1280 in Sweden. Given this example, Order of the Cherubim is registerable, if House Cherubim is released. [Angels, Barony of the, 02/2003 LoAR, R-Caid]

François la Flamme 2002.12 The submitter requested authenticity for Irish. However, this request was not included on the Letter of Intent and so the College was not given the opportunity to provide commentary on this request for authenticity. Please see the Cover Letter for a further discussion of this issue. [Jehane Francis, 12/2002, A-Atenveldt]
François la Flamme 2002.12 No documentation was presented and none was found that Ashie Moor is a plausible Scottish placename in period. Lacking such evidence, this name is not registerable. As the submitter allowed no major changes, we were unable to drop this element in order to register this name. [Lochlan MacBean of Ashie Moor, 12/2002, R-Atenveldt]
François la Flamme 2002.12 The Atenveldt Letter of Intent for December 2002 included a correction for this item, saying that the given name was intended to be Adán, and provided documentation for Adán. However, the submission forms clearly indicate that the submitted name is Adam, not Adán. We have, therefore, evaluated the name as submitted. Additionally, the correction actually arrived after the decision meeting, which did not allow the College to comment on the change. [Adam Carlos Diaz de Castile, 12/2002, A-Atenveldt]
François la Flamme 2002.11 Submitted as Conchobhar Clairseoir, the submitter requested an authentic name that means 'Conor the Harper' in 12th C Irish and allowed minor changes. [...]

Clairseoir was documented as a modern Gaelic word meaning 'harper' from Dineen's English-Irish Dictionary (p. 90). Black (p. 153 s.n. Clarsair) gives the Gaelic form as Cl�rsair and dates Klerscharch, a Scots (a language closely related to English) form of this name, to 1434. So we have a Scots form of Cl�rsair dated to 1434 as a byname, but we have no evidence that this name was used as a byname in Irish Gaelic in the 12th C.

Donnchadh Ó Corráin & Mavis Cournane, ed., "The Annals of Ulster" (http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100001/), entry U634.1, lists Ailill Cruidire, senathair Sil Dluthaigh (translation: "Ailill the Harper, ancestor of Síl Dlúthaig"). The "Annals of the Four Masters", vol. 3, (http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100005C/), entry M1369.13, describes two men as "da saor macaomh cruitealadnach Conmaicne" (translation: "two accomplished young harpers of Conmaicne"). The word cruitealadnach has the same root as Cruidire, shown as a byname in the entry from "The Annals of Ulster". From these entries, it is reasonable to assume that a harper would have been called Cruidire in 12th C Irish Gaelic.

The change from the submitted Clairseoir to Cruidire was felt to be a major change, which the submitter does not allow. Therefore, we have changed the byname to Cl�rsair, the earlier Scottish Gaelic form of the submitted Clairseoir, to partially meet the submitter's request for authenticity and to register this name. [Conchobar Clarsair, 11/2002, A-An Tir]

François la Flamme 2002.11 From Laurel: Enough, or More Than Enough?

The CoA Administrative Handbook, in defining limits on the number of items that may be registered, specifically states that, "Kingdoms, principalities, baronies, provinces, and equivalent branches are subject to no limit on the number of items they may register". (AH I.A) In the March 1986 LoAR, Baldwin Laurel returned the five badges, identical save the color of the field, submitted by the Barony of Westermark, saying:

No formal restriction is placed on the number of badges a branch may be submit because it is assumed that branches may have good and constructive reasons for more than one badge. This is an abuse of the privilege. Please advise them to pick one.

Since June 2002, we have been asked to consider nineteen badges from Trimaris (not counting duplicate submissions that were withdrawn by the kingdom). Of these nineteen badges, ten were addressed in June and nine are being considered for registration this month. The Letter of Intent did not explain the intended purpose of any of these badges.

The large number of badges submitted in a short time has raised concerns of abuse of the privilege of unlimited registrations allowed for kingdoms. All the submissions have been for fieldless badges using azure charges, most of nautical origin. On conferring with the submitting kingdom, it appears that they have been registering badges against future need.

The large number of undesignated badges submitted in such a short time, especially when a number of the badges are intended for future use, appears to be an attempt to "corner the market" on azure nautical badges. We consider this to be an "abuse of the privilege" of the unlimited number of registered items allowed by the Administrative Handbook. We believe that badges should only be registered for current or identified need. Therefore, the nine badge submissions from Trimaris are being returned to allow Trimaris to reconsider the need for the registration of these badges at this time.

Laurel wishes to make it clear that, if the kingdom or any branch "subject to no limit on the number of items they may register" has a legitimate need for these badges, it should certainly be able to register them without forcing the kingdom to provide a designation - or worse, an unnecessary associated name registration - to "explain" the need for the badges. Reference to a generic identifier in an armory submission may assist Laurel when considering significant numbers of submissions at a single time. [Cover Letter for the 11/2002 LoAR]

François la Flamme 2002.07 The LoI also noted that, "The client actually uses the name Michael of Endroc, but couldn't find documentation for Endroc. Any help on either byname would be appreciated." Orle found that "Endroc is a town in Hungary in county Baranya and region of Southern Transdanubia. HolinfoBank gives this modern information but I don't know how old this name is." For the element Endroc to be registerable, it would need to be documented as a plausible placename in period.

As the name submitted was Michael of Ravenskeep, and there is no mention of the element Endroc on the name submission form, we have registered a form of the submitted name. Lacking evidence that Ravenskeep is a documentable placename in period, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's requested time and culture. [Michael of Ravenskeep, 07/2002, A-Outlands]

François la Flamme 2002.11 Listed on the LoI as Fiametta Della Rovere, the submission form listed the name completely in capital letters. We have changed the byname to della Rovere to match standard period practice and to meet the submitter's request for authenticity for Italian. [Fiametta della Rovere, 11/2002, A-Ansteorra]
François la Flamme 2002.06 [T]his name was listed on the LoI as �orfinna grafeldr, but the form lists �orfinna Grafeldr. The form indicated that the submitter allowed major changes, but did not allow minor changes and contained no explanation clarifying this choice. Consultation tables regularly see submitters who misinterpret the checkboxes as meaning changes are allowed rather than are not allowed. In other cases, submitters have glanced at the form and interpreted the checkboxes as a "check one of the following" setup. So they have checked "no minor changes" believing that they have indicated that they wish to allow no minor or major changes. Because of these situations, we take the more cautious path and interpret the form to mean that the submitter allows no changes. Therefore, the change from Grafeldr to grafeldr, which is a minor change, is not within the submitter's allowed changes. [�orfinna Grafeldr, 06/2002, P-Ealdormere]
François la Flamme 2002.05 [Transfer of name and device to Daniel del Cavallo] This is a posthumous transfer. The Laurel office was provided with (1) a copy of Caterina's real-world will, (2) a letter from Caterina's legal heir transferring Caterina's name and device to Daniel del Cavallo, and (3) a letter from Daniel accepting transfer of Caterina's name and device.

We suggest that all people with registered armory consider writing an explicit heraldic will. Directions on how to create and file a heraldic will are in the newest Administrative Handbook section IV.F with a template for the will itself in Appendix D. This newest version of the Administrative Handbook is available on-line at http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/admin.html as well as from the usual print sources. [Caterina del Cavallo, 05/2002, A-Æthelmearc]

François la Flamme 2002.04 As the submitter did not allow major changes, we did not change the byname to a Gaelic form, since changing the language of an element is a major change. [Tomaltach de Brus, 04/2002, A-Middle]
François la Flamme 2002.03 From Pelican: Updating Information on Submission Forms

There was a submission this month that had sections of the form filled out in pencil. At some point, the submitted spelling of the byname was erased and a new spelling was written in its place. (This change matched changes noted in the LoI as being made at Kingdom.)

Submissions heralds, please note: when you update forms to match the LoI, make all changes so that the changes you made are obvious and the original information is still discernable. For example, one way to make such a change is to draw a line through the originally submitted name element and write the updated form beside it or above it. In any case, please do not erase, Wite-Out(tm), or scratch out the original information to the point that it is not readable. It is important that we can tell what the submitter's original choices were when the form was submitted. [Cover Letter for the 03/2002 LoAR]

François la Flamme 2002.02 The submitter allows minor changes, and the changing of the language of a particle (here O') is usually a minor change (while changing the language of the patronym, here Maccus, is a major change). It was generally felt at the decision meeting that the change from O' to filius so significantly affected the byname in both look and sound that it was a major change. As the submitter does not allow major changes, we are returning this name. [Conall O'Maccus, 02/02, R-Atenveldt]
François la Flamme 2002.02 [Name change from Donnchadh mac Shithich] This was an appeal of changes made to his name when it was registered. The registration of his name in the July 2000 LoAR says:
Submitted as Donnaichadh Síomaigh MacKeith, he requested a name authentic for 15th century Scotland. We have therefore not only dropped the middle name, not used in Gaelic, and changed the given name to a documented spelling but also changed the patronymic to a Gaelic form as well. The name could have been equally possible in the entirely Anglicized form Duncan MacKeith.
The LoI states "The justification for appealing the name registered and changing it to this one (or something similar) is that the client was very dissatisfied with the name registered to him, and the mispronunciation of it that naturally arose because of the way that it was spelled". This is an example of an appeal that points out something that was not considered when the original ruling was made, namely the potential for mispronunciation of this byname. Therefore, we are granting this appeal.

The new form of the name requested by the submitter was Donnchadh mac Céadach. We have put the byname into the genitive as required in a patronymic byname in Gaelic. [Donnchadh mac Céadaigh, 02/02, A-Outlands]
François la Flamme 2002.01 Submitted as a name appeal, this is really a name change and must be submitted as such. When her current name, Brenda MacGhie of Kintyre, was registered in March 2001, the name was registered unchanged by Laurel. Therefore, any change to the registered name is a name change, not an appeal. [Brenna MacGhie of Kintyre, 01/02, R-Atenveldt]
Da'ud ibn Auda 1996.01 This name change had been submitted and returned as "Pagan L'Óssaro de Montpeller" in the February 1995 LoAR because according to the documentation the byname should have been either l'Óssaro or Lósarro, and the submitter allowed no changes. The submitter has corresponded with Laurel (in June and November 1995), and has requested that the minor change to l'Ósarro be made and the name registered.

While this is not quite the "free upgrade" option which has been discussed among the members of the College and which most members appear to favor, it is a timely request to register a form of the name which would have been registered at the time had changes been permitted, and we saw no particular benefit to be gained by anyone in requiring the submitter to go through the entire submissions process again simply to "de-capitalize" an "L". As a consequence, we are here, at the submitter's specific and timely written request (no conflicting name having been registered in the meantime), registering one of the two forms of the name specifically mentioned in the prior return as being registrable. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR January 1996, p. 19)

Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane 1989.12.31 Unfortunately, [the submittor] allows no changes whatsoever to his name so that the minor problems with the grammar of the patronymic can be corrected. (LoAR 31 Dec 89, p. 19)
Wilhelm von Schlüssel 1982.04.19 Name approved as a hardship case. WVS [67] [LoAR 19 Apr 82], p. 3. [No additional explanation was provided.]
Wilhelm von Schlüssel 1981.07.29 The badge looks OK, but must wait for the name to be approved. WVS [48] [LoAR 29 Jul 81], p. 11
Wilhelm von Schlüssel 1980.02.13 You cannot have parentheses in a Society name. WVS [11] [LoAR 13 Feb 80], p. 4
Karina of the Far West 1978.03.10 PLEASE give us a SCA name to register this badge to! (KFW, 10 Mar 78 [18], p. 8)
Karina of the Far West 1977.11.11 Please may we have N.'s SCA name?! We hate to register things to mundane names (KFW, 11 Nov 77 [16], p. 6)
Karina of the Far West 1976.10.29 A pity to hold up a good device for lack of acceptable name. (KFW, 29 Oct 76 [9], p. 8)
Karina of the Far West 1976.10.22 The name is being checked; if it means what it says ("Dagger of the Dancing Death") it's awful. (KFW, 22 Oct 76 [8], p. 12)
Harold Breakstone 1972.06.11 As for this College, we will not accept names without devices, which is not our job. (KFW, 11 Jun 72 [30], p. 4)
Harold Breakstone 1972.02.13 We don't care for the name but we'll forgive it for the sake of the beautiful arms. (KFW, 13 Feb 72 [24], p. 1) [Both name and arms were approved.]