PRECEDENTS OF THE S.C.A. COLLEGE OF ARMS

The 2nd Tenure of Da'ud Ibn Auda (2nd year)

This appendix contains all rules changes implemented during this period:

In the recent name rules revision, in Rule for Submission V.1.b.ii (Number of Name Phrases), the existence of a few anciently-registered names consisting of just a single element was overlooked.  To restore the intended usage, this Rule is being modified to read:  "ii.  Number of Name Phrases - A personal name containing at most two name phrases does not conflict with any personal name containing a different number name phrases."  The subtext remains the same. (CL 10/94)

The consensus of the College being that we should drop the unhistorical practice of the form of address "Lord [Heraldic title]" and "Lady [Heraldic title]", the use of placenames for heraldic titles need no longer be prohibited on the grounds that "Lord/Lady [placename]" could be considered a claim to "landedness".  As a consequence, the subtext of Rule for Submission III.2.b.iii (Heraldic Titles) is hereby replaced with the following sentence:
      These are generally drawn from surnames (Chandos Herald, Percy Herald), place-names (Windsor Herald, Calais Pursuivant, Sicily Herald), names of heraldic charges (Crosslet Herald, Estoile Volant Pursuivant, Noir Lyon Pursuivant), names of orders of chivalry (Garter King of Arms), and mottos (Ich Dien Pursuivant, Esperance Pursuivant).  (CL 10/94)
 
The time for final discussion on the "Escape Clause" being passed, and no objection having been noted, the following clauses are added to the Rules for Submissions:

I.1.c. Documented Exceptions - A submission that is adequately documented as a period practice may be deemed acceptable even if it violates the stylistic requirements set forth in Parts III (Compatible Naming Style) or VIII (Compatible Armorial Style) of these rules.

VIII.6. Documented Exceptions - An armorial design element that is adequately documented as a period practice may be deemed acceptable even if it violates other sections of Part VIII (Compatible Armorial Style).
  Such design elements will be accepted only on a case-by-case basis and only in armory comparable in style and complexity to the documented period examples.  The strength of the case for such an exception increases in proportion to: the similarity of the documented examples to the submitted armory; and the number of independent period examples offered as evidence.

  a. General Exceptions - In most cases the documentation for a proposed exceptional armorial design element should be drawn from several European heraldic jurisdictions.
        The strength of the case for such an exception increases in proportion to the geographical and chronological breadth of the supporting period evidence.

  b. Regional Style - Alternatively, a proposed exceptional armorial design element may be documented as characteristic of a specific regional armorial style.
    In such cases the submitted armory may be registered provided that all of the following conditions are met.  (1) The submitter explicitly requests an exception to the other sections of Part VIII (Compatible Armorial Style) on the grounds that the submitted armory exemplifies a specific regional style.  (2) Documentation is adduced to show that exceptional design element was not uncommon in the regional style in question.  (3) Documentation is adduced to show that all elements of the submitted armory can be found in the regional style in question.  (CL 8/95)

The following is the new revision of RfS X.4.a., field only and field primary difference:

X.4.a. Field Difference - Significantly changing the tinctures, direction of partition lines, style of partition lines, or number of pieces in a partition of the field is one clear difference.
  In general, if the tincture of at least half the field is changed, the fields will be considered different.  Per chevron azure and gules has one clear difference from Per chevron azure and sable.  Per pale azure and Or has one clear difference from Per bend azure and Or and from Per pale embattled azure and Or.  Bendy argent and sable has one clear difference from Per bend argent and sable.  Barry gules and argent has one clear difference from Barry and per pale gules and argent.  There is a clear difference for reversing the tinctures of a field evenly divided into two parts, per saltire, or quarterly, but not for reversing the tinctures of a field divided in any other way; Per pale nebuly ermine and gules has one clear difference from Per pale nebuly gules and ermine, but Paly ermine and gules has no clear difference from Paly gules and ermine.  Field treatments are considered an aspect of tincture, so Per fess gules and argent has one clear difference from Per fess gules and argent masoned sable.  Per fess dovetailed gules and argent has no clear difference from Per fess embattled gules and argent because the difference between dovetailed and embattled lines is not significant.  It suffices to change significantly the style of at least half of the partition lines, so Quarterly per fess wavy argent and sable has one clear difference from Quarterly argent and sable; Paly and per fess argent and sable has no clear difference from Paly and per fess indented argent and sable, however.  Gyronny Or and sable has no clear difference from Gyronny of twelve Or and sable because the difference between eight and twelve pieces is not significant.

 i. Charged Fields - If charges other than an uncharged peripheral ordinary are present, at most one clear difference may be counted for changes to the field.
   For the purposes of this rule the peripheral ordinaries are the chief, the bordure, the base (including the point pointed), the quarter, the canton, the gyron, the orle, the double tressure, and flaunches.  There is just one clear difference between Per chevron ermine and azure, a pale gules and Per bend wavy Or and vert, a pale gules.

 ii. Field-Primary Armory - If neither of two pieces of armory being compared has charges, or if each has the same uncharged peripheral ordinary, they may derive greater difference from changes to the field.  Such armory will be called field-primary armory.
   For the purposes of this rule the peripheral ordinaries are the chief, the bordure, the base (including the point pointed), the quarter, the canton, the gyron, the orle, the double tressure, and flaunches.

  (a) Substantial Change of Partition - If two pieces of field-primary armory have substantially different partitions, they are considered sufficiently different and do not conflict, irrespective of any other similarities between them.
    Any divided field is substantially different from any plain field: Per pale azure and vert is substantially different from Azure.  Any two of the following partitions are substantially different from each other except the pairs per fess and barry, per bend and bendy, per pale and paly, per bend sinister and bendy sinister, and per chevron and chevronelly: per fess, per bend, per pale, per bend sinister, per saltire, per chevron, quarterly, checky, lozengy, gyronny (of any number of pieces), barry, bendy, paly, bendy sinister, and chevronelly.  Checky is substantially different from all other grid-like partitions (i.e., those formed by two sets of parallel lines, like lozengy and barry-bendy); these other grid-like partitions are not substantially different from one another.  Barry and per pale argent and vert is substantially different from Checky argent and vert, but it has only a clear difference from Bendy and per pale argent and vert.  Per chevron Or and gules is not substantially different from Chevronelly Or and gules, nor is Per pale wavy purpure and argent substantially different from Paly wavy argent and purpure, though in each case there is a clear difference between the fields.

  (b) Complete Change of Tincture - If the fields of two pieces of field-primary armory have no tinctures in common, they are considered completely different and do not conflict, irrespective of any other similarities between them.
    The ermine furs and their variants are considered to be different tinctures, so Per bend ermine and azure is completely different from Per bend erminois and gules and from Per bend argent ermined gules and sable.  The addition of a field treatment is also a change of tincture, so Per fess argent and gules is completely different from Per fess argent masoned gules and sable.

  (c) Other Field-Primary Armory - In any case, independent changes to the tincture, direction of partition lines, style of partition lines, or number of pieces in the partition may be counted separately when comparing two pieces of field-primary armory.
    There are two clear differences between Per chevron argent and azure and Per pale nebuly argent and azure.

 iii. Fieldless Difference - A piece of fieldless armory automatically has one clear difference from any other armory, fielded or fieldless.
   Tinctureless armory and Japanese mon are considered to be fieldless for this purpose.  (CL 10/95)

We have for some time been able to print such characters as ü, ê, ó, à etc. in the LoAR; these letters have been correctly registered even if this fact wasn't necessarily apparent in the Armorial.  But we have not heretofore allowed the letters ð (edh) and þ (thorn) to be registered, though they also can be printed in the LoAR.  With the adoption of a standard ASCII representation, this restriction seems unnecessary, especially considering that these letters were more frequently used in period than many that we routinely allow.  This month we have therefore registered two names with the letter ð, Freydís Kausi Fiðardóttir (An Tir) and Ragnarr Grásíða (Middle), in each case taking our cue from the submitter's forms.  Please note, therefore, that it is no longer necessary to choose an arbitrary transliteration of these letters in submitting an Old Norse or Old English name.  Of course, period transliterations are still acceptable as well.

{For those of you who do not recall the list of equivalents, it is reproduced here.} (CL 2/96)

á = {a'}
à = {'a}
â = {a^}
ä = {a"}
å = {ao}
æ = {ae}
Æ = {AE}
ç = {c,}

é = {e'}
è = {'e}
ê = {e^}
ë = {e"}
É = {E'}í = {i'}
ì = {'i}
î = {i^}
ï = {i"}

ñ = {n~}
ó = {o'}
ò = {'o}
ô = {o^}
ö = {o"}
ø = (o/}
Ó = {O'}
Ö = {O"}
Ø = {O/}ú = {u'}
ù = {'u}
û = {u^}
ü = {u"}

ð = {dh}
þ = {th} Table of Contents of Precedents of Da'ud Ibn Auda, 2nd Tenure