Society for Creative Anachronism
College of Arms
For the October 2021 meetings, printed December 10, 2021
To all the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive, from Emma Laurel, Elisabetta Pelican, and Oddr Wreath, greetings.
A common question for heralds is what, exactly, we require out of the contact information at the top of each submission form. Times have changed since the last version of the submission forms was created. While we have clarified bits and pieces of what we actually need in a few different places and times, we have not explicitly spelled out the current requirements in a single statement. We do plan to greatly simplify the contact section of the submission forms in the next version, which is in process, but in the meantime:
The primary purpose of the submission form fields currently labeled "Legal name", "Address", "Branch Name", "Phone Number", and "E-mail Address" is submitter contact and identification should the need arise.
The name listed in the "Legal Name" field need not be an actual legal name; what we require is a non-SCA mundane name by which the submitter is well known enough to find them. Admin Handbook III.A.10 states: "Name Used by the Submitter Outside the Society - No name will be registered to a submitter if it is identical to a name used by the submitter for purposes of identification outside of a Society context. This includes legal names, common use names, [...] and other items registered with mundane authorities that serve to identify an individual..." We require this name for contact and identification purposes, and to avoid registering a name that is functionally identical to a name used by the submitter outside the Society.
We require at least one of: e-mail address, address, phone number. This is to help us contact the submitter should the need arise.
We would like to have the submitter's branch name as an additional point of contact, but it is not required.
Under no circumstances should the fields labeled "Gender of Submitter" or "Date of Birth" be filled out. We do not need this information.
In the case of submissions made by/for minors, please list the minor's name, but the remainder of the contact information may be a parent or guardian.
Please keep in mind that all of this information is considered confidential and is seen by very few people. Please help to communicate that to your submitters.
As proposed on Palimpsest's July 6th Rules Letter, Latvian and Livonian patterns are added to the Baltic section of Appendix A. Our thanks to ffride Morelle for the research required to add these patterns.
As proposed on Palimpsest's July 7th Rules Letter, the Arabic section of Appendix A is updated to include dictus bynames using the phrase al-ma'r{u-}f bi-. Our thanks to Basil Lions Heart for the research required to update this section of Appendix A.
The updated version of Appendix A will be available at http://heraldry.sca.org/sena.html shortly.
In a couple of recent submissions, Augmentations of Honor were presented which lacked permission to conflict with registered armory the submitter intended to reference as their augmentation. We remind kingdoms that only the exact standard augmentations of kingdoms may be used without needing permission to conflict.
In discussing Augmentations of Honor, SENA A3A3 states:
An augmentation that appears to be a display of independent armory, such as a charged canton, a single charged lozenge, or a single charged escutcheon, must also be evaluated as if the augmentation itself were a submission of independent armory for purposes of style, conflict, offense, and presumption. Kingdoms may designate a badge as a standard augmentation for its subjects who receive augmentations. Such a badge is considered to be subject to the existing registration allowance and does not need to be further checked for style, conflict, offense, or presumption.
For example, one of the standard augmentations for Caid is (Fieldless) A cross of Caid argent. A submission which is used for augmentation on an inescutcheon Azure a cross of Caid within a bordure argent would require permission to conflict from the kingdom due to the addition of the bordure.
There has been an increase lately in the number of submissions using the equivalent of chiefs of allegiance for augmentations of arms. This has led to questions about the authenticity of such a practice since chiefs of allegiance are typically considered a form of display rather than an indication of any honor.
Research into the augmentations (German "wappenbesserung") found in the Austrian State Archives at https://www.archivinformationssystem.at/feldsuche.aspx shows that a "chief of the Empire" (an Or chief with a sable eagle) was a very common augmentation, particularly among augmenatations granted to Italians. There are many examples of this pattern, which are demonstrated in the following:
The arms of Landus (Lando), which can be seen unaugmented in Insignia Venetorum nobilium III (https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/view/bsb00001420?page=13) as Quarterly argent and sable, were augmented in 1559 (https://www.archivinformationssystem.at/detail.aspx?ID=2532505) by adding a chief Or charged with a double-headed eagle sable.
The arms of Capelli, which can be seen unaugmented in Doges and families of Venice (https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/10613747) f. 26v as Per fess argent and azure, a cap counterchanged were similarly augmented in 1558 (https://www.archivinformationssystem.at/detail.aspx?ID=1533058) by adding a chief Or charged with a double-headed eagle sable.
The arms of Benevenuto, Azure, in fess a tree proper sustained by two lions combattant Or all atop a base grady argent, were augmented in 1574 by adding a chief Or charged with an eagle sable (both the unaugmented and augmented arms can be seen at https://www.archivinformationssystem.at/detail.aspx?ID=1917172).
We are satisfied that chiefs resembling chiefs of allegiance are a valid period form of augmentation. We shall treat them to the same standard as augmenting cantons and instruct Palimpsest to amend SENA appropriately.
We thank Iago Boar for providing this discussion of the matter and we encourage further research into the different ways arms were augmented in period.
Another update to the kingdom Colleges of Heralds! Fiora Valori has stepped down as Beacon Principal Herald of Meridies, and has been followed by Sara al-Garnatiyya. Many thanks to both for their service!
On November 13, 2021, at Stellar University in the Kingdom of Northshield, Katerinka Polaris Principal Herald did make Bridget ni Cathasaigh a herald extraordinary for her exemplary work and instruction in the field of tournament heraldry for many years.
On November 14, 2021, at the coronation of Leofric and Sabine in the Kingdom of Lochac, Their Majesties made Karl Faustus von Aachen, former Crux Australis Principal Herald amongst many other things, a herald extraordinary.
On November 20, 2021, at Holiday Faire in the Kingdom of Atlantia, Their Majesties Eckehard and Jane awarded Lughaidh Ó Murchadha, Sea Urchin Herald, a Coral Branch for his voice heraldry. The Coral Branch is awarded for excellence in the arts and sciences and carries with it an Award of Arms.
Also on November 20, 2021, at Holiday Faire in the Kingdom of Atlantia, Their Majesties Eckehard and Jane awarded James of Carinthia an Opal for his service as a herald. The Opal carries with it an Award of Arms.
Finally, on November 20, 2021, at Holiday Faire in the Kingdom of Atlantia, Their Majesties Eckehard and Jane elevated Esperanza Susanna Flecha to the Order of the Laurel for her scribal work.
On December 4, 2021, at Winternights in the Barony of Seagirt, Their Highnesses Steinn and Gemma of Tir Rígh welcomed Vémundr Syvursson, Couronne Rouge, into the Order of the Silver Pillar, the Principality's service order.
And in sadder news, our condolences and sympathy to Hagar the Black of the Kingdom of Atlantia, Pearl and Gordian Knot Herald, on the death of his wife, Mistress Ava Trudine of Tregoenning. She passed away on October 25.
Please send information about happenings to major heralds and major happenings to all heralds to Laurel, so that it can be published here.
Letters of Intent, Comment, Response, Correction, et cetera are to be posted to the OSCAR online system. No paper copies need be sent. All submission forms plus documentation, including petitions, must be posted to the OSCAR online system. While black-and-white emblazons must be included in the Letter of Intent, only colored armory forms need to be posted in the forms area.
Cheques or money orders for submissions, payable to "SCA Inc.-College of Arms" are to be sent to Trent Le Clair, 928 Frazier Dr, Walla Walla WA 99362
Send roster changes and corrections to Laurel. College of Arms members may also request a copy of the current roster from Laurel.
For a paper copy of a LoAR, please contact Laurel, at the address above. The cost for one LoAR is $3. Please make all checks or money orders payable to "SCA Inc.-College of Arms". The electronic copy of the LoAR is available free of charge. To subscribe to the mailings of the electronic copy, please see the bottom of http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/lists.html#lists for more instructions.
For all administrative matters, please contact Laurel.
Items listed below in square brackets have not been scheduled yet. For information about future scheduling, please review the status table located on the Web at http://oscar.sca.org/index.php?action=137.
The October Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, October 3, 2021 and the Wreath meeting held on Saturday, October 2, 2021. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Ansteorra (02 Jul, 2021), Calontir (02 Jul, 2021), Meridies (02 Jul, 2021), Palimpsest Rules Letter (06 Jul, 2021), Palimpsest Rules Letter (07 Jul, 2021), An Tir (11 Jul, 2021), Artemisia (18 Jul, 2021), Gleann Abhann (19 Jul, 2021), Avacal (23 Jul, 2021), Ealdormere (24 Jul, 2021), Lochac (25 Jul, 2021), Ćthelmearc (26 Jul, 2021), Atlantia (27 Jul, 2021), Outlands (28 Jul, 2021), Caid (29 Jul, 2021), Atenveldt (30 Jul, 2021), West (30 Jul, 2021), Ansteorra (31 Jul, 2021), Drachenwald (31 Jul, 2021), East (31 Jul, 2021), Northshield (31 Jul, 2021). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Thursday, September 30, 2021.
The November Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, November 14, 2021 and the Wreath meeting held on Saturday, November 6, 2021. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Trimaris (01 Aug, 2021), Middle (02 Aug, 2021), Calontir (05 Aug, 2021), Laurel LoPaD (10 Aug, 2021), An Tir (11 Aug, 2021), Palimpsest Rules Letter (11 Aug, 2021), Artemisia (12 Aug, 2021), Palimpsest Rules Letter (12 Aug, 2021), Avacal (19 Aug, 2021), Ealdormere (24 Aug, 2021), Lochac (25 Aug, 2021), Atlantia (26 Aug, 2021), Outlands (28 Aug, 2021), Ansteorra (31 Aug, 2021), Caid (31 Aug, 2021), Drachenwald (31 Aug, 2021), Laurel LoPaD (20 Sep, 2021) (redraws). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Sunday, October 31, 2021.
The December Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, December 12, 2021 and the Wreath meeting held on Saturday, December 4, 2021. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Ćthelmearc (02 Sep, 2021), Calontir (02 Sep, 2021), Meridies (08 Sep, 2021), An Tir (11 Sep, 2021), Middle (11 Sep, 2021), Laurel LoPaD (12 Sep, 2021), Ćthelmearc (19 Sep, 2021), Ealdormere (24 Sep, 2021), Caid (27 Sep, 2021), Atlantia (28 Sep, 2021), Avacal (28 Sep, 2021), Lochac (29 Sep, 2021), Atenveldt (30 Sep, 2021), Drachenwald (30 Sep, 2021), West (30 Sep, 2021), Laurel LoPaD (25 Oct, 2021) (redraws). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Tuesday, November 30, 2021.
Not all letters of intent may be considered when they are originally scheduled on this cover letter. The date of posting 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.
Pray know that I remain,
In service,
Emma de Fetherstan
Laurel Queen of Arms
Created at 2021-12-10T14:51:12