ANST -Patent of Arms

[Genevieve de Courtanvaux]

I wrote to Countess Margaret because I knew she had recieved a Patent of
Arms when she stepped down in the Kingdom of the East and this is the reply
that I recieved. This may or may not help you in how a recieving a Patent of
Arms works.

Countess Margaret says:

Keep in mind that I haven't looked this up lately, and things may
have changed from when I actually cared about it (back when I was awarded my
patent).  It was explained to me years ago (as Crown Princess of the East)
by the East Kingdom Herald that technically, it is a Patent of Arms that
makes a Peer.  Until you have been awarded your arms by letters patent, you
are not technically a peer of any realm.  Royal Peers fall into a different
category than the "earned" peerages (a misnomer if I ever heard one!), and
are treated differently by different kingdoms.

As a bit of inter-kingdom anthropology, in Ansteorra, the following
occurs when a first-time Queen steps down:  she is automatically awarded her
County (per corpora); she is automatically made a member of the Order of the
Rose, and; she is not granted letters patent.  Ansteorra does not recognize
non-patent holding Royal Peers with a patent when they step down but
nevertheless accords such Royal Peers with the precedence and respect of
someone who has earned their peerage by earning letters patent.

On the other hand, when an Eastern Queen steps down, the following
occurs:  she is automatically awarded her County (per corpora); the Order of
the Rose is polled to determine if they feel she is worthy to be inducted
into that Order, and; the patent-holding Royal Peers are polled on whether
or not she is worthy of being awarded her letters patent.  I know of
instances where a Queen has been voted down in both pollings and has not
been awarded either the Rose or the Patent.  I was awarded my Rose and a
"naked" Patent of Arms (meaning letters patent not attached to one of the
three peerage orders) in 1992 (I think), so my precedence as a Peer dates
from then.

Technically, a patent-holding Countess would outrank a
non-patent-holding Countess (or maybe even a non-patent-holding Duchess?) no
matter when either lady become a Countess, but in all practicality, it
doesn't really matter.  You get the respect you have earned, and I really
don't know of anyone who minds terribly if someone else gets to process in
order of precedence before them!  :-)


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