[Ansteorra] Ok...so I'm a dummy

[Diane Rudin]

Emma de Fetherstan wrote:



> The term you're looking for is "not recorded in the OP". :)
> Non-armigerous awards are defined as awards that do not carry an
> inherent award of arms with them. They may or may not carry precedence
> and may or may not be recorded in the OP, depending on the award.
> 
> For example, the Sable Falcon is a non-armigerous award that is
> recorded in the OP, and that carries a precedence lower than an Award
> of Arms, but higher than the now-closed Principality of Ansteorra
> award "Order of the Madonnas of Ansteorra".

While I am not fond of the idea of correcting my heraldic boss, the Star
Principal Herald, I feel it is my duty at this point so to do:

This is a common misconception.  None of the Ansteorran non-armigerous 
awards (Sable Falcon, Rising Star, Queen's Rapier, etc.) carry any 
precedence, per their respective constitutions.  Only those titles, awards, 
and orders which have database codes of 01-19 carry precedence, e.g., 
march in a March of Precedence. This is clear in the OP printed in 1987,
with the Order of March signed by the then-Crown and Star Principal 
Herald.  All awards and orders coded 20 or higher are simply there for what 
one can best describe as "bookkeeping purposes"; they are all equally
unranked and without precedence.  The only reason they have different 
numbers is for classification purposes, so we can tell at a quick glance which
non-armigerous awards are kingdom, principality, foreign, etc.

This misconception derives from the long-ago decision to call the database
of Ansteorran awards the "Order of Precedence", even though said database
includes kingdom awards that carry no precedence, and the much more recent, 
unfortunate conflation of the listing of the award abbreviations and the
Order of March.

Admittedly, a full March of Precedence, of all armigerous attendees at an event, 
hasn't taken place in this kingdom in at least twenty years, so I can see how 
newer members would be confused about this.

--Serena Lascelles, Blanc Gryffon Herald
twice Zodiacus Herald
keeper of obscure and obsolete precedence information (along with Robin)