ANSTHRLD - Re: Heralds Required?

[Lee Cavett]

Greetings to the list!

Ron Knight wrote:
> Lothar von Katzenellenbogen replied to the query:
> 
> >Should Heralds be required for groups below Barony level?
> 
> Lothar, you made some very good points.  I'm still undecided
> about my own opinion.  Total candidness leads me toward
> one answer.  Tradition and sentimentality leads me toward
> another.
> 
> The first question that comes to mind is:  Why was it originally
> required?
Actually, the first question that occurred to me was, "What are they
doing, and does it need to be continued?" 
> You stated:
> > Also what *mundane* purpose does a herald serve?
> >A seneschal is basically a club president.
> >The exchequer is basically the club treasurer.
> >All the other officers don't have a necessary legal or
> >administrative function outside of the game that the SCA plays.
> 
> Good point.  What offices are required by mundane clubs?
> President, Treasurer and Secretary.  Is secretary the function
> that Herald was to originally play?
I would say it depends on what function you think a secretary
fulfills. Hmmmm. Keeping the minutes, and making the contacts, and
giving out information. A herald certainly gives out information, at
least the field heralds do; a herald can serve as a messenger. Does a
herald, then, "keep the minutes"?
I think the answer to that question _should_ be yes; but too often it
is no. Ansteorran Kingdom Law states that one of the functions of the
Star Principal Herald is to advise the Crown on matters of tradition
and protocol. I try to do this as best I can, but often I am simply
not asked. It is sort of awkward to run around behind the Crown and
ask every so often whether they plan to do any ceremonial stuff; so,
occasionally, traditions fall by the wayside. This seems to me to be a
sad thing. 
> 
> >Finally, the need for a third required officer makes it slightly
> >harder for small groups to get and keep a quorum of officers.
> 
> As previously stated, I don't know what the original intention
> was when The Rules (TM) were first created, but when I
> joined it was explained to me that the reason for requiring three
> officers was to prevent dead-locks in decision making, and to
> keep a single household/husband-wife/person-significant other
> from "taking over" and "keeping control" of a group for as long
> as they wished.  Whether the concept of three officers ever
> helped in either of these area, I don't know.  All the groups I've
> been fortunate enough to be in, had more than three officers.
These seem like excellent reasons for having three officers, but if I
read the post correctly, the idea is to lump the herald's office with
the knight marshall and the minister of A&S as a "pick one". This is
not a bad idea if one is concerned only with the registration of
armory, but I think a herald should be also encouraging pageantry in
general; not just through the display of armory, though that plays an
important part, but through attention to the atmosphere s/he projects.
This is not to say that a herald should be pompous all the time;
rather, s/he should be aware that even the simplest act, such as
making an announcement, can either invest an occasion with the feel of
the Middle Ages of bring mundanity crashing in.
(snip)
> >My only concern is what to do when there is no herald.
> 
> A definite concern.  Granted, the duties could fall by default
> to the seneschal in the absence of a herald, but then aren't
> we "promoting" warm-body heraldry by having someone "just
> handle the duties"?  I mean, there may be people interested
> in having heraldry for themselves, but not interested in being
> a herald.  The seneschal is then the default warm-body herald.
> Where if you require the office, then many times you can get
> a "warm-body" to take an interest in heraldry, and grow in to
> the position.  You'll never get that with a seneschal being the
> "warm-body", because he's got his own office responsibilities.
True, but all to often the "warm-body" simply becomes frustrated with
what s/he sees as the vagaries of the local CoH, and quits in
frustration. I have tried to address this here by requiring a short
course in basic submissions paperwork and reporting to be warranted. I
think that it is proving successful, in that locals who understand the
paperwork more often actually take the time to learn the other end of
it, consulting. I have also brought back the practice of warranting
"pursuivants extraordinary", in the sense of "at-large"; these are
people who have shown by testing or general demonstrated knowledge
that they have a grasp of the essentials; they can do a first-level
consult, know how to address nobles in court, and put together a March
of Precedence, as well as a few other skills. :)  These people would
become far more important to their area if smaller branches had no
heralds.
> 
(snip)
> >The *heraldic* functions (name and device consulting, etc.)
> >of a vacant local office should be transferred to the Regional
> >Herald.
> 
> Umm....not all Kingdoms have regions, or Regional Heralds.
> What Kingdoms do have Regional Heralds?
Ansteorra has five Regions, each with its own Herald. Currently they
are purely administrative in function, collecting reports and keeping
branch heralds in place for the most part. In the hypothetical case
proposed, they would probably be tasked to process submissions from
those branches whicvh had no pursuivant. For court reports, the local
seneschal would probably have to take on the duty of reporting to the
precedence herald. 
> Calontir has local officers (Canton, Shire, Barony) and Kingdom
> Officers.  Although, if a change is made, it might be a good idea
> to form such.
> 
> Just for an example: Instead of having 10 local group officers,
> have one regional officer who "oversees" the heraldic needs
> of those groups, and let have anyone from those groups
> interested in heraldry, be part of the regional staff.  It would be
> easier to find 4-5 people REALLY INTERESTED in heraldry to
> be regional heralds than 40-50 people REALLY INTERESTED
> in heraldry to be local heralds.
I like this idea.
> 
> Pluses of doing this:
> 
> Quality of heraldic work would go up because those involved
> would be seriously interested.
> 
> It would provides a learning base because there would (hopefully)
> be several people involved on the staff, allowing each to become
> "expert" in an area and teaching it to others.
> 
> Minuses to doing this:
> 
> It adds another layer of "bureaucracy" to the Kingdom level (or does it?).
> 
> Those heralds from Kingdoms that have regional heralds, what are
> your experiences with this "extra" layer?
It takes a lot of workload (not to mention the gas saved) off the
principal herald to have staff who not only can travel around each
region, but can collate the reports of a dozen branches into one, for
quarterly reading. A regional also has a closer acquaintanc with the
people in his/her region, and can often steer through the pitfalls of
local politics that the principal herald might fall into unawares. Bad
points are the same as with any other bureaucracy - a tendency in
individuals to try to handle problems "in-house" past the time they
should have been referred to Kingdom.
(snip) 
> Yours in serious contemplation,
> Modar Neznanich

Donal, Star
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