[ANSTHRLD] Heraldic Regalia

[Jon South]

Diane Rudin wrote:

>Yes, they are, when they are acting in their royal capacity.  I would argue
>that they are not heralds of Ansteorra, but heralds of the SCA, when they
>are pushing SCA-wide name & armorial registration.  This is the problem with
>trying to impose the real-world model completely on the SCA.  The English
>College of Arms is headed by Garter who answers to the English sovereign.
>

Actually, the Garter is under the authority of the Earl Marshal, Duke of 
Norfolk, who answers to the sovereign.  This goes back at least to the 
reign of Elizabeth I.  The Earl Marshal's Orders of 1568 can be found at 
http://renaissance.dm.net/heraldry/earl_marshal.html, a really 
interesting read.

>So, say a baronial herald comes to the event & works the consultation table,
>heralds baronial court in the afternoon, and is drafted to herald royal
>court in the evening.  What should he wear when?  When consulting, he's
>really acting on behalf of the Society College of Arms, and should
>display/wear that badge (the crossed trumpets); 
>
I am going to make the point (with some temerity) that when consulting, 
the herald is not in fact acting for the Society College of Arms, he is 
acting for the petitioner.  This is analogous to the real world role of 
the Heralds of the College of Arms in London,  in researching and 
preparing patents  of arms they are PAID consultants for the petitioner 
(don't we wish we were <g>).  In consultation, the wishes of the 
petitioner have primacy, not the wishes of the Society, the CoA, or the 
CoH; all a herald can do is advise the petitioner that a particular 
choice will not pass or probably won't pass.  Regardless, the role of 
the herald in consultation is to assist the petitioner in selecting and 
designing his device, and filling out the appropriate paperwork.  When 
the herald is sitting as a member of the CoA or the CoH passing judgment 
on a submission (or field or court heralding), then he's acting on 
behalf of the Society/CoA. 

>>Personally, I feel that the wearing
>>of the kingdom arms should be extended to include the greater and lesser
>>officers of the Ansteorran College of Heralds, when those members are
>>functioning in the capacity of their office.  Now, I wouldn't expect
>>    
>>
>Bordure
>
Since all heralds are multi-hatted (to use a military term indicating 
multiple roles for different entities), the tabard/badge/arms displayed 
by the herald depend on the specific role he is filling.  If a shire has 
a function and the King arrives to hold court (without a herald) and the 
shire herald is drafted to act as herald (unlikely), the herald should 
in theory be wearing the Kingdom arms on his tabard, but if the shire's 
court only includes the shire populace, then the tabard should bear the 
arms of the shire.  Or maybe I'm wrong<g>.


Ivo FitzDonald
Acting Herald Ffynnon Gath