[ANSTHRLD] Heraldic Regalia

Jay Rudin rudin at ev1.net
Fri Feb 6 07:03:44 PST 2004


Ivo FitzDonald wrote:

> 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.

You are confusing two things -- who hired the herald, and whom the herald is
trying to please.  If I go up to the customer service desk at a book store,
the person there should be trying to assist me, but she wears a "Barnes &
Noble" nametag, not a "Jay Rudin" nametag.  Similarly, a consulting herald
is consulting, and trying to please, the submittor, because that is one of
the functions of the Crown's College of Heralds.

... Not that it matters for this discussion.  There is no indication,
anywhere, that medieval or modern heralds have ever worn tabards or collars
of office to do paperwork.  One wears ceremonial accoutrements only for
ceremony.

At A&S last weekend, I wore a felt hat all day, and put on my coronet only
for court.  Similarly, when I ran the baronial court at Twelfth Night, I
spent the day getting ready for it without any heraldic symbol.  I put on
the tabard right before starting court.

> 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),

Unfortunately, this is indeed unlikely these days.  It used to quite common
for the local shire herald to herald for the visiting Crown.

> ...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>.

Well, places don't have court.  Nobles and Crowns have court.  When Elfsea
was still a shire, they occasionally asked me, as a visiting baron, to hold
court and give out their prizes.  The Elfsea Pursuivant opened the court of
Robin, Baron of the Steppes.

(And I'm not even going to discuss what the term "court baron" really
means.)

Robin of Gilwell / Jay Rudin




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