[ANSTHRLD] Suggestions needed

[Tim McDaniel]

On Fri, 9 Nov 2007, Elizabeth Blackthorne <eblackthorne at gmail.com> wrote:
> would that person be in a Heralds Tabord, or a Shire Tabord or would
> it matter?

"Tabard", not "tabord", by the way.

It took me a few moments to figure out what you probably meant.  By
"herald's tabard" you mean a tabard with the badge of the SCA College
of Arms (green with two crossed gold trumpets) and by "shire tabard"
you mean a tabard with the arms of the shire?  'Cause a tabard with
the arms of a branch is a tabard and it's to be worn by a herald, so
it's a herald's tabard too.

In period, there were ensigns armorial (another different definition
of "ensign"!) borne by and used by the English College of Arms and
presumably by other heralds or groups of heralds, but they didn't
appear on tabards.  Instead, tabards bore only the undifferenced arms
of the herald's employer: front, back, both sleeves.

So, for the best period re-creation, the tabard used by a herald in
the SCA should bear nothing but the undifferenced arms of the branch
or person for which the herald is currently working.  For a trumpeter,
I have the impression that the arms should also be on a cloth hanging
from the trumpet too.

However, many SCA groups' arms are complex.  Also, many people work at
various events for various groups.  Also also, groups tend to be poor
and may not have volunteers for a tabard project, so they may not have
enough branch-arms tabards for all the people volunteering to herald
the lists (for example).  So it's an SCA custom (though not period)
that tabards might also bear the crossed-trumpets badge front, back,
and both sleeves -- they can be useful as "generics".

If someone projects "Oyez" and gives a general announcement, I call
them a herald even if they're not wearing a tabard.

Daniel Lincoln
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com