[ANSTHRLD] badge question

[Jennifer Smith]

Alden wrote:
> Out of curiosity, with the badge form being square now, would 
> "Vert, a 
> cross argent" conflict with "[Fieldless] On a pomme a cross 
> argent", or 
> "[Fieldless] On a billet vert a cross argent"?

No. For two reasons: the first is that a fielded badge can be displayed as
any shape, be that round, square, rectangular, diamond, etc etc, while the
two proposed fieldless badges would be constrained by their primary charge
(round for the pomme, rectangular for the billet). The second reason is that
the two proposed fieldless badges can't be registered under current
precedent, as those shapes are valid shapes of armorial display:

>>>
We do not register fieldless badges which appear to be independent forms of
armorial display. Charges such as lozenges, billets, and roundels are all
both standard heraldic charges and "shield shapes" for armorial display. ...

Therefore, a "shield shape" which is also a standard heraldic charge will be
acceptable as a fieldless badge in a plain tincture, as long as the tincture
is not one of the plain tinctures that is protected armory in the SCA. This
explicitly overturns the precedent "We do not normally register fieldless
badges consisting only of forms of armorial display, such as roundels,
lozenges and delfs in plain tinctures, since in use the shape does not
appear to be a charge, but rather the field itself" (LoAR January 1998).

Note that this does not change our long-standing policy about such "shield
shape" charges used in fieldless badges if the tincture is not plain (thus,
divided or with a field treatment), or if the charge is itself charged. Such
armory will continue to be returned for the appearance of an independent
form of armorial display.[Solveig Throndardottir, 04/02, A-Æthelmearc]
>>>

-Emma