[ANSTHRLD] question about baronial service order award charters
Diane Rudin
serena1570 at yahoo.com
Thu Aug 20 15:03:31 PDT 2009
Master Duncan asked:
"A dilemma has come up in how to fill in a charter for a person who did
not have a baronial service award prior to becoming its principal, so
my question is this: Would their predecessor be considered as the one to
give them that award? Themselves? The crown?"
In my official capacity as Awards Texts Deputy to Star Principal Herald,
I have been being consulted by her Excellency Steppes in the creation
of the new Oak charters. This is one of the issues she brought up. I told
her Excellency that I would ponder the matter, and get back to her on it.
Obviously, the topic must have come up at the Steppes C&I guild meeting
last night, hence your question today. I am sorry I missed the meeting;
I could have saved you some time today.
Master Robin already has described, in a previous post in this thread, why
neither their predecessors nor they themselves could give them the Oak.
After due consideration, here is my conclusion: that, in the Steppes at least,
where we have continued to remember and observe the early ruling by Crown
and SPH as to the BSO membership status of a retiring B&B who were not
members of the BSO prior to their investiture as B&B (for fuller discussion of
said ruling, see Master Robin's earlier post on this thread; thanks, honey!),
said persons should receive a specially-phrased Oak charter
**from their successors as B&B**
***confirming*** (not granting) their status as Oaks, with date and precedence
from their investiture as B&B, and thus also Principals of the Order of the Oak.
Within Ansteorra, by tradition, custom, and practice the Crown has deputized
their B&B's in Fief to rule their respective baronies in the Crown's stead,
including the administration of their respective BSO's. That is why I consider
it to fall under the successor B&B's purview to confirm them in their status as
members of the Order of the Oak.
These would be original charters, not pre-prints, in the same fashion as retiring
B&B's who weren't already CB's are given a special, original CB charter, the
text of which reflects the special circumstances of their CB (including language
that backdates the CB to the date of their investiture as B&B). (See the Official
Awards Texts document on the Ansteorran College of Heralds website
for more on special CB and B&B texts.)
This is specific to the Barony of the Steppes. If anyone has a question about
how to handle such a situation in a different barony, I would need to research
the specific history and precedents of that barony's practices before I could
offer a solution for that specific barony.
Guide to abbreviations:
B&B -- Baron and/or Baroness, in this post always meaning "in Fief"
SPH -- Star Principal Herald
BSO -- Baronial Service Order, specifically the armigerous one
CB -- Court Barony
In service to Crown and kingdom,
Serena Lascelles
Blanc Gryffon Herald
Awards Texts Deputy to Star Principal Herald
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