Crux Australis Herald
Baron Uberto Renaldi [mka Nigel Castle]
GPO Box 2719, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia
phone: (08) 8336 6791 or intl +61 8 8336 6791
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Crux Australis Herald
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"The CAMeL"
October 2001 (Anno Societatis XXXVI)
Unto the College of Heralds of the Principality of Lochac, and all others who may read this missive, from Baron Uberto Renaldi, Crux Australis Herald, greetings!
In this issue…..
November Coronet | The Crux Australis Grand Tour | An error in Lochac Heraldic Policy
Roster changes | Position vacant - education deputy | New Court Herald’s Award forms
Introduction of fees for resubmissions | Reports | Important addresses | Subscriptions and Resources
Submission requirements | Meeting schedule | Recent submissions | News of previous submissions
Why am I still Crux?
As you may know, the tenure for a Principality office is usually two years, and so normally I would be in the process of wishing you all farewell and handing the office over to whoever was silly kind enough to volunteer to be my successor.
However, Lochac’s transition to kingdom has meant a change to that. Like many other Principality officers, I have been offered the opportunity to continue in my office until the transition has been completed. That means you’re stuck with me for about another year, at the end of which I definitely will be passing the office on!
On an unrelated note: my thanks to Master Gwynfor Lwyd and Lord Grufydd ap Cynan for their heraldic assistance at the Innilgard Baronial Investitiure recently. Due to their help, there was the least troublesome Grand March I have ever witnessed!
Your servant,
Baron Uberto Renaldi,
Crux Australis Herald
A reminder that if you are attending November Coronet then your assistance with any voice work will be greatly appreciated.
The event will feature a Pas d’Armes on the Sunday for which every combatant will require a personal herald. If you offer your services for this, please remember that whilst acting as herald for anyone other than the Crown or Their representative you must not wear official regalia. You can, however, demand a fee...
In January I will be heading off to the USA for a bit of a holiday – assuming it is still safe to do so, that is! Whilst there I will be attending the Coronations in the Kingdoms of the West and Ansteorra, and may possibly get to an event in Trimaris. It won’t be all rest & relaxation: the trip will give me the opportunity to see how things are done elsewhere and discuss logisitics of the heraldry required for our first Crown Tourney and Coronation with much more experienced heralds.
My trip abroad will unfortunately mean that I will be unable to attend Twelfth Night Investitiure in Agaricus, but I’m sure those you who can go will pitch in and help Karl Faustus (who has volunteered to be herald-in-charge) to ensure that event is heraldically hassle-free. There may also be no submissions meeting and CAMeL produced in that month, but I’ll let you know by December’s edition if that will be the case.
An error in Lochac Heraldic Policy
It was brought to my attention recently (thank you, Karl) that there are some copies of Lochac Heraldic Policy floating about with the following information:
Household Names [September 1988]
It has long been the policy of the West Kingdom College of Heralds to not register household names. This is because, for the most part, households tend to be rather transient entities, and it isn’t fair to tie up a name "for all time" when it may well be long-unused.
Well, it turns out that this information is WRONG, and has been for some time (if not always). The types of items that can be registered in the SCA is set by the College of Arms, and no kingdom has the authority to say that certain types of item (such as Household Names or Alternate Names) will not be registered via them.
If you have a copy of Lochac Heraldic Policy with the above information in it, please cross it out. Better still, request from me or download a copy of the now updated Summarised Lochac Heraldic Policy.
Master Gwynfor Lwyd has had to step down as Mortar Pursuivant in preparation to holding the much more demanding office of Baron of Stormhold. He remains on the roster as a Pursuivant At Large, whilst the title of Mortar Pursuivant will be reassigned from designating my deputy for field and voice (a somewhat redundant role) to that of a new deputy for education as explained below.
Position vacant - education deputy
I have decided that the Crux Australis Herald requires a deputy responsible for the training and education of heralds and the populace in various areas of heraldry. Responsibilities will initially include:
The job will require good written communication skills, a broad knowledge of heraldry (as practised in and out of the SCA) and the desire to impart that knowledge to others. Access to a computer and printer is essential (unless you can convince me otherwise) and access to email and the World Wide Web highly desirable.
Applications must be in writing and must reach me via post or email by 2 December 2001. I hope that I will have a difficult time deciding which one of the many worthy applicants should get the job!
New Court Herald’s Award forms
With Dafydd ap Iowerth handing over the office of Pegasus Chronicler to Morna of River Haven, new Court Herald’s Award forms are needed with the correct address on them. You will find a PDF version here.
Introduction of fees for resubmissions
A while back I said I was going to change Lochac Heraldic Policy so that returned submissions would incur a fee if resubmitted more than five years later. I then had to postpone the introduction of this change as it contravenes West Kingdom Policy which says that all resubmissions are free.
Although it has been postponed, the proposed change will go into effect once we go kingdom, and in order to give people plenty of warning the following will (I hope) appear in November’s Pegasus:
Resubmissions will not be free forever!
Currently, all returned name, device and badge submissions can be resubmitted for free, as per West Kingdom policy. However, this will not be the case after First Coronation.From that date onwards, any returned submission that is not resubmitted within three (3) years from the date of the most recent return will be considered withdrawn, and if susequently resubmitted will attract the same fee as if it were a brand-new submission.
This new policy is being implemented for a number of reasons, but is mainly to encourage people to resubmit in a timely fashion. Of course, anyone who believes they have a valid reason for exemption may request it, and such requests will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
There are already quite a lot of returned submissions that will be more than three years old when this policy comes into effect. Rather than print the details here, I have sent a list to every group herald, and also published it on the Lochac College of Heralds website (http://www.sca.org.au/herald). I urge you examine it and, if your name appears there, to resubmit before July 2002. If you have access to neither a local herald nor the Internet then please feel free to contact me and I will post you a copy.
You will note that I have changed the grace period from five years to three, simply because I have since discovered that some kingdoms consider but one year sufficient time for people to resubmit for free.
All group heralds will receive a list of outstanding submissions within a few days of this newsletter being posted, and a webbed version is online and available here.
If you know of anyone on the list who is still active but hasn't resubmitted recently, please ncourage them to consider resubmitting soon.
The next quarterly reports are due by 2 December 2001. NOTE that this is about a week earlier than previously published, due to the combination of the silly season and my impending trip.
Crux Australis Herald: Uberto Renaldi [Nigel Castle] GPO Box 2719, Adelaide SA 5001. Ph (08) 8336 6791. Email herald@sca.org.au
Hund Herald (West Kingdom external commentary) and Bombard Pursuivant (Ceremonies deputy): Thorfinn Hrolfsson [Steven Roylance] 1592 Malvern Road, Glen Iris VIC 3146. Ph (03) 9885 6348. Email roylance@corplink.com.au
Canon Pursuivant (Precedence and Gentry list): ): Morag Freyser [Helen Brinsmead] PO Box 455, Woden ACT 2606. Email the_brinsmeads@dingoblue.net.au
Mortar Pursuivant (Education deputy): VACANT - APPLY NOW!
Rocket Pursuivant (New PE test): Aislinn de Valence [Megan Dansie] PO Box 526, Unley SA 5061. Ph (08) 8293 6635. Email aislinn@merlin.net.au
Baryl Pursuivant (External commentary): Thomas Flamanc of Kelsale [John Sawyer] PO Box 222, Flinders Lane Post Offices VIC 8009. Email sawyer@lexicon.net.au
Subscriptions and Resources
"The CAMeL" is available from Crux Australis at $20 per year. Make cheques payable to "SCA Inc. College of Heralds".
Laurel's Letter of Acceptance and Return is available from the SCA College of Arms. Send a cheque for $US25 made out to "SCA Inc. — College of Arms" to Bruce R. Nevins, 2527 E. 3rd Street, Tucson AZ, 85716-4114, USA. As usual, everything of relevance to Lochac will be published in "The CAMeL".
The Armorial and Ordinary, as well as updates to them, are available from ‘SCA Inc. - Free Trumpet Press West’ in the USA. Their address is ‘1613 N. School St., Normal IL 61761-1240’. They also sell the ‘Heraldic Pictorial Dictionary for the SCA’, proceedings of Known World Heraldic Symposia and Compilations of Precedents by past Laurel Sovereigns of Arms. Contact me or see details of their web site below.
I also recommend that groups acquire some name resources, in particular P.H. Reaney & R.M. Wilson’s ‘A Dictionary of English Surnames’ and E.G. Withycombe’s ‘The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names’. The latter is out of print, so if you spot it at a second-hand book sale, buy it!
Useful or interesting links:
The SCA Heraldry web page - www.sca.org/heraldry including the Laurel home page and on-line armorial and ordinary search.
The Academy of St. Gabriel (an heraldic consultation service) - www.s-gabriel.org
West Kingdom Heralds' Handbook - heralds.westkingdom.org
Free Trumpet Press West (SCA heraldic publications) - www.sca.org/heraldry/ftpw.
Parker’s Glossary of Heraldry - http://www04.u-page.so-net.ne.jp/ta2/saitou/ie401
Cost: $20 per new submission (name, device or badge). Note: a new name and device costs a total of $40. No cost for resubmissions or branch submissions. Make cheques payable to "SCA Inc. College of Heralds".
Copies required:
Please include ALL necessary documentation to support each submission. It is the responsibility of the submittor to present their submission in a way that makes registration easy. Name documentation should be as accurate as possible: remember to include photocopies of the title page as well as the relevent page(s) of any source used.
Crux Australis submission meetings are held once a month, usually at 6 Rosella Street, Payneham SA. Please call beforehand if you intend to bring submissions for processing. The next meeting is scheduled for Sunday 11th November at 2pm and the one after that is scheduled for Sunday 9th December at 2pm.
Present at the Crux Australis Submissions Meeting held on Friday 12th October 2001 at 36 Rosella Street, Payneham SA were: Baron Uberto Renaldi, Crux Australis Herald; Lord Gryffyd ap Cynan, Acting Frette Rouge Pursuivant; Lord William Forester de Blacwode, Pursuivant At Large and and Wakeline de Foxley, herald-in-training. My thanks to you for your assistance, gentlemen!
The following submissions were FORWARDED to the College of Arms for registration:
New Branch Name (see RETURNS for Device)
Originally submitted as Avalon Keep. The group will accept minor changes only.
There is a town in Burgundy, France called Avallon which, according to the website of the Tourism Office of Avallonais (http://www.avallonnais-tourisme.com/us/breves/2.shtml) dates back to at least the 10th century, when it was referred to as Avallonem Castrum. Evergates, in a translation of a document from 1201 assigning a new fief (p.4), lists the recipient as one 'Jocelin of Avallon'.
The OED cites keep with the meaning "the innermost and strongest structure or central tower of a mediæval castle, serving as a last defense; a tower; a stronghold, donjon" with a first written reference in 1586.
The name mixes French and English in a way which, although a weirdness, seems acceptable for registration.
Change of registered device
Vert, a mandrake Or.
The submittor's name was registered in June 1995 via the West. This depiction of a mandrake is apparently adapted from an 11th century one from Discoridies (Cotton MS, Vittelius C). If this is registered then her current device Per pale vert and Or, two cats sejant affronty counterchanged will be released.
New Name and Device
Purpure, a bee Or and in chief three mullets of five points argent.
The submittor desires an Irish name of either gender from 1350-1400, with a byname meaning "red" or "red-haired". They will accept minor changes only.
Cillíne is listed by OC&M as a variant of Cilléne; although no dates are given it is stated that there were "many saints of this name."
Ruadh, meaning "red-haired", is found as a byname in Tangwystyl's web page 'Feminine Names from the Index to O'Brien's "Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae".'
We believe the name should be clear of Caillin Ruadh, registered Feb 1997 via the Middle. The given names differ in both appearance and sound (although admittedly not by much).
Change of registered device
Sable, three trefoils Or.
The submittor's name was registered in June 1995 via the West. If this device is registered then her current device Azure, a demi-sun issuant from base Or, on a chief argent three shamrocks vert will be released.
New Device
Gules, a wolf salient within nine fleurs-de-lis in orle Or.
The submittor's name was registered in November 2000 via Caid.
Although this device was originally submitted via the Caid College of Heralds (prior to September 2000) and was returned by them for a redraw, it cannot be considered a resubmission by the Lochac College. The Caid CoH requires returned submissions to be resubmitted within one year or another submission fee is charged, meaning that they would not pay Laurel’s for this particular submission on our behalf.
New Name
The submittor desires a male 14th century English name and will accept minor changes only.
Will as a contraction of William is found in Withycombe, where it is listed as "the usual abbreviation". Reaney, under Wilson, dates a Robert Willeson to 1324, and notes that the surname means "son of Will; i.e. William." Dekne is found under Deacon in Reaney, with John Dekne dated to 1327.
The following submissions were RETURNED for further work:
New Branch Device
Per chevron embattled purpure and argent, in base a laurel wreath sable and in chief three apple blossoms argent.
No outline copy was provided. Without an outline copy I cannot produce a mini-emblazon which is required when including armory on a Letter of Intent.
Further problems with the device were that the apple blossoms (which were likely to reblazoned as roses due to the way they were depicted) were drawn too small, and the per chevron line division needed redrawing to remove the appearance of an argent lozenge at the top of it.
New Name and Device
Gules, on a bend Or three lions' heads palewise gules.
The name was returned as no documentation was provided that showed Gatan as a placename used before 1600.
The device also had a problem: conflict with Gules, on a bend sinister Or, three wings palewise, each terminating in a hand brandishing a sword sable [device registered to Sebastian de Ventbarré in 1992]. There is only 1 CD for all the changes to the tertiaries [RfS X.4.j].
Device Resubmission to Laurel
Or, on a pale azure three bees Or
This is in conflict with Or, on a pale azure a fir tree couped argent [device registered to Aonghas Cu in December 2000 via An Tir]. There is only 1 CD for all the changes to the tertiaries [RfS X.4.j].
References cited
Black, George F. ‘The Surnames of Scotland’. The New York Public Library, 1946.
Evergates, Theodore (trans). 'Feudal Society in Medival France'. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993.
MacLysaght, Edward. ‘The Surnames of Ireland’. 3rd edition. Irish Academic Press, 1978.
[OC&M] Corráin, Donnchadh and Maguire, Fidelma. 'Gaelic Personal Names'. The Academy Press, 1981
Reaney, P.H. and Wilson, R.M. 'A Dictionary of English Surnames'. Revised 2nd edition. Routledge London 1979.
Withycombe, E.G. 'The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 1979.
The distribution of the results from Laurel’s and Pelican’s August meetings have been delayed even longer than expected. Hopefully next month I will have the results from both August and September.