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
|
Crux Australis Herald
|
"The CAMeL"
December 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…..
Reports | New Mortar Pursuivant | A plea on behalf of Canon Pursuivant | Do we need internal commentary?
Roster changes | Important addresses | Subscriptions and Resources | Submission requirements
Meeting schedule | Recent submissions | News of previous submissions
Want to be Lochac’s first Principal Herald?
If the answer is "yes!" (or even "maybe...") then your only chance is fast approaching. I have decided to formally step down as Crux Australis Herald at First Coronation (but before Lochac becomes a kingdom) in July 2002. My successor will be formally invested (with, I hope, much pomp and ceremony) as the first Crux Australis Principal Herald after the coronation of Lochac’s first king and queen.
There is a summary of the duties and requirements of the office here. If after reading these you are still interested then contact me after I return from overseas in late January and I will send you a full duty statement.
Applications will close on 3rd May 2002, with a decision to be made shortly thereafter.
On a different note, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy festive season and a prosperous year to come.
Your servant,
Baron Uberto Renaldi,
Crux Australis Herald
The last quarterly reports were due by 9 December. Those that failed to report have been sent the usual reminders (if I had time to do so). The next reports are due by 11 March 2002.
I am pleased to announce that Lady Massaria da Cortona is my new deputy for education and training.
Her current plan is to get the ball rolling on the Heralds handbook and the college advancement procedure. I am sure that she would be most grateful for any opinions, articles or assistance you can provide her on either of these. Her contacts details are in the "Important addresses" section below.
I am less pleased that Massaria’s was one of only two expressions of interest I received for this position. I certainly hope that I get a better response from my calls for a successor!
A plea on behalf of Canon Pursuivant
Canon’s database, which lists who has received which awards and tracks submissions, needs to be kept up-to-date and accurate for a number of reasons, including: a) so that people do not receive the same award more than once in court, and b) the College of Scribes can plan the production of award scrolls.
This is why we have Court Herald Award Forms. Unfortunately, sometimes the forms are not completed with as much detail as possible. Quite often, the recipient’s mundane name will be absent, which can cause problems for Canon if the person has previously been (or is subsequently) known by a different SCA name(s).
Now, I could change heraldic policy and require that the mundane name column must be completed on all award forms, but I have no way to enforce this.
Instead, I am asking that if you do perform a court for Their Highnesses then please make a special effort to complete the forms. One idea that has been suggested (thanks Artemisia!) is to call together all the awards recipients immediately after court and get them to write or verify their SCA and legal names on the form.
Do we need internal commentary?
In last month’s CAMeL I published a letter from Will Dekne, Pursuivant At Large, in which he proposed reinstating internal commentary on submissions sent to Crux. What follows is some of the feedback I have received on this.
Jan Antheunis van Ghent wrote "to express [his] complete support for Will's proposal...for an Internal Commentary position to be created", and continued with:
I agree with the principles (expressed or implied) upon which the proposal was based, especially that:
1. - Crux's workload is likely to grow, not shrink when we are a kingdom
2. - Crux need not be a wonderful book herald; rather, more of an administrator or manager
Thomas Flamanc of Kelsale also commented, writing:
I support Will's call for the internal letter with a few provisos.
1) It should be a on trial for a few months to see how much it helps. If no one is commenting then...it isn't worth the delay and the paper work.
2) It should be on the web.
3) Submissions shouldn't be delayed more that 30 days.
Although both of these are positive, further comments are needed before I will take any action on this proposal.
Karl Faustas von Aachen has had to rather hurriedly resign from the office of Cinquefoil Pursuivant due to circumstances beyond his control. A replacement for that office is being found. Karl remains on the roster as a Pursuivant Extraordinary At Large. STOP PRESS!! Karl has informed me that he has chosen a successor and will be formally handing the office over at Twelfth Night.
Kara of Kirriemuir has taken over from Yseult de Sancerre as the Pursuivant Extraordinary for the Shire of Bacchus Wood. As Yseult never attained a personal rank within the College she has been removed from the roster.
Wilfrid de Ackelonde has completed the PE test I sent him and has been given the personal rank of Pursuivant Extraordinary. As a result he is finally no long acting as Pursuivant Extraordinary for the Canton of Willoughby Vale.
Gruffydd ab Ieuan ab Cynan has also completed the PE test and has been rostered as Acting Frette Rouge Pursuivant for the Barony of Innilgard.
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): Massaria da Cortona [Melanie Johnston-Hollitt]. Email: massaria@hotmail.com
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 usually held once a month at 36 Rosella Street, Payneham SA. Please call beforehand if you intend to bring submissions for processing. The next meeting is scheduled for Sunday 10th February 2002 at 2pm.
Note that there will be no meeting in January due to my trip overseas.
Present at the Crux Australis Submissions Meeting held on Sunday 9th December 2001 at 36 Rosella Street, Payneham SA were: Baron Uberto Renaldi, Crux Australis Herald; Lord Grufydd ab Iuean ab Cynan, Acting Frette Rouge Pursuivant; Lady Massaria da Cortona, Mortar Pursuivant; and Aldwin Seguin, Laufey raudhrefr, and Wakeline de Foxley, heralds-in-training.
The following submissions have been FORWARDED to the College of Arms for registration:
Device Resubmission to Crux
Argent, a saltire purpure overall a wolf rampant sable.
The name was on the Lochac LoI of 18 August 2001.
His previous device, Purpure, a saltire argent overall a wolf rampant sable was returned by me in the same month for breaking VIII.2.b by having an overall charge that does not have good contrast with the field.
New Device
Argent, a saltire brettessed azure between four hedgehogs statant gules
The name was registered in June 2000.
New Name and Device
Argent, on a fess vert between three cinquefoils azure a horse courant argent.
The submittor desires an authentic 14th-16th century English feminine name and will accept minor changes only.
Collette: Withycombe (s.n. Colette) dates this spelling to 1379.
Harcourt: Reaney, under this heading, lists a 'Philip de Harecourt' dated to 1179, whilst Ekwall (s.n. Harcourt) gives 'Havekercot' dated 1255. Ekwall also lists (s.n. Stanton) a 'Stanton Harecurt' dated 1268-81 and (s.n. Kibworth Beauchamp & Harcourt) a 'Kibbeworth Harecourt' dated to the 13th century. A footnote to the latter states that it "was held by Robert de Harewecurt in 1202" and that the name derives from Harcourt in Normandy. The submittor would prefer the submitted spelling if this can be document as a later (but authentic) variant.
New Name and Device
Per bend sinister sable and vert.
The submittor desires a male Welsh/Anglo-Latin name and cares most about the meaning and culture. He will accept minor changes only.
Dafydd, Iorwerth & Rhodri: all three names are found in 12th century "Chronicle of Ystrad Fflur". The submmittor is aware that these are the modern spellings.
de dena: Latin locative meaning 'of Dene Forest', from the Welsh 'llwyn danet' found (according to Tangwystyl). in the entry for 1171 of the chronicle 'Brut y Tywyssgion'.
Tangwystyl states that 'in the 13th century, Anglo-Latin records use both "filius" and "ap".' which implies that the form of the name is essentially Anglo-Latin rather than Welsh.
The very simple and elegant device appears free of problems, mainly due to the fact that it is "field primary armory", which means that unlike most other armory more than one CD can be counted for changes to the field when checking for conflict against other field primary armory.
New Name
The submittor desires a male name and cares most about the meaning and sound. He will accept major changes.
Gregory: a header name in Withycombe, with this spelling cited in 1273 and 1387. This is also the submittors legal given name.
Tortouse: Reaney (s.n. Tortise) cites a Gilbert Tortouse, dated 1327.
de Sloleye: Reaney (s.n. Slowly) cites a Peter de Sloleye, dated 1275. Ekwall (s.n. Sloley) also has Sloleye as a placename recorded in 1254 and 1408.
New Name
The submittor desires a 9th-12th century Norse or Icelandic feminine name and will accept minor changes only.
Laufey: Lind (col. 731) gives this as the name of the mother of the mythical Loki in the ‘Edda Snorra Sturlusonar’ and the ‘Flateyjarbok’. Orchard (p.106, s.n. Loki) states that "in a number of sources, Loki is described as the son of the otherwise unknown Laufey (‘leaf-island’), presumably a giantess". Although a mythical name, it’s use as a human name does not seem presumptuous and appears to be in use as a modern Icelandic given name. However, a my sources on Icelandic and Norse names are sparse, I have forwarded this to the College of Arms in the hope that support can be found showing it’s use in our period.
rau{dh}refr: Geir Bassi lists this on p.26 as an epithet meaning ‘red fox’. (NOTE: the string {dh} represents the "eth" character which not all browsers can display.)
Device Resubmission to Laurel
Azure, a griffin segreant contourny a chief rayonny Or.
The name was registered in April 2001.
This gentle’s last submission, the mirror image of this one, was returned by me last month for conflict. His submission prior to that, 'Quarterly azure and gules, a griffin segreant Or' was returned by Laurel in April 2001 for conflict.
This design appears free of problems.
New Name and Device
Gyronny sable and argent, on a lozenge gules a sword inverted Or.
The submittor desires a male English name and will accept minor changes only.
Tostig: Woolf (p.136) shows this spelling dated ca. 1050.
Scelga: Ekwall (s.n. Shellow Bowells) dates this spelling to 1086.
Change of Branch Name
Argent, fretty and on a chief vert two laurel wreaths argent.
The branch name was registered in April 2001. This device, which was returned by me in June, is in conflict with the arms of the Barony of Altavia (in Caid): Argent, a fret sable and on a chief vert a laurel wreath argent.
However, that Barony has graciously given permission for the Canton's arms to conflict with theirs.
The following submission has been RETURNED for further work:
Device Resubmission to Crux
Ermine, a bend sinister wreathed sable and argent.
Gwalchmai’s previous device, a resubmission to Laurel, was returned by Crux in March 1999 for being on the old forms.
This appears to be in violation of RfS VIII.2, "Armorial Contrast". Note the following precedent from the tenure of Alisoun MacCoul as Laurel Queen of Arms:
[A bordure wreathed of a metal and a color] The situation here is analogous to that which exists for a bordure compony: you may not use as one of the tinctures on the bordure the tincture of the field. (LoAR Aug 88, p. 20)
Although that precedent referred to bordures and not bends, and in this case the field is ermine rather than plain argent, the consensus at the meeting was that the same rule applied.
If the bend sinister were drawn without the black lines separating it from the field (an acceptable heraldic practice) the argent portions of it would simply disappear leaving a row of sable ‘bendlets couped’ that would not be heraldic in design.
References cited
'Chronicle of Ystrad Fflur'. Webbed at http://www.webexcel.ndirect.co.uk/gwarnant/hanes/chronicle/chroniclearglwyddrhys.htm
Ekwall, Eilert. 'The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names'. 4th edition., Oxford University Press, 1991.
Lind, E.H. 'Norsk-Isländska Dopnamn'. Almqvist & Wiksells Botryckeri-A.-B., Uppsala 1905–1915.
Orchard, Andy. 'Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend'. Cassell, 1997.
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.
Woolf, Henry B. 'The Old Germanic Principles of Name-Giving'. The John Hopkins Press, 1939.
(No) News of previous submissions
September’s Letter of Acceptances and Returns had not been received at time of printing.