Royal Heraldry

[kuijt@umiacs.UMD.EDU]

Greetings to Cheapside (and any sots in the Merry Rose who should be
better employed this early in the day than tippling, think I :^)

As one who has been Prince and King, I will tell you what I think
about this issue of changing the Heraldry (whether you want to hear
it or not).

I do NOT think the Sovereign's arms should be altered in any way.
Those are the arms of Atlantia in all our minds, and like many who
have posted on this forum, I like the cotisses.  Further, I have
painted them on many objects, so I am not speaking as someone who
has not had to work them.

I DO believe that it would be a good change to make the two fields
identical (blue and white on the same sides).  This is a low impact
change--very few people will ever notice.  It will also make it much
less common to screw up painting/embroidering/etc the arms.  I myself
have screwed up what colour goes on what side many times, as has 
virtually every person who ever had to do the arms on some object.

I DO like the idea of using "Atlantia, a Label" for the Heir's arms.
It is demonstrably medieval--the effigy of the Black Prince (died 1375)
wears a tabard which is "England, a Label".  It is becoming a very
common practice in the SCA for heirs of blood (i.e. children) of SCA
parents, in this kingdom and all others.  It is also the nearly
universal practice in other Kingdoms.  I don't suggest that we
take it up because the other Kingdoms are doing it.  I do think that
we should take it up for the same reasons that they did--it is a
very clear, recognizable, medieval, easy way to show that this 
person is the heir to that land/realm/person.

On stylistic grounds I think Red would be ugly as a colour on the
blue/white field with a gold crown.  Black would be fine--not offensive,
not inclined to cause seizures in people with certain types of
colourblindness, and more clear from farther away.  Gold would also be
fine, as the Crown (major charge) is gold already.  Green/Red would
be hideous; Blue/White would disappear.

I do NOT like the idea of using the Label for the Princess' arms.
It wasn't done in the middle ages that way.  And, as some have said,
she isn't the heir of the Queen, she is the consort of the heir.
(insert "he" in the case of a male consort of a female heir).

Whether the roses are barbed and leaved Or, or Proper, I don't really
care.  Nobody will ever notice unless the barbs and leaves are way too
large and take over the field.

Unto all other changes, I have no opinion save a natural conservativism
towards such things.  Except that I share Anne Elizabeth's opinion--the
Furry Clam is a bad joke.  Even changing it to an Escallop Or would be
fine, and a small enough change that few would object or notice.

Dafydd ap Gwystl, man-about-town