Re: MR-Disc: Registration of Arms

[Mark Schuldenfrei <schuldy@abel.MATH.HARVARD.EDU>]

Poster: Mark Schuldenfrei <schuldy@abel.MATH.HARVARD.EDU>

Greetings from Tibor.

Anarra wrote:
  No one should have the same arms as someone else in another kingdom.  That's
  what the college of arms is for.  Jaella's whole mission in life is to
  prevent anyone in the SCA from registering arms that look like anyone else's
  arms.  Anywhere.

But, as I said, this is both counter to history, and counter to the way the
College of Arms is really chartered.  Social reinforcement says so, frequently.
But the rules simply don't, and history tells us they shouldn't.
  
  This is actually one of the few remaining reasons why a Court of Arms would
  be called on someone in mundane England.  (And also one of the reasons the
  Chirurgeons have that upside down 2 in their badges instead of a universally
  recognized red cross.)

Not quite true.  There is frequently much discussion on the first supposition
on the rec.heraldry newsgroup, and the overall conclusion I've seen is that no
such court can be called anymore.  And if you check out both of the historical
Scropes cases, you will see that conflict is just one of the factors they
considered.

The chirurgeons badge issue wasn't heraldic at all.  The US Government signed a
treaty that gives the Red Cross symbol protection far above and beyond that
nornally given to symbols, and we violated it. Once the Red Cross took official
notice, we had to change it.

And, in the realm of heraldic education, that odd symbol is a Fleam, which is a
poor rendition of a tool used to bleed people suffering from excessive choler.
Hand me one, would you?  People seem to think I am all worked up over
something.  (:-)

	Tibor
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