Re: Heraldic Side Note

["R. Mark Jones" <rmark@access.digex.net>]

Poster: "R. Mark Jones" <rmark@access.digex.net>

Tibor quotes a previous post and replies:

>>   A chief is a division, right?  And it's a color and a metal, so they can
>>   be layered.
> 
> Mostly.  There is evidence on both sides of the discussion: is the chief a
> layer placed over the field, or is it a field division line.  Most SCA
> precdents for SCA heraldry show it to be a field division, and that is how I
> treat it myself when consulting.  

We do not consider the chief to be a line of division. If it were a line of
division then we would allow such things as a red chief on a blue field
and register them as "Azure, a chief gules" or "Per chief, gules and azure". 
This is not to say that such things did not occur in medieval heraldry - 
heraldry was unregulated in Europe for a good portion of our period
of study - but it isn't good heraldry and arms of this kind are very rare.
The chief is a charge and as such it must be of a different tincture class
than the field. So if you have a blue field, the chief must be a metal or 
a fur; likewise, if you have a white field, the chief must be a color or fur.

> For example, the SCA rules have a depth of field maximum, and charges 
> on chiefs are allowed to stack as deeply as charges on the field.

Currently, the SCA does not allow charges on chiefs to be charged. The Chief
is an ordinary, one of the basic geometrical charges used in heraldry. It is 
considered, like the bordure, to be a peripheral charge. Since it is a charge
it can bear charges; however, those charges cannot in turn bear charges. We
allow a maximum of three layers in SCA heraldry. The field layer is the 
bottom-most and it is always present, even in fieldless badges. Primary and
secondary charges appear on the next layer - this includes all of the
ordinaries. The top-most layer contains tertiary charges - those charges that
are drawn wholely on top of other charges. Thus, charges laying wholely on the
field may bear charges but charges laying on a chief may not --- charges
on a chief are in the top-most layer.

So, a badge with three red roses on a yellow chief on a blue field is 
registerable as "Azure, on a chief Or three roses gules". However, a badge
with three white roses on red roundels (circles) on a yellow chief on a 
blue field is not registerable as "Azure, on a chief Or three torteaux, each
charged with a rose Or" because charges laying on a chief cannot themselves 
bear charges. This is commonly referred to as "The Four Layer Rule".  

> I'd encourage you to create heraldry in the mean time, and get used to 
> it.  Ask a herald or two (via email if necessary) for help.  Given 
> fields barren of heraldry, or fields with slightly poor heraldry 
> upon them, give me the ambience of flags waving in the breeze any day.

I second this opinion whole-heartedly. I really do enjoy walking onto a
field or sitting in a hall decked out with lots of banners. 

Health,

Aodhan

-- 
            Practice safe government - use a kingdom.

======================================================================
                             R. Mark Jones
Post Office Box 19238                  Alexandria, Virginia 22320-0238
rmark@access.digex.net (Internet)                 Aodhan Doilfin (SCA)
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