Re: Heraldry Fibs (was Re: heraldry rules) (fwd)

[clevin@ripco.com (Craig Levin)]

Poster: clevin@ripco.com (Craig Levin)

My learned colleague, Gordian Knot Herald:

> Now, back to the 'technically' part.  Technically, anyone may display
> arms, registered or not.  However, the loophole is Laurel's mandate as set
> forth by Corpora--the registration of unique names and armory within the
> context of the SCA.  By displaying arms not registered to yourself, you
> are in essence violating the spirit of Corpora, if not the exact letter.
> Display of unregistered armory isn't generally considered a problem--at
> least not at this end of the Kingdom.  We simply treat the display as
> assumed arms.  Displaying armory registered to someone else *is* a
> problem--if people are aware of it.  In most cases, a simple request
> suffices to clear up the issue.  I may be going out on a limb, here,
> but for the thicker of skull, a Court of Courtesy or a Court of Chivalry
> *could* technically be called.  I have yet to hear of such a case,
> however.  Would any other Herald care to support or refute these claims?

>From the online Red Tape, part I sec. 9.1.1:
"A Court of Chivalry may be called against anyone for matters
concerning: Kingdom law, heraldic law, the rules of the lists,
chivalric matters, perjury, or any other matters referred to it
by the Crown."

It also seems that a Court of Courtesy may also be a proper court
for heraldic law, as the only bars to the consort's jurisdiction
are over monetary matters, the rules of the lists, and
incompetance. 

Whether a case has been heard before either court on heraldic law
(and no definition of heraldic law was made, which gives rise to
a question I will answer below), I do not know, and humbly leave
to whatever keeper of Atlantia legendry and lore exists.

It may well be asserted that if the heralds have not bothered to
make "heraldic law," then the passage above from the Red Tape is
null and void. This assertion is, to my mind, incorrect. The
learned jurists of the Middle Ages noted that the laws governing
warriors, the law of arms, was applicable to all nations as _jus_
_gentium_. Heraldic law, historically, formed a subsection of the
law of arms, and, as such, is applicable even in the mundane
world (if you believe the mediaeval jurists)-and should certainly
be in the Current Middle Ages. 

As it turns out, texts on the law of arms and on heraldic law do
exists, and I know of at least one copy in the hands of the
current Laurel Queen of Arms, as well as several in the
collections of the Library of Congress and the Catholic
University of America. Even better, they're in English, for the
most part. A few years ago, you'd have needed some French and
some Latin. If you want titles, I'm willing to supply them.

In Service,

Dom Pedro de Alcazar
Barony of Storvik, Atlantia
Storvik Pursuivant
Argent, a tower purpure between 3 bunches of grapes proper
-- 
http://pages.ripco.com:8080/~clevin/index.html 
clevin@ripco.com
Craig Levin
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