From: mittle@watson.ibm.com (Josh Mittleman)
Subject: Re: Heraldic questions...
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 21:18:24 GMT
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

Greetings from Arval!  Godfrey wrote concerning heraldic registration:

> If one *doesn't* wish to follow the rules, or if (as in the case of the
> esteemed Carolus) one follows the rules but for one reason or another
> does not *wish* to register, one simply *doesn't register the device*,
> and goes ahead and uses it anyway.  No sanctions are imposed upon a
> person who does this.

This is incorrect.  In some kingdoms, a registered or submitted name or
device is required for participation in certain activities.  More to the
point, there is a general attitude that having a registered name and device
is the right way to play the game.  If we were to make it very clear that
the services provided by the College are entirely optional, and that no one
should feel pressured to use them, then I suppose the College could totter
along oblivious to the rest of the Society.  Of course that makes the
entire notion of a College of Arms pretty meaningless: What is the point of
doing all that work if the office is so thoroughly marginalized?  And why
should the corporation sanction the activities of what would have become
essentially a private organization, divorced from the general interests of
the Society?

And, even more to the point, it is a question of focus of activity, rather
than actual effect.  The College of Arms expends hundreds of man-hours each
months on regulatory activities.  Whether or not these activities have any
real impact on the average SCA member, I think that time could be far
better used in activities that are directly educational.

> I, personally, would like to think that my arms are unique to me...
> The ultimate point is, what do the *members* want?  Would most members be
> uncaring if someone in another kingdom bore the same device as they?  Or
> is a wish for singular arms more the prevalent desire in our Society?

Exactly.  No one knows.  I think we should find out what the populace
really does want from the College of Arms, decide if we have the resources
to provide those services and if they are indeed in the long-term interests
of the Society, and then decide what services to provide.  No one has ever
done that.

I asked:

> Why should the same questions of taste in names and armory not be left to
> individual choice?

Godfery replied:

> Ah, but they ARE, though... I could fly a banner with that device on it
> if I wanted to.  I just couldn't *register* that device... I simply
> couldn't *register* that name.

See above concerning sanctions for non-registration.  Fine, Godfrey, let me
make the question more specific: Granting for the moment that there might
be valid reasons for registering names and armory, why should they be
judged for authenticity before being registered?  Why should an office of
the corporation be devoted to making those judgments in this art, when all
other arts are left to private judgement (even in arts competitions, there
being no SCA-wide rules for authentic garb or anything else)?

Although you didn't directly answer, I think it is clear that you do
consider submitting armory to be logically equivalent to entering something
in an arts competition.  As I said before, if that were the general
opinion, then I would consider the problem to be less severe.  But in fact
it is not the general opinion.  I've never met anyone who felt that the
existance of arts competitions was a severe imposition on them, or that it
was somehow forcing them to be more authentic against their wills.  But
that is exactly how people feel about the College of Arms.  There are laws
in the SCA which penalize people who don't want to have anything to do with
the College of Arms.  People do consider the display of an unregistered
device to be an improper act, much moreso than wearing inauthentic garb.
The College of Arms, an office of the corporation, does claim that
unregistered armory should not be displayed at events (though it lacks the
authority to back up that claim).  Corpora describes Laurel's authority as
the power to approve names and armory for use in the SCA, which implies the
power to declare other names and armory to be inappropriate.  Branches are
required to register a name, and some are required to register a device.
In short, heraldic registration is not optional in the same way as entering
an arts competition; members are coerced into registering a name and
device, and then required to conform to an arbitrary and restrictive set of
rules. 

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Arval Benicoeur                                       mittle@watson.ibm.com