Alys Mackyntoich

20 March 2015

Unto the East Kingdom College of Heralds, upon the Feast of Saint Cuthbert, greetings and every good thing! This is the Letter of Decisions for the Internal Letter of Intent issued on February 12, 2015.

Many thanks to the following commenters who provided assistance this month: Brunissende Dragonette (Wreath), Dorcas Whitecap (Gold Falcon Emerita), Galefridus Peregrinus, Gawain of Miskbridge (Green Anchor), Gunnvor silfraharr (Orle), Herveus d'Ormonde (Morsulus), Jeanne de Robin (Blue Alaunt), Juetta Copin, Lillia de Vaux (Pelican), Maridonna Benvenuti, Michael Gerard Curtememoire, Modar Neznanich (Volk), Ryan McWhyte (Brigantia), Seraphina Delfino (Golden Dolphin), Song Zidie, Tanczos Istvan (Non Scripta), Violet Hughes (Sea Star) and Yehuda ben Moshe (Elmet). Your efforts and insight are greatly appreciated.

Always your servant,
Alys Mackyntoich
Blue Tyger Herald

1: Æthelthryth Kenricing - New Name Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Purpure, on a chevron between three unicorn's heads couped argent, three pheons inverted sable

Commenters correctly pointed out that the heads are couped, not erased. I have made that correction.

2: Anna Herold von Ossenheim - New Transfer of Device Forwarded

Per bend sinister argent and sable, three roses in bend between two bendlets, all counterchanged

3: East, Kingdom of the - New Order Name Forwarded

Award of Gilder

4: East, Kingdom of the - New Order Name Forwarded

Company of the Pennon of the East

5: East, Kingdom of the - New Order Name Forwarded

King's Award of Esteem

6: East, Kingdom of the - New Order Name Change Forwarded

Order of the Tyger of the East

7: East, Kingdom of the - New Order Name Forwarded

Queen's Award of Esteem

8: East, Kingdom of the - Resub Heraldic Title Forwarded

Herault Hibou Blanc

9: Edmund Forster - New Name Forwarded

The submitter initially requested authenticity for "late 16th cen. Scottish." Unfortunately, we were able to document the desired spelling of his last name no later than 1524. The submitter has modified his authenticity request to "16th cen. Scottish" so that he can preserve the desired spelling of the surname.

10: Ekaterina Solov'eva Pevtsova - New Name Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Per fess embattled gules and argent, three linden leaves counterchanged

11: Hope Baldwin - New Device Forwarded

Per pale purpure and argent, a pair of wings counterchanged

12: Ile du Dragon Dormant, Baronnie de l' - New Badge Forwarded

(Fieldless) A dragon dormant wings elevated and addorsed Or charged on the shoulder with a fleur-de-lys purpure

Commenters found the fleur-de-lys difficult to identify. The Barony provided updated and improved art within the commentary period, so I am forwarding the badge.

13: Ile du Dragon Dormant, Baronnie de l' - New Badge Forwarded

(Fieldless) A dragon dormant wings elevated and addorsed purpure charged on the shoulder with a fleur-de-lys Or

Commenters found the fleur-de-lys difficult to identify. The Barony provided updated and improved art within the commentary period, so I am forwarding the badge.

14: Ile du Dragon Dormant, Baronnie de l' - New Badge Forwarded

Purpure, on a pale argent a pallet Or

A pallet Or on a pale argent violates the SCA's rules of contrast. However, SENA A.4.A provides that "[a]ny armorial design that does not fit within our core style rules may still be registered if it can be documented as following a pattern of period practice within the armorial style of a single time and place within the temporal scope of the Society." To register an Individually Attested Pattern ("IAP"), "[e]ach element of the armory which falls outside the core style rules must be documented. . . . The overall design of the submission must be similar to the types of designs that document the use of the non-core style elements. In general, examples must match the submission in style and complexity." SENA A.4.B.

Here, the part of the design that violates the SCA's core style rules is the Or pallet on the argent pale. The submitter supplied three examples from Italian armory of sub-ordinaries on ordinaries: (1) the arms of Piloncini, Gules, on a bend argent a bendlet Or; (2) the arms of Sasseti, Argent, on a bend Or a bendlet azure; and (3) the arms of de Nobilivs, Azure, on a pale argent a pallet sable. Also from Italian armory, the submitter supplied multiple example of metal on metal low-contast tertiary charge(s) on bends, pales or fesses. I am satisfied that there is enough evidence of the IAP in question to send this badge up to Society level for additional research and commentary. The consulting herald, Jeanne Blue Alaunt, is commended for her work.

15: Ivan Ch'r'nek - New Name Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Per saltire argent and sable, two arrows fesswise and two harps counterchanged

I have simplified the blazon based on advice from commenters.

16: Jeanne Robin - New Badge Forwarded

Per chevron flory at the point Or and gules

17: Johannes Mikkinen - New Name Forwarded

There was some question about the underlying documentation for the byname. However, lacking any solid grounding in Finnish, I am sending this name up for further research and commentary by the College as a whole.

18: John MacGuire - New Badge Forwarded

(Fieldless) A bee Or marked sable sustaining a sewing needle bendwise inverted argent

19: Kenric Burn of Northampton - New Household Name Forwarded and New Badge Forwarded

Company of Saint Kenrics Beard

(Fieldless) A beard paly argent and sable

20: Kenric Burn of Northampton - New Device Change Pended

Per pale and chevronelly Or and sable

Unfortunately, this lovely device conflicts with the device of Gustaf Rikardsson (June 2014, Lochac): Per pale Or and sable, three chevronels counterchanged and in canton a hand issuant from a wing fesswise maintaining a sword reversed fesswise sable. By precedent, chevronelly and three chevronels are identical: ""Baring evidence to the contrary, we will grant submitters the benefit of the doubt and will treat multiply divided fields/multiple ordinaries the same way we treat paly and three pallets. This applies to chevronelly/three chevrons, chevronlly inverted/three chevrons inverted, barry/three bars, bendy/three bends, and bendy sinister/three scarpes. That is, the two blazons are interchangeable as are the corresponding emblazons." [Deanna della Penna, Feb 2007, A-Ansteorra] I am attempting to obtain permission to conflict from Gustaf.

21: Maria Erika von Ossenheim - New Acceptance of Device Forwarded

Per bend sinister argent and sable, three roses in bend between two bendlets, all counterchanged

22: Matteo Cole Amici - New Name Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Vert, a demi-stag passant reguardant contourny Or

23: Maud de Bracebridge - New Name Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Quarterly sable and azure, four lions Or

As "rampant" is the default for lions, I was able to delete it from the blazon.

24: Midland Vale, Shire of - New Branch Name Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Argent, a pall inverted sable between two stags rampant purpure and a laurel wreath vert

For some reason, the clearly purpure stags on the form are not showing as purpure in OSCAR. The submitter has consented to having them recolored to be more clearly purpure.

25: Ravensbridge, Riding of - New Branch Name Forwarded and New Device Returned

Per chevron azure and argent, a triple-arched bridge argent and in base a raven volant sable within a laurel wreath azure

The device is being returned for violating SENA A.3.D.2.a, which states that "a charge group with more than two types of charges is not allowed." As rendered, the raven, bridge and laurel wreath are all part of the same primary charge group. This is not permitted.

As a second ground for return, the raven is not drawn in a blazonable posture. It is neither volant nor displayed nor migrant. SENA A.2.C.2 requires charges to be identifiable, which includes being in an identifiable heraldic posture: "Elements must be drawn to be identifiable. While some allowance will be made for lack of artistic skill, the identity of elements must not be ambiguous. Ambiguity can be created when a depiction falls between two states that contribute to difference, such as tincture, posture, or type of charge."

Finally, as a third ground for return, the per chevron division is not properly drawn according to the standards set forth in the May 2011 Cover Letter. For these three reasons, the device must be returned. For the benefit of the Riding, I note that there are ways this or a very similar design could be properly drawn and registerable, and suggest that they consult with an experienced armory herald before resubmitting.

26: Stefan Kurth - New Name Forwarded and New Device Returned

Per chevron sable and gules, a chevron Or between two tongs in chevron and a rounded Bowen cross argent

This device must be returned for two reasons. First, the "rounded Bowen cross" is neither an attested charge nor a reasonable variant of any attested charges. Neither the submitter nor commenters provided any evidence of a charge with a similar appearance or the "rounding" of square charges.

If I were sending this device up to Society, I would reblazon the "rounded Bowen cross" as five annulets conjoined in cross. However, that reblazoning does not solve the second reason for return. This device violates SENA A.3.D.2.c, which states:

c. Unity of Posture and Orientation: The charges within a charge group should be in either identical postures/orientations or an arrangement that includes posture/orientation (in cross, combatant, or in pall points outward, for example). A charge group in which postures for different charges must be blazoned individually will not be allowed without period examples of that combination of postures.

27: Sunnifa í Hvalseyju - New Name Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Per bend sinister argent and azure, a swift volant azure and a sun Or

Questions were raised in commentary about the construction of the byname. Based on their commentary, the construction appears to be uncommon, but not incorrect, so I am forwarding the name as submitted.

I have removed "in bend" from the blazon, as it is not required. The default for two charges on a field divided into two parts is one charge centered in each section.

28: Urr{a-}ka al-Tha`labiyya - New Name Forwarded and New Device Withdrawn

Per bend Or semy of oak leaves gules and sable semy of oak leaves Or, a magpie proper maintaining an oak sprig vert and a fox courant contourny in bend sinister argent

The name was originally submitted as Urr{a-}ka al-Tha`labii. That form was incorrect because it used the masculine form of the byname with a female given name. As the submitter allows all changes, I have corrected the byname to the feminine al-Tha`labiyya.

During commentary, the submitter withdrew her device and is resubmitting a simpler version of the same design, which will appear in the next commentary cycle.