LoRR March 2022

Letter of Registrations and Returns

Society of the Middle Ages, Inc.

Office of the Muskatour King of Arms

March 2022

Greetings from the Muskatour office.

For those of you who don’t have a playbill (ya can’t tell the players without a program), the Society Seneschal and the College of Arms have been working hard to bring the awards and decorations system more in line with actual period practice. As such, most of the submissions considered this month were designed to accommodate those changes.

While the names of the orders previously used did in fact follow the period naming practice of using a saint’s name, the ranking within those orders did not follow period practice. SMA knighthoods should be stacked – once a person is entered into an order as a knight bachelor, they do not switch orders as a result of being promoted within the knightly ranks. Knights of all levels exist in each order in the real world (e.g., Knight of the British Empire and Knight Commander of the British Empire are two ranks within the same order of knighthood.) In redesigning the ranking structure within each order, the Society Seneschal determined that the only clear path to avoiding confusion over rank and structure was to redesignate one order for each path that did not share an order name with any of the previous orders. Thus, we now have the Order of the Golden Chain in the Path of the Sword, the Order of the Golden Maunche in the Path of the Robe, and the Order of the Golden Quill in the Path of the Quill. The naming convention follows the documented pattern of “color + heraldic charge”. Within each order reside the three recognized ranks of knighthood: Knight Bachelor, Knight Banneret, and Knight Commander. Each rank has its own badge, and all badges within a single order follow a progressive theme. More information regarding how this change impacts existing knighthoods will be forthcoming, although any impact is merely administrative. This does not affect the order of precedence or the titles/honors any knight currently enjoys.

We also have another new precedent from this month’s meeting.

• In January, we received a submission for a castle name and civic arms.

Duży Cyprys, Castle of – New Name, New Arms
Gules, an eagle displayed reguardant argent within an orle argent semy of hearts azure

 

The arms were pended to allow the Muskatour staff time to investigate the authenticity of a charged orle. The original position was that the orle was a diminutive of the bordure, and diminutives cannot bear minor charges. Upon investigation, the staff determined that the orle was not a diminutive of a bordure but rather a voided escutcheon. As other voided charges (e.g., annulets, which are voided roundels) can bear minor charges, and as Guillim lists orles specifically as a charge capable of being charged, the staff determined that charged orles are permitted within our time period.

REGISTRATIONS

1. Angelica, Order of – New Arms
   Argent, a sprig of angelica purpure slipped and leaved vert

   Originally submitted with yellow blossoms, the contrast of yellow flowers on an argent field was insufficient for identification. A Google search indicated that purple was a variety of angelica. The Society Seneschal agreed to recolor the blossoms as purple.

 

2. Duży Cyprys, Castle of – New Arms (see registrations for Name)
   Gules, an eagle displayed reguardant argent within an orle argent semy of hearts azure

   The arms were pended to give the Muskatour staff time to determine if an orle – as a subordinary of the bordure – can be charged. Upon investigation, the staff determined that the origin of the orle was not as a diminutive of a bordure but rather as a voided escutcheon. As other voided charges (e.g., annulets, which are voided roundels) can bear minor charges, and as Guillim lists orles specifically as a charge capable of being charged, the staff determined that charged orles are permitted within our time period.

 

3. Exchequer, Office of – New Arms
   Purpure, a balance argent

 

4. Golden Acorn, Order of the – New Name, New Arms
   Vert, an acorn Or

   This is a children’s order.

 

5. Golden Chain, Order of the – New Name, New Badges
   Knight Bachelor: (Fieldless) A claymore within and conjoined to an annulet of chain argent
   Knight Banneret: (Fieldless) A claymore maintaining by its quillons two peer’s helms respectant within and conjoined to an annulet of chain argent
   Knight Commander: (Fieldless) A claymore maintaining by its quillons two peer’s helms respectant within and conjoined to an annulet of chain Or

 

6. Golden Maunche, Order of the – New Name, New Badge
   Knight Bachelor: (Fieldless) A torse in annulo argent
   Knight Banneret: (Fieldless) Two maunches in fess addorsed within and conjoined to a torse in annulo argent
   Knight Commander: (Fieldless) A monk’s robe Or within and conjoined to a torse in annulo argent

7. Golden Oak, Order of the – New Name, New Arms
   Or, issuant from a base vert an oak tree proper

   This is a children’s order.

   Submitted as Azure, issuant from a base vert an oak tree Or, this conflicted with the Duchy of Urbino, Azure, an oak tree eradicated, its four branches knotted in saltire Or. The Society Seneschal agreed to the redesign.

 

8. Golden Quill, Order of the – New Name, New Badges
   Knight Bachelor: (Fieldless) A garter surmounted by a pen bendwise argent
   Knight Banneret: (Fieldless) A garter surmounted by two pens in saltire argent
   Knight Commander: (Fieldless) A garter argent surmounted by two pens in saltire Or

9. Guillaume de Lisieux – New Name (see Returns for Arms)

 

10. Herald, Office of – New Arms

Vert, two ambassador’s staves in saltire argent festooned Or

 

11. Máire ingen Fheirgil – New Legacy Name

 

12. Marshal, Office of – New Arms

Gules, a spear and sword in saltire argent

 

13. Muskatour King of Arms – New Arms
    Vert, two ambassador’s staves in saltire argent festooned Or and in chief a castle Or portaled gules

 

14. Muskatour King of Arms, Deputy – New Arms
    Vert, two ambassador’s staves in saltire argent festooned Or and in chief a label argent

 

15. Seneschal, Office of – New Arms

Azure, two staves in saltire Or

 

16. Sibylla de Blakeleye – New Legacy Name, New Legacy Arms
    Per bend sinister argent ermined vert and Or, a wolf passant to sinister maintaining a cup sable and a tree eradicated proper

 

17. Silver Sapling, Order of the – New Name, New Arms
    Azure, two oak leaves conjoined in chevron argent

    This is a children’s order.

 

18. Society Exchequer – New Arms
    Purpure, a balance argent and in chief a castle Or portaled gules

 

19. Society Exchequer, Deputy – New Arms
    Purpure, a balance argent and in chief a label argent

 

20. Society Earl Marshal – New Arms
    Gules, a spear and sword in saltire argent and in chief a castle Or portaled gules

 

21. Society Earl Marshal, Deputy – New Arms
    Gules, a spear and sword in saltire argent and in chief a label argent

 

22. Society Seneschal – New Arms
    Azure, two staves in saltire Or and in chief a castle Or portaled gules

 

23. Society Seneschal, Deputy – New Arms
    Azure, two staves in saltire Or and in chief a label argent

 

24. Studium Generale Societatis – New Name, New Arms

Quarterly ermine and azure, a cross quarterly vert and argent between two open books argent

Submitted as Studium Generale, the documentation indicated this was a generic term used for any university in various parts of medieval Europe. As such, the Muskatour staff deemed the name too generic to be registered under the Rules for Submission, I.B.1, which states in part, “Some items may be considered too generic to be registered to a single group or individual. An example would be generic identifiers such as Scribal Guild and Castle Guard. Such identifiers may be registered as part of a more specific submission (e.g., Scribal Guild of Shepherd’s Keep.)” The Chancellors accepted the recommendation that the element Societatis be appended to the name to differentiate this Society-level university from other collegia that may form in the future.

The arms could not be registered without a name. Therefore, the arms were also pended. At this time, they are still clear of conflict and have therefore been registered.

Nice late period armourial design.

 

25. Vigilance, Order of – New Name, New Arms
    Azure, two spears in saltire surmounted by a sword argent

    Submitted as Azure, two spears in saltire surmounted by a sword inverted argent, this violated the Rules for Submission paragraph IV.C.5.c which states in part, “Separate charges within a charge group must be depicted in identical postures/orientations or in a standard heraldic arrangement that includes posture/orientation”. Spears and swords both default to “points up.” The Society Seneschal has agreed to the redesign and redraw.

This order is for members of the US Armed Forces, currently serving, honorably discharged, or retired.

25. Wayfarer’s Award – New Arms
    Per fess urdy sable and vert, in chief a comet bendwise sinister argent

    This award is intended for individuals that have traveled the farthest to attend kingdom/society level events.

 

Submitted as Sable, a comet bendwise sinister argent, a base urdy vert, this had a green charge (the base) against a sable field. The Society Seneschal agreed to change the field to per fess urdy to resolve the issue.