[MR] Change in Laurel office policy regarding arms for Consorts

[David W.James]

Note that the following does NOT affect Atlantia, as the kingdom 
currently has arms registered for the Consort's use (and I don't recall 
hearing any desire for a coat for the heirs other than the usual with a 
label).  Any future principalities that may form in the kingdom would 
be affected.

This is cut and paste; any errors below are in the version I received.

Kwellend-Njal
Narwhal Herald
(cheering abstractly from the sidelines)

 > -----Original Message-----

 >  From Laurel: Devices for Consorts and Royal Heirs

 > This month we were called upon to reflect on the SCA's policy
 > of registering devices for a consort (either for a kingdom or
 > a princpality), or for royal heirs apparent (also for a
 > kingdom or principality). We have no evidence of a real-world
 > consort having arms that differed from her husband's (except
 > for marshalling). We likewise have no evidence of an heir
 > apparent having arms that were not a differenced version of
 > the arms of their parent, except for marshalling, and for
 > fiefs that the heir apparent might have had (such as the
 > Dauphiné, ruled by the dauphin, the heir to the French throne).e
 > The practice of registering devices for the consort and heirs
 > is falling out of favor in the SCA in general. Some of the
 > newer kingdoms have not registered devices for their consorts
 > and their heirs. We applaud the trend to a more period
 > practice with regards to arms, or lack of separate armory for
 > the consort and heirs.

 > Because the SCA device is parallel to real-world practices
 > for arms, the SCA shall no longer register devices for
 > consorts or for heirs to a kingdom or principality after July 2004.

 > Under this decision, consorts in kingdoms or principalities
 > without consort's arms may use the undifferenced kingdom
 > arms, and kingdoms may elect to allow both heirs to the
 > throne to display the kingdom arms differenced by a label or
 > other standard mark of cadency. This matches some period
 > armorial display for royal arms.

 > Kingdoms and principalites that currently have arms
 > registered for the consort or heirs may submit changes to the
 > registered armory via the application of the grandfather
 > clause. We shall require a poll of the populace showing
 > support for changes to the armory. Note that this poll has
 > not previously been explicitly required for the armory of the
 > heirs apparent, but it seems appropriate to require such a
 > poll, which is already required for consorts.

 > Kingdoms and principalities that currently have arms
 > registered for the consort or heirs are encouraged to
 > consider following period practice and to discontinue the use
 > of the armory.