[MR] scrolls and such

[Michael Houghton]

Howdy!

On Mon, Jun 18, 2007 at 07:46:19PM -0700, Niccolina Mann wrote:
> i have to agree fully with the idea of no mandatory rule for having a
device/name registered.  people do take a long time, and they want to
make sure they like it.  if youre putting all that time and research
into a name, paying money, etc then why should you be punished for
taking the wise road and actually making sure you like it?  i know that
i, myself, started out wanting to be celtic.  i did a total 180, and
ended up turkish.  thankfully, my name was given to me, and doesn't
really fit my turkish persona, but the background story supports it.
> 
There are several issues being run together whenever a discussion of
"scrolls" occurs. It makes it trivially easy for people to talk right
past each other.

"Scroll" as a colloquial term for "an illuminated document that describes
an award" is not the quite the same thing as an "official scroll" that
formally documents an award conveying a new armigerous state (award/
grant/patent). The two types bear a very similar appearance. Official
Scrolls have long been characterized by a third signature, being that of
the principal herald. That third signature simply attests (in a notary
manner) that the name and arms depicted match the registered forms.

If you don't have a registered device, it's difficult to put arms on
the scroll. Until there is a registered name and device, the document
is (formally) a Promissory Scroll. 

Formally speaking, one could execute an Official Scroll in crayon on
a paper towel. That would almost certainly be A Very Wrong Thing. If
the document names the bestowing authority, the recipient, the award,
the date and place, and the arms, it's got all the required elements
before signatures. 

Off on another extreme, there is nothing that says that a Promissory
Scroll cannot be an extravagant piece of illumination and calligraphy.

Taking yet another tangent, scrolls that do not change your armigerous
degree fall in another bucket. They do not need to have the arms
depicted, nor do they require the heraldic countersignature.

The Clerk of the Signet oversees the production of scrolls of all
sorts.  That includes all sorts. If one is not eligible for an Official
Scroll, one can still get a Promissory Scroll, which includes the
promise of an Official Scroll when one gets a name and device
registered. This would tend to suggest that Promissory Scrolls might
not be, in general, the top-notch sort of scroll, on the grounds that
it is intended to be superceded by an Official Scroll. People with
registered names and devices can get an Official Scroll directly,
saving the preparation of a promissory.

That distinction does not excuse willful production of "crappy"
promissories. Before anyone gets their knickers twisted tightly, please
note that I make no specific claim about the state of promissory scroll
production now or previously. I'm certain that the excuse *has* been
trotted out at times, however. Given that some people may never 
register a name and device, it seems to make sense to produce quality
promissories. I know that there has been considerable drama expressed
in various quarters on this particular point which I have no desire
to recapitulate here.

yours,
Herveus

-- 
Michael and MJ Houghton | Herveus d'Ormonde and Megan O'Donnelly
herveus at radix.net       | White Wolf and the Phoenix narrowwares
Bowie, MD, USA          | http://whitewolfandphoenix.com 
Proud member of the SCA Internet Whitewash Squad