How the Submissions Process Works
Lord Frederic Badger, Black Stag Herald, and
Lady Rafaella d'Allemtejo, Lions Blood Herald
Ever wondered why the registration process for names and devices seems to take so long? It may be confusing, but it need not be cryptic to the average gentle. After researching and documenting your name, drawing and coloring your device, you hand it to your local herald or perhaps even send it directly to the submissions herald. It's out of your hands, and you wait patiently but it feels like forever before you receive news of your submission.
Hopefully you've consulted your local herald for assistance in documentation and correctly filling out the forms (if there's a branch herald in your area). You may have received help from one or more of the Kingdom heralds: AEstel Herald who consults on names, or maybe from the Coronne Rouge or Electrum Heralds who consult on armory. Once your submission is ready, you should keep a copy for your records, give a copy to the branch herald, and then send the multiple copies required to the Kingdom submissions herald, known as the Lions Blood Herald. Your submission is then gathered together with all the other submissions received in that month, and is published the next month in the Internal Letter of Intent. This newsletter is sent out to all the commenting heralds in the Kingdom, who have two months to research and examine the names and armory included in the letter.
Lions Blood collects the commentary, and holds a meeting where the decision to forward to Laurel, or to return it for further work is made. Reasons for return can be things like: being too similar to an already registered device, non-period name construction, or paperwork not being correctly filled out. If your sumbission is returned at Kingdom, you will receive a letter telling you why, what the deadline for resubmission is, and maybe some suggestions on how you can make changes that will help you register in the future.
If your submission is sent to Laurel, you will not be notified that it has passed the Kingdom process. No news is good news in this case. All the submissions which pass at the Kingdom level are published in a Letter of Intent (sometimes called the External Letter) which is sent to heralds all over the Knowne World. These heralds are given three months to comment on your submission. Their comments are sent to the Laurel Sovereign of Arms, who holds a meeting where the final decision is made based on the Knowne World comments and research. Laurel's decisions are posted in a Letter of Acceptances and Return, and after receiving it, the Lions Blood Herald will send you a letter about your submission. Hopefully, it will be a " congratulations you passed" letter, but if it's not, you will receive information on why your submission was returned by Laurel.
If this is process seems long to you, it's good to remember that all the people in the process are volunteers, and just like you, they have many interests and time-constraints. Each Kingdom handles quite a number of submissions each month, and Laurel rules monthly on all of the separate Kingdoms armory. It pays to do some research and make sure your forms are filled out completely and all the necessary copies are included with your forms before you submit. This eases the process, and will give your submission a greater chance of passing the first time. Your local herald is usually a good place to start when you need help, and the Kingdom Heraldic staff (AEstel, Coronne Rouge, Electrum) are also there to assist you. The An Tir College of Heralds has been hard at work developing a website with lots of information for heralds and submitters alike.
I hope this helps explain the time it takes to process heraldic submissions. If you have any questions regarding the process feel free to contact the Lions Blood Herald at < lions-blood@antir.sca.org >.
In Service to Heraldry and An Tir,
Lord Frederic Badger
Black Stag Herald
Lady Rafaella d'Allemtejo
Lions Blood Herald
28 October 1999
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