Explanation of the Heraldic Submission Process

The Submission Process

So, you've decided to register your name. Perhaps you've heeded the Crown's charge to "consult with Their heralds to determine suitable and unique arms. You've done the research, made the copies, and handed over the forms and the fees to your herald. Now what? Why does it take so long to hear back?

First, your submissions are taken to the monthly meeting of Caid's College of Heralds. In every kingdom, the heralds have a method of reviewing submissions, checking for conflicts, making sure the documentation is adequate, and otherwise trying to ensure that everything is registerable. In some kingdoms (notably the geographically wide-spread ones), this process is done in a series of mailings to the members of the kingdom's College of Heralds, and can take several months. In Caid, we're fortunate to have most of our heralds close enough together that we meet monthly to do this in person. These meetings are open to anyone with an interest in the subject; information can be found in the Crown Prints or by contacting the Crescent Principal Herald.

If a submission is found to have significant problems (such as a lack of documentation, conflicts, or a significant problem with the artwork), the kingdom returns it to the submitter with instructions on what needs to be done to make it registerable. All of the submissions that have been "approved and sent to Laurel" are packaged up along with a Letter of Intent (the "LoI"), a listing of all the submissions in the packet along with any relevant commentary, and sent to the Laurel Sovereign of Arms.

At the Laurel level, there are another two rounds of commentary. All the LoIs sent in from various kingdoms for that month are collected and sent out to "commenting heralds" around the Knowne World. They make whatever commentary they feel is important, noting problems or finding solutions to potential problems noted at the kingdom level. These comments are all sent back to Laurel, who re-packages them and sends them out for a second round of commentary. This allows heralds with a depth of knowledge in a particular area to further comment, and perhaps rebut, arguments made in the first round. Again, these comments are all returned to and reviewed by Laurel.

At the monthly Laurel meetings, the commentary on each submission is reviewed, the Laurel staff is consulted, and finally the Laurel Sovereign makes a final decision on each item. If there is a problem Laurel will return the item, usually with commentary on what needs to be done to make the item registerable.

These decisions are written up in the monthly Letter of Acceptance and Returns (the "LoAR" or "Laurel Letter"), which is then mailed out to all kingdom principal heralds and others who have requested a subscription. On the average, Caidan submissions will be on the Laurel letter six to seven months after the kingdom meeting. Sometimes, for various reasons like postal problems or Mundane Life intruding on people's time, it can take a little longer. Once the LoAR is received, one of Caid's staff heralds will type up letters to the individual submitters, letting them know of Laurel's decision.

Other Information

Once your name and armory are registered with the SCA College of Arms, they are registered to you forever. If you wish to have your registered items released or transferred to another person upon your death (physical, not persona), you may submit a Heraldic Will stating this to Laurel. A suggested form for a heraldic will can be found in the forms section.

Sometime in the future, someone may want to register a name or armorial design that is similar enough to yours to be in conflict. The usual first line of contact for someone seeking permission to conflict is the kingdom principal herald. Therefore, it is appreciated that those with registered names and armory keep their contact information in the College files current. Even if you stop playing, it is nice to have some way to get in touch with you. This is not a requirement, of course, but something to consider.

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