Rules of Heraldry

[Sir William]

That's the hard part, I figure...keeping it simple.  I'll need something that someone else will be able to paint onto my shield!  lol

[Sir Edward]

Oh, one more tip-- If you decide to go the route I did, and register your heraldry with the SCA, here's the submission information:

Maryland and Virginia are in the kingdom of Atlantia. Heraldry submissions are through the local kingdom. Submission fee is $10 per element (persona name must be registered with or in advance of your device), so if this is your first time registering anything, name and device together are $20.

http://herald.atlantia.sca.org/success.htm

I thought you need to be a paying member, but I don't see them mentioning that anywhere. It might be possible to just register the arms without actually signing up.

Forms are here:

http://herald.atlantia.sca.org/forms.htm

Ideally it's good to consult with a herald in the SCA first, since they want documentation of authenticity, which they can provide on your behalf. I did mine at Pennsic at the herald's tent. They had tables covered with books, and you can just flip through it for period names and the like. My arms were already painted on my shield, and I just brought a print-out of it, so that part was easy (and thankfully they didn't ask for changes), though they spent more than an hour looking through prior registrations for potential conflicts.

[Sir James A]

Interesting that you can register the arms without being a member. I might do so, in case I ever decide to return to SCA. I still hate the concept of picking a 'persona' to play since I like a wide range of time and can't pick a favorite. When I was attending fighter practices, my name was "New James" because I couldn't come up with one.

[Sir Edward]

I could be wrong about that, I just didn't see anything in the registration instructions about verifying that you're paid up.

[Sir William]

I have a name picked out already, would I still have to go through their book?  Good stuff w/the links and forms, $20 is not a lot to pay to have it set for posterity...well, as far as the SCA is concerned.  And who knows, maybe I'll join up w/them one day.

[Sir Edward]

Yeah, I think they will probably still want some documentation of precedent that the name existed in period. It could be anything historical, probably, like a census from back in the day, or whatever. Basically they look for a book reference with title and page number.

[Sir William]

Huh...that might actually be cooler than a made-up name.  I'll look into it- thanks for the info, Sir Edward.

[Sir Edward]

BTW, it's just for historical believability. That is, you can make up the name as a whole, but each name within it has to be real. I went with "Edward Bonagarde" which is not a historical person, but "edward" and "bonagarde" are documented names.

[Sir William]

Oooohhhh...I get it now.  Even better...as there were a lot less people then than there are now, might be two such-and-such's walkin around w/identical names.  Not unheard of, I know. 

[Sir Wolf]

lucky me. Charles is period and Russell is period so i get to keep my name

[Sir Ancelyn]

I would have to change the spelling of my surname to pass for an English knight. But who cares! :-)

[Sir Brian]

Well by happy happenstance my personae name is period as well!
i.e. Brian FitzMatthais FitzGerald. 

[Sir Wolf]

so it's Sir Brian illegitimate son Gerald of illegitimate son of Matthais? hehehe jkjk i take it you mean to use the Fitz in the Norman way meaning "son of" and not illegitimate son of as used later

[Sir Brian]

Actually yes to both questions! 

The Fitzgerald’s and all the Geraldines of Ireland were all descendants of this Norman noble.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_FitzGerald,_Lord_of_Lanstephan

Later generations were often named Maurice or Gerald and they were all extremely prolific as well s indiscriminant! 

[Sir William]

I'm sure there never was a 'Julius' as it were.  Hate my first name.  lol