Symbols of Rank Feedback
Your Majesties, Your Highnesses:
I do not see a need for these new laws. Please consider allowing the standards of good taste and decency that have been hallmarks of the fairest
of kingdoms to dictate culture, not rules and rulers.
I do not care one whit what fools in Meridies, nor the East do, or wear on their heads. I am Atlantian. I was born that way in the SCA and will remain that way. I embrace our kingdom’s long tradition of not having sumptuary laws and can not view these new rulings as anything but despite the titling of ‘symbols of rank’.
I believe, (as do many that have examined these laws) that they most impact the Court Baronage of the Realm. Unlike in past times, we are blessed with an abundance of court baronage in our kingdom now, many who gained that title from years of work for their local barony as landed baronage. (This is a good thing!) I am one of those people. There are many of us active in my local barony. Some of us wear coronets at events when we are attending You in court, or serving Your people at events. Some of us don’t, for a variety of reasons. Some have not yet purchased a coronet. None the less I assure You that our newcomers are educated in who our landed baronage is, and what a Duke looks like. Our new people are not suffering because we have court barons around wearing coronet of various heights. Instead they are thriving because of the good works of that group. All of our baronage are vital to this barony surviving the downturn in youthful membership that
the SCA suffers, and none of us should be disenfranchised by these new rules. In short, I care what is in a person’s heart, not how large a coronet they wear. I am not threatened by larger ones, because unless they are of a medieval fashion, I think they are simply silly and discount that foolishness. I assure you our new people are excited to learn about our long standing traditions and most of that education is coming from Your court baronage. At my local, weekly practice I can think of, at a minimum nine former landed baronage that actively participate in our group. That is a good thing. We are the people that run your events, cook your feasts, teach the new folks how to sew and what a ducal strawberry leaf means. We work hard for You, and none of us care one bit how big someone else’s headgear is. Our new members don’t either. They do want to be treated with respect and courtesy and this is something that I find many long time SCA members
lacking, regardless of rank.
Also, as a member of the Order of the Laurel I worry that these rules will make it harder to increase authenticity in appearance for those of us that choose to wear our signs of baronial rank and do it in a tasteful and authentic manner. I can not support something that makes it harder to look more like you stepped from the pages of medieval piece of art. It’s counter to the goals of the organization. For instance, a beautiful piece of art like this would technically no longer be a coronet:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tk_schlemm/4062044095/in/photostream
The restrictions on Fleur de lis I find I especially dislike since they are key elements of both my and my lady’s arms. I do not look at a Fleur and think “Duke” and I very much doubt that most long time Scadians do, though I do think “French” or “Virgin Mary” because I have studied the history of that symbol at length.
Likewise I see no reason to limit baronial coronets on helms. Again, I simply think this is not a problem. If someone wants to use a coronet on their helm because they are proud of the achievement they have received from years of service to the crowns, then so be it. I also have a helm design that I have been planning to have made for many years that incorporates a three lobed object, as did the original. I do not want to run afoul of my kingdom’s new rules in a quest to be more authentic. It has nothing to do with being a baron, or a duke or anything else. This set of laws would prohibit me from bringing to the SCA one of the cooler looking 12c helm design elements that I have never seen employed.
As a general rule I find that I dislike when new laws are added without a very strong and clear purpose. I have yet to see a real problem here, only a perception, and the arguments given to me have yet to change that opinion. In short, I believe this is a solution in search of a problem.
For many years it was an unspoken custom among many of the highest rank to make sure their coronets were not larger than the Atlantian Crowns. Not everyone has followed that tradition of course. Perhaps a simple reminder of this courtesy would suffice rather than a whole set of laws that will undoubtedly cause more confusion and drama. While I am aware that Their Highnesses are a part of this discussion and the committee one day, I assure you, a future monarch is going to come and try and ‘fix’ or ‘clarify’ these laws and we are going to end up with even more problems.
Your Majesties, Your Highness I have served this realm through many Kings and Queens. Most of them good, some of them poor, some of them foolish, many of them wise. I once knew a wise King that stood before his Curia with an idea that he was sure was the correct course for his kingdom. After he proposed it he saw that there was in fact very strong opposition to that law change. Without the support of his people the law did not serve its purpose. On the spot, he stopped the law because he saw that there was no support for it.
I do not believe there is sufficient support for this law that will overcome the drama that is has already caused and will continue to cause. I beg You, humbly as Your sworn man, to re-consider this ill advised set of laws.
Pax,
Sir Bryce de Byram, OL, OP, Baron of the Atlantian Court
I do not see a need for these new laws. Please consider allowing the standards of good taste and decency that have been hallmarks of the fairest
of kingdoms to dictate culture, not rules and rulers.
I do not care one whit what fools in Meridies, nor the East do, or wear on their heads. I am Atlantian. I was born that way in the SCA and will remain that way. I embrace our kingdom’s long tradition of not having sumptuary laws and can not view these new rulings as anything but despite the titling of ‘symbols of rank’.
I believe, (as do many that have examined these laws) that they most impact the Court Baronage of the Realm. Unlike in past times, we are blessed with an abundance of court baronage in our kingdom now, many who gained that title from years of work for their local barony as landed baronage. (This is a good thing!) I am one of those people. There are many of us active in my local barony. Some of us wear coronets at events when we are attending You in court, or serving Your people at events. Some of us don’t, for a variety of reasons. Some have not yet purchased a coronet. None the less I assure You that our newcomers are educated in who our landed baronage is, and what a Duke looks like. Our new people are not suffering because we have court barons around wearing coronet of various heights. Instead they are thriving because of the good works of that group. All of our baronage are vital to this barony surviving the downturn in youthful membership that
the SCA suffers, and none of us should be disenfranchised by these new rules. In short, I care what is in a person’s heart, not how large a coronet they wear. I am not threatened by larger ones, because unless they are of a medieval fashion, I think they are simply silly and discount that foolishness. I assure you our new people are excited to learn about our long standing traditions and most of that education is coming from Your court baronage. At my local, weekly practice I can think of, at a minimum nine former landed baronage that actively participate in our group. That is a good thing. We are the people that run your events, cook your feasts, teach the new folks how to sew and what a ducal strawberry leaf means. We work hard for You, and none of us care one bit how big someone else’s headgear is. Our new members don’t either. They do want to be treated with respect and courtesy and this is something that I find many long time SCA members
lacking, regardless of rank.
Also, as a member of the Order of the Laurel I worry that these rules will make it harder to increase authenticity in appearance for those of us that choose to wear our signs of baronial rank and do it in a tasteful and authentic manner. I can not support something that makes it harder to look more like you stepped from the pages of medieval piece of art. It’s counter to the goals of the organization. For instance, a beautiful piece of art like this would technically no longer be a coronet:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tk_schlemm/4062044095/in/photostream
The restrictions on Fleur de lis I find I especially dislike since they are key elements of both my and my lady’s arms. I do not look at a Fleur and think “Duke” and I very much doubt that most long time Scadians do, though I do think “French” or “Virgin Mary” because I have studied the history of that symbol at length.
Likewise I see no reason to limit baronial coronets on helms. Again, I simply think this is not a problem. If someone wants to use a coronet on their helm because they are proud of the achievement they have received from years of service to the crowns, then so be it. I also have a helm design that I have been planning to have made for many years that incorporates a three lobed object, as did the original. I do not want to run afoul of my kingdom’s new rules in a quest to be more authentic. It has nothing to do with being a baron, or a duke or anything else. This set of laws would prohibit me from bringing to the SCA one of the cooler looking 12c helm design elements that I have never seen employed.
As a general rule I find that I dislike when new laws are added without a very strong and clear purpose. I have yet to see a real problem here, only a perception, and the arguments given to me have yet to change that opinion. In short, I believe this is a solution in search of a problem.
For many years it was an unspoken custom among many of the highest rank to make sure their coronets were not larger than the Atlantian Crowns. Not everyone has followed that tradition of course. Perhaps a simple reminder of this courtesy would suffice rather than a whole set of laws that will undoubtedly cause more confusion and drama. While I am aware that Their Highnesses are a part of this discussion and the committee one day, I assure you, a future monarch is going to come and try and ‘fix’ or ‘clarify’ these laws and we are going to end up with even more problems.
Your Majesties, Your Highness I have served this realm through many Kings and Queens. Most of them good, some of them poor, some of them foolish, many of them wise. I once knew a wise King that stood before his Curia with an idea that he was sure was the correct course for his kingdom. After he proposed it he saw that there was in fact very strong opposition to that law change. Without the support of his people the law did not serve its purpose. On the spot, he stopped the law because he saw that there was no support for it.
I do not believe there is sufficient support for this law that will overcome the drama that is has already caused and will continue to cause. I beg You, humbly as Your sworn man, to re-consider this ill advised set of laws.
Pax,
Sir Bryce de Byram, OL, OP, Baron of the Atlantian Court