Change in Heraldic Titles in the East Kingdom
Good gentles all, greetings from Ryan, Brigantia Principal Herald,
There has been a problem brewing for several years as the East Kingdom has modernized. This problem is with one of our longest standing Heraldic Titles. The Eastern Crown Herald has been the primary Submissions Herald for the Kingdom of the East. The title is derived from the heraldic charge The Eastern Crown, which is a specific type of crown which is displayed both in the Heraldry of the Kingdom and the Badge of the Order of the Silver Crescent.
As time has gone on the title Eastern Crown Herald has been misinterpreted in several ways. Some have taken it to refer to the herald of the Crown of the East, the lead herald of a reign. Some have confused it with the Principal Herald of the East.
This problem has been exaggerated by the email address for the Eastern Crown Herald, Eastern.Crown@eastkingdom.org. I have spoken with several previous Eastern Crown Heralds and they have all related to me problems where they would receive emails which mistook the email address as belonging to either the Lead herald for a reign, the Principal Herald, or “The Crown” as it refers to Their Majesties of the East. The Submission Heralds receive a LOT of email per day and sometimes critical information is not passed along in a timely manner.
Therefore, after considerable discussion with my staff, in an effort to relieve some of this confusion and along with the restructuring of the Submissions Process in the East, and the SCA as a whole, I have decided, along with the current heraldic Submissions staff and the SCA Sovereigns of Arms, to shift some Heraldic Titles around. I did not make this decision lightly as I respect the lineage of the title and its origins at the beginnings of our Kingdom.
The Lead Herald of the reign was previously called the vox Regis Herald. This title cannot be documented as following a period naming practice for a Herald. Therefore the heraldic title for the Reign’s lead Herald will henceforth be known as the Eastern Crown Herald. Don Malcolm Bowman, lead Herald for their Majesties Brennan and Caoilfhionn will be the first to bear the title of the Eastern Crown Herald in this capacity.
With the coming restructuring of the Submissions process Mistress Alys, the primary submissions herald of the East, will take the title Blue Tyger Herald for her job. Lady Charitye Dale will remain as the Diadem Herald, as Blue Tyger’s deputy. Lord Joscelin le Esqurel , the External Submissions Deputy, will take on the title of Pantheon Herald which is currently owned by, but unused in the Eastern College.
I ask that a small amount of patience and understanding be given during a transition of this scope. Don Malcolm, Mistress Alys, and Lord Joscelin will work on sorting out the email problems inherent with this magnitude of a change and I trust them to make this transition as seamless as possible.
-In service to the Empire, Crown, and College I remain,
Baron Ryan Mac Whtye, OP, Brigantia Principal Herald of the East.