West Kingdom College of Heralds

I Want to Register a Name/Device (Arms)/Badge, What Do I Do?

Home Page > Information for Heralds > Book Heraldry > Submissions > Register

Heraldic Registration Steps:

• Determine the Name You Want to Register
  • Information on Name Research
• Determine the Armory You Want to Register
  Please note: You must have a name registered with the College of Arms in order to register armory. Your name can be submitted at the same time as your armory, but arms cannot be registered without a registered name.
  • Information on Armory Research
• Online Consultation -- you can consult with heralds who know a lot about names and armory, the link here is to the Heralds' Facebook page (group), you may need to request to join the group but we are very open about allowing people to join:
  • https://www.facebook.com/groups/302970543102065/
• Optional (but Suggested): Work with the heralds at the Consultation Table at events where this is available, or work with a herald at a local event or meeting.
  • Consultation Table Schedule
• Fill Out the Forms
  • Where to Get Forms, Information on Filling Them Out
• Make Sure You Have Correct Copies of Forms (see information on Forms above)
• Send to the Heralds with Check or Money Order for Appropriate Amount and paper forms, if sending paper copy (see link to Forms above)

Before explaining What To Do, the first thing is to determine what you want to register, as each is handled a little differently.

The types of heraldic "registration" that can be done really break down into two categories: Names and Armory. In addition to viewing the information below, you may be more comfortable with designing and submitting your name or armory if you have worked with a herald, see resources above.

Names

Briefly, your SCA Name is the name you will be identified by at SCA events, and awards will be granted to you under that name. While it's not required that you register a name, it's a good idea to find at least a "given" name ("first name") that you can live with fairly early on. Once people become accustomed to using a certain name for you - even a "temporary" name - it may be hard to get them to change.

A Misconception:
It is a fairly common misconception that if you are a paid member, you have registered your name. This is not the case. The SCA Registrar will put any name you write on your membership form on your membership card, a completely separate process from officially registering a name with the Heralds.

Household Names:
Use the regular "Name" form, and for "Society Name", use the name of the person registering the Household Name -- this is to associate the Household with an individual. Then where it says (directly under "Society Name") "Name being submitted ..." put the Household Name. Note that there are rules governing how household names are formed, which can be found in SENA (see "Name Research" link below, see section in SENA on "Non-Personal Names"). A "Household" in this case can include War Unit, Camping Group, whatever -- they fall under the generic blanket term "Household". The image below is an example of filling out the Name form for a Household Name:

Example of a Household Name Form

There is a lot of information on researching a proper name at this web page, which really is a menu of links to other places:

       Name Research

Armory

Please note: You must have a name registered or submitted with the College of Arms in order to register armory. If you are submitting your armory without a name, it will be returned.

The SCA uses two kinds of armory. The first is a device, which can also be considered a "Coat of Arms"; second is what is called a badge. A device is used to represent you (on a banner, your shield, etc.); and a personal badge is used to identify things that belong to you, or relationships (such as a "household" badge, used by members of a household to show this connection). Badges may follow the same requirements as devices, or may be slightly simplified.

Rules and Information About Creating Armory

There are a lot of rules and convetions about armory. You can find what you need to know at this page:

       Armory Research

Specialty Armory Items:

Household Badges:
If you wish to register a household badge, please use the standard "badge form" from below. It should be noted that the badge must be registered to an individual, not as an independent entity (see "Names" above). When filling out the badge form, note the "Society Name" -- this is the person registering the badge (it should be associated with the "Legal name" below). The "Name this badge is to be associated with" part is where you would place the name of the household, war unit, etc. The badge, if registered will be registered to the SCA Name, if the Household Name is also registered, there will be a note added to the entry in the Ordinary and Armorial database that it is "for" the name of the household/group (such as "for House of the Silly Vikings", or whatever). The image below is an example of filling out the Badge form for a Household badge:

Example of a Household Badge Form

Augmentations of Arms:
Note that augmentations are not just something you can choose to register, the Augmentation of Arms is a specific recognition granted by the Crown of the West. These are the following ways an individual may be given an Augmentation of Arms in the West:

• Augmentation of Arms (by itself as an award, some call it a "plain augmentation")
• Membership in the Order of the Golden Poppy (closed recognition, but current members may still register, augmentation is defined and it is suggested you use it ...)
• Membership in the Order of the Boar of the West (augmentation is defined and it is suggested you use it ...)
• Membership in the Order of the Silver Molet (closed recognition, but current members may still register, augmentation is defined and it is suggested you use it ...)
• Membership in the Order of the Bards of the West (augmentation is defined and it is suggested you use it ...)

Details on the individual recognitions above are in the Awards List ("Awards by Region", select "West, Kingdom ...").

It is not required that you register your armory with an Augmentation of Arms. Many recipients of an augmentation, or an award that grants one, do not. You may display your arms with the augmentation, or even, on some of the fancier silk banners you see flying at events, you could display your arms normally, and the badge for the augmentation elsewhere on the banner, if you would rather. If you do wish to register an Augmentation that you are entitled to, you should continue reading.

The Rules
There are some tricky things if you wish to actually register the augmented armory. Some basic information from the current rules (SENA) can be found here:

   http://heraldry.sca.org/sena.html#A3 (Armory Style) -- This will have a heading of 3. Augmentations of Honor.

The basics are that what you are doing is registering a version of your arms that has the augmentation on it. This means that you are not releasing your current arms, but registering a new item. As such, it has to be researched as a new item and checked for conflicts against all other registered armory (both the new arms with the augmentation, and the augmentation itself -- as some displays may also be used in period armory for marshalled arms, and those are not legal in the SCA). In many cases the odds are good that the addition of the augmentation will only conflict with your own arms, but there are times when the addition of the augmentation may cause a conflict.

The default display for an augmentation is on a canton (upper left corner of a device), but there are other ways to display (and register) an augmentation -- see the rules link above.

Filling out the Forms
You would need to fill out a standard device form, with your arms with the addition of the augmentation, where you want it. When filling the form, select the checkboxes: name is "already registered"; under "Action Type" check "New" (unless you are submitting it again, in which case use "Resubmission"), and also under "Action Type", select "Other (specify) and in the entry area under that, type "Augmentation of Arms". In the "Additional Documentation" part of the form, note details about the augmentation including the date and royalty that granted the augmentation, and if it is for a specific award (Order of the Boar, etc.).

Example of a Device Form filled out for an Augmentation of Arms

Online Consultation

The Heralds are more than willing to work with you online. We currently suggest you work with us on Facebook, or on Discord. The first link here is to the Heralds' Facebook page (group), you may need to request to join the group but we are very open about allowing people to join:

     https://www.facebook.com/groups/302970543102065/

This is the link to the West Kingdom Heralds' Discord channel:

     https://discord.gg/DF2uNqw7uA/

OK, I've Done the Research, Now What?

Once you have decided on a name and/or a device (or badge) that you would like to use, you need to register it with the College of Arms. This registration includes SCA-wide protection (meaning that no one else in the SCA can register exactly the same name or armory).

Access the Appropriate Forms
To register, you will need a current copy of the forms. The forms are available by clicking on the following links, and then saving to file or printing the forms that appear.

IMPORTANT NOTE: These forms are intended for use with 8.5 x 11" standard laser or inkjet printer settings; any other printer configuration may alter your results, so please check your printout and any subsequent copies for shrinkage. When the Print dialog appears from Acrobat Reader (press Ctrl+P, or click the Print button, etc.), make sure that "Page Sizing & Handling" is set to "Actual size". Please see screen shots for Adobe Acrobat printing dialog below. Adjust or tinker at your own risk.

Instructions to Fill out the Forms:
The forms may need some explanation, if you need help to figure out what parts of the forms mean, please visit: Instructions on Filling Out the Forms

Printing the Forms:

If you print these forms, it is important to do so correctly. As noted earlier, these forms are intended for use with 8.5 x 11" standard laser or inkjet printer settings; any other printer configuration may alter your results, so please check your printout and any subsequent copies for shrinkage. If printing the device or badge forms, when printed the heater (shield) shape should be 5" (12.7 cm) wide and 6" (15.2 cm) tall.

If you are using Adobe Acrobat (free downloadable, if you don't already have it) to print, the screen captures here show the incorrect and correct settings. When the Print dialog appears from Acrobat Reader (press Ctrl+P, or click the Print button, etc.), make sure that "Page Sizing & Handling" is set to "Actual size". (This is for all forms, device and badge but especially important for the device and badge forms.) Adjust or tinker at your own risk. See screen shots for Adobe Acrobat printing dialog:

Incorrect Setting (below)

(This setting will print the heater shape shown at 4 1/2" wide and 5 3/4" tall -- both too small.)

Correct Setting (below)

Note: If for some reason you cannot print these forms, or cannot get them to print at the correct size, you should contact your local herald who should have copies available, or contact the Kingdom College, use the contact information on this page: Contact a Kingdom or Principality Herald.

Notes on Filling Out The Forms:

• Please see Submission Process (below) for precise details on how Matins is handling submissions.
• CAPITALIZATION: Please do NOT write your name in all caps, this is a reason for your submission to be "returned" (rejected). That field needs to show the name as you want it registered, including all the details of capital/lower case letters, accents and other diacritical marks, special characters, etc.
• DETAILS/INSTRUCTIONS: clicking the link here will take you to specific instructions for the forms, to assist you in filling them out correctly. Instructions on Filling Out the Forms.
• DOCUMENTATION: All names (and some armory) require documentation, regardless of how obvious they may appear. In some cases, the sources used are well-known; the Administrative Handbook's Appendix H contains a list of sources which do not require printed copies to be submitted, along with the shorthand ways of identifying them. Note that this list includes all the articles hosted on the Society heraldry site, where a number of good web articles have been copied, plus the Academy of Saint Gabriel reports hosted at http://www.panix.com/~gabriel/public-bin/archive.cgi. It does NOT include all the articles linked from the Saint Gabriel site.
       For all other print sources, you must send a photocopy of the title and copyright pages plus each page containing information you want to use. For all other web sources, you must send a printout of each part of the web page containing information you want to use and include the URL and the date you printed the information.
       Please give a short description on the form (or a separate page if there isn't room) of what information can be found in which source, what the source says about that information, and what you're using it to show about your submission.
• COLORED COPY: For paper-copy forms, the colors must be true when reaching the Matins office, markers^✠ are recommended. Note that crayon can melt in transit and some other colors can fade, and these can be reason for return of the submission.
• STAPLING: Please DO NOT staple your paperwork together.

Number of Copies of Forms and Documentation Required
When the forms are filled out, you need to have one copy of each form (note that the requirement for a line drawing version of a device or badge form has been removed):

     Name (Personal, Household, or Branch Name): 1 copy of form (see below for documentation)
     Device: 1 full-color^✠ copy, the form needs to be filled out correctly.
     Badge: 1 full-color^✠ copy, the form needs to be filled out correctly.

If you do not submit the forms filled out properly, it is possible that the submission will be returned to you ... include copies of any documentation you may have (see below).

^✠ For good, solid colors, we recommend "Crayola Classic" or Rose Art "Primary" broad-tip markers.

Branch Name and/or Arms
There is special paperwork that must be included with a Branch's Name and/or Armory submission, whether this is a new Name and/or Arms or a change in them. This paperwork includes a petition signed by the members of the populace of the local branch. You should photocopy this so that you keep one copy of everything for your own records.

Submission Procedures (March, 2023)
The bi-monthly meetings start at 11:00AM on Sunday (except the roadshow meeting at 12th Night, which may have a different start time). Please see the meetings page for information on when and where meetings of the College are being held: When and Where are the Meetings.

The following requirements are being instituted to make submissions easier to process and respond to in a timely fashion.

Please note that there are separate requirements for hard copy and electronic copy.

Deadlines / Due Dates (see also West Kingdom College of Heralds Meeting Dates):

• Pre-Meeting Deadline: Copies of the forms must be received 10 days (2 Wednesdays) before the meeting. Name Submissions (new or resubmission) will not be considered at this meeting if they arrive after this deadline.
• Payment (details below under "Submission Fees") must arrive the Thursday before the meeting.
• Postal Deadline: IF the forms were scanned and emailed by the deadline noted above, Thursday prior to the meeting. Otherwise, this deadline is 10 days (2 Wednesdays) prior to the meeting.
• Walk-Ins of forms and documentation: only accepted if the meeting is being held in-person and must be turned in by 10:30 the day of the meeting for NEW name only submissions or NEW Name and armory submissions. These will only be considered at the meeting that day if there is time at the end of the meeting. If not, they will be held onto for the next meeting.

Submission Fees:

• Must include a note of the SCA Name(s) associated with the submission(s), so the Heralds can match the fee to the submission(s)
• $6.00 per item submitted
• By Check or Money Order (please do not send cash) made out to: West Kingdom College of Heralds. Cash may be acceptable for a walk-in submission, confirm in advance.
• One item (name, device, badge): $6
• Two items (name & device, name & badge): $12
• Three items: $18
• Resubmission: $0

Where to Send Your Submissions:

• Email
• matins@heralds.westkingdom.org
• If the email address above does not work for you try this address: Matins.WestKingdom@gmail.com
• Postal Mail (all fees sent here):
• Matins Office, c/o Edith Lebednik-Crank, 174 Keith Ct., Vacaville, CA 95687

Paperwork Required -- Email:

• Names (new or resubmission to Kingdom) -- sent via email:
• One PDF of form (fillable or non-fillable forms) at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi
• See "Documentation Required" below
• Armory (new badge or device only -- in other words, your name is already registered or in process)-- sent via email:
• One PDF of form in full color (fillable or non-fillable forms) at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi

Paperwork Required --Hard Copy -- only required if you are NOT sending Digital Files:

• Names
• One copy of form
• If not sent via email (see above) and if submission is not a walk-in, one copy of documentation (see below -- "Documentation Required")
• Important: A printout of documentation is not required if it was emailed
• Armory (Device or Badge)
• One copy of form in full color

Documentation Required:

• Names
• DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA FOR DOCUMENTATION
• Web addresses (URLS) for websites used (see above -- "Paperwork Required -- Email")
• Please type (or copy/paste) the URL (web address) into the form in the "Name Documentation" section
• When emailing your submission, please include the URL (copy/paste) in the body of the email message
• Please include information about where the name element is to be found on the web page for each URL included
• A printout of the website should not be required unless requested by Matins or Green Crown
• For Printed Documentation (from a book) - scan or photocopy--please include the page or pages that are pertinent to the name you are documenting, also include the cover page (title of book, author, publisher).
• Armory
• Only if documenting something specific, in which case it will be requested by the Heralds' office.

Resubmissions (Kingdom or Laurel):

• In the subject of your message, please put:
  RESUB- <name>
  where <name> is the SCA name the item was originally submitted under (this may be the name that is being resubmitted).
• Include PDFs of forms as above ("Paperwork Required -- Email").

Submissions Page Main Herald's Page