This is the ninth in a series of educational articles about heraldry for Calontir. (See bottom of page for links to previous articles.)
The previous article in this series discussed “conflict” – the rule that no two people in the SCA can have names or armory that are too similar to each other.
On a regular basis, someone trying to register a new item will discover it conflicts with an item that has already been registered. But all is not lost. If you can track down the owner of the item that conflicts, you can ask for a “Letter of Permission to Conflict”. They don’t have to give you permission, of course, but a lot of times they will. (You might request a letter preemptively, if you’re not sure if your item conflicts or not.)
Some people have been kind enough to file “Blanket Letters of Permission to Conflict” with the College of Arms which is nice to save hassle in the future. Even with Permission, no one can register a name or device that is exactly like yours.
On a related note, the names and heraldry registered with the SCA are considered legal property, and the SCA has committed to protect your heraldic property in perpetuity.
So what happens to your registered names and armory when you die? Their ownership passes to your legal heirs. This may be fine, or you might prefer someone else in your biological or adopted SCA family inherit your items. Some people choose to completely release their heraldic items from protection when they die, or release some of them. Others designate their Kingdom Herald as their heraldic heir so that Letters of Permission to Conflict can be issued as needed.
You can do any of these things by filing a Heraldic Will with the SCA College of Arms. There is no fee for this.
There are sample letters and wills here: http://heraldry.sca.org/admin.html#APPENDIXD
As always, there are lots of “Heraldic Helpers” to guide you through all this.
At your service,
Sofya la Rus, Habicht Herald
Calontir Heraldic Education Deputy
habicht@calontir.org
Previous articles in this series:
How do I create a coat of arms? Part one: inspiration.
How do I create a coat of arms? Part two, design principles.
How do I create a coat of arms? Part three, ingredients.