[antir-heralds] Household name and device question...

[Ursula Whitcher]

microdaddy at comcast.net wrote:
> I am looking to register a household to hold a group device since I,
> myself, can only have one.

> How does one find and figure out a household name?
> 
> I know if you are a fighting unit you could do the Honorable Company
> of blah blah blah
> 
> or
> 
> If you were an Inn, you could be the Blue Star Inn or such, but what
> if you just want to be a general household  name.  Is there such a
> beast?  I suppose I can register something just to hold it but then I
> am paying twice just to get a group device.

For administrative purposes, the College of Arms assumes you have one 
"device" (probably coat of arms for your primary persona) and all other 
pieces of armory registered to you are "badges" (could be fieldless 
badges, could be coats of arms for alternate personas, could be 
fieldless badges or fielded coats of arms for households, etc.)  The 
household device isn't registered to the household name; both name and 
device are registered to you (normally one submits household devices on 
a badge form).  Thus, there is no administrative benefit in registering 
a household name: you do it because you want to do it.

That said, here's what the Rules for Submissions say about household names:

  iv. Household Names  - Household names must follow the patterns of 
period names of organized groups of people.

Possible models include Scottish clans (Clan Stewart ), ruling dynasties 
( House of Anjou ), professional guilds ( Bakers Guild of Augsburg , 
Worshipful Company of Coopers ), military units ( The White Company ), 
and inns ( House of the White Hart ).

So no, there is no such thing as a "generic" household name, because 
there were no generic medieval groups of people.  ("Generic SCA" 
household name registrations are usually based on the family or inn name 
models.)  It's worth thinking about what your household's persona is: a 
family?  A group of people who get together to eat & drink (could be a 
medieval social guild, or an inn)?  People who live in the same town?  A 
group of merchants?  A mercenary unit?  People who have taken a common 
oath to uphold chivalry?

Ursula Georges.