[antir-heralds] Conflict Question

[Britt]

> I believe the second CD would be for removing the second charge (the
> axe) under RfS X.4.b.

X.4.b. counts adding or removing an entire charge group. A sustained
charge is in the same group as the charge which sustains it.  The CD
is by X.4.f. for changing number of charges.

And...you trumped me in finding the perfect 'Charge - maintained and
sustained' precedent!  Awesome!

The Glossary of Terms says of sustained charges, "The rule of thumb is
whether, if the charge and the charge sustained were separated, the
two charges would be so nearly equivalent in size that they could
reasonably be blazoned as a single group of two equally important
charges."

[a bear rampant contourny sustaining a halberd] Regarding the
"significance" of the halberd, as Green Crown noted, a charge
consisting mostly of a long skinny handle will always have difficulty
matching the visual weight of other charges, but here the sizes of the
charges are about the same as would be expected if they were in fess a
bear and a halberd. That seems to be a reasonable rule of thumb for
determining sustained (and qualifying for a CD), as opposed to
maintained (and not qualifying for a CD), charges. (Wynn of Naevehjem,
9/94 p. 9)

The rule of thumb which has been applied recently in attempting to
determine whether a charge was relatively small (and therefore
maintained, and too small to count for a CD) or relatively large
(sustained, and large enough to count for a CD), is whether if the two
charges were separated they would be seen as a primary charge and a
secondary charge or as a set of two primary charges. (Winifred Corbet
de Wynterwood, 12/94 p. 3)


So there it is, and I hope it makes sense.

- Teceangl