[antir-heralds] Interesting precedent on branch arm use

[chrisact at qwickconnect.net]

Teceangl wrote:
>> Interesting. I know that mundane heraldry says one may impale one's personal
>> arms with the arms belonging to certain offices. Does the SCA permit this?
>> If so, how frequently is it done?
> 
> Ecclesiastical arms only in period, so no. 

The Regius Professors did so in period. The Kings of Arms may have done 
so in period (they certainly do nowadays); I am still researching that.

> To do so indicates,
> literally, that you're married to the other entity and in the case of
> bishops, that also implies sovereignty.  

I would disagree. Bishops & archbishops put their own arms on the 
sinister side, indicating they have a lesser status than their see does. 
References to the church as "the bride of Christ" come to mind. If 
sovereignty was to be indicated, the bishops would either use the arms 
of the see /solus/, or would put them in an escutcheon of pretense.

> In the SCA we specifically
> forbid the combining of personal and territorial arms in any way for
> just that reason.

Ah, but my question was about arms of office. ;-)


~~Basil Dragonstrike

-- 
The current Term of Multitude is:
A volery of birds -- from the 2008 World Almanac