What happens to the shires' armory?

by Genevieve

When groups are dissolved, the group names and armory are transferred to the kingdom, unless the kingdom specifically requests that they be released. This administrative action doesn't cost us anything.

So if we create a single barony and dissolve the three shires, the names and armory stay with Drachenwald.

Should we some day reach the point of being a really densely populated group, we could revive the local groups as separate branches.

Retaining the names and armory would save us the timeconsuming step of re-submitting arms and name.

Notes about drawing Laurel wreaths

The AH says that group armory must include a laurel wreath 'as an important element of the design'.

The precedents suggest:

• Wreaths are circular, with two tips of wreath almost touching. Strictly speaking, you cannot fit another charge between the tips of a properly drawn wreath.
• Wreaths are drawn with leaves on both inside and outside of curve.
• The wreath must be 'big enough'. Can't find explicit guidelines, but one precedent, where the submission had a wreath between two other charges on a chief, considers this option 'too small'.

OTOH, the Spanish shire recently submitted a semy of I found one example of a wreath as a strewn charge. Alcazar de Brioga's arms has a semy of wreaths on the bordure:

Or, a castle triple-towered gules within a bordure gules semy of laurel wreaths Or.

So it suggests that a semy of wreaths is ok.

I reviewed most of the precedents about wreaths. I've put the selected text about wreaths in the yahoogroups files section.

References

(emphasis mine)

Administrative Handbook, 2002

I. Registration Limit

A. Kingdoms, Principalities, Baronies, and Provinces

Kingdoms, principalities, baronies, provinces, and equivalent branches are subject to no limit on the number of items they may register.

II. Registerable Items

D.2. Branch Arms

The single piece of armory associated with the Branch Name of a Society branch which uniquely identifies

that branch. By Society convention, all branch arms must include one or more laurel wreaths as an important element in the design.

III Protected Items

C. 1. Registered Items Remain Registered

Once registered, an item shall be protected until written notice of release is received by the Laurel Office from the owner. In the case of defunct Society branches, release may be granted by joint consent of the Crown and Kingdom Seneschal after appropriate notice in the newsletter of the kingdom in which the branch was located. Protection shall continue to apply even if the item in question could not be registered under the Rules for Submission currently in effect (Grandfather Clause).

C. 2. Items Registered to Defunct Branches

When a branch is declared defunct, ownership of its registered items is automatically transferred to the kingdom. This transfer need not be reflected in the Armorial.