Charge

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Definition:

Glossary of Terms: An item placed on a piece of armory. A charge may be directly on the field, overall, or entirely on another charge. A charge may be a simple geometric figure, such as a fess// or a //roundel//, or a representation of an animate or inanimate item, such as a //lion// or a //sword//. //See// the Rules for Submissions, Part VII, for discussion of Compatible Charges. //See also Charge Group. [[1]]

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Sources:

Academy of St. Gabriel "Medieval Heraldry Archive" - [[2]] Archive of St. Gabriel reports - [[3]] Laurel Armory Articles - [[4]]

"Charges of the Field" - http://www.library.nd.edu/rarebooks/digital_projects/heraldry/charges/

"A Heraldic Primer" - http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/primer/

See also Period Armorials.

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Precedents:

Precedents of the SCA College of Arms - [[5]] Morsulus Heralds Website - [[6]] (to search the LoARs and Precedents) Restatement Wiki - [[7]] (restatements of Precedents) Use the above links to be sure any precedents listed below haven't been superseded by newer precedents.

#x--Precedents:-Registerability:Registerability:

(Restricted, Reserved, SFPP, OOP)

July 2013 - charges within charges:

From Wreath: Charges Within Charges Commentary on several recent submissions has raised the issue of whether or not a charge "framed" within another charge is a step from period practice. Precedent says:

• [A demi-flamberge...within and issuant from the base of a serpent involved deosil] This device has several unattested elements: ...and framing the badge within a serpent involved. The latter, while popular in the SCA, is nonetheless a weirdness... [Rowen Killian, R-Caid, February 1997 LoAR]
• [a triangle inverted voided and a triangle voided conjoined in pale within the astronomical sign for Taurus] ...Using it in this non-standard fashion (the framing of one charge by another is itself very rare in period heraldry), is another weirdness... [Ungust Filius Antonii, R-Caid, June 2000 LoAR]
• [three broadarrows in pall inverted, points outward, within a hexagon voided] Several commenters asked whether this is a period design or whether there should be a step from period practice for the framing. A step from period practice for the framing would be the only single step from period practice for the device, so the badge would be registerable anyway. We decline to rule at this time on the question of whether the framing is a step from period practice. [Alan of Caerlaverock, A-Middle, October 2008 LoAR]

Despite the earlier rulings, enforcing a step from period practice for a charge framed by another charge has not occurred in the past decade as far as we can tell. Certainly we have not upheld the precedent with regard to laurel wreaths. The March 2009 Cover Letter did establish that charges within annulets were not a step from period practice, based on period examples of that exact motif. Our bar for declaring a charge to not be a step from period practice is rather low. SENA A2B4 states, "For charges, a single example of that charge used in European armory during our period is usually sufficient to allow its use without being a step from period practice." For a general motif, more than one example would seem to be better, to cover the general sort of variety one expects, but the documentation should be less than that required of an Individually Attested Pattern, since those patterns are otherwise entirely unregisterable. While the motif of a charge framed by another charge is quite rare in period armory, it is by no means unknown. In addition to the known pattern of charges within annulets, we also have:

• the arms of die Avrifaber, Gules, a mullet of six points Or within a stag's attires argent, seen in Siebmacher on pl.63
• the arms of von Loss, Gules, a frog tergiant bendwise within a laurel chaplet vert, seen in Siebmacher on pl.152
• the Yorkist badge used by Richard, Duke of York as well as Edward IV, (Fieldless) A falcon wings displayed within and perched upon a fetterlock argent, as seen in Dennys' Heraldic Imagination on p.177.
• the Lisle badge, as seen in Banners, Standards, and Badges From a Tudor Manuscript on p.111, described as "a white hart lodged, gorged with a golden crown, line and chain, all within a circular wreath white and yellow, set round with lilies"
• the badge of John Zouche de Codnore, as seen in the same book on p.163, described as "a Grey [badger] in [surrounded by] a tresse gold"

We should also note the very nature of bordures, orles, and tressures, which are not uncommonly surrounding other charges. Given these examples, we are explicitly overturning the 1997 and 2000 precedents and declaring that the motif of a charge "framed" by another charge is not in itself a step from period practice. [[8]]

#x--Precedents:-Conflict:Conflict:

May 1997 - charge vs. charge throughout:

In general there is a difference between an ordinary throughout vs. an ordinary couped, but not between a non-ordinary throughout vs. its non-throughout version. [1997 LoAR]

#x--Precedents:-Collected Precedents:Collected Precedents:

Tenure of Elisabeth de Rossignol (May 2005 - July 2008) - [-- Miscellaneous] The 2nd Tenure of François la Flamme (October 2004 - May 2005) - [-- Miscellaneous] The Tenure of Shauna of Carrick Point (May 2004 - August 2004) - The Tenure of François la Flamme (August 2001 - April 2004) - The Tenure of Elsbeth Anne Roth (June 1999 - July 2001) - The Tenure of Jaelle of Armida (June 1996 - June 1999) - The 2nd Tenure of Da'ud ibn Auda (November 1993 - June 1996) - The Tenure of Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme (June 1992 - October 1993) - The 1st Tenure of Da'ud ibn Auda (June 1990 - June 1992) - The Tenure of Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane (September 1986 - June 1990) - The Tenure of Baldwin of Erebor (August 1984 - August 1986) - The Tenure of Wilhelm von Schlüssel (August 1979 - August 1984) - The Tenure of Karina of the Far West (December 1975 - June 1979) - The Early Days (June 1971 - June 1975) -