The Life of a Submission
by Marie de Blois, previously Rampart Herald

Written by Marie de Blois, who gives permission to reprint as long as the author is properly credited, and to adapt this work for other kingdoms.

Heraldic submissions start out as just a twinkle in the eye. A vague idea of a persona, a culture, a charge, or a color... something that makes you say, "that sounds like who I want to be". From there, it gets fleshed out and grown up a little. The given name acquires a byname. The charge gets put on a field. The culture that sounds like fun gets some clothing and a name.

Often, it grows up and decides to get registered. There are lots of varied reasons to register a name and device – from banner making to having your arms on scrolls. Some kingdoms require registration (or at least submission) for various things, such as entering Crown Tourney, or receiving a scroll at all.

Sometimes, however, the person guiding it along doesn't know where to take it, or how to get it registered. Sometimes, after it gets started on the process, it seems to vanish into a black hole. Usually, though, it's still ticking along in the process and will eventually come out on the other side.

This article covers the life of a heraldic submission - the steps it takes in its travels, the possible forks in the road, and how you can make its path smoother.

• Steps of a Submission
• How Many of What To Whom
• Heraldic Submissions: a sample timeline
• This page in a handy trifold format in Word format

Step One: A Submission Is Born!

The submission grows from a twinkle of the eye to a whole name or device. There are lots of good books and good online articles on period names. However, there are lots of bad ones, too. Before you set your heart on a name or device, it's often a good idea to run it past a book herald, who can help you find good documentation for the name and maybe do conflict checking on the device.

Step Two: Look At Your Own Paper.

Now that you've got a name/device, you'll want to fill out the appropriate forms. Filling out the forms is generally pretty straightforward. Please try to write clearly, so that the heralds can read what you write. Please write a summary of the documentation, and not just "see attached docs".
Use the handy chart on the back of this pamphlet to figure out how many copies you need to make, and how large of a check to write. Then, give the forms to your local herald. Hopefully, this is the last step you do - heralds do the rest.

Step Three: Your Local Herald's Processing

Your local herald processes your check through the local reeve or exchequer, transforming it from a personal check from you to a check from the local group. This way, your check is deposited sooner, rather than later. The local herald also files copies of your submission.
Then, the herald sends the new check and copies of the submission to Castle Herald. The deadline for those packets is the 1st of the month.

Step Four: Submissions On Parade

Castle Herald takes the submission and puts it together with other recent submissions in a Letter of Presentation. The Letter of Presentation is published on the Submissions Website. This usually happens around the 10th - 15th of the month.

Step Five: Local Heralds Make Comments

Heralds around the kingdom take a look at the Letter of Presentation and send Rampart Herald their advice and comments and suggestions. Sometimes this is positive - 'looks good' or 'here's more documentation'. Sometimes this is negative - 'this is a conflict with [someone]' or 'this documentation is insufficient'. Submittors can also give commentary - for example, if they found some new documentation for their submission, etc.
There is a one month window to send in this commentary.

Step Six: The Rampart Meeting

Rampart gathers up all the commentary and has a meeting to make decisions. Usually, this is an open meeting, with some heralds and some new heralds who are interested in learning about the process. Rampart looks at each submission on the Letter of Presentation, reads the commentary on it, and reads the documentation. Then, Rampart decides if it gets passed on to Laurel and the College of Arms, or gets returned to the submittor for further work.
The Rampart meeting is usually a month after the Letter of Presentation is issued.

Step Seven: Love and Kisses, Rampart

Rampart writes up the meeting results in the Letter of Response.
At the same time, Rampart takes the submissions that are going up to Laurel and puts them all together on the Letter of Intent, which is sent out to Laurel and the College of Arms.
Both of these are published on the Submissons Website. Rampart should issue the Letter of Intent by the end of the month, but it can take longer for them to appear on the website because the Letter of Response also includes information about the returned items, which can take a lot longer to write up.
Rampart also sends you a letter with the results at this step as well – this is the first notification.

If your submission is returned, look carefully at the reason why and go back to step one.
If your submission is passed on, keep waiting.

Step Eight: The College Makes Comments

Now, the heralds in the College of Arms have two months to make direct commentary on the submissions in the Letter of Intent. These are similar to the ones the local heralds make, but often come from heralds with more experience.
If you're curious about this, there may be a commenting group near you. Check with your local herald.

Step Nine: Comments on Comments

Now, the heralds in the College of Arms have one more month for rebuttal - that is, making comments about the direct commentary above.

Step Ten: The Laurel Meeting

Laurel gathers up all the commentary and has a meeting to make decisions. Laurel looks at each submission on the Letter of Intent, reads the commentary on it, and reads the documentation. Then, Laurel decides if it gets registered or gets returned to the submittor for further work. This happens during the month after Step Nine.

Step Eleven: Sincerely, Laurel and co.

Laurel writes up the meeting results in the Letter of Acceptances and Returns (aka, LOAR). Sometimes this step can take a long time - usually two to three months. This is because the Letter of Acceptance and Response includes information on both accepted items and returned items, can include very important decisions that will affect future submissions, and requires very careful proofreading. It's then published on Laurel's website and emailed out to people.

Step Twelve: Conga Rats!

Rampart gets the LOAR and publishes the results on the Submissions Website and in the Outlandish Herald. Rampart sends you a letter with the results – the final notification.

If your submission is returned, look carefully at the reason why and go back to step one.
If your submission is registered, conga rats!

How Many of What To Whom

• Note: always keep a copy for yourself!
• Note: "line drawing" is an outline drawing, using the same forms as the color drawing - often it's simplest to draw the outline drawing and fill in the forms, then make copies and color those.
• Note: as the submittor, you give the stack of stuff to your local herald, who sends them on.
• Note: if submitting name and device at the same time, you can combine costs on the check.

If you are in a shire, barony, or college not inside a barony, you need:
Names:

2 form copies
2 documentation copies (as needed)
a check for $9

Armory:

2 colored-in form copies
2 line-drawing form copies
2 documentation copies (as needed)
a check for $9

If you are in a canton or college inside a barony, you need 1 extra copy of everything (except the check, that is) for the baronial herald.

Some examples of documentation: photocopies of a book, printouts of a website, photocopies of your drivers license, a letter of permission to conflict, a letter transferring a registered item to someone, a letter accepting the transfer, "Materials In Support of The Trimount", a copy of a heraldic will, etc.

For books or websites, you only need to send copies of the title page and the page(s) where the specific name, charge, or construction are specifically referenced.

A few books and the articles on sca.org do not need copies sent. Ask your herald. Save a tree and make heralds happy!

Heraldic Submissions: A Sample Timeline

Say you turned in your paperwork in early January. How long would it take from there?

• In January, your local herald would process your check and send the forms to Rampart Herald.
• In February, the Internal Submissions Deputy would put your submission on the Letter of Presentation and post it to the Rampart Website.
• In March, Rampart would consider your submission at the Rampart Meeting. If acceptable, Rampart would put your submission on the Letter of Intent and list it in the 'sent to Laurel' section of the Letter of Response. Rampart would post these to the Rampart Website (in late March or possibly early April).
• In April and May, the College of Arms would make direct commentary on your submission.
• In June, the College of Arms would make comments on the direct commentary.
• In July, Laurel would consider your submission at the Laurel Meeting. If acceptable, Laurel would register your submission and list it in the 'Acceptances' section of the draft version of the Letter of Acceptances and Returns (LOAR).
• In September or October, Laurel would issue the official Letter of Acceptances and Returns, mailing it to Rampart.
• After getting the LOAR, Rampart would post the results to the Submissions Website and in the Outlandish Herald, and notify you of the results.

As you can see, for a long while, it only looks like nothing is happening, but the heralds are simply giving your submission the consideration it deserves.