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I will not be their pocket herald - that office is to be announced, and will go to someone who is freer to travel with them than I.

Something specific I can help with?

Oh no, I was just going to offer to help out. It's something I've been wanting to try and I'd love any chance to work with you ;)

OK, I will help you make connections to try some heraldry. Lists, court, or both?

Oh, I'd give both a go. I helped Ernie a little on D&A's reign with back-end Court stuff (mostly stacking scrolls and making sure we had legible prints and making sure everything was in the right order) and enjoyed that.

V, you'll find that every Court Herald has a different take on that. What takes Ernie a staff of people and a computer, for example, may take me one person and a stack of index cards. It's just a difference.

Indeed, that is very much a matter of individual style and taste. The "Kitzingen School" is very preparation-oriented and technological, getting every detail just so. That's not criticism: if it's a value judgment at all, it's a compliment, and it works very well indeed if you are naturally organized. Me, I'm rather more zen. For example, I read directly from the scroll and so study the calligraphic hands so I can do so. It's a matter of taste and innate nature.

Oh, and sorry to shout, you know this but there seems to be a misconception: I have never retired as a court herald, and always have my tabard and baton with me. If I'm at the event, I'm available.

And, good Master Steffan, I believe you've heralded both Tourneys and Courts I've been involved in. And I appreciate it. :-)

Thank you for saying so. Tourneys, a few. Courts, not so much.

Let me say this, just to add some historical data points to the issue. First, the idea of a "pocket herald" is not new: the concept has been around at least from my earliest days, when

baron_elric of Erewhon frequently acted as such. Back then, doing royal courts was very much Brigantia's bailiwick -- Brigania was "the king's herald" -- so this was controversial, but

baron_elric was so darned good no one really complained. So good, indeed, that I appointed him Jellinge Herald, which was an institutionalization of his "pocket herald" role. Yes, I later abolished the office. It wasn't personal, and I regret the unintended slight to this day. But that was almost 30 years ago.....

Now, OTOH, despite being perhaps the most experienced court herald in the entire realm, with several spiffy awards for court heraldry, I haven't been able to buy or steal a gig since Lucan III, and then only because my lady was queen. That's a datum, not a complaint. I'm trying not to whine, but it does show that (a) there is something, perceptually if not functionally, broken in the current state of affairs, and that (b) whatever that state of affairs is, it isn't new, but has perhaps gotten increasingly broken over the past 3 decades. To the point, IMO, where people are finally starting to notice.

I don't suppose you could encourage them to utilize Troubadour's office and give the rest of us a chance to play? I HATE this pocket herald thing.

"pocket" herald is a new office created under the current Brigantia to denote the office of the head herald of any given reign. Troubadour is no longer no longer holds sway over Royal Court heralding.

And I HATE IT. It gives the impression that other people are not welcome to offer to help; that you need an entree to their staff. It's unfriendly.

This one I really don't know how to react to, seeing as i wasn't around for the old way... Malcolm is the current Pocket. I assume they wanted to relieve the responsibilities of troubadour since in effect troub had to essentially be on duty all the time, running tournaments and also overseeing the court herald.

No idea. This is the first I've heard of it. But I know that during Brion and Anna's reign, we were working very hard to train local folks on how to run court, so that Troubadour would be able to delegate.

Now I don't know why I bothered.

Well, I'm sorry that you had that impression, because it wasn't the case. All people had to do was e-mail me.

Did you tell anyone that? Did anyone know that all they had to do was ask? When we were training local heralds to run courts during Brion and Anna's reign, we made a point to say, "Please, we want the help. We WANT you to read in court. We WANT to teach you to set up dockets." And we got lots of volunteers. I haven't heard ANYTHING like that since 2006. At all. And I've been waiting and listening. Not. A. Peep.

If you'd like a longer historical perspective...

The one consistent thing about court heralds for the crown for as long as I've been involved is that there's no real consistency. One crown prefers their own person, another uses Brigantia or a delegate, another uses locals. There really has been no historical norm in my observation - it continually changes.

As for helping, it's always been my impression in the SCA that if someone was interested in doing a particular thing, they usually went to ask those who were doing it. In that respect, I'm not sure a broadcast is necessary, but that's just my two bits.

No kidding, which is why I said, in essence, "I hope that Edward and Marguerite will be encouraged to use the system we worked so hard to set up three years ago," seeing as how no one has used it since. I'm not new, I've been involved in heraldry for about ten years now, though for whatever reason no one on Brigantia staff seems to know who I am except for Rowen.

What I did not realize, because for some reason it was never publicized, is that this "pocket herald" foolishness had been institutionalized. Had I realized, had it been publicized, I might not have waited around for court heraldry to open up and become welcoming again. I also would have counseled STRONGLY against it.

I'm not new, I've been involved in heraldry for about ten years now, though for whatever reason no one on Brigantia staff seems to know who I am except for Rowen.

Hey! I'm on brigantia staff too.. :(

Okay, him *and* you. Sorry, sweetie.

I'm on Brigantia Staff and have been for more than 15 years! I know who you are.

Heh. Okay, the three of you. :-D But you and Ryan don't talk down to me like I'm new/stupid, either.

Edited 2009-11-02 02:08 (UTC)

Brigantia only very recently began to institutionalise it when he realised the rapidly diminishing chance to reattain the work he'd started when he was Troubadour. Just sayin'. You'll have to call him and mention your frustrations, but I understand he is accessible on matters like this. :-)

Just been waiting for you to pop into chat, darlin'.

Very, very few people feel they can approach Their Majesties' Court Herald (and by that I mean the Chief Herald for the reign) and ask to help. For maybe the last fifteen years or more - you, Ulric, Kenric, Avelina, Ernst, Alys, Adhemar, me - every one with the exception of me has been *at least* a single Peer if not a double peer with a barony.

Thomas, honestly, no one has consistently used locals in 15 years, except during Brion and Anna's and Griffyth and Aikaterine's reigns when I was actively approaching every local herald before each RP and asking them to participate or, in their absence, give me the name of a local voice herald who wished to. I regularly pinged the EKVH list for volunteers. Regretfully, that happened neither before nor consistently has happened since.

Peer fear is a very real thing for many. And, unfortunately, the attitude of "Well, if you'd just asked, I'd have let you" doesn't produce near the sense of welcome and inclusion of "Hey, who out there would like a chance to help?"

It's not EVEN peer fear. You know me; is that ever been a problem for me? It's the perception that TRM have chosen Their Herald for the reign and aren't interested in using strangers. This perception can be easily remedied by saying "Who wants to play? There's plenty to go around," but no one has, for whatever reason.

Edited 2009-11-02 04:41 (UTC)

I'm not inclined to clutter Caitlin's LJ with this discussion. If you actually are interested in hearing what I have to say, you know how to find me.

I posted before reading yours above, and you're quite right: this isn't the place.

OTOH, I have my own account and hereby declare -- because I can -- that both enthusiastic agreement and rotten tomatoes may be deposited there. Whether the problem is functional or perceptual, there is a problem that clearly needs resolution, and we are the ones to resolve it.

Congratulations to you,

msmemory, and to their Highnesses (who once again have shown their wisdom early). Clearly, you need more activities to fill up that empty schedule of yours %^).

Caitlin, can you ask that they consult with me ahead of that decision, if they see fit? Just so I might offer feedback?

I so think you should be their Pocket Herald. You would be awesome at it. And you don't need to travel yourself if you have a well-trained staff. Just sayin'