Suggested Scroll Texts
for the Barony of Windmasters’ Hill
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Suggested Scroll Texts for the Barony of Windmasters’ Hill |
Appendix A - Baronial Heraldic Art
[This material is copyright 1991 by Dennis R. Sherman, 1308 Brookfield Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. It may be freely copied for not-for-profit use, if it is copied in its entirety including this copyright notice. Please send a copy of publications to the author.]
[Additions and revisions copyright 1998 by Linda Pancrazio, 302 N Sumner Street, Selma, NC 27576. It may be freely copied for not-for-profit use, if it is copied in its entirety including this copyright notice. Please send a copy of publications to the author.]
[Heraldic art copyright held by it’s respective authors (each work is signed and dated). It may be freely copied for not-for-profit use.]
The purpose of this document is to provide a set of standardized, sample scroll texts for awards granted in the Barony of Windmasters’ Hill. Do not feel the text of a scroll must perfectly match these suggestions! There are many ways to phrase a scroll, these are just a few suggestions to get the beginning scribe started, or to help the scribe who is fresh out of creative ideas.
Scrolls in the SCA vary in ornament from extraordinary works of art to simple legal documents. We, Robyyan and Fern, feel that Baronial award scrolls should, for the most part, be among the simpler scrolls done. Clear, neat calligraphy, with a small amount of illumination will please us greatly. Our goal is to have nice looking scrolls at the time the award is given, and we prefer not to wait for fancy scrolls to be done.
For the purposes of this document, a scroll has several parts: the opening, the name of the recipient, the name of the award, perhaps a description of what the award is given for, the date and the closing. When you are comfortable with designing your own scrolls, the order of the parts may be varied somewhat. Each part is treated separately below, but first, a word or two on laying out a scroll.
Generally speaking, scrolls for baronial awards should all be done on 9 x 12 inch bristol board with crop marks placed at 8 x 10. This is a good size to work on, and will be easily and inexpensively cropped and framed if the recipient wishes.
Use large margins, generally 1 inch or more all around. Try to set off the recipient’s name with some open space above and below. Leave plenty of room for signatures. Use guidelines, and remember to erase them when you’re finished. Using a T-square to mark the guidelines will help in making sure they’re straight. You might want to use a different color ink for the recipient’s name, and possibly for the name of the award. Plan ahead to make the text balanced on the page. And note that early period scrolls did not worry about modern hyphenation rules when breaking a word at the right margin - when they ran out of space, the rest of the word was done on the next line. Later period manuscripts used a variety of ornamental space fillers to achieve a block effect.
For further ideas on how to lay out a scroll, see "the ABC’s of Scroll Making", p. 160 in the 20th Year edition of the Known World Handbook.
Begin the scroll with one of the following phrases:
Be it known to all whom these presents come, that...
Be it known that We, [fill in the names of the Baron / Baroness] do hereby recognize...
Let all know that...
See hear and know that...
Choose one of these phrases to start the scroll. If you are interested in doing a bit of illumination, the initial letter may be ornamented.
After the opening, we include the name of the person receiving the award. The scribe should insist on getting the full name for the scroll, including titles, if any. Don’t be tempted to take responsibility for getting the names right - pass the buck to the people actually giving the award.
We want the scroll to say what the award is for, so here we include a phrase like:
...by reason of [his / her] [get the actual reason from the Baron or Baroness]...
The part needed to fill in will be something like "his skill at brewing" or "her skill as an archer on the field of battle" or "his long and devoted service." Each one will probably be a bit different, although we hope not long winded.
Now we identify the award. The phrase used will depend somewhat on what opening is used. one of these will work:
...is recognized as a member of the [Award Name]...
...is hereby created a member of the [Award Name]...
...shall be known as a member of the [Award Name]...
If you choose an opening that includes the word "recognized," don’t use a phrase here that includes the same word. Instead, use the following:
...and do hereby create [him / her] a member of the [Award Name]...
Since this will be a legal document of sorts, we must date it. The date will be the date at which the award is (or was) given, not the date the scroll is made. One of the following forms can be used:
Done this [day number] day of [month name], at [event name]
Done this [day number] day of [month name], Anno Societatis [AS number] in Our Canton of [canton name]
Done this day, being the [day number] of [month name], in the reign [or second/third/etc. reign] of [king and queen’s names]
and so on. The date phrase can be a real mix and match game - mix the pieces of these suggestions as you like. Anno Societatis is calculated from May 1, 1966. As of this writing, in the latter half of 1991, we are in AS 27, usually written in Roman numerals, e.g. AS XXVII. If you choose to identify the date by reigning monarchs (which is probably the most historically correct) make sure you spell their names correctly (see a current Acorn) and please don’t identify any reign as "the first"!
Very simple, and quite standard - the Baron and Baroness need to sign the scroll, so leave a space for a signature for each of them, then:
Baron and Baroness, Windmasters’ Hill
More mix and match phrases can be found in the Kingdom scribes book available from the Clerk of the Signet.
| Order of the Kittyhawk | service to the barony |
| Order of the Don Quixote | service to the barony beyond reason |
| Order of the Tempest | fighting- excellence on the field |
| Order of the Boreas | arts and sciences |
| Order of St. Nicholas | service by or for children |
These are the registered blazons from the SCA Ordinary and Armorial that relate to scroll making in Windmasters’ Hill as of January 1998.
Windmasters' Hill, Barony of:
Per chevron azure and vert, in chief two boreae addorsed and conjoined and in base a winged cat passant, forepaw extended, wings elevated and addorsed, all argent, within overall a laurel wreath Or.
* For the Populace:
(Fieldless) A winged cat passant, forepaw extended, wings elevated and addorsed, argent
For the Calligraphers and Illuminators Guild:
Per chevron azure and vert, a boreas blowing in bend surmounted by a quill pen in bend sinister Or.
For the Order of Kitty Hawk:
(Fieldless) A winged cat sejant affronty facing to sinister, wings displayed, argent.
For the Order of Don Quixote:
Per chevron azure and vert, a windmill argent.
For the Order of the Tempest:
Gules, a winged domestic cat salient to sinister and maintaining a sword palewise argent.
* For the Order of the Boreas:
(Fieldless) Two boreae addorsed and conjoined argent.
For the Order of St. Nicholas:
Per chevron azure and vert, a wooden shoe proper fimbriated Or between three bezants.
* Note: These two badges are listed in the O and A without a "for" line.
At Baronial Champion’s each fall there is a need for four different texts to be read in court. This year Lucia Bellini composed four wonderful texts that can be used year after year. Thank you Lucia.
Rapier:
Be it known to all that We, <Baron’s Name> and <Baroness’ Name>, Baron and Baroness of Windmasters’ Hill, knowing <name> to be an honorable and trusted subject, and having observed his/her skill this day, do name him/her Baronial Rapier Champion. Awarded by Our hand this <day> day of <month>, A.S. <year>.
Arts and Science:
Hear ye all these presents that We, <Baron’s Name> and <Baroness’ Name>, Baron and Baroness of Windmasters’ Hill, knowing the many good works and labors of <name>, and having weighed the beauty of his/her work submitted this day, declare that s/he is the Arts and Science Champion of Windmasters’ Hill. Done by Us this <day> day of <month>, A.S. <year>.
Heavy Weapons:
Proclaim unto all that We, <Baron’s Name> and <Baroness’ Name>, Baron and Baroness of Windmasters’ Hill, having weighed well the honorable works and labors of <name>, and having observed his/her combat skills this day, do hereby name him/her to be the Heavy Weapons Baronial Champion. Done by Our hand this <day> day of <month>, A.S. <year>.
Archery:
Do ye all hear and tell others that We, <Baron’s Name> and <Baroness’ Name>, Baron and Baroness of Windmasters’ Hill, knowing much good of <name>, and having beheld his/her skills with bow and arrow, do select him/her to be the Baronial Archery Champion. Done this <day> day of <month>, A.S. <year>.
Baronial Heraldic Art
One example image is shown with the description of each badge. These images are shown for example only, they may be used as is, but any image that is heraldically correct may be used on a scroll. If in doubt, please ask.
Click below to download the zipped collection of black and white images in either Gif or Jpeg format. If you have any images that you'd like to share, send them to me and I'll add them here.
For the Order of Kitty Hawk:
(Fieldless) A winged cat sejant affronty facing to sinister, wings displayed, argent.
Note: the Kitty is white or silver. A fieldless badge may be displayed on any color. It is appropriate, if desired, to place the white Kitty on a badge of any baronial color, i.e. blue, green or purple.
Heraldic Note: The Kitty needs to face the right margin, there are some in circulation that are "flipped", so please be careful.
This is the traditional Kitty that the scriptorium has used for years, information on it’s origin would be greatly appreciated.
For the Order of Don Quixote:
Per chevron azure and vert, a windmill argent.
Note: The field is blue with a green peak, the windmill is white.
This image was composed of elements from the Heraldic Pictorial Dictionary
For the Order of the Tempest:
Gules, a winged domestic cat salient to sinister and maintaining a sword palewise argent.
Note: The field is red, the kitty is white, and the sword is silver or white with gold or yellow quillions.
This is the traditional Tempest that the scriptorium has used for years, with modifications to the tail and head by L. Pancrazio. Information on it’s origin would be greatly appreciated.
Heraldic note: Badges don't have to be round, award badges can be any shape except shields or lozenges (diamonds). The Tempest fits well inside a rectangle or cartouche (sort of a pill shaped oval).
On special occasions, this particular Kitty is sometimes shown maintaining a Rapier, a Battle Ax or even an Arrow.
For the Order of the Boreas:
(Fieldless) Two boreae addorsed and conjoined argent.
Note: the Boreas is white or silver. A fieldless badge may be displayed on any color. It is appropriate, if desired, to place the white Boreas on a badge of any baronial color, i.e. blue, green or purple.
This is the traditional Boreas that the scriptorium has used for years, information on it’s origin would be greatly appreciated.
For the Order of St. Nicholas:
Per chevron azure and vert, a wooden shoe proper fimbriated Or between three bezants.
Note: The field is blue with a green peak, the shoe is brown (wood) surrounded by a gold or yellow border and the three circles are gold or yellow.
Kim Gregory and Linda Pancrazio, 1998
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Last updated 3/26/98 Return
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