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[[image:BrigantiaSeal.jpg|400px|left|thumb|Seal of the East Kingdom College of Heralds. Copper.]] The Office of the Brigantia Principal Herald has its own seal, which may be used to imply that the name and device upon a scroll has been registered with the Society College of Arms, as is the custom in many other Kingdoms, or it may be used to authenticate a direct communication from the Brigantia Principal Herald (such as the conferral of a [[Herald Extraordinary]] ranking, which is a ranking within the College of Arms that only a current Kingdom Principal Herald or Laurel Sovereign of Arms may bestow. There are other ranks within the College and each has its own meaning, but the Herald Extraordinary rankings in particular have only recently come into fashion in the East as accompanying a scroll, and do not require the presence of Royalty to witness the bestowal of from the Brigantia Principal Herald or Laurel Sovereign of Arms). <br><br>
[[image:BrigantiaSeal.jpg|400px|left|thumb|Seal of the East Kingdom College of Heralds. Copper.]] The Office of the Brigantia Principal Herald ([[Brigantia Herald]] for short) has its own seal, which may be used to imply that the name and device upon a scroll has been registered with the Society College of Arms, as is the custom in many other Kingdoms, or it may be used to authenticate a direct communication from the Brigantia Herald (such as the conferral of a [[Herald Extraordinary]] ranking, which is a ranking within the College of Arms that only a current Kingdom Principal Herald or Laurel Sovereign of Arms may bestow. There are other ranks within the College and each has its own meaning, but the Herald Extraordinary rankings in particular have only recently come into fashion in the East as accompanying a scroll, and do not require the presence of Royalty to witness the bestowal of from the Brigantia Herald or Laurel Sovereign of Arms). It is known that at one point each of the original Kingdoms had a seal imprint ''registered'' with the Society College of Arms, however this practice seems to have ended sometime shortly after 2003, CE, according to the SCA Ordinary and Armorial webpages.<br><br>
[[image:EK_Seals_-_Chesspiece_matrices.jpg|350px|left|thumb|Seals of the King and Queen of the East, on Giant Chess Pieces. Brass.]]
[[image:EK_Seals_-_Chesspiece_matrices.jpg|350px|left|thumb|Seals of the King and Queen of the East, on Giant Chess Pieces. Brass.]]
[[image:New_Copies_-_King_and_Queen_2014_matrices.jpg‎|400px|right|thumb|New Seals gifted to the Kingdom at the Coronation of Edward and Þora. Copper. Designed by [[Katarzyna Gwozdz]] and photoengraved by Master [[Iheronimus Brückner]].]]
[[image:New_Copies_-_King_and_Queen_2014_matrices.jpg‎|400px|right|thumb|New Seals gifted to the Kingdom at the Coronation of Edward and Þora. Copper. Designed by [[Katarzyna Gwozdz]] and photoengraved by Master [[Iheronimus Brückner]].]]

Revision as of 23:59, 3 January 2015

All the Seals of the Kingdom of the East. Bottom Left to Right: King's Seal, Queen's Seal, Great Seal of the Kingdom of the East (on top of King's and Queen's Seal), King's Chess Seal, College of Herald's Seal, Queen's Chess Seal, Original Seal of the Kingdom of the East.


The Great seals of the Kingdom are used for certain armigious scrolls and for the sealing of charters and letters of marque. Wax seal impressions may be available to any scribe or herald of the East via emailed request to the Tyger Clerk of the Signet or Brigantia Principal Herald of the East (depending on which seal has been requested). There are only certain appropriate uses of the seals, which will be judged by the Royalty, Brigantia Herald, and Tyger Clerk of the Signet.

As these seals have been passed down from reign to reign, so too have the stories behind their creation. Some are a bit newer than others, and there are others still that are deliberately ceremonial in nature due to either being unwieldy or otherwise in a fragile state. Thus to preserve these seals, only the Kingdom officers noted above (Tyger Clerk and Brigantia, and Crown) currently have access to these outside of the Kingdom Chamberlain's office. True to the historic model of a seal, the seals themselves may be used as a substitution for a royal signature, or to authenticate a document or award given by a person of some import (in this case, the King and Queen of the East, or the Brigantia Principal Herald for anything bearing the Brigantia Principal Herald's seal). Seals by commoners can be found across history for more than law clerks, city officials, and royalty; exemplars exist online of seals of office for farmers, executioners, and other sundry personae sending forth personal communication either in letters closed (sealed shut) or letters patent (in the historic sense, letters patent did not mean someone was being given a Peerage, but instead refers to a document that is sealed open, able to be read by all).


Great Seal of the Kingdom of the East. Steel.

There are currently seven seals within the East Kingdom, ranging in lightweight and as a simple matrix with no handle attached (Brigantia seal), to the heavy brass chesspiece seals noted above. Let's start with the "ancient and venerable" seal of the Kingdom of the East. This seal with the handle attached is an original, and has been passed down from Brigantia Herald to Brigantia Herald for many years, for safekeeping purposes. While it's true that there have been other seals over the years that have been unfortunately misplaced, this particular seal is an important part of Kingdom history, and the handle for this has been repaired at least once (the matrix is glued on). The seal matrix itself is lightly engraved in steel, and has seen many years of use, hence any application of it should be gentle or rare.

Seal of the East Kingdom College of Heralds. Copper.

The Office of the Brigantia Principal Herald (Brigantia Herald for short) has its own seal, which may be used to imply that the name and device upon a scroll has been registered with the Society College of Arms, as is the custom in many other Kingdoms, or it may be used to authenticate a direct communication from the Brigantia Herald (such as the conferral of a Herald Extraordinary ranking, which is a ranking within the College of Arms that only a current Kingdom Principal Herald or Laurel Sovereign of Arms may bestow. There are other ranks within the College and each has its own meaning, but the Herald Extraordinary rankings in particular have only recently come into fashion in the East as accompanying a scroll, and do not require the presence of Royalty to witness the bestowal of from the Brigantia Herald or Laurel Sovereign of Arms). It is known that at one point each of the original Kingdoms had a seal imprint registered with the Society College of Arms, however this practice seems to have ended sometime shortly after 2003, CE, according to the SCA Ordinary and Armorial webpages.

Seals of the King and Queen of the East, on Giant Chess Pieces. Brass.
New Seals gifted to the Kingdom at the Coronation of Edward and Þora. Copper. Designed by Katarzyna Gwozdz and photoengraved by Master Iheronimus Brückner.
Six of the Seven (yes, seven) Seals of the Kingdom of the East. Right to Left: Queen's Seal, Queen's Chess Seal, Seal of the Kingdom of the East, College of Heralds Seal, King's Chess Seal, King's Seal.

Notes:

  • Section VIII. Personal Awards and Titles, D. Titles, 1. “Landedness” in the Society is an attribute of the Crown, the Coronet, and the territorial Barons and Baronesses. Other titles within the Society do not confer land, and no form of any title shall be taken or used which states or implies ownership or control of any geographic, demographic or sociographic area within or external to the Society in any sense, medieval or otherwise.