Some information on how Award scroll creation and presentation works…….
In order to be eligible for an award scroll, you must have a registered name AND device and have received an award from the Crown. Not all Kingdom level awards involve scrolls. The most common award scroll that is presented is the Award of Arms (or AOA) but Grants of Arms and Peerage level awards also usually involve the presentation of a scroll.
The Scribes are volunteers who give up their time, skills and money to create scrolls for the people of the Barony and Kingdom. A lot of time and work goes into a scroll, especially when fitted around other SCA and outside commitments. There are always far fewer scribes than scrolls to be done, so despite our best efforts, unfortunate but unavoidable delays can occur. Administrative delays with shipping, signing and sealing of scrolls can also hold up the process so turnaround on scrolls can take many months, especially if there was a long time between getting called up in Court and registering your name and device (although every effort is made to keep this to a minimum.)
Award scrolls are usually presented at garbed events at the pleasure of the Baron and Baroness or Crown, but are sometimes sent to recipients or given at non-garbed events. Work on and presentation of award scrolls of active players take precedence over those of inactive players or those who play and attend garbed events irregularly. Work will usually not start on a scroll until the award appears on Canon Lore and the name and device appear on the Lochac Roll of Arms, which is why sometimes people who have had an award for years, take a very long time to get the scroll. (Work won’t start until a recipient has a registered name and device.)
Scrolls are often not presented to recipients in the order in which devices are registered. There are several reasons for this:
• It is nice when scroll presentations are a surprise
• Sometimes there are technical issues which need to be confirmed or double-checked with Crux Herald before work can start and/or during the process
• Completed scrolls need to be approved by Provost and then get signed and sealed by the Crown, and this can take some time especially if the Royals that gave out a particular AoA are overseas or inactive. Postage/SCA courier times also factor into this.
• There may not be time at a particular event to present all the scrolls that are complete.
• Recipients who have a finished scroll waiting might not have been able to attend a garbed event for a while.
• Not all award scrolls are done by the local scribes. Scribes from all over the Kingdom sometimes help with these tasks, and some scribal groups have recently been helping other groups clear their backlog of award scrolls too.
Calligraphic and illumination work can take quite a long time.
Usually AoA scrolls are pre-printed and then personalised to suit the recipient. Factors which impact on these decisions include availability of scroll blanks, the number of scribes available to work on pieces, date of name and device registration, skill and experience of the scribe, and suitability of a particular scroll for your persona. Also, every single completed scroll has to be approved at a higher level and may be subject to rejection or need alteration (which can also affect how long it takes between a person getting their award and receiving their scroll.)
Every name published on the monthly Crux Herald letter (with a name AND device) is logged and added to the list of works to be done. Please be patient as there are not enough active scribes to go around.
Each award scroll, whether a pre-printed AA or an original work of art, is created to be a lasting document of your achievements and honours in the SCA for you to proudly display. Scrolls should be framed as soon as possible. Prior to framing, they should be stored flat in a cool, dry place, preferably between sheets of acid-free paper, and handled carefully. If a scroll is rolled up, the wax seals, gilding or heavy paint may crack and fall off. Vellum and some papers may warp if the surrounding conditions are humid, and the seals may soften if it gets too warm.
If you have a registered name and device and have been given an Award of Arms prior to April 2014 but not have received a scroll, please contact the Provost of Scribes. *Award or name/device registrations after April 2014 have been logged and are in progress.*
Talk to your local Scribal Warden if you have a registered device and would like to have it added to your ”Instant AoA”.
You can contact the Provost of Scribes at provost@lochac.sca.org
This page is neither an official publication of the SCA Ltd (Australia) or the SCA nor is its content meant to convey official SCA policy