Bill: Draft P.B.04-XXX | Heraldry Act

[PhillinDeBlanc]

A
Bill
To
Enhance Roleplay by Creating Houses and Heraldry​

1 - Short Title and Enactment
(1) This Act may be cited as the ‘Resurrecting of The Herald Act’.
(2) This Act may be numbered as P.B.04-XXX.
(3) This Act shall come into force upon Royal Assent.
(4) This Act has been:
(a) authored by Gwi;
(b) sponsored by Minister of Foreign Affairs, PhillinDeBlanc.
(c) co-sponsored by Member of Parliament, ConsequencesInc.

2 - Reasons
(1) There should be a clear and coherent framework for heraldry and Houses.
(2) It is important to have a dedicated body to administer these functions.
(3) The Royal House should have more structure afforded to it under law.
(4) The inheritance of heraldic achievements should be clear and intuitive.

3 - Definitions
(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) “Arms” means a coat of arms lawfully granted, recognised, or inherited under this Act;
(b) “Achievement” means the full heraldic display of an armiger, including the shield and any crest, helm, motto, badge, supporters, or other lawful accessory;
(c) “Armiger” means a player or recognised body entitled to bear arms;
(d) “House” means a recognised family unit under this Act;
(e) “Head of House” means the registered leader of a House;
(f) “Heraldic line” means the line through which entitlement to personal arms descends;
(g) “Designated heir” means a person lawfully appointed to succeed as head of a House or heraldic line;
(h) “Cadency” means the method of distinguishing the arms of members or branches of the same heraldic line;
(i) “Marshalling” means the lawful combination or display of more than one coat of arms, including impalement and quartering.

3 - Order of Arms
1) There shall be an Order of Arms, which shall be the heraldic authority of Alexandria, under the authority of the Crown.

(2) The Order of Arms shall consist of:
(a) a Chief Herald; and
(b) where required, a Pursuivant.

(3) The Chief Herald shall be appointed by the Crown.

(4) A Pursuivant may be appointed by the Crown upon the recommendation of the Chief Herald.

(5) The Pursuivant shall assist the Chief Herald and may exercise only such functions as are delegated by the Chief Herald or conferred by law.

(6) The Order of Arms shall:
(a) receive and consider petitions for Arms, Heraldic Achievements, and the recognition of Houses;
(b) advise the Crown on the grant, amendment, and revocation of Arms and Heraldic Achievements;
(c) recognise Houses in accordance with this Act;
(d) maintain a heraldic register;
(e) maintain a register of recognised Houses;
(f) provide opinions to the courts on questions relating to heraldry where requested; and
(g) issue guidance and standards consistent with this Act and any other law.

(7) Heraldic Achievements are honours of the Crown and may only be granted by the Crown upon the advice and recommendation of the Order of Arms.

4 - Houses
(1) A House is a recognised family unit representing a noble dynasty.

(2) A House may be recognised by the Order of Arms where:
(a) it has at least three members;
(b) it has a distinct name;
(c) it has a declared Head of House; and
(d) it satisfies any other requirements imposed by law or the Order of Arms.

(3) A person may become a member of an existing House by:
(a) being adopted by a member of the House;
(b) marrying a member of the house and choosing to join the house; or
(c) being invited as a retainer by the Head of House.

(4) A person may not be a member of more than one House at the same time.

(5) Every recognised House shall be granted dynastic arms which shall be borne by its Head of House.

(6) The dynastic arms of a House shall be settled by the Crown upon the advice and recommendation of the Order of Arms, and shall, where appropriate, be based upon any existing arms borne by its founding Head of House.

(7) Every member of a House shall have the right to display the undifferenced arms of that House by courtesy, but shall not personally bear those arms.

(8) The Head of a given House may appoint one other member of that House as the Designated Heir. Should the Head of House fail to maintain playtime requirements, their role shall pass to their Designated Heir.

5 - The Royal House
(1) The Royal House shall be the House to which the Monarch belongs.

(2) The Dynastic Achievement of the Royal House may be modified to reflect its royal status by the Crown upon the advice and recommendation of the Order of Arms while the House remains the Royal House.

(3) Where the Monarch is not the Head of the Royal House, they may assume that role on ascent to the throne for the duration of their reign.

6 - Personal Arms
(1) An individual who has been granted a title by the Crown may petition for a grant of personal Arms.

(2) A person who bears personal Arms may continue to bear them notwithstanding their admission into a House.

(3) Personal arms shall not be inheritable nor transferable between individuals.

7 - Heraldic Design
(1) Every grant of Arms shall include an emblazoned shield, which shall be the essential element of the Arms granted.

(2) The Order of Arms shall have the final say on any heraldic elements included in a given design brought in a petition, including limiting the use of certain elements to players of rank or distinction.

(3) The use of the tincture purpure shall be restricted only to the Arms of the Royal House and those who have held the title of Monarch

(3) No Arms shall be granted or recognised where they are identical to, or insufficiently distinguished from, Arms already entered in the Register of Arms.

8 - Repeal and Transition
(1) A.P. 01-005 | Heraldry Act is hereby repealed.

(2) Current armigers shall have 30 days to approach the Order of Arms to register their arms under this new Act.