All official SCA groups must have a registered name to go from incipient to full status, and baronies/provinces and above must have a registered device. Since the submissions process takes around 8-9 months, it is a good idea to try to submit something that will pass the first time around, rather than have to go through resubmission after resubmission. This can be very frustrating for the group, as well as for the heralds who don't like returning submissions. This article is designed to help you through the required paperwork. It does not address all issues or problems, but it will give you a general idea as to what is needed. If you aren't sure about what to do, contact the Edelweiss Herald at for more help. All SCA group names must be at least two elements, the group designator (shire, canton, college, barony, stronghold, etc) and the name of the group itself. If the status of the group changes, then the group designator can change; for instance, the Shire of Nordmark became the Barony of Nordmark, which became the Principality of Nordmark. The College of Arms doesn't worry about what kind of group a branch is, just that it is an official type of group.

The following items are required to be sent to the Edelweiss office (internal submissions) for an SCA group name.

1. One copy of the name form.
2. A payment of 5EUR, 4GBP, or 50SEK.  Payments in EUR and GBP go to the kingdom bank account; payments in SEK go to the Nordmark bank account.  Note: this is for the original submission. If it is returned, all resubmissions until something passes are free.
3. Documentation in the form of photocopies from reliable books, or printouts from reliable web pages, showing that the name could be a plausible name for a place where human beings lived in our period. This documentation must include evidence from before 1650 C.E. Note: if you use for documentation any of the books or websites on the list at http://heraldry.sca.org./admin.html#APPENDIX_H, you do not have to include photocopies, though you still need to summarize what the sources say.
4. A petition in support of the name, signed either by the majority of the members of the group, or the seneschal and three-quarters of the officers of the group. For groups at the principality level and above, there must also be a poll, conducted in the group's official newsletter, of the populace showing that the populace also supports the submission. The petition must clearly state what the name is that people are approving, and it must say that the people who sign the petition want the submitted name as the name of their group. Note: while the Drachenwald College of Heralds will check for the name for conflicts before sending it out of kingdom, it is a good idea to do so yourself, or ask on the Drachenwald heraldry mailing list or FB group. The College of Arms protects all place names that are important enough to have their own listings in a standard general encyclopedia, such as the Encyclopedia Britannica. That means, for instance, you cannot be the Shire of Warsaw, the Barony of Paris, the Canton of Normandy, etc.

The following is required to be sent to the Edelweiss office (internal submissions) for an SCA group device.

1. One color copy and one black and white outline drawing of the device form.
2. A payment of 4GBP,  5EUR, or 50SEK (see above for where to send the payment).  Note: this is for the original submission. If it is returned, all resubmissions until something passes are free.
3. A petition, signed by the majority of the members of the group, or the seneschal and three-quarters of the officers of the group. For groups at the principality level and above, there must also be a poll, conducted in the group's official newsletter, of the populace showing that the populace also supports the submission. The petition must have a picture of the proposed device, or a clear verbal description of it (preferably both), so it is clear that the people signing the petition are in agreement with the proposed device. Also, the device for an official SCA group must have one or more laurel wreaths as part of the design.

Payment information

Please contact the Edelweiss Herald at or the Kingdom Exchequer at