[Artemisia] Heraldry question

[yinmeili at ida.net]

Rebecca asked

> What is the heraldic symbol for the sheriff's office?

According to the on-line Ordinary and Armorial, there is no SCA-wide
sheriff's or constable's badge registered at this time.

There are some non-Artemisian kingdom-level badges.  However, Artemisia
isn't likely to get such a badge registered because we list our kingdom
sheriff as part of the Seneschalate
(http://www.artemisia.sca.org/regnum.htm#seneschal), the Seneschal's
Office has an SCA-wide badge, and Laurel Sovereign of Arms no longer
registers badges for lesser offices if a higher office already has a
registered, SCA-wide badge.

> Or is
> there some other badge that should be worn by security volunteers?

The seneschal's badge (Gules, a key fesswise Or) is probably the most
proper badge, but we might need to educate some as to its meaning in this
context.

Alternatively, you could follow the practice of groups that prefer to
place both the relevant officer badge and their group's arms or populace
badge on volunteer baldrics.  Just don't quarter the arms.

Then there's another idea.  At one time, some group used a cheap,
ready-made pin that could be placed on garb, with or without baldric.  But
then there were complaints about it being too modern.  You judge. 
Heraldically, it's best described as, "(Fieldless) On a mullet argent the
word 'sheriff' ".

Yours in service,
-- Yin Mei Li, acting Golden Pillar