[Note from 12 Mar 2013. I did not have time to photograph the scroll before it was given out, and due to one thing and another, it was just over three years later before I got photographs. I saw it again for the first time tonight, and I'm not sure I believe that I did that. It's simply gorgeous. I'm so happy with it.]
This is a Pelican scroll for my dear friend Uncle Mikey, back in Northshield. I was extremely honored to be asked by his Pelican if I wanted to do the scroll, and was also extremely happy to be part of a cunning plan (which involved two trans-Atlantic flights in three days, less than a week after I returned to Europe from my visit to the US for Christmas, and staying at his house) to be present at his elevation and speak for him on behalf of the College of Arms.
I did the scroll over the course of about 2 hours the night of Jan. 5, 3 on Jan. 6, and 12 straight on Jan. 7 to finish it up. For awhile I thought I'd need to go to the event with it unfinished, and then bring it back home with me and then mail it to him when it was done, but around about 11:30pm on Thursday I told myself "oh, go on, you can finish it!" and I kept working until it was done. (Which meant that I then spent much of the time I spent in airports on Friday, and Friday evening at his place, sewing on my garb, which didn't get finished on time.)
The text is based on one of the grants of arms listed here, and reads:
To all true and gentle people these present lettres readinge heareing or seeing We, Siegfried and Elizabeth, King and Queen of all of Northshield, and Tanczos Istvan otherwise called Wreath King of Arms sendeth due and humble comendacons and greetinge. Equity willeth and reason ordaineth that men vertuous and of noble courage be by theire merritts renowned & rewarded and one such person is Baron Mulmichell M'Gillepedire, gentleman, Lord of the Purple Fret, the Dragon's Heart, and the Northern Cross. So that not only in his person in this mortal life soe breife and transitory but alsoe in his good name & fame to be of noble memory after his departure out of this life and to be in euery place of honor before other persons euer more reuerenced, and recomended for shewinge of certeyne signs and tokens of honor and Gentellnes to the Inent that by his Ensamples other persons may the sooner and the more enforce & apply themselues to dispend the liues in honoble workes and vertuous deeds for to purchase and get thereby the renowne of antient gentlenesse in ye lynes and posterity for euer more and therefore we the sayd King and Queen aforementioned have by thactoryte and poure of our rank made the said Mulmichell a member of the most noble Order of the Pelican and haue ordained and assigned vnto and for the same Mulmichell to him and his posterity the right to bear such armes as he shall register with the College of Arms and which will appeareth more plainely below. To haue and to hold the same armes to the sayd Mulmichell and his honor peaceably without challenge or interrupcon for euermore we the sayd King of Arms by the Authority & power to myne Office annexed and Attributed, haue confirmed his right by letters pattent and we the aforesaid King and Queen have caused these present letters to be drawn up by Aryanhwy merch Catmael otherwise called Pelican Queen of Arms, and in witness whereof we all have signed these presents with our own hands at Nordskogen the 9th day of the month of January in the ye ar of the society 44.
The design is based on a grant of arms made to the Worshipful Company of Saddlers in 1585. The original grant was destroyed in 1666, but a reconstruction of the original was made in 1989. The image above is the image I had to work from (yeah, small, isn't it?) and I'm fairly sure that it's been accidentally reversed, since the 'T' should be on the right-hand side. This was my first successful attempt at doing a miniature; it's a King of Arms, wearing the arms of the Society.
The scroll was done with guache and Parker's fountain pen ink on deerskin vellum; the vellum was a gift from Queen Judith of Drachenwald as thanks for all the scribing that I had done during her reign. I'd been saving it for a special use and as soon as I was asked to do Mikey's scroll I knew immediately that was it.
© 2010, Sara L. Uckelman.
