AnTir deviceFrequently Asked Questions about the Order of PrecedenceAnTir device


Updated September 5th, 2005 (AS XL)

There are a great many questions about the Order of Precedence. This page is meant to answer some of the more common questions and tell about some of the lesser known features of our Order of Precedence.

What is the goal of the Order of Precedence?
Our goal is an accurate and complete OP. Accurate means that every detail of every entry is correct. Complete means that every person who should be on the OP is there.

Who should be on the OP?
To be eligible to be listed on the An Tir OP, a person must either have received an honor from either An Tir or any of it's branches, or have lived in An Tir

What awards go on the OP?
Any honor given by any SCA branch in the Knowne World go on the OP. Your local branch awards and shire tokens need to be on the OP as well as your Kingdom and Principality awards. Branch sponsered championships are eligible as well.

Can you list all of the information you need about me and my awards?
Certainly! Here's the list:

  • Your SCA name
  • Any alternate SCA names by which you're known
  • The branch you currently live in
  • Any branches that you used to live in
  • Your awards
  • Each award should have:
    • The name of the award
    • The date you received the award
    • The end date of the award if it is a temporary award

What are temporary awards?
Temporary awards are awards that a person holds for a limited amount of time. Examples of these types of awards are the following:

  • King
  • Queen
  • Champion of An Tir
  • Baron
  • Baroness
  • Sergeant

The addition of these awards is a major change and upgrade to the An Tir OP. Feel free to send questions about it to the Dexter Gauntlet Herald at op@antir.sca.org

How are people ranked on the OP?
The two pertinant things for ranking are 1) the rank of the highest award received and 2) the time the award was received. A person who has received a higher award than another person outranks that other person on the OP. If two people have received the same level of award, the person who received that high level award the earliest ranks higher.

If these two things are still tied, the OP database ranks them according to alphabetical order. If both people have the same name (but live in different branches), then the first person entered into the OP database is listed first.

Note that we do not like having tied times in the OP. For one, they are physically impossible and only listed that way out of our ignorance of the actual order people were called into court. If you have more accurate information on the time that a given award was received, please let us know!

My listing is wrong! What can I do?
Lots of things!
First you can follow this link: An Tir OP Corrections Page. There are forms that you can fill out and will be sent directly to the Dexter Gauntlet Herald.
You can also contact your local branch herald. Each branch herald has designated a person to handle the OP. That person can help you.
Finally, you can also contact your area's Dexter Gauntlet deputy (listed below). They are all happy to help you as well!
Simply choose the method that is easiest for you!

How long will I have to wait until the OP is updated?
You should reieve a reply within 2 business days. In that reply, you will be either told that it is done, asked for more information, or told the time frame for processing.

What if I move to a new branch?
We have a new feature in the new OP database just for that. We can track both your current branch and every branch that you've ever lived in. Additionally, you will appear in all of those branch's OPs! So be sure to tell us when you move or if you've lived in other branches in the past.

What name should I use for the OP? Does it have to be my formal name or can I use the one that everyone knows me by?
We have another great feature of the new OP database - aliases! We can save both your formal name, the name that passed the College of Herald's registration process, the name that your buddies know you by, your fighting name, your alternate persona name, and any other names you have. Be sure to tell us about any alternate names you have!

My wife received an award before me, but I'm listed ahead of her on the OP. Can we fix this?
Yes, we can. We can track the moment that you recieved an award right down to the second, if necessary. However, the Dexter Gauntlet office lacks the resources to attend every court and do that, so we rely on you to let us know this part. By default, everyone who recieves an award on a given day is tied for the time they received the award. If you have more accurate information, please let us know!

What if I resign an award?
That's unfortunate, but if that is the case, simply report it to us. Resignations are tracked and reported as well.

None of the forms seem to fit what I need. What do I do?
Send the Dexter Gauntlet Herald mail at op@antir.sca.org .

How many people and awards are in the OP?
As of May 25, 2005, there are 5,314 different people who have received 16,324 different awards in the An Tir OP.

Wow! How can you keep track of all of those people and awards by yourself?
I can't. There's no way that would be even remotely possible!

The Dexter Gauntlet team currently consists of 8 members:
Duchess Duchess Jacyntha Argentarius - Dexter Gauntlet Herald - dexter-gauntlet @ antir.sca.org
HL Quentin Martel - software maintenance - quentin @ shittimwoode.org
HL Dafydd ap Caerfyrddin
- Central - lorddafydd @ comcast.net
HL Yolande Chastellain - Tir Righ - damozel @ telus.net
Viscount Matheus Bane - Summits - saerbane @ msn.com
Master Mordecai Salzer - Avacal - rslansky1 @ shaw.ca
Signeur Jean-Jacques Lavigne - Northern Summits - jean-jacques_lavigne @ comcast.net
Lord Marcus - Western - marcus_solomen @ yahoo.com

In addition, we have a system of contacts among each of the 75+ branches of An Tir to double check the OP and liasons within each of the four Royal Courts.

Do you need any more help?
We're always looking for more help from anyone interested in working on the OP! If you are interested in the exacting work and the breathtaking amounts of detail that working on an OP requires, please drop me a line at op@antir.sca.org .


The Order of Precedence is maintained by: Komitissa Taisiia of Ma Elring, Dexter Gauntlet Herald
This page is an official publication of the office of Dexter Gauntlet Herald, keeper of the Kingdom Order of Precedence, and a Kingdom deputy to Black Lion Principal Herald of An Tir.
Please send all updates and corrections to op@antir.sca.org

SCA Herald's office badge: Vert, two crossed trumpets Or. Back to the An Tir College of Heralds

This is the web site of the An Tir College of Heralds of the Society of Creative Anachronism, Inc.
It is not a corporate publication of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Incorporated, and does not delineate SCA policies.