Reserved charges

Reserved Charges in the SCA are specific charges or devices which have a recognized and specific use within the SCA, usually as a badge of rank or office. Typically, such reservation restricts their use to specific Society-approved instances.

Examples include:

• The laurel wreath, which is reserved for the use of official SCA groups, required to appear somewhere on the arms of all Kingdoms, principalities, baronies, shires, cantons, or colleges.
• Two straight trumpets in saltire, the official badge of heralds, to be displayed only by heralds acting in their official capacity.
• A fleam, a razor-like implement used by surgeons in period. The fleam, in SCA usage, is used to denote a chirurgeon (first-aid volunteers).
• A Pelican in its piety, the emblem of the Order of the Pelican, displayed only by members of that Order.
• Certain cadency marks, such as a label of three points sable, which are exclusively used on Kingdom arms to denote the Crown Prince and Princess.

Reserved charges should not be confused with restricted charges: charges and devices not permitted at all, for various reasons.

For a complete list of reserved charges, please consult the SCA Armorial.