Heraldry in the News!

There’s a short little story in a recent edition of The Memphis Daily News of Tennessee about an attorney there, Robert Hutton of the law firm Glankler Brown, PLLC, whose “accomplishments earned him and his descendants a coat of arms in [sic; that should be "from"] the United Kingdom’s Royal College of Arms.”

The article spends a lot more time about his background and some of the cases he’s argued as a lawyer,* but does discuss briefly his interest in his family history after his grandfather was diagnosed with cancer, and how as a part of that research he contacted the College of Arms in London to see if there was a family connection to Archbishop of York Matthew Hutton.  Though there was no such connection, the herald – a good salesman – told Mr. Hutton that: “Though you’re not related to the Archbishop of York, having an English background and with your work the Crown would likely grant you arms in your own right.”

So attorney Hutton is now the proud owner of his very own coat of arms, complete, no doubt, though the article has no photographs of either coat of arms or the honorary grant, with its pretty illumination and pendant wax seals.

If you’d like to read more about Mr. Hutton, his work, and his new coat of arms, the article can be found on-line at: http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/nov/24/glanklers-hutton-adds-coat-of-arms-to-resume/


* In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve worked for attorneys for a number of years now, and I may have a more jaded view than most about how impressive it is to argue a case before the Supreme Court of the United States.