One Man's Opinion About Heraldry (Not Mine, Obviously!)

David Tang runs an op-ed advice column on The Financial Times, and a recent (November 27, 2015) column had the following, which lets us know pretty much what Mr. Tang thinks about heraldry and coats of arms:

I have recently been awarded an honour for political services. I am told I can now apply to the College of Arms for a coat of arms. The King of Arms says this must include allusions and references to my life and achievements. My entire career has been in mergers and acquisitions, some of which worked and others which didn't. What do you suggest?

In modern life, when will you use your coat of arms? On your signet ring? A bit Sloaney, don't you think? For a seal in wax? "Shurely shome mishtake"! When you are a banker turned politician, I should keep piano about your honour, as there is a presumption of greed among bankers and disingenuousness among politicians. You will more likely become a symbol of contempt than admiration. Besides, it costs £8,000 to register a new coat of arms. That in itself should be sufficient reason for someone who is proud of their honour not to spend such an exorbitant sum to flaunt it.

His views are clearly different from my own on the topic. but I thought it worth sharing with you just to get another point of view on this subject.

To read Mr. Tang's opinion on this, and other topics (for example, eating sandwiches in public), please feel free to drop by the website of The Financial Times at http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/c5129816-8dff-11e5-8be4-3506bf20cc2b.html

Scottish Football and Heraldry, a Bit of Humor

Apropos of the recent articles about the controversy over Ayr United F.C. having to change its logo because of Scotland's heraldic laws, here's a cartoon from last April (http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/airdrieonians-fans-launch-petition-bid-5524556) when the Airdrieonians F.C. were facing the same thing:

You know, under Scottish heraldic law, this could - in theory - happen! The Procurator Fiscal to Lyon Court has the authority to erase unwarranted arms, to "dash them furth of" stained glass windows, and to break unwarranted seals, or to seize movable goods and gear where unwarranted arms are found.

And that's how you enforce the laws of heraldry, by golly! At least in Scotland.

Scottish Football and Heraldry, continued

There were a couple of stories over the weekend about the continuing conflict of the logos of a number of Scottish football ("soccer" in American English; Britain and the United States; "two countries divided by a common language" (attributed to both Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw)) and Scottish heraldic law as enforced by the Office of the Lord Lyon King of Arms.

Naturally, you get the folks who think that "the law is unnecessary,"  and others on the other side who state that "Scotland probably has the best heraldry in the world ... I think that it is something that is worth preserving."

Ayr United, which has received a letter from the Procurator Fiscal, the enforcement arm of the Court of the Lord Lyon, is looking for local help in designing a new logo that will not infringe on the national symbols of Scotland (as the current logo, with the white saltire on the blue field, plainly does).

More information about this ongoing controversy can be found at BBC Sports at http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34882922 , The Daily Record at http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/ayr-united-face-having-ditch-6861133, and Who Ate All The Pies (and isn't that a great name for sports blog) at http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/kits/227915/ayr-united-may-have-to-completely-redesign-their-club-badge-after-falling-foul-of-350-year-old-heraldry-laws.html

Well, you know, just because a law is some 350 years old doesn't mean you can, or should, ignore it.

Though I have to admit, the fact that a fan of a rival football team turned Ayr United in to the Procurator Fiscal seems a bit petty. (It does make me wonder, of which team is that person a fan, and what does that team's logo look like?)

And Now For Something Completely Different

Or, more strictly speaking, Australia's coat of arms' supporters on their day off. This is what they look like when they're at work:

Today, We Mourn With Paris

I do not have the words: Today we mourn for those who died, and we weep for the injured, in the City of Light, Paris.

Article About Oxford University Heraldry

I ran across an interesting article by John Tepper Marlin entitled "What's your blazon?" about the history of the coats of arms of Oxford University and a number of its constituent colleges.  Nicely illustrated, it's well worth a look by the heraldry enthusiast, particularly those with an interest in academic heraldry.

(This image is not from the article, but is an scan of an old postcard with the arms of the University and its colleges.)

You can find a .pdf of the article from Oxford Today at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5QuPgrWYYqRYTk5S09PbS1vak0/view

A New Heraldry Meme

Saw this new meme* the other day on Facebook, and felt that I just had to share.  Enjoy!

* Meme: "A

n element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, especially imitation. A

humorous image, video, piece of text, etc. that is copied (often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by Internet users."

 

I Just Can't Get Away From It

Heraldry, I mean.  It's everywhere I go, every place I look.

No, really!

I was back at work earlier this week after a week's "vacation."  At lunch time, I went into the break room to grab a bite before heading back to my desk.  And there, right on the counter, between the coffee maker and the sink, you'll never guess what I found.

That's right, some more heraldry.

This is a mug with the arms of Ursuline Academy on it, just sitting out there as bold as brass (well, okay, plastic, but still ...)  My guess at a blazon would be: Argent a cross and on a chief gules seven mullets in a representation of the constellation Ursa Major argent.

I had to go on-line (where the above image comes from) to look them up, since all of my children are beyond the ages for which I might be looking for schools for them.  "Ursuline Academy of Dallas is an independent Catholic college preparatory school for young women in grades 9-12."  And, I'm guessing, on of the attorneys at the law firm I work for has a daughter, or daughters, who attend there.  Hence my stumbling across heraldry while simply having lunch.

I know I've said it before, but it continues to be proven to me time and again: "You can find heraldry everywhere!"

Check Out This New Heraldic Website!

A short time ago I'd seen an article on-line about a "new website launched with heraldic database" that contains a lot of Hungarian civic heraldry: national, county, and local; historic and modern.

The article (which you can find on the website of Hungary Today at http://hungarytoday.hu/news/hungarian-coat-arms-new-website-launched-heraldic-database-53181) also noted that this new website and heraldic database is in contention for "Website of the Year 2015," so you know that it got my attention.

I finally got a few spare minutes to go over and check it out, and it was well worth the time!  I'll be going back there on a regular basis, just to look around and see what I can find there.  It will probably take me a while; there does seem to be an awful lot there!  This is going to be fun, and I'm really looking forward to it.

If you'd like to see what I'm talking about, and what they've put up on-line, please go visit the website Magyar Címerek at https://magyarcimerek.hu//  You'll be glad you did.