Scandal, Sensation, or Breaking New?

Well, given the date of the manuscript, I don't think it can be truly called "breaking news." Just sayin'.

We all are, or at least, ought to be, familiar with the coat of arms of the City of London:

Usually blazoned Argent a cross and in the first quarter a sword gules.

But someone recently posted in The Heraldry Society Facebook page some images of the Stowe MS 733, where these arms are given as the arms of London, but also showing the "Auncient Armes of London," as seen in "our Lady Church in Audmary", where in place of the sword there is "an ould Romayn L" in the first quarter:

That page goes on to state that John Stowe had seen it in an old seal, and affirmed that it was the sword of St. Paul and not, as some stories say, a reward for the Lord Mayor of London, William Walworth, defending with his sword King Richard II from Peasant's Revolt leader Wat Tyler.

Anyway, I thought this was an interesting development. I haven't seen anything before that has suggested that the charge in the first quarter of the arms of the City of London was anything but a sword. But here we are, looking at an old manuscript that says that once upon a time it was an old Roman "L" (or was it an old Roman "fifty", which is also an "L"?).

As Artie Johnson used to say on the old TV show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, "Verrry interesting."

* I'm probably dating myself with this reference. Yeah, I'm old. Get over it.

Serendipity!

It can be fascinating when fields of study overlap, can't it? Take, for example, the three overlapping areas of heraldry, sigillography, and vexillology. Each of these fields have their own specialized adherents, but there are also a lot of ways in which these three overlap.

Which brings us to today's bit of serendipity.*

A good friend of mine recently sent me a .pdf of a pamphlet entitled "'Good' Flag, 'Bad' Flag", a set of guidelines to designing flags by Ted Kaye of the North American Vexillological Association, wherein are laid out five basic principles of flag design. (This is one place where the overlap between flags and heraldry can come into play; many of the principles of good flag design also apply to good heraldic design.)

But as I saw it, and thought to myself, "I've recently seen something else about this pamphlet. What was it?"

A quick search took me to a YouTube video entitled "Good Flag, Bad Flag: The Limits of Simple Design," by Linus Borman, a critique of the strengths (and some of the weaknesses) of the "'Good' Flag, 'Bad' Flag" pamphlet.

At least part of what Mr. Borman points out reminded me of that line from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, where Barbossa tells Miss Turner, who has invoked the "pirate's code", "the code is more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules."

Anyway, I found it interesting that I came across these two items, from different sources of transmission to me, all in the same week.

You can find Mr. Kaye's pamphlet on-line in several languages at https://nava.org/good-flag-bad-flag, 

and Mr. Borman's video critique at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSzx0k_C6TI

Check 'em out, and see: (1) what you think of them; and (2) how they each can apply to heraldry as well as flags.

* Serendipity can be seen as "good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries."

Heraldry in the News!

Frankly, one of the sub-headlines was a bit of a shocker to me: "A small Spanish town is reportedly considering legal action against Meghan Markle after the Duchess of Sussex unveiled the logo for her latest business venture."

Legal action? Wow! So what's the story here?

It turns out that the Duchess of Sussex is starting up a new venture, called "As Ever," and has created as its logo a design which the village of Porreras in Mallorca says bears a "striking resemblance" to their coat of arms.

Here's what the uproar is all about:

This is the logo of As Ever:

And here is the coat of arms of Porreras, Mallorca, Spain:

So there you have the heart of the issue.

I can think of arguments both that the logo is too similar to the arms, and that the logo, though reminiscent, is sufficiently different from the arms.

But Porreres Mayor Xisca Mora has said that the likeness is “surreal”, and that "[i]t is a total copy," and that the town was deciding whether or not to take legal action against the Duchess, though admitting that they probably can't afford a lawsuit. The mayor believes that Duchess Meghan may have seen the arms during a visit to Mallorca.

For her part, the Duchess says that "comprehensive global searches of registered trademarks were conducted,” so that it shouldn't be an issue.

In any case, you can read some of the news stories about this issue on-line at:

https://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity-life/taken-from-mallorca-meghan-markles-new-logo-bears-striking-resemblance-to-spanish-towns-coat-of-arms/news-story/125ed82b57d13c70f16a4e2ec82d4e08

https://www.majorcadailybulletin.com/news/local/2025/02/21/131383/meghan-markle-royal-rip-off-just-happy-little-coincidence.html

https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/uk-news/2025/02/19/67b5c5c2ca4741bf398b4595.html

https://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity-life/comprehensive-global-searches-were-conducted-meghan-markle-not-worried-about-trademark-issues/news-story/ded6aa0d089eca33437da19f65a73289

https://pagesix.com/2025/02/20/royal-family/spanish-mayor-says-small-town-cant-afford-to-sue-meghan-markle-for-plagiarism-over-as-ever-logo/

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/meghan-markle-accused-copying-spanish-coat-arms-comedy-errors-rebrand

https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/royal-family/meghan-markle-new-brand-logo-spanish-town-b2701762.html

The American President's New Challenge Coin

Challenge coins are "a small coin or medallion that symbolizes membership in an organization. They are often used by the military, law enforcement, and other organizations." They may also be used to signify support for a particular organization, or given out by someone as an informal award to show appreciation and reward excellence.

Well, it has come to my attention that the current President of the United States now has a challenge coin, one which bears a coat of arms.

As you can see, the reverse of this coin bears a coat of arms, with the President's name where a motto scroll would normally be placed.

However, as has been noted before, the arms here are not those of the Trump family, but are a slightly-modified version of the arms granted in 1939 by the College of Arms in London to Joseph Edward Davies, American diplomat and the husband of Marjorie Merriweather Post, from whom Mr. Trump purchased the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as his residence.

Here are images of the Davies arms and the version that Trump has used for several years (which have been further modified by changing the colors of the field and lions, and using lions rampant as opposed to demi-lions, and using a more complete version of his name instead of just the surname, on the coin, above).

I can only assume that Mr. Trump (or more likely, one of the people who works or worked for him) assumed that the arms of Mr. Davies, placed prominently at Mar-a-Lago, were now his property to use as he saw fit. (The Lord Lyon King of Arms had a different "take" on this a few years ago when Mr. Trump built a golf course in Scotland and wanted to use the Davies arms as the course's logo. A new, different coat of arms was then granted by Lyon for the golf course.)

There are a number of articles still available on the internet that discuss the usurpation of Mr. Davies' arms by Mr. Trump. Here are just a few of them:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40097665?fbclid=IwY2xjawIi8uVleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHXuTFCHgD8O6l75Q5eMrWhH27CZh3z_bW0wtPauyP3EUzpGQnbtE4rDLuA_aem_APKrc2eNRUDbEdTrBKgfkA

https://www.rosieburbidge.com/post/trump-and-his-coat-of-arms

https://www.heraldsun.com/news/politics-government/article153198454.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4551060/Coat-arms-used-Trump-properties-rip-off.html

While it is nice to see heraldry still in use today, this instance of it rather begs the question: Do the arms on the challenge coin represent President Trump personally, or do they represent his companies and/or his residence at Mar-a-Lago? I ask only because this modification of the Davies arms seems to have been used both ways.

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 35 - The End

We are now at the end, in more than one way, of our posts of things that you can do with your coat of arms.

It's the end in one way, because this is the final post on this topic.

And it's the end in another way, because we are going to see some of the ways that people use their heraldry after leaving this "vale of tears"; that is, after they die.

We know that it was not uncommon both in Great Britain and on the Continent in past times for a memorial board or hatchment with the coat of arms to be placed in the local church (or on the home) of an armiger who had died, as here:

Well, this kind of armorial memorial continues today. It may not necessarily continue to be hung in the church afterwards; though in some places it still is, as this example from Ghent, Belgium, dated 1930:

But it can also appear temporarily during the funeral service at the head or the foot of the coffin.

And, of course, it may be created in digital format which can be printed on the program of the funeral service and appear in other places, as this one:

Even  more recently, someone posted in a Facebook heraldry group about his "pre-need" hatchments that he created and had printed in two different sizes on metal, all ready for display when his time comes:

Another potential use of heraldry at a funeral might be in an armorial flower arrangement like this one:

Of course, once you have been interred in your final resting place, your grave may be marked with an armorial gravestone. This is also a practice which has a long history. Here is an armorial grave marker from colonial Boston, Massachusetts:

But this practice of armorial grave markers, as with hatchments, is not limited to the past, but continues in use today:

So, as you can see from the examples here, even after you have "shuffled off this mortal coil", you can still be using your coat of arms.

I hope that you have enjoyed this series on What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms, and that you have been inspired by at least some of the examples you have seen here and are looking at ways in incorporate your heraldry more fully into your life.

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 35 - Just for Fun

We're going to finish up the "Just for Fun" section of things you can do with your coat of arms with what many consider to be the ultimate self-identifier: tattooing your heraldry onto your body!

Now, such tattoos can range from the comparatively small and fairly discrete, like this Scottish clan crest:

To something a little larger, say on your upper arm at the shoulder:

Or something on your chest:

Or side:

I will state here for the record, that I do not recommend getting a tattoo of your "family crest" taken off of some on-line bucket shop heraldry website, since the odds are very great that the coat of arms shown there is in fact not your family's coat of arms, but is the arms of someone whose surname you share. Just sayin'.

You can also go for a full "sleeve" with your arms:

Regarding this last, you may note that some of the hallmarks of the bucket shop heraldist is the oft-times generic crest of ostrich feathers, and placing the surname in what would normally be the motto scroll. Once again, Don't Do This! If you are going to go to that much time, money, trouble (and physical pain), however impressive it may look when it is done, people knowledgeable about heraldry are going to shake their heads and mutter "Tsk, tsk" under their breath because, once again, the odds that this is not your family's coat of arms, but the arms of some other family with whom you share a surname.

And then, of course, you can pretty much go "whole hog" and have your arms (or, as in this example, someone else's arms; again, note the clues that this depiction came from another bucket shop heraldist) tattooed across your entire back:

So, as I said, the ultimate self-identifier, just for fun!

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 34 - Just for Fun

The past few years have made many of us much more aware of the importance of Personal Protective Equipment in helping to keep ourselves safer from diseases like Covid-19 or the flu.

Of course, if we are wearing certain PPEs, like a face mask, for example, then we may find ourselves in the same situation as 12th Century knights; a situation where a face covering, whether a helmet with a nasal or a visor, or a face mask, makes identification of the wearer more difficult.

And the answer to that situation, we are told, was the introduction of personal identifying marks -- coats of arms -- in the late 12th Century.

And I believe that this same answer may serve us today. That is to say: Use your heraldry on a mask!

Ideally, it would be your personal coat of arms, as in these two examples:

But I have seen examples using a Scottish clan crest:

Or the arms of a city or town:

Or of a state:

And even home-sewn masks made from fabric that had been printed with coats of arms:'

Alas, this last one was lost when I went to see a movie in the local theater, and since the theater was sparsely attended, I took off the mask for the movie and at some point it fell on the floor and I didn't notice it being missing until after I got home. So this heraldic mask is no more.

But still, I think you get the idea here. You can identify yourself (or if you prefer, proclaim yourself) to others by using heraldry in places where it is either recommended or mandated that you wear this modern equivalent of a helmet's faceplate.

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 33 - Just for Fun

Continuing our potpourri of "just for fun" ideas with what to do with your heraldry, here are a few more possibilities:

Are you a musician? Do you play a guitar? Have you thought of putting your coat of arms on it?

Or you could carry your arms with you wherever you go, as the background screen on your smartphone:

Or travel further afield, with your heraldry on a luggage tag:

You'll be able to recognize your luggage on any airport carousel like that!

Or you could make sure that your child (or children, if you, as I do, have more than one) is instantly recognizable on their way to and from school:

Next time, we'll look at a fun place to use your heraldry in a very practical way for these modern times. See you then!

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 32 - Just for Fun

So here we are, deep in the depths of winter in the northern hemisphere of our planet.

Did you know that there's a season-appropriate fun way to use your coat of arms? Try carving them into an ice sculpture, like this one from Gällivare, Sweden!

And speaking of carving, there's always pumpkin carving here in late October, which can also be done as a display of heraldry (although this example was found in St. Andrews, Scotland):

Have you considered how much fun it might be to create a coat of arms in Legos?

Or by placing heraldry on Legos figures, specifically knights, as one person did a while back representing the American Heraldry Society Board of Directors:

Or, for that matter, you could create an image of yourself bearing your coat of arms as a modern "knight" on a motorcycle rather than on a horse:

As I said, "just for fun"!

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 31 - Just for Fun

Where else can you use your coat of arms "just for fun"?

How about in sports of various kinds? For example, on sports equipment:

Yes, I know that the image above is of the game we Americans call "football", which is not the same as the game that everyone else calls "football".

Still, it's the use of heraldry in sports equipment that we're discussing here, not what to properly call any specific sport.

Then, of course, there is a typically British sport where one can use their coat of arms. Here, on the uprights of a cricket wicket:

Many people play golf. Did you know that you can buy a stamp that will mark your golf balls with your coat of arms:

Darts, the target game, too, can be a display of heraldry. (Though you probably shouldn't use the arms of the Lord Lyon King of Arms of Scotland, as this dart board cabinet does. Just sayin'.)

And there are more shooting competitions than just darts, too.

For those of an age younger than me (because I'm too old to start skateboarding now), you might consider these two different ways of placing a coat of arms on a skateboard deck.

This one is laser-carved into the deck:

While this one is painted (or possibly is a decal) which has then been overpainted with a sealant:

I have no doubt that you can find ways of incorporating your coat of arms into whatever sport you prefer to participate in.

What Can I Do With My Coat of Arms? Part 30 - Just for Fun

Do you have a pet? Or pets? A dog, or cat, hamster, ferret, or other critter? Or critters?

Have you thought that there may be ways of using your coat of arms with it/them?

As just one example to start, on the pet's shelter:

Or is that a little much?

Still, there are other appropriate uses. For example, a dog (or cat) tag:

Or a feeding station:

You could even dress your pet up in something like this:

And if you are lucky (and rich) enough to own horses, then there are:

Saddle blankets,

and decorative horse harness:

And of course you could always decorate your saddle similarly to the ones we saw on motorcycle seats in Part 28.

With a horse (or horses), you also have the opportunity to go all in and deck yourself out as a fully-armored medieval or Renaissance knight, complete with shield and crest!

So when you are thinking of ways to use your coat of arms, remember your animal friends.