Heraldry in the News!

Well, there has been quite a kerfuffle* recently, at least in the on-line world of heraldry, about the announcement that Canada had created a new crown to go with its coat of arms, in conjunction with the coronation of its titular head, King Charles III.

The crown has been changed from the representation of St. Edward's crown used for many years to a different, more uniquely Canadian one, based on the Tudor crown which the new King prefers, and changing out some of the symbols on it (e.g., replacing the crosses paty and fleurs-de-lis on the rim with maple leaves, replacing the orb at the top with a snowflake, etc.).

Here is a copy of one of the announcements with a comparison between the previous and new crowns:

Reaction amongst the denizens of the internet has been immediate and varied, with opinions ranging from "A new crown for the Dominion of Canada has just been unveiled. Perfectly hideous in my humble opinion" to "This is just more woke madness" and "It's more appropriate for the weak minded today... it's topped with a snowflake!" to "This move isn’t about making the crown look more Canadian. That’s a red herring. It’s actually an attack on religion" to "I must say, that I am in total disagreement with the new design of the 'Canadian Crown' by the Government." One headline to a newspaper story on the crown went so far as to say: "Trudeau’s culture war on Canada’s symbols erases history."

Others, somewhat less negative, have pointed out that "the King personally approved the new design for Canada" and that "In place of the orb and cross at the top of the crown is a stylized snowflake, a reference to Canada being a northern realm. It was inspired by the Canadian Diadem, a coronet of maple leaves and snowflakes designed as a heraldic symbol in 2008 and used for honours insignia. The stylized snowflake makes a direct connection with the insignia of the Order of Canada,** one of our country’s highest honours, of which The King is the sovereign."

While there certainly may be some legitimate concerns about the crown ("there was no public consultation — as there was for our flag in the early 60s; that’s principally what I object to. (On the other hand, we all know what a horse designed by a committee looks like!)", it certainly looks to me like many, or even most, of the complaints are coming from people who are not, in fact, Canadians, and hence "have no dog in this fight".

That said, far be it from me to tell people they can't, or shouldn't, express their opinions of the new Canadian crown. However, it seems to me that those opinions can be stated without resorting to inflammatory language: "perfectly hideous" (Really? Have you seen some of the actual crowns that have been used in history? Ask me about the one the Venetians created for the Ottoman Emperor sometime); "woke madness" (can someone please give me a decent definition of "woke"? I've heard the term used to apply to too many different things to be able to comprehend what it is actually supposed to mean, beyond being a "dog whistle"); "more appropriate for the weak minded" (truly?); "an attack on religion" (How? Whose religious liberties are being attacked by this change?); and, of course, it "erases history" (what history is being "erased"? The crown traditionally used by Canadian monarchs? As one writer noted: "It’s worth pointing out that the St. Edward’s Crown wasn’t really 'traditional'. Traditionally the 'Tudor crown' now used by King Charles was used for the arms of the King in right of Canada. It was only at the accession of Elizabeth II 71 years ago that the crown was changed to match the one she preferred to use on her arms. Only because she had an extraordinarily long reign did that crown come to be seen by many as 'traditional'…but it wasn’t").

And there have even been few who had an initial negative reaction to the crown but have come to have it "grow on them" in a more positive way.

Anyway, it's been in the news lately, and I thought it worth talking about, and hopefully lowering the temperature of the rhetoric just a bit.




* Kerfuffle: a disturbance or commotion typically caused by a dispute or conflict. Fuffle is an old Scottish verb that means “to muss” or “to throw into disarray”—in other words, to (literally) ruffle someone’s (figurative) feathers.

** The Order of Canada is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. The medal of the Order is the snowflake which appears atop the new crown.

Heraldry in the News! (And Where I Take Issue With a Quote)

There's a recent (June 8, 2022) article on the website of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation about the acquisition by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick, of a large (2 meter, or about 6 feet for my American readers) heraldic stained glass window.

The window was originally installed in 1919 in the Union Street Baptist Church in St. Stephen. However, that building was demolished a few years ago. The church is moving to a new building, and called in a specialist in stained glass restoration, who "discovered" the window as he was restoring the others from the church. As there was no place for this window in the new church building, permission was given to find it a new home. The Beaverbrook Art Gallery was happy to receive it.

The window consists of a landscape and the coat of arms of New Brunswick, and is dedicated to candy-company co-founder and former New Brunswick Lt-Gov. Gilbert White Ganong, who died after less than a year in that office in 1917.

At any event, it's a beautiful piece of stained glass art, not less because of the heraldry it contains. You can read more about this window, its vicissitudes, and its new home on-line at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/beaverbrook-gallery-stained-glass-1.6481926

However, I do have to take issue with one quote from the article. John Leroux, manager of collections and exhibitions at the Gallery, is quoted as saying that "You rarely see heraldry in things like this in church windows."

That may be true enough in Canada; I have not been inside enough churches in Canada to be able to say. But it is most certainly not true of churches in Europe! In support of which statement, I will leave you with the following few representative examples taken in cathedrals and local churches in Scotland, England, Sweden, and Belgium:

Changes at the Canadian Heraldic Authority

The Governor General of Canada announced today (May 20, 2020) the appointment of Samy Khalid as the new Chief Herald of Canada, and the appointment of Claire Boudreau (the former Chief Herald) as Margaree-Chéticamp Herald Emeritus.

This photo of Dr. Boudreau and Dr. Khalid was taken in 2014.

Dr. Khalid is the third Chief Herald of Canada since the founding of the Canadian Heraldic Authority in 1988, the first being Robert Watt and the second Claire Boudreau.

The Governor General's announcement of these new appointments can be found on-line at: https://www.gg.ca/en/media/news/2020/governor-general-announces-appointment-new-chief-herald-canada?fbclid=IwAR0YsdiToK05Q3VBZzXY_XWUCtmuogI1xkDDT5p8n_N_zW7gzreQNOVWt3w

An Heraldic Stray in Scotland?

Continuing our tour of St. Cuthbert's Church in Dalmeny, Scotland, we ran across this 1985 grant of arms from Lord Lyon King of Arms Malcolm Innes of Edingight.

It's a grant of municipal arms to the Town of Dalmeny, blazoned as Per fess vert and azure on a fess between two primroses or and a thistle argent a cross anchory between two garbs or. The crest is A lion's jambe gules maintaining a prairie lily slipped and leaved proper. (The blazons give here are my own, and not Lord Lyon's, and follows the more modern convention of repeating tinctures where needed in the blazon, rather than using the sometimes confusing "of the last" and "of the first.")

It was when I was reading more carefully through the text of the grant that it struck me that this was not a grant to the town of Dalmeny, Scotland, where we were visiting St. Cuthbert's Church, but the town of Dalmeny, Saskatchewan, Canada! Apparently I had completely overlooked the little plaque below the shield stating quite clearly:

Presented To
Dalmeny, Scotland
by
Dalmeny, Saskatchewan, Canada

So, not an "heraldic stray," exactly, but a gift from the grantee to its namesake town in Scotland.

And just how cool is that?

Heradry Workshop This Weekend

If you are going to be in the vicinity of New Westminster, British Columbia (a suburb of Vancouver) this weekend, you might sign up for and attend one of two heraldry workshops being hosted by local heraldic artist and graphic designer Allan Ailo.

(Hmm. Gray hair? Check. Glasses? Check. Gray beard? Semi-check. Handsome, dapper fellow? Check. Gosh, he reminds me a lot of me!)

I'd run across the announcement for these workshops in an article which asked a few heraldry-related trivia questions: Who trusted in God first, New Westminster or the United States of America? (Answer: New Westminster, in 1860.) How many animals on New Westminster's coat of arms? (The article says four. Well, it's really five (of three types): two lions, a bear, and two salmon.) (The image below is from the website of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.)

Anyway, it looks to be both informative and fun. If I were in the area, I'd make a (free) reservation for it in a heartbeat. But I'm not, so that leaves an extra slot open for you!

The full article and further information about these workshops can be found on the website of The New Westminster Record at http://www.newwestrecord.ca/community/who-trusted-in-god-first-new-westminster-or-the-usa-1.2164445

You should go; it looks like it'll be a lot of fun!

What Is It With Davids and Heraldry?

Is there something about the genetic makeup of people named David that brings them to an interest in heraldry?  Is there something about being named David that causes one to develop a liking for coats of arms?

Those are probably questions without any real answers, except maybe "no."  I don't know of anything about people whose given name is David which would lead them into this somewhat arcane field as an interest.

What brought on this particular musing was a recent (September 16, 2015) article on myKawartha.com about Peterborough, Ontario, Canada resident David Rumball.  I know David from his membership and participation in the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, of which I am also a member.  However, I don't happen to live in Canada, so he gets to be a lot more active in the Society than I do.  Indeed, he just stepped down this year after a two-year tenure as the RHSC President.

I especially remember one of the annual RHSC meetings which I attended where Mr. Rumball, David Cvet (another past RHSC President) and I billed ourselves as "The Three Davids."  Ah, good times!

Anyway, it's a really nice article about a really great guy who just happens to share a given name and an interest in heraldry with little ol' me.  (That's a picture of him with the grant of his coat of arms from the Canadian Heraldic Authority above.)  If you'd like to know more about David Rumball, you can read the entire biographical article at http://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/5841677-peterbio-david-rumball/

160 Years of Heraldic Meanings

I didn't run across this November 21, 2014 article (The Ottawa Citizen's "Ottawa's coat of arms - a mix of local symbolism and ancient tradition") until very recently, but found it to be of interest for a several reasons.

First, it gave a nice overview of the origin and changes to the arms of the City of Ottawa in Canada over the 160 years since its founding.

Second, it's not often that you can find detailed explanations for all of the charges on a coat of arms, and this article does that.  (For a greater discussion of the difficulty of determining the meaning of charges in heraldry, see the Most Frequently Asked Questions page at Francois Velde's Heraldica website, http://www.heraldica.org/faqs/mfaq)

Third, it has a picture of a large metal sculpture which is an interpretation of the City's achievement of arms that doesn't slavishly follow the original artist's depiction of the arms, as so many people seem to think needs to happen.

The City turns 160 this year, and it's current coat of arms turns 60.  So 2015 is a banner year for both the city and its coat of arms, and this article and accompanying narrated video is a nice adjunct to that.  If you'd like to learn more about the City's history and its coats of arms, this article can be found on-line at http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/king-ottawas-coat-of-arms-a-mix-of-local-symbolism-and-ancient-tradition-with-video

Canada's Royal Arms

As with the post from last Monday noting a website that gave the various versions of the arms of the City of Paris over the years, here's a webpage that gives the history - through several different iterations, some of them pretty complex - of the changes to the coat of arms, not of a city this time, but of an entire nation.

The webpage "The Royal Arms of Canada - a Short History (http://www.heraldry.ca/misc/coatArmsCanada.htm) gives the history of the arms of Canada from its inception as a Dominion in 1867 through the arms as they exist at present.

And here is a rendition of the arms as they are used currently (the red and gold band circling the shield bears the motto of the Order of Canada, Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam, "They desire a better country").  Note how the mantling around the helm is in the form of red and white maple leaves.  (If you're going to use a motif, like Canada does with maple leaves, then you really can't have too many.  Or as someone once said, "Nothing succeeds like excess.")

Enjoy!

Oh, Dear!

A friend recently shared a bit of heraldry he had run across, partly because he knew I would be interested in it, and partly because, as he said when I told him "now I'll have to go find something else to look at to try to erase it from my mind this morning,"  that "misery loves company."

You may, perhaps share some of my feelings about this particular piece of armory.  As I told Tim, "Well, it's almost official heraldry.  Knowing that does not improve it."

It is, of course, with a few differences, the arms of the Commonwealth of Canada from 1907 to 1924, consisting of the arms of the nine provinces all placed together on a single shield.  (Quarterly of nine, although because each of the nine shields also has a chief, or something that could be mistaken for a chief, it looks a lot more complex.)

The arms in the center of the shield (fess point, if you will), are not quite the arms of British Columbia at that time.  The College of Arms in London had said in 1905 that the Union Flag should be on the chief, while the barry wavy argent and azure should be on the body of the shield; they are reversed here, as they had been earlier before the College stepped in and told them to fix it.  Additionally, the Canada Dry arms rearrange the positions of Prince Edward Island, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

There's a very nice web page at http://www.loeser.us/flags/canada_note_2.html that gives a history of the coat of arms of Canada as they appear on flags from 1868 to the present, with illustrations of each iteration.

Nothing on that page, however, explains why Canada Dry has placed a vicount's coronet atop the shield.  As was said a number of times in the movie Shakespeare In Love, "It's a mystery."

Herald in the News!

It’s always especially fun to run across an article about someone I know.  I first met Frederick G. “Fred” Brownell of South Africa in 1996 when we each attended the International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences that was held in Ottawa, Canada that year.

Our paths crossed again by mail a little later when, having been invited to attend 1997’s International Congress of Vexillology but being unable to go, my wife Jo Ann and I obtained and sent to him for the Congress a U.S. flag that had been flown over the Capitol Building in Washington DC and a Texas state flag that had been flown over the State Capitol Building in Austin, Texas, along with a U.S. flag lapel pin for him.  A while later I had another opportunity to write him that I had wanted to acquire a copy of his book, National and Provincial Symbols of the Republic of South Africa, but hadn’t been able to find one anywhere at the time, and inquiries to his publisher had received no response, and could he tell me where I could purchase a copy.  (I received an autographed copy from him at the following Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences in Besançon, France by way of the Deputy State Herald, Marcel van Rossum, who was attending that year’s conference in his stead.)

We met up with Fred again a while later at the Congresses in Dublin in 2004, which he attended along with his daughter Heather, and in Quebec City in 2008.  He is the sweetest man, intelligent, knowledgeable about both heraldry and his greater love, flags, and I could, and probably did, listen to him for hours.

Here’s a picture of Fred and Marcel (the tall fellow on the right), along with Jo Ann (next to Napoleon)and myself and a friend of ours from Chicago, Bess Schulmeister (on the right), just after we’d all had lunch together at a restaurant, The Napoleon, in Quebec City.  We decided we just had to get our picture taken with the great man for whom the restaurant was named, don’t you know.

Anyway, with all that as background, it was a thrill earlier this week to run across an article (dated April 26, 2014) on the BBC News Magazine website about him entitled “Fred Brownell: The man who made South Africa's flag.”  Fred designed the current flag of South Africa (as well as the flag of Namibia.  He's a prolific and talented man).  It’s a great article, because not only does it give you an idea of some of the character of the man, but it gives the history and evolution of the design that was eventually accepted as the nation’s new flag, which is not something that I heard him ever talk much about.  (He’s really a very humble person, although you could tell that he was proud that his design had become the official flag of his country.)

So anyway, please feel free to click on the link here and learn a little more about Fred Brownell, formerly the State Herald of South Africa, designer of the flags of two countries, and a really, really nice guy, at http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27155475

Article: Canadian Heraldry Is "Visually Stunning" and "Fun"

Well, at least according to a recent article in the National Post.

Tristin Hopper's article about Canadian heraldry (you may have seen links to it on Facebook; at least three different people I know of discussed it there) appeared in the on-line version of the Post on March 27, is a great overview of heraldry, and how it is prospering in Canada.

The author seems particularly taken by the innovative monsters often used as supporters to Canadian grants of arms, such as the winged sea-caribou in the arms of the Federal Court, above, as well as the use of aboriginal or First Nations symbols and motifs.

The article is profusely illustrated with examples, most screenshots taken from the Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges which can be found on-line at the website of the Governor General.  Mr. Hopper clearly did a fair bit of research and interviewed Claire Boudreau, the Chief Herald of Canada, and David Cvet, past President of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada.  There is also a short (albeit somewhat awkwardly phrased) quote from the author of this blog.

I also found the comments and discussions among some of the readers in the commentary section below the article to be of interest.  Many seem to feel that the Canadian Heraldic Authority is doing a great job of keeping heraldry alive and "fun" in the 21st Century.  Indeed, one commenter, Robert Addington, noted that a personal acquaintance of his, John Brooke-Little, believed that heraldry should be fun.  Indeed, a quote I am fond of recalling appears in Mr. Brooke-Little's An Heraldic Alphabet and states: "You can study heraldry until you are azure ... in the face but inevitably discover, from time to time, that you really are quite vert.... I have found this over and over again but, never forget, herein lies the fun and if heraldry ever ceases to be fun - chuck it."  Sage advice from a great herald.

If you would like to see Mr. Hopper's article about how visually stunning -- and fun -- Canadian heraldry is, the full article can be seen on-line at: http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/03/27/how-canada-became-home-to-some-of-the-worlds-more-visually-stunning-and-fun-heraldry/

New Heraldry in the News!

The town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has unveiled its new coat of arms recently, on the 200th anniversary of the razing of the town by American forces during the War of 1812.  (I remember, years ago - we won't discuss just how many years ago - driving through Canada on our way from Michigan to Massachusetts and seeing a brochure depicting the burning of a town - possibly this one - by American forces during the War of 1812, and noticed that the Americans portrayed in it seemed to be wild-eyed and all had sharpened pointy teeth!)

The arms, though too new to appear yet in the on-line Public Register of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, appear on the flag which was granted the town at the same time.

It is a beautifully simple coat of arms, and I have to commend both the town and the Canadian Heraldic Authority for the design.  (Though I know a few individuals who will probably quibble about the use of fimbriation outlining the bend to avoid the use of color on color.)

You can read more about the unveiling of the arms and flag by the Right Rev. Ralph Spence, Niagara Herald Extraordinary, as well as get a good idea of what the full achievement of arms looks like from the explanations of the various elements of it in the "Fact Box" with the article, on-line at the website of the Niagara Advance at http://www.niagaraadvance.ca/2013/12/12/town-unveils-new-flag-coat-of-arms

Heraldic News on Facebook

Chief Herald of Canada Dr. Claire Boudreau posted this announcement on Facebook on Tuesday about the milestone reached by the Canadian Heraldic Authority:

As Chief Herald, I am delighted to announce that the entire Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada is now available online, with the launch of the first 200 pages of Volume VI, which were preceded this past summer by the earliest volumes of the Public Register. From now on, as the Register grows with time, its online version will be updated twice a year. To have the online Register up-to-date has been a long-term goal of the heralds, and it is fitting that this achievement has transpired during the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Canadian Heraldic Authority. I send my warmest congratulations to all who have made this possible.

You can access pages 2-200 of Volume VI at: http://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/regVolume.asp?lang=e&RegVolume=VI

And, of course, the entire Public Register can be consulted from: http://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/main.asp?lang=e

I think congratulations are in order for all of those who have worked so long and so hard to make this idea - that of a truly "public" heraldic register - become a reality.

Canadian Heraldry in the News!

The Canadian city of Sault Ste. Marie turned 100 last year, and has decided as a part of that celebration to get itself a new coat of arms.

And why wouldn't you want to change their current "logo" above, after all?  (Wait, is that American Indian supporter really bearing a bulls-eye target on his shield?  Not to mention the unauthorized use of the Royal crown.  Oh, my.)

After talking about making such a change twice before, in 2003 and 2007, the City Council formed a Coat of Arms Committee which, in conjunction with the Canadian Heraldic Authority has been looking at ideas for a new design.  Some of what they've come up with includes: several elements which acknowledge Sault Ste. Marie's culture, history, geography and wildlife; the motto "Ojibwa Kitche Gumeeng Odena," identifying the community as a First Nations meeting place; the St. Marys River Rapids, the lock, depictions of whitefish and the fur trade, the steel and forestry industries, the Clergue Block House and Maple leaves.  (Hmm, is the new coat of arms going to be any better than the old "logo"?  Oh, dear, that's a lot of stuff to be throwing on and around the shield.)  The new coat of arms' colors will be blue (water), grey (steel) and gold.  All these recommendations (and a few others) were approved by Council at its July 15 meeting.

The full story of this upcoming change to the City's "branding," entitled "What's blue, grey and gold, costs about $5,000?" can be found on the website of SooToday.com at http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/details.asp?c=60245

Heraldry in the News

But, apparently, not all that newsworthy.

Or, maybe it's newsworthy, but neither controversial nor interesting.

In a story on July 11 in the Niagara-On-The-Lake Town Crier, it was noted that at a public meeting at Niagara-On-The-Lake to get input from the public on the town's updated coat of arms and flag, only half a dozen people showed up, none of whom were the town councilors.

So, apparently, as the process of obtaining a grant of arms and a flag from the Canadian Heraldic Authority nears its end, nobody cares.

Or, what I hope is more the case, no one has any real objections to the design.

In any event, you can read the full article with more details and additional background, as well as quotes from Albion Herald Extraordinary Bishop Ralph Spence, on-line on the website of NiagaraThisWeek.com at http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/3887787-poor-turnout-for-flag-consultation/

Happy Birthday, CHA!

The Canadian Heraldic Authority turned 25 years old this month.  And Canada Post/Postes Canada is celebrating that milestone by issuing a stamp which features the arms and crest of the Authority, and which can be purchased with a special commemorative envelope with the full achievement of arms (with the raven-bear supporters) of the CHA.

It's nice to see a celebration of Canadian heraldic art in this way.

More information, as well as the opportunity to buy one (or more) of these envelopes for yourself, can be found on Canada Post's website at http://www.canadapost.ca/shop/stamp-collecting/commemorative-envelopes/p-341951.jsf;CPO_JSESSIONID=8ycXRyQHwDQW112d4gyTccGlLyGbVSqxDC9TCwSfySd6symVwvZG!-2067945754?execution=e1s1

Heraldry in the News!

There was a nice article recently in the pages of The Whig-Standard (through its on-line edition) about recent repairs to, and a history of, the large (8' x 5' with its wooden base, and weighing 400 pounds) embroidered coat of arms (though the paper incorrectly calls it a "crest") of Queen's University at Kingston in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.  For those of you interested in a history of the university, founded in 1841, you can see more, as well as another rendition of the university's arms, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_University

The creator of the embroidered coat, Carolyn Pickering, is shown above doing a little repair work on it.  She originally created it over the course of three months some 40 years ago as a dramatic centerpiece for some of the activities of the University, such as convocations.

The full story, and more details about the embroidered coat of arms, its history, and how many men it takes to move it, can be found on-line at http://www.thewhig.com/2013/04/28/queens-crest-heavy-on-history

Ex Fructibus

There's a nice article about heraldic mottoes from August 25, 2012, over the on the website of Canada's National Post entitled "Words to live by (or at least to have translated into Latin)" by Jane Macdougall.  Included with the article is a rendition of the arms of Governor-General David Johnston along with his motto, Contemplare meliora, or "To envisage a better world."

I could repeat a lot of what Ms. Macdougall says, but what would be the point?  I'd just be copying her words.  Why not go read them for yourself?  You can find the full article at: http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/08/25/words-to-live-by-or-at-least-to-have-translated-into-latin/

Enjoy!

Oh, and the title of this post?  It's a short version of my own motto, which in full is: Ex fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos, roughly, By their fruits shall you know them.  It's a play off my surname (Appleton), as well as the three apples on the coat of arms and apple tree for a crest.  That's one of the fun things about being a herald of sorts, you get to play around with your own heraldry and getting all of the pieces to work together.

Heraldry in the News!

An article in My Town Crier dated August 22, 2012, is a brief look at Donald Black of Don Valley Village in Canada, a former attorney who now carves coats of arms as a hobby. (Large coats of arms; the heraldic panels with him in the photographs in the article appear to be about 4' x 4'.)

He says that some of his favorite pieces include those he has done for Osgoode Hall, Upper Canada College and the personal coat of arms he carved for former governor general Michaëlle Jean.  That piece is now displayed in a public school in Ottawa bearing her name.  “She said it was so impressive it would just be a shame if she kept it in her home,” he said. “She felt it should be on public display.”  The rendition just below of Ms. Jean’s coat of arms can be found in the Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges on the website of the Canadian Heraldic Authority at: http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=929&ProjectElementID=3456

He clearly does some very nice work!  The full article about Mr. Black and his heraldic carvings, entitled “Hand carving coats-of-arms is his passion,” can be found on-line at: http://www.mytowncrier.ca/hand-carving-coats-of-arms-is-his-passion.html

Heralds’ Heraldry at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant

There was a terrific display of the arms and badges of the heralds – of England, Scotland, and Canada – at the Jubilee Pageant on June 3.

In this photograph, for example, we have banners of, from left to right, the badge of Lancaster Herald, the arms of Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, and the arms of Garter Principal King of Arms, all from the College of Arms in London.

In this shot of the boat carrying the heralds preceding the Queen’s barge down the Thames (among whom are two of our Canadian friends Robert Watt (wearing sunglasses), Rideau Herald Emeritus, and Darrel Kennedy, Assiniboine Herald, and one of our Scottish friends, Elizabeth Roads, Snawdoun Herald and Lyon Clerk, standing next to Rob), we have, on the upper level (again, from left to right): the badges of Arundel Herald Extraordinary, Maltravers Herald Extraordinary, York Herald, Portcullis Pursuivant, and as in the picture above, Lancaster Herald, and the arms of Norroy and Ulster King of Arms and Garter Principal King of Arms, all of the College of Arms.

On the lower level (left to right) we have: the badge of Canada's Fraser Herald, and the arms of the Canadian Heraldic Authority (acting as the badge for the Chief Herald).  I can’t see quite enough of the emblems on the other banners to unequivocally identify them from this photo.  (Curse you, BBC!  You couldn't have panned down a little?)

The website for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant (http://www.thamesdiamondjubileepageant.org/FlotillaParticipantsLogin.aspx?ReturnUrl=~%2fFlotillaParticipants.aspx) has a .pdf booklet entitled "Flags of the Pageant."  So if you are interested, you can find depictions of all of the heralds badges there.

But, wow, what a great display of heraldry!