(New) Herald in the News!

It has been noted that:

"The Kings of Arms tend to be rather like oil tankers sailing in a determined and serene manner through the ocean of life, and as a result they take a long time to change course." (Conrad Swan, A King from Canada, p. 237) Sir Conrad John Marshall Fisher Swan was Garter King of Arms 1992-1995.

But they do eventually change course, as a recent (very recent: today, August 24, 2026) announcement from the College of Arms tells us:

"By Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 24 August 2026, His Majesty The King [Charles III] has been pleased to appoint Caroline Mariah McWilliams to the office of Portcullis Pursuivant of Arms, vacant by the promotion of Dominic Charles Davenport Ingram, now Chester Herald of Arms."

More information about Ms. McWilliams' background in addition to the announcement quoted above of her groundbreaking appointment as a pursuivant at the College of Arms can be found on-line at: https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/news-grants/news/item/257-portcullis-pursuivant

We congratulate Ms. McWilliams on her appointment as Portcullis Pursuivant, and her entry into the company of other 20th and 21st Century female heralds, of whom Claire Boudreau (former Chief Herald of Canada), Elizabeth Roads (former Snawdoun Herald, Scotland), and Susan Flintoff (current Kintyre Pursuivant Extraordinary, Scotland) are examples.

Heraldry in the News!

A recent grant of arms by the College of Arms in London has created a bit of a stir around the world.

In a number of news items (I'll include links at the end of this post), much discussion has been made of the grant of arms to Baron Aamer Sarfraz, a British-Pakistani businessman and member of the House of Lords.

This grant of arms breaks ground as the first such to incorporate the green dome of al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque) in Medina, Saudi Arabia, a well-known landmark in the Muslim world.

Of this grant, Dr. Qibla Ayaz, Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, said that "the British government has set an example of religious tolerance at the official level, which will further strengthen religious tolerance in the world." And Chairman of Interfaith Harmony and Peace Committee, Syed Izhar Shah Bukhari said that, it "is an expression of the fact that British society and culture openly recognise other religions and cultures."

Commenting on the grant, Lord Sarfraz said, “It is a great honour to have the mosque of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) featured prominently on a Coat of Arms. “I would like to thank the Garter and the College of Arms for their excellent work,” he added.

In addition to the dome of the Prophet's Mosque on the shield, there are two heraldic supporters: a lion representing the UK, and a snow leopard representing Pakistan. The coat of arms also features the coronet of a Baron. The crest at the top of the Arms has the Himalayan Mountains, a nod to Islamabad, where Lord Sarfraz grew up. Finally, at the peak of the crest is a crescent, the symbol of Islam.

In a pretty glaring omission, none of the articles that I have seen actually included a depiction of the coat of arms. Fortunately, on Lord Sarfraz's web page, he has put up a depiction (https://www.lordsarfraz.com/coat-arms?fbclid=IwAR0GK9dkp_sW8ltBaiHeujE8QiaxUry8mzPaGi4AzVOBCkxFxE3Za4ks6Vs), below:

There has also been a fair bit of discussion on the Facebook page of the International Heraldry Society about how appropriate it is to place the depiction of a specific building on a coat of arms. One commenter there, Stephen Szabo, has responded to that criticism with several examples:

In 1964 the Australian Academy of Science was granted "Azure a representation of the building of the Australian Academy of Science ensigned of a mullet of seven points Argent on a canton Argent a representation of the Royal Crown proper".

In 1969 the English Kings of Arms issued a confirmation of the arms assumed by Macquarie University, viz: "Vert the Macquarie lighthouse tower masoned proper in chief the star Sirius Or.

In 1893 the English Kings of Arms granted Sir Samuel Wilson "Per pale Sable and Gules a wolf rampant Or charged on the shoulder with an estoile Gules between four mullets in cross Or on a chief Or a representation of the end elevation of the Wilson Hall of the Melbourne University between two salmon naiant proper."

And this practice is not limited to Great Britain: for example, the arms of the Latvia student fraternity Fraternitas Academica includes a silhouette of the building of the University of Latvia (https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraternitas_Academica?fbclid=IwAR1je6J9anMAZxv31anVMRAZVc35bRy3BBZLz_vYimkwY7OyPCU2nV6bw1Y). And the city of Borgholm, Sweden, has a specific building on its shield (https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/wiki/Borgholm?fbclid=IwAR3XLwMvur1g-mA24nmo1heDKqEsGLbvZ_4kLVNqgJCyXSMM6NBnu3I-3Es).

If you'd like to read more news articles about this grant of arms (though they all seem to be copying much of the story from the same news source), here are some of the links:

https://dailytimes.com.pk/865216/uk-grants-first-ever-official-coat-of-arms-featuring-masjid-e-nabvi/

https://www.dawn.com/news/1668003/pakistan-origin-peer-receives-uks-coat-of-arms

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/923161-uk-grants-first-ever-official-coat-of-arms-featuring-masjid-e-nabvi?fbclid=IwAR27AwHTEUyu8K4aBSspimDa5CSmTupWDkHBCUfZKzKuDjszR5zR7USATek

https://www.dawn.com/news/1668003/pakistan-origin-peer-receives-uks-coat-of-arms

She's Asking for What?

On January 30, 2016, Mary Jones made a Freedom of Information request to the College of Arms. In her request, she asked:

I would therefore request information if any part of these fees [paid by petitioners for grants of arms] are paid to Mr Woodcock either for the work he undertakes on the grant or for his signature on documents and grants? If so can I ask how much this is, does Mr Woodcock pay tax of these amounts ...?

Well, heck, I can answer those questions, and I don't even work at the College of Arms: Yes (although a large proportion of those fees also go to the artists and calligraphers who create the grant documents, as well as to the costs of maintaining the physical building of the College); that information is not published by the College; and yes (even though by ancient statute heralds are exempted from paying taxes on their income).

She also wanted to know how many grants Garter Woodcock has processed since his appointment on April 1, 2010.

On February 8, 2016, she received a reply from Garter:

The College of Arms is not a public authority under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and is therefore under no duty to consider your request.

She has since requested the College review of the handling of her FOI request, stating that "the Royal Household [of which the College of Arms is a part] whilst not under any du[t]y does answer FOI requests."

Well, I'm guessing here, but isn't it likely that only sometimes does the Royal Household answers FOI requests?

Ms. Jones doesn't say why she wants this information, or what she intends to do with it if she ever receives it. Not that it really matters; most of the information that she wants can be found with a little searching on the internet. For example, there's a blog post from 2007 by someone who worked at the College of Arms for a summer which discusses, among other things, some of the fee distribution among the heralds at that time, at http://blog.jackalopepursuivant.com/jackalopepursuivant/2007/08/best-of-jacka-5.html

Anyway, you can find the full text of Ms. Jones' FOI request, the College's response, and Ms. Jones' request for review on-line at the website of What Do They Know at https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/thomas_woodcock_personal_renumer

The History and Legacy of a Herald

I ran across a May 1, 2016 article about the history and legacy of one of the better known heralds of the College of Arms, Sir William Dugdale (1605-1686).

He was and remained an officer of arms at the College of Arms through one of the most turbulent periods of British history, the Civil War. He was Rouge Croix Pursuivant from 1639-1644, Chester Herald from 1644-1660 (the illustration of him above was made in 1656), Norroy King of Arms from 1660-1677, and Garter Principal King of Arms from 1677-1686. He was also one of Britain's foremost antiquarians, widely published and well-respected by both sides in the Civil War.

You can find this article, HERALD HISTORY: The written legacy of Sir William Dugdale (1605-1686) on the website of the Tamworth Herald at http://www.tamworthherald.co.uk/man-saved-history/story-29188368-detail/story.html#1

It's Always Sad ...

... when the press (whether print or electronic), the supposed defenders of our liberties, just doesn't seem able to get some of the most basic facts of a story straight.

In this particular case, it was an April 26, 2016 follow-up story by Simon Barbato on the Econsultancy website of the controversy surrounding the Scottish Airdrieonians football club's armorial logo and why they may be required by law to change it.  (I have noted this controversy before at http://blog.appletonstudios.com/2015/04/tempest-in-scottish-teapot.html, http://blog.appletonstudios.com/2015/07/a-scottish-call-to-arms.html and http://blog.appletonstudios.com/2015/11/scottish-football-and-heraldry-continued.html)  Mention is also made of the unauthorized use of arms (also in Scotland) by the town of Deal and its football club, and by Donald Trump.

The biggest problem with the story that I had is that the author has confused events occurring in Scotland, under the jurisdiction of the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms, with that of the College of Arms in London, whose jurisdiction does not include Scotland.

He then goes on to note that these events in Scotland could now somehow affect football clubs "south of the border" in England, despite the fact that the laws (and the ability to enforce those laws) are entirely different in England than they are in Scotland.

I think it's great that he did a little research and spoke with Richmond Herald at the College of Arms, but to have so completely missed the actual body tasked with enforcing the heraldic laws of Scotland left me with the impression that the whole article was nothing more than a "puff piece" and hardly worth the effort to read it all the way through.

(The fact that at one point he talks about some of the club badges being in the form of "shielded crests" didn't help his credibility with me. It's bad enough to mistakenly call a coat of arms a "crest," but to call one a "shielded crest" just about sent me over the edge.)

Your mileage may vary, however, and if you'd like to see it for yourself, it can be found on-line at https://econsultancy.com/press-releases/8208-where-next-for-the-football-club-badge-asks-simon-barbato-of-mr-b-friends/

Employment Opportunity

Having just retired (a little earlier than I had intended, but still ...) myself, I'm not especially interested in moving to another country to begin another job, yet this recent (April 4, 2016) posting has certainly piqued my interest.

It seems that the College of Arms in London (that's a photo of me visiting the College back in 1996) has an opening for a research assistant which has the potential to lead to a position as an officer of arms (presumably in ordinary, rather than extraordinary) there.  The announcement for this posting starts:

The College of Arms is seeking to recruit a research assistant for a period of six to twelve months. The successful candidate will learn how to deal with heraldic and genealogical enquiries arising from members of the public and various organisations, how to process applications for new grants of arms and about other work undertaken by the College. Upon completion of this period, the candidate will be assessed with a view to appointment as an officer of arms.

Requirements

The role would suit a candidate with strong research and communication skills and with an interest in heraldic and genealogical matters.

Essential

Excellent academic credentials;
Excellent analytical and drafting skills;
First-rate communication skills (oral and written) and approachability;
Enthusiastic, adaptable and able to learn quickly;
Reliable and flexible nature;
Professionalism and ability to work independently with minimal supervision;
Ability to deal directly with members of the public;
Ability to establish a wide network of contacts.

Desirable

Some professional experience in any area;
Knowledge and experience of heraldry and genealogy;
Other skills, such as knowledge of British and Commonwealth history, languages and legal matters.

Other

The College is open to flexible working arrangements and the successful candidate may work on a full-time or part-time basis (minimum of two days per week). The role will be based at the College of Arms. The work will be remunerated at a rate of £15 per hour (minimum £10,000 p.a.).

Applicants should send a covering letter and CV to recruitment2016@college-of-arms.gov.uk. The application period is from 4 April until 22 April 2016.

If you are interested, additional information can be found on the website of the College at http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/news-grants/news/item/125-research-assistant-post-at-the-college-of-arms

Good luck!

A Newly-Added Section of Links

In an effort to keep this blog as a hopefully relevant resource for heraldry enthusiasts, and seeing the tremendous response to a recent post about an old movie clip of the College of Arms, I have added a new section to the Links down the left-hand side of the blog page, entitled "Movie Clips About Heraldry."

At this point, they're all YouTube clips of varying length (the longest one is over half an hour, but most of them are between three and six minutes long) having to do with one or another aspect (or sometimes, several aspects) of heraldry.  Some feature acknowledged experts in the field (one is bits of a longer interview with Peter O'Donoghue when he was Bluemantle Pursuivant at the College of Arms; he has since become York Herald there), while others are done by enthusiastic amateurs. In any case, the ones I have added to this section are among the best that I have found to date.  (There were some that I thought not good enough to include.)  As I run across more, I will add them to this set of links. And, of course, if you know of a particularly good one that's available on-line, let me know and I will include it as well.

I hope that you find this set of links to movie clips about heraldry to be useful!

Nice Trip, If You Can Afford It

The headline reads:

Custom-made Christian Louboutin shoes, a coat of arms and a giant doll's house modelled after your own home: The outrageous gifts on a £163,000 'bespoke-your-life tour' of Europe

VeryFirstTo.com and Hurlington Travel are offering a first of its kind "bespoke your life" eighteen night tour of eight major European cities, with some seriously top of the line offerings, for one lucky couple who can afford the trip.

The one stop in all of their offerings that caught my eye, of course, was "In London, the couple will stay at The Savoy and visit the Earl Marshal’s Court to apply for the design and creation of their own coat of arms."

Mind you, if you don't want to do the whole trip, the College of Arms will grant an individual coat of arms for only £5,550 (or, I suspect, £11,100 for a couple), which is a lot less than the £163,000 (US$250,000) for the whole trip.  But then, of course, you'd be missing out on such things as the luxury accommodations, the one-of-a-kind gown by Givenchy, and the doll house based on your own home.

If you think that you'd like to learn more about this "bespoke your life" trip before just rushing out willy-nilly to sign up for it, you can read the article about it on the Travel News page of DailyMail.com at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3219412/Hurlingham-Travel-launches-bespoke-life-tour-Europe.html

But don't say I didn't warn you about the price!

Another Movie Clip of the College of Arms

It was probably a good thing that I watched the entire British Movietone newsreel from the 1930s about the College of Arms, because there was a (marginally) related link after the closing screen of another visit to the College of Arms, this time by one "Bond.  James Bond." in the 1969 movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

As you can see in the still above, Agent 007 visits the actual College of Arms in London, where he is shown here in the main reception room at the College, next to the Earl Marshal's Court (the area inside the railing).

There's a bit more (they were allowed to film in the College, though of course there is no herald named "Sable Basilisk"), which you can see in this short one and a quarter minute clip to be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q8ch2ARXIg

The drawing of the arms shown in the clip are, in fact, those of Sir Thomas Bond, created a baronet by King Charles II, and whose arms are blazoned in Burke's General Armory as Argent on a chevron sable three bezants, and whose crest is On a mount vert a lion sejant argent.  The motto, Orbis non sufficit, gave rise to the title of the later Bond movie, The World Is Not Enough.

And now you know, if not "the rest," at least "some more," of the story.

Movie Clip of the College of Arms

As some of you may have seen already - a couple of people have posted a link on Facebook, and the most recent College of Arms newsletter also included a link -- British Movietone has posted on YouTube a six-minute clip (I didn't see a date given, but it looks like sometime in the early 1930s) entitled "The First Film Ever Taken In . . . . . . . . 'The College Of Arms.'"

With a brief introduction by A.G.B. Russell, then Lancaster Herald, the film shows (alas! just in black and white) some of the holdings of the College of Arms.  Among the ones that I recognized were:

A long scroll showing the funeral procession of a noble.  [Update: This is more likely the College's copy of the Great Tournament Roll of Westminster, a record made of the tournament Henry VIII held in honor of the birth of his son Arthur by his Queen, Catherine of Aragon.  It was the quick view of a riderless horse in the scroll that led me to believe this was a funeral procession, but I am told that there are also a few riderless horses in the Great Tournament Roll.]

An ordinary of arms with the impaled arms of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

An edition (the 1622 edition, I believe, but I can't be sure of that) of Ralph Brooke's A Catalogue and Succession of the Kings, Princes, Dukes, Marqauesses, Earles, and Viscounts of this Realme of England, since the Norman Conquest, to this present yeere

The College's copy of the original of The Armorial of Haiti, republished  by the College in 2007)

A large (vellum, I assume) pedigree of Admiral Horatio Nelson (signed by Lord Nelson himself)

At just over six minutes, it's a short clip, but of interest to heralds and heraldry enthusiasts alike.

It can be found on-line at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbJgqHFTR5U

Enjoy!

A (Less Than Ideal) New Grant of Arms

Grays of Westminster, renowned for its exemplary level of customer service (and for the fact that it sells only Nikon cameras), has become the first camera shop in the world to be granted a coat of arms.  Ah, but what a departure from grants of simple, identifiable coats of arms it is.

In an article dated November 3, 2015, PR Newswire discusses the meaning of the symbolism in the grant from the College of Arms this way:

The symbolism within the image [of the crest] depicts a Lion (Gray Levett) amicably communing with the bird of Japan, the green pheasant. The mural crown around the lion's neck stands for responsibility to the public. Its right paw is resting on a camera lens. The cornucopia [in the arms] representing flourishing growth is replenished with flowers that represent various facets of Grays of Westminster and Japan. The tip of the horn has been modelled into an emblematic portcullis for Westminster. The rays of light emanating behind the flowers symbolise the derivation of the word photography, which means photo = light + graphy = writing. The rationale of the badge is an occidental phoenix with two heads for looking both east and west. It bears the motto: Lead in Order to Serve.

Frankly, I think that much of the symbolism is a bit more of a “reach” than I normally expect to see from grants by the College of Arms.  I can only assume that much of the design was pushed by the client, who apparently couldn’t be talked into something simpler and more classic.

Still, I suppose I should be happy that such folks are still going to the College for a grant of arms.  I just wish that the end result was something more appealing than this mash-up.

If you’d like to read more about this grant (and why wouldn’t you, after all?), you can find the article on the website of PR Newswire at http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/exclusively-nikon-grays-of-westminster-becomes-the-first-camera-shop-in-the-world-to-be-granted-a-coat-of-arms-281289411.html, or 
different, but similar, articles on the websites of the magazine Amateur Photographer at http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/latest/photo-news/nikon-38299 and ephotozine at http://www.ephotozine.com/article/grays-of-westminster-granted-coat-of-arms-in-world-first--26470

Heraldry in the Heraldry News!

A recent (July 29, 2014) article on the website of the College of Arms in London speaks of pedigree rolls and a project to locate, rehouse and list comprehensively the large collection of rolled material held at the College, of which pedigree rolls comprise the largest portion.

As a part of this project to preserve and conserve these materials, the newly-appointed Pigott Library at the College has been fitted out with archival shelving and environmental controls, and the rolls housed in custom-made acid-free boxes. Over 1,100 rolls have now been entered into a searchable database there.

There’s more to the article of course, but I’m not going to repeat it all here for you.  Feel free to go to the website of the College of Arms, or click this link http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/news-grants/news/item/100-pedigree-rolls to not only see what the College is doing with this project, but to see some of the pictures that they have included of some of these one-of-a-kind pedigree rolls.  (I especially like how the reverse side of one roll was used to draw out some chess problems!)

The College of Arms is to be congratulated on this massive undertaking, which will preserve and make more accessible these unique materials.

Herald in the News!

Or, at least, news about a herald.

Upon the recent retirement on June 30 of Henry Paston-Bedingfield (whom I have had the privilege over the years of meeting and hearing speak a couple of times) as Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, the College of Arms in London has announced the appointment of Timothy Hugh Stewart Duke to that office.  Mr. Duke was appointed Rouge Dragon Pursuivant on January 26, 1989, and has been Chester Herald since August 7, 1995.

More information on this appointment can be found on the website of the College of Arms at http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/news-grants/news/item/99-new-norroy-ulster-king-of-arms

According to the College’s website, there are now three vacancies among the officers of arms in ordinary: Chester Herald, Rouge Dragon Pursuivant, and Bluemantle Pursuivant.

I wonder what my chances would be if I expressed an interest in any of these offices?  I mean, really, traffic and the daily commute couldn’t be much worse in London than it is here in Dallas, could it?  And the public transportation system is so much better there than here.  Hmmm….

Heraldry in the News!

In a recent (March 29, 2014) ruling, the Kings of Arms at the College of Arms in London have made a ruling about the arms of individuals in same-sex marriages.  According to the College of Arms website, "[t]he ruling aims to replicate as closely as possible the heraldic practice for married couples of different sex."

The same ruling also amends a 1997 ruling regarding the use of the arms of married women, stating that "the use of the mark of difference laid down there for married women will henceforth be optional."

The full ruling issued by the Kings of Arms can be found on the website of the College of Arms at http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:kings-ruling-2014&catid=12:resources&Itemid=216

"Garter College of Arms, in London." Say What??

A recent (March 7, 2014) article in the Basingstoke Gazette gives some background on a new devisal of a badge (mistakenly described as a "crest") for the 433 (Basingstoke) Squadron Air Cadets.

It's all very interesting and all that, but the statement that really caught my eye was the information that the badge was "created with the help of Garter College of Arms, in London."

Really?  The "Garter College of Arms?"  ("In London," like there are several scattered about the country, and so the one being referenced here had to be specifically identified.)  While I might understand if a local newspaper here in the States made an error like this, I really expect better of even regional papers in England.  "Garter College of Arms" my Aunt Myrtle.  Harrumph!

You can find the complete article on-line at the website of the Basingstoke Gazette at  http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/11057836.Cadet_squadron_crest_dedicated_at_special_service/?ref=var_0

A College of Arms "Mashup"

It's always interesting to me to see some of the on-line discussions about the English College of Arms in London, almost entirely by people who aren't affiliated with it, but you get such a wide range of opinions about the College, what it is, what they think it should be, how much it charges for its services, and on, and on, and on.

Admittedly, though, a couple of my favorite quotes about the College of Arms come from people who have been a part of, or worked closely with, the College.

Dealing with the College of Arms ought to be compulsive therapy for the impatient.
Quoted in The Heraldry Gazette, March 1997, p. 3

The Kings of Arms tend to be rather like oil tankers sailing in a determined and serene manner through the ocean of life, and as a result they take a long time to change course.
Conrad Swan, A King from Canada, p. 237

A recent Facebook discussion about the College of Arms has resulted in some discussion about the College of Arms and its defense, to the point sometimes of hyperbole, of its prerogatives and its statements, or as some would note, its overstatements of what its grants of arms are.  It seems some recent pamphlets put out by the College discuss such things as the "law of arms" in England, prompting others to ask exactly where this "law" is written down.

Which led heraldic artist Alexander Liptak to create and post this amusing rendition of the arms of the College, done with inspiration from the computer game Angry Birds:

You gotta love it, don't you?

For those of you who may not recall the arms of the College of Arms, here's a more usual rendition of them:

Herald in the News!

Philip O'Shea, New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary since 1978, has been honored by Queen Elizabeth II by being made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.  (He was previously a Lieutenant of the RVO, and is a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Our heartiest congratulations go out to Mr. O'Shea on this honor. It's always nice to see a herald recognized for his work.

The (short) story of this, with some additional details, can be found in a December 31, 2013 article on the website of 3News at http://www.3news.co.nz/Queen-honours-NZ-Herald-of-Arms/tabid/423/articleID/326837/Default.aspx

A page detailing the particulars of the office of New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary can be found on-line at http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/overview/herald-of-arms

Flag in the News

Or maybe it isn't news so much as it is a statement of the status quo.

In this case, it was a notice in an article about the push in Scotland for its independence from the rest of Great Britain, and what would happen to the Union Flag* in that case.

And the College of Arms in London has said that "there are no plans to change the Union Flag if Scotland becomes an independent state."

So there you have it, the word, officially, from the arbiters of heraldry in the United Kingdom.  If Scotland chooses to secede from the Union, the Union Flag remains unchanged.

The article about this particular piece of vexillological information can be found on-line at the website of ITV at http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-11-26/no-plans-to-change-union-flag/


* Yes, I know it is commonly referred to as the "Union Jack," but that may be a misnomer, as the term "jack" is generally limited to naval usage.  Yes, the Admiralty has said in a 1902 circular that "Their Lordships had decided that either name [Union Flag or Union Jack] could be used officially."  (Wikepedia, cf. "Union Jack")  Nevertheless, the term "Union Flag" is what was used in King Charles's 1634 proclamation, and you'd think that he would know better than anyone what it should be called.

Heraldry in the News!

Many of you may have already seen one or another news story on this item, but for the one or two of you who may not have heard of it yet, two researchers at Queen Mary’s School of History at the University of London who are working on the Borromei Bank Research Project, which is documenting the activity of Italian merchant bankers operating from London in the late medieval period, found some banking records (dated 1422-24) half-covered by coats of arms (estimated to have been painted in 1480).  The manuscript was found in a bound collection at the College of Arms in London.

Such accounting books were normally sent back to the headquarters of the merchant-banking company, Domenicio Villani & Partners, in Florence.  Dr. Francesco Guidi-Bruscoli states that, “In this case, the books remained in London, where they gradually lost their documentary value and some 55 years later were considered scraps of good quality paper to be re-used for the drawing of coats of arms.”

Thrifty heralds, recycling paper 500 years before it became popular everywhere else.

The full story can be found on-line at: http://phys.org/news/2012-07-qm-historians-medieval-banking-hidden.html

and at: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/07/24/Rare-document-shows-early-European-banking/UPI-55951343163903/

and as far away as India at:
http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/bookworm/medieval-record-sheds-light-on-london-s-italian-bankers_2429.htm

Was “Sable Basilisk” Really “Rouge Dragon”?

A brief article in The Daily Mail on Monday, June 25, 2012, noted the passing of Count Robin Ian Evelyn Milne Stuart de la Lanne-Mirrlees, Baron of Inchdrewer and Laird of Bernera, at the age of 87 on June 23. He was involved in helping author Ian Fleming research James Bond’s adventures for Fleming’s novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

In the book, Bond’s cover as genealogist Sir Hilary Bray was based on the count who was then the heraldic researcher at the College of Arms in London. Mirrlees was Rouge Dragon Pursuivant at the College of Arms from 1952 to 1962. (He was succeeded in that office by Sir Conrad Swan, later Garter Principal King of Arms.) In December 1962, he was named Richmond Herald, a position he held until 1967. (In this office he was succeeded by J.P. Brooke-Little, later Norroy and Ulster King of Arms and then Clarenceux King of Arms.)

The fictional Sir Hilary Bray bore the title of Sable Basilisk Pursuivant, a play on Mirrlees’s own title of Rouge Dragon Pursuivant.

The full story, which includes among others a photograph of the count in front of his farmhouse on the island of Great Bernera in the Outer Hebrides, can be found on-line at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2164294/Dashing-Scottish-aristocrat-bed-hopping-ways-inspiration-James-Bond-dies-aged-87.html?ITO=1490