So Many Projects … So Little Time

I was reminded again the other day of just how many heraldic projects that I have which are currently “on hold” awaiting the availability of more time in which to actually do them. The time is coming when I may really be able to sit down at my desk and get to work on many of them. Unfortunately, that day has not yet arrived; the need to do things like pay the mortgage on the house and buy such minor incidentals as, say, food and electricity (necessary to accomplishing any meaningful work on a computer), keep me working at my full-time job.

But, as I say, I was reminded of one of these heraldic projects the other day by a posting on Facebook. Some of you may already know that I had written a small book entitled Camels In Heraldry (information about which can be found at http://www.appletonstudios.com/BooksandGames.htm). Shortly after publication, I found some more coats of arms and crests with camels in them, and so have begun a file for a supplement or a second expanded edition of this book. Well, this post on Facebook linked to a book owned by the Bavarian State Library in Munich, Das Wappenbuch Conrads von Grünenberg, Ritters und Bürgers zu Constanz – BSB Cgm 145, um 1480, which can be found on-line (and downloaded!) from http://bsb-mdz12-spiegel.bsb.lrz.de/~db/0003/bsb00035320/images/*

In a quick look through this copy of Conrad von Grünenberg’s Wappenbuch, I noticed on p. 55 two different coats of arms with camels on them.

One is the arms attributed to the king of “Cana” in greater India, Or a native [Moor?] Proper[? He’s kind of an iron-gray color all over] astride a camel statant Gules.

The other is the arms attributed to the king of “Manchy” [? It’s not easy to decipher the handwriting in the short time I’ve had available to look at this), also in India, Vert a Bactrian camel statant Or.

Now, while I am happy to have found two more coats of arms to add to my work on Camels In Heraldry, it did serve to remind me that I have a number of heraldic projects waiting for my time and attention to complete. So, yeah, I’m afraid I’m rapidly getting to the point where retirement from full-time employment cannot come too soon. Because when it does come, I should be able to get some of these projects completed, something I hope that we all can look forward to. I’ll be sure to keep you posted as they develop.


*There are a whole lot of old heraldic books which can be viewed and/or downloaded from the Library. There is a link in the left-hand column of this blog under “Some Good On-Line Armorials and Ordinaries” for the Münchener DigitalisierungsZentrum Digitale Bibliothek, where the link (http://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/index.html?suchbegriff=wappenbuch&c=suchen) will take you to a results pages for a search for “wappen” in their holdings.

American Revolution Heraldry

I've said it many times before, and I'll probably say it many times in the future: "You can find heraldry everywhere!"

In this case, I was reading the Boston 1776 blog which is about, you guessed it, Boston, Massachusetts in and around the year 1776.  And there, big as life, was a bit of heraldry on my computer screen.

The post was about a demonstration at the Paul Revere House by Fred Lawson, a founder of the Royal Irish Artillery reenacting group.  (The full post can be read at http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-royal-irish-artillery-at-revere.html)  Accompanying the post was the above photograph of an officer's button with the arms of the Royal Regiment of Irish Artillery, dated 1785-1801.

According to the post, seventy men from this unit were transferred into the Royal Artillery to accompany General John Burgoyne's expedition down from Canada in 1777.  They were captured by American forces following the battle of Saratoga.

The button (which is available for purchase from The Military Campaign at http://www.themilitarycampaign.co.uk/badges/product/296-royal-regiment-of-irish-artillery) shows the arms of the Royal Regiment of Irish Artillery.  I have not found a color emblazon of the arms anywher, but I would assume that the field is azure (blue) with the golden harp of Ireland; the cannon would be either gold or silver, as would the chief, which has the Royal crown (normally gold) and two roundels representing cannonballs (probably black, which are sometimes blazoned, appropriately enough, as gunstones, though they have also been blazoned as pellets and as ogresses).  Were I to guess at a blazon, I believe it would most likely be: Azure, in pale an Irish harp Or stringed Argent and a cannon Or [or Argent], on a chief Argent the Royal crown Or between two gunstones [or, roundels Sable].

Whether my speculative blazon is correct or not, it was still a neat bit of historical heraldry that played a role in the American Revolutionary War.

Computerized Heraldry ... Again!

I spend far more time than I should puttering about on the "information highway," and periodically I run across something that I consider to be worth sharing with you.

Over the years, several individuals have tried to write software that would create an emblazon - a drawing of a coat of arms - from the blazon - the word description.  And it is the sort of thing that you'd think would be not terribly difficult.  The language of blazon has its own very specific grammar and structure which should make it amenable to being done by computers, at least to a decent extent.

The trouble is, of course, is that all of the programs that I've found over the years have had some pretty serious limitations, like the one where the blazon had a sword fesswise on a chief, but the program crammed the sword in palewise, a very unartistic result.

This most recent entry is a website (Blazonry Server, at http://web.meson.org/blazonserver/) that you can go to and type in a blazon, then choose an output format (.png or .svg), and then click the "Render Blazon" button to have the program draw the coat of arms for you.  And it actually isn't too bad, as you can see from the first two examples below, sampled on the site, of a very simple coat of arms, and then a more complex one.

But then, of course, I felt the need to type in the blazon of my own arms, with this result.

So I'm guessing that "apples" are not in the program's definitions yet.  (To be fair, the website does say that it's mostly the geometric charges that are represented in its database.)

Still and all, it's a fun site to play around on, trying out different blazons and seeing what the program creates.  As my alter ego Da'ud Bob ibn Briggs, Historical Drive-In Movie Critic (www.appletonstudios.com/movies1.htm) would say, "Check it out!"  I'll probably be spending some time there myself, seeing what it will do the the arms of, say, Calvert, and Crossland.  (The quarters of the arms of the State of Maryland.)

What a Beautiful Manuscript!

Oh, yeah, it's got some nice heraldry in it, too.

The British Library has placed on-line a manuscript, dated 1444-1445, "A collection of fifteen romances, chivalric treatises, instructional texts, chronicles and statutes compiled as a gift to Margaret of Anjou, on her betrothal to Henry VI, from the 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, who escorted her to England."  Each section has a description at the top of the window that opens when you hover your cursor over it that describes the portion of the work you are seeing.

It's got some wonderful artwork in it, as you can see from this example below.

I haven't had the time to go completely through it yet (that will take some time!), but it is well worth the look if you are at all interested in either 15th Century manuscripts, or 15th Century heraldry, or both.

The bound manuscript's images can be found on-line at http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=royal_ms_15_e_vi_f003r#

Just Because ...

... something is placed on an escutcheon, a shield shape, that does not necessarily mean that it is, or is trying to be, heraldry.  Case in point ....

This particular design was being discussed a week ago over on the SCA Heralds newsgroup.  It is the logo of Ashford University of Clinton, Iowa (http://www.ashford.edu/).  Some folks went so far as to try and blazon it; the most successful attempt was Purpure, a "bend" argent, overall a bend sinister counterchanged tenne and Or and a base counterchanged azure and purpure.

But is the ability to create a blazon for a design like this mean that it is, is trying to be, or should be considered to be, heraldry?  I don't think so.  Steve Mesnick, posting on June 13, 2013, said as well as, if a bit more emphatically than, I would:

"It happens to be vaguely escutcheon-shaped, because I imagine it's INSPIRED by traditional educational-institution heraldry. I WILL grant you that. But it's NOT their coat of arms, and it's not TRYING to be. The fact that WE want it to be their coat of arms is OUR problem, not theirs."

So, yes, it's on a shield shape.  But it isn't, and doesn't seem to be trying to be, a coat of arms.  As a corporate logo, it's eye-catching, distinctive, and unique.  All good qualities for a modern logo.  And it may, indeed, be trying with the shield shape to tie itself into a long tradition of educational heraldry.   But ...

Just because it's on a shield shape doesn't mean that it is heraldry.

High Praise from a Fellow Blogger!

Marc Sinniger on his French-language blog Héraldie: Le blog des Héraldiens de l'école Lacordaire has published a short post about this blog, Heraldry: Musings on an esoteric topic.  He says some very nice things about it, mentioning in particular both my regular postings that "you can find heraldry anywhere!" as well as the lists of links to other sites of heraldic interest.  (The list of links includes his own blog under the "Other Blogs of Heraldic Interest" heading.)

I'd like to publicly thank Monsieur Sinniger here for his kind words about this blog.  If you'd like to read his post, it can be found on his blog's site at http://heraldie.blogspot.fr/2013/06/heraldry-musings-on-esoteric-topic-de.html

A Friendly Reminder

Please don't forget to check out the lists of links that you can find down the left-hand side of this blog.  (No, this is not a shameless plug; with the exception of the links to Appleton Studios and my wife Jo's blog, I have no relationship with, and make no money from, any of the links I've placed here.  They are just links to websites and other blogs that I think may be of interest.)

I have tried to make this blog a resource for folks who are interested in heraldry, and will add new sites as I find them.  That said, I've only got so much time that I can spend cruising the web for such sites.  If you know of a website or blog that would be of interest to the readers here, please feel free to bring it to my attention.

Conversely, if you find that any of the links I've placed here are broken, or the website moved, etc., please let me know about that, too!  I'd like to keep all of these links current, but don't always have the time to review the ones already here as often as I would like.

So, anyway, please feel free to check out the links I've listed here.  The categories (and, yeah, I know you have to scroll down the page pretty far to get to some of them; I'm still working on ways I can make that easier) are:

     Some Articles I've Written
     Other Blogs of Heraldic Interest
     Websites of Heraldic Interest
     Heraldic Artists' Websites
     Some Good On-Line Armorials and Ordinaries
     Military Heraldry Websites
     Some Good On-Line Heraldry Books
          and
     On-Line Heraldic Clipart

Anyway, thank you for dropping by!  I hope that you find at least some of these links to be of interest.

Want to Buy Some Fine Armorial Silver?

But first, I'm going to shamelessly copy from C.W. Scott-Giles' Motley Heraldry:

These arms the Nelsons bore in days of old:
A black cross flory on a shield of gold,
And over all a bendlet gules, to show
Due difference from Samson and Lamplow.

When one Horatio Nelson rose to fame,
With ‘Sir’ and ‘K.B.’ bracketing his name,
The Kings of Arms his scutcheon did resplend
With three exploding bombs upon the bend.

Later, they gave Lord Nelson of the Nile
An augmentation in a lavish style –
A ship disabled and a fort destroyed
(Which probably the Baron much enjoyed.)

When Viscount Nelson of the Nile at last
Beyond the reach of earthly honours passed,
His brother (made an Earl), the heralds gave
The golden word TRAFALGAR on a wave.

The shield is a fine biographic gloss,
But where, alas! is Nelson’s ancient cross?


And why is that bit of doggerel (albeit amusing) of any relevance at all?  Because for someone with the interest, and a fair bit of spare cash, it is possible right now to purchase a piece of silver in the form of a covered entree dish made for and with the armorial insignia of Lord Nelson of the Nile.

The dish is described as "a magnificent silver entree dish and cover, rectangular with gadroon edges, the domed cover engraved with a presentation inscription from Lloyds Coffee House on one side and Nelson's coat of arms on the other; with removable finial designed as the Chelengk crest of Admiral Lord Nelson. The dish cover additionally engraved inside with the crests of Admiral Lord Nelson."  The dish and cover are numbered No. 2 (of the original set of four).

The inscription reads: "Lloyd's 1800. Presented by the Committee, for managing a Subscription made for the Wounded and Relatives of the Killed at the Battle of the Nile, To Vice Admiral Lord Nelson and Duke of Bronti [sic], K.B., &c, &c, &c, who was there wounded, As a testimony of the sense they entertain of his Brilliant Services on the first of August, 1798, when a British Fleet under his Command obtained a most decisive victory over a Superior French Force. J. J. Angerstein, Chairman"

The handle of the cover is, as noted above, one of the crests of Admiral Lord Nelson, to wit: Issuant from a naval crown, a representation of the Chelengk (a fine large jewel designed as an aigrette of diamonds and a traditional award for bravery, rarely given to foreigners, which was given to Nelson by the Turkish sultan).

If you think you might be interested, either in seeing more images of or purchasing this unique piece of history, it is available for sale from Heraldic Silver, Ltd., and can be seen on-line on their myfamilysilver.com website at http://www.myfamilysilver.com/mp/item/20815/nelson-highly-important-and-historic-george-iii-armorial-silver-entree-dish-and-cover-presented-to-admiral-lord-nelson-by-lloyd-s-coffee-house-after-the-battle-of-the-nile  Or if you happen to be in the area (which, alas, I am not), the dish will be the highlight of their stand at the Fine Art & Antiques Fair, Olympia, London from 6 to 16 June.

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 (Old) News

Well, it's not exactly breaking news; in fact, it goes all the way back to April 2011, nearly two years ago.  But a program that I use to search out news items and blog posts, etc. for things heraldic just found an old news story about the new coat of arms of the Middleton family, granted them by the College of Arms shortly before daughter Kate's marriage to William Windsor.

The article, entitled "Kate Middleton’s Coat of Arms: What Do Those Acorns Actually Mean?", asks a question we often see in heraldry, but which many times cannot be answered nearly so well as it is here.  That is because in this instance, Thomas Woodcock, who helped design the arms, could tell us what the various elements mean.  "Three acorns represent the three Middleton children (Kate, Pippa and James), and invoke the oak tree—a symbol of west Berkshire, where the family has lived for 30 years. The division down the middle of the crest is a play on the Middle-ton family name, while the gold chevron refers to Carole’s maiden name Goldsmith."

This sort of explanation is not often the case.  Many times, unless either the bearer or the designer (as in the case of the Middleton arms) left us notes explaining the meanings of the colors and charges on the shield, or unless the arms are a cant, or pun, on the name (e.g., the hand and chief with three roosters, or cocks, in the arms of Hancock, below), it is difficult to guess, much less know, why those colors or charges appear on the arms.

Yes, I know that there are websites and books that purport to tell you the meanings of the colors and charges, but in truth there are no generally accepted meanings for these things.  Indeed, different compilations of such meanings often disagree with each other, to the point of having one charge mean completely contradictory things!  And as Lowe in his Curiosities of Heraldry notes: “It does not seem to have occured to these allegorizing worthies that the tincture of a charge may be diametrically opposed to the signification assigned to the charge itself. For example, the coat ‘Vert, a bull's head or’ by the armilogical rules cited above, would signify, as to the tinctures, pleasure and joy, while as to the charge it would mean rage and fury. Again, ‘Purpure, a wolf argent’ would mean ‘a wrangler with a peacable disposition!!’”

A good discussion of the significance of the meanings of charges in heraldry can be found in the Most Frequently Asked Questions of the rec.heraldry newsgroup, available on line on Francois Velde's Heraldica at http://www.heraldica.org/faqs/mfaq

Anyway, although about an event not exactly current, it's a nice little article (well, except where they make the all too common error of calling a coat of arms a "crest") about some heraldry where we can actually learn the meanings of some of the colors and charges.  It can be found on-line at http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/04/25/kate-middletons-coat-of-arms-what-do-those-acorns-actually-mean/