International Heraldry Day

International Heraldry Day is fast approaching.

The International Heraldry Day information pages can be found here:

international-heraldry-day-2015

Victorian Painted Armorial Funeral Directors Advertising Sign

Currently for sale on Ebay is what is described as a Victorian Painted Armorial Funeral Directors Advertising Sign

"An unusual Victorian funeral directors sign mid - late 19th Century hand painted on a semi-translucent canvas with an armorial and the motto 'Dum Spiro Spero' (translates as While I Breathe I Hope)and entitled FUNERALS

The canvas is sandwiched between two pieces of glass and mounted in a stained oak frame, which when held to the light gives the effect of a stained glass window 48.5 x 48.5cm"

With a buy it now price of £295 it is worth keeping an eye on.

Grants of Arms to persons owning the dignity of baron etc.

Sources close to The Armorial Register Limited tell me that there is an imminent announcement due to be published on the Lyon Court website (probably as early as tomorrow) the content of which may well show a different legal opinion on Feudal Lordships and Earldoms to that which had been published by the previous Lord Lyon. It is noticeable that the link on the Lyon Court website to the “General guidance regarding Baronial Additaments and Territorial Designations” whilst still remaining actually (at the time of writing this note) leads to a blank page so the previous opinions on these matters have been removed; perhaps in anticipation of an amended opinion. The links " Note relating to baronies 4th December 2009" and "Note relating to petitions for Grants of Arms by persons owning a dignity of baron" also now lead to blank pages where the content has been removed.

I am informed that there may well be a different approach to the words that will be used on Letters Patent and it may well be that in future a petitioner who has shown that he possesses a feudal barony, lordship or earldom will not be shown as (for example) Joe MacSporan, earl of Edinburgh, but instead there will be some form of general (vague?) recognition that his ownership of the dignity has brought him into the jurisdiction of the Lord Lyon and he is therefore entitled to armorial bearings. We may well see some form of reversal of opinion and an acceptance of feudal earldoms (all be it that the earldom is a dignity in baronium). There is no indication that new barons etc will receive anything other than the present baronial helm and I have every reason to believe that this will remain the same.

I believe that the new announcement will also indicate that the present Lord Lyon is satisfied that an entry in the private Barony Register (presently headed by Alistair Rennie, a lawyer and a former Deputy Keeper in the Registers of Scotland) is appropriate and acceptable proof of the ownership of a dignity.

Heraldic Artist Tudor-Radu Tiron Ph.D

Heraldic artist Tudor-Radu Tiron has a weblog worthy of spending more than a few moments browsing.

Here is but one of his recent commissions:

The armorial bookplate of Paul E. L. T. Borrow-Longain Esq.
Latin inscription, in Gothic letters: “† S(IGILLUM) DOMINI PAULI BORROW-LONGAIN”

Postage Stamps Heraldic Beasts

A new series of stamps with an heraldic theme are due to be issued by The Royal Mail on the 13th May 2015.

It's to be "De Jure"

The newly adopted arms of the International Heraldry Society with the motto De Jure (by right).

Most people have some sort of design rational behind their arms and I suspect that their published rational is a slightly romanticized, edited, version which belies the reality. Here is a straight forward honest, if somewhat tongue in cheek, design rational provided by Kathy McClurg, Committee Member of the Society:

"So - John mentioned "design rationale" yesterday. Chas doesn't see a need for it.. I thought I'd "play" with it...
The shield is Vert because Kathy likes Vert and didn't have any yet. Since Chas put lots of effort into the compass rose and Martin thought it was too .. not compass rose-like, John found one online with a circle behind it and suggested the circle be made a shield... which played in nicely with an earlier comment by Martin saying he didn't think much of the arms said "heraldry" to him.

The astrolabe or celestial globe or ?? was suggested by Martin or Chas or John. But Chas located a graphic he could work with and produced it.

Richard was somewhat unavailable during a number of the discussions but hopes a simpler celestial globe is rendered if an artist takes it up with us... ;-)

The motto was ultimately first recommended by Martin while we completely ignored Ralf's poll. Kathy thought "du jour" as in soup? And Martin and Chas thought she was strangely making the connection to French rather than Latin and laughed at her most joyously... Martin posted the suggestion for the IHS FB page... and when no one commented, Chas and John jumped it - and it was done!"

New armorial bearings for a heraldry society

The International Heraldry Society, a web based society for heraldry enthusiasts all over the world, has settled upon a new design for armorial bearings and is now calling upon its membership for ideas for a motto.

Arms: Vert an inescutcheon Argent overall a compass rose counterchanged Sable and Or.
Crest: For crest: an armillary globe Or.