The College's own coat of arms was granted in 1484.

The College of Arms is an English institution originally incorporated in 1484 which includes all the Kings of Arms, Heralds and Pursuivants in England and Wales. This is a copyrighted and/or trademarked logo. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... Incorporation describes the forming of a new corporation. ...

Its officers are members of the Royal Household. The Kings of Arms, with the authority of the Queen (which is granted to them in general terms upon their appointment), are responsible for granting coats of arms in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. (Scottish heraldry is independently regulated by Lord Lyon King of Arms.) The officers of the College of Arms also grant arms to citizens of other Commonwealth countries that do not have their own heraldic authorities, including Australia and New Zealand (but excluding Canada and South Africa, which have their own heraldic authorities). In all the medieval monarchies of western Europe the general system of government sprang from, and centred in, the royal household. ... Heraldry is the science and art of describing coats-of-arms, also referred to as achievements or armorial bearings. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... National motto: Cymru am byth (Welsh: Wales for ever) Waless location within the UK Official languages English(100%), Welsh(20. ... Northern Ireland is one of four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. ... Arms of the Office of the Lord Lyon The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that kingdom, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the oldest Heraldic court in the world that... Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of independent sovereign states, most of which are former colonies once governed by the United Kingdom as part of the British Empire. ...

In addition to designing and granting coats of arms, the members of the College of Arms undertake research in matters of genealogy and heraldry, and register family trees (pedigrees) in their records, which, although not open to the public, have official status. Such pedigrees are carefully scrutinised by officers independent of the person who has done the research, and official proofs are required for every stage. Genealogy is the study and tracing of family pedigrees. ... Heraldry is the science and art of describing coats-of-arms, also referred to as achievements or armorial bearings. ...

The officers of the College of Arms also supervise ceremonial matters in England and Wales, including the introduction of new peers into the House of Lords, and they play a role in the ceremonies of orders of chivalry (notably the Order of the Garter) and in the designs of official military badges. This article is about the British House of Lords. ... See also British_honours_system#Orders_of_Chivalry An Order of chivalry has two meanings: Originally (during the 12th Century) it was one of the Christian Military orders of Western European knights with the goal of safeguarding the Holy Land from Muslim attacks. ...  Spoken article available (part 1)  (part 2) A garter is one of the Orders most recognisable insignia. ...

The College of Arms building is on Queen Victoria Street in the City of London, south of St. Paul's cathedral. The present site of the College of Arms was granted when it was re-incorporated by Philip and Mary I in 1555, and the present 17th century College building dates from a reconstruction after the Great Fire of London in 1666. This article is about a small section of central London. ... St Pauls Cathedral is a cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London in London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. ... Philip II of Spain (Spanish: Felipe II) - (May 21, 1527 – September 13, 1598), the first King of Spain understood as the whole peninsula of Hispania (r. ... Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 6 July 1553 (de jure) or 19 July 1553 (de facto) until her death. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Great Fire of London - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

The officers

The Earl Marshal, a hereditary office held by the Duke of Norfolk, oversees and controls the College, though he is not a member of that body. A coat of arms may not be granted without the consent of the Earl Marshal. Furthermore, the Earl Marshal may, in theory, hear cases and controversies relating to the use of arms in the Court of Chivalry, although the court has not met since 1954. In practice, however, the Earl Marshal usually leaves affairs to the professional heralds of the College. Earl Marschal (or Marischal) is an ancient chivalric title used separately in England, Scotland and Ireland. ... The Duke of Norfolk is the Premier Duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the Premier Earl. ... The Court of Chivalry is a civil court in England. ... A herald was originally a messenger sent by a king or nobleman to convey a message or proclamation. ...

The College of Arms building in Queen Victoria Street, London, England

The heralds fall into three ranks: Kings of Arms, Heralds, and Pursuivants. Each member of the College holds a traditional post, the titles of which are either geographic and derived from peerages currently or formerly held by the Royal Family or derived from devices on the various Royal Badges. None has more than symbolic meaning: The College of Arms in Queen Victoria Street, London, England. ... The College of Arms in Queen Victoria Street, London, England. ... King of Arms is the title given to a kingdoms chief heralds. ... A herald was originally a messenger sent by a king or nobleman to convey a message or proclamation. ... A Pursuivant is a minor herald. ... Members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony The British Royal Family is a group of people closely related to the British monarch. ... A Badge is a device, patch, or accoutrement which is presented or displayed to annote some feat of service, a special accomplishment, or as a simple means of identification. ...

• Kings of Arms
  • Garter Principal King of Arms, the senior King of Arms
  • Clarenceux King of Arms, whose "province" is the part of England south of the River Trent
  • Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, whose "province" is the part of England north of the River Trent (Norroy) and Northern Ireland (Ulster)
• Heralds
  • Chester Herald
  • Lancaster Herald
  • Richmond Herald
  • Somerset Herald
  • Windsor Herald
  • York Herald
• Pursuivants
  • Bluemantle Pursuivant
  • Portcullis Pursuivant
  • Rouge Croix Pursuivant
  • Rouge Dragon Pursuivant

The various heralds conduct their own private practice in heraldry and genealogy, receiving only nominal salaries as officers of the College (£49.07 for the Garter Principal King of Arms, £20.25 for the other Kings of Arms, ₤17.80 for the Heralds, and £13.95 for the Pursuivants.) They serve in rota as the 'officer of the day' to handle walk-in business. Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. ... Chester is the county town of Cheshire in the north-west of England, close to the border with Wales. ... This article is about an English city. ... The town of Richmond as seen from the top of the keep of Richmond Castle Richmond is an attractive Georgian market town on the river Swale in North Yorkshire. ... Somerset is a county in the south-west of England. ... Windsor (IPA: usually , but also ) is a small town in Berkshire on the south-western outskirts of London, south of the River Thames. ... York is a city in Northern England, built at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. ... A portcullis in Edinburgh Castle A portcullis is a grille or gate made of wood, metal or a combination of the two. ... The pound sterling, which strictly speaking refers to basic currency unit of sterling, now the pound, can generally refer to the currency of the United Kingdom (UK). ...

Beyond these 'Heralds in Ordinary' who make up the college, there have been from time to time certain 'Heralds Extraordinary' who are appointed for special occasions or who assist the Earl Marshal personally. They include

• Arundel Herald Extraordinary
• Beaumont Herald Extraordinary
• Maltravers Herald Extraordinary
• New Zealand Herald Extraordinary
• Norfolk Herald Extraordinary
• Wales Herald Extraordinary
• Fitzalan Pursuivant Extraordinary

Heralds, both in ordinary and extraordinary, also serve ceremonial roles in state functions, such as investitures and the reading of proclamations, wearing tabards bearing the coat of arms of the Queen. On these occasions, they are sometimes proceeded by state trumpeters, with whom, however, they should not be confused. Lay investiture was the appointment of bishops, abbots, and other church officials by feudal lords and vassals. ... A tabard worn over armour A tabard is a short coat, either sleeveless, or with short sleeves or shoulder pieces, emblazoned on the front and back with the arms of the sovereign, and worn, as their distinctive garment, by heralds and pursuivants. ...

Grants and descent of arms

The Kings of Arms grant coats of arms by letters patent. Before they can even consider the granting of arms, an application must be made to the Earl Marshal, and a fee paid. Letters Patent by Queen Victoria creating the office of Governor-General of Australia Letters patent are a type of legal document which is an open letter issued by a monarch or government granting a right, monopoly, title, or status to someone or some entity such as a corporation. ...

The Kings of Arms are authorised in their patents of appointment to grant (with the consent of the Earl Marshal) to "eminent men", a phrase which first appeared in the patent of appointment of Stephen Leake as Clarenceux King of Arms in 1741. Originally, the test applied was one of wealth or social status, because any man entitled to bear a coat of arms was expected to be a gentleman. By 1530, the heralds applied a property qualification, requiring successful candidates for a grant of arms to have an income from land of £10 per annum, or movable wealth of £300. But since the heralds receive fees for granting arms, they have always had an incentive to be generous rather than restrictive in their interpretation of who should be allowed a grant. In 1616, Ralphe Brooke, York Herald, tricked Garter King of Arms, Segar, into granting a coat of arms to the common hangman for a fee of 22 shillings. The term gentleman (from Latin gentilis, belonging to a race or gens, and man, cognate with the French word gentilhomme, the Spanish hombre gentil, and the Italian gentil huomo), in its original and strict signification, denoted a man of good family, the Latin generosus (its invariable translation in English-Latin...

In 1673, the authority of the Earl Marshal, which the heralds had challenged, was established in its modern form by a royal declaration which stated, among other things, that no patents of arms should be granted without his consent. This established the system, which is still operated, whereby royal authority to approve candidates for grants of arms is exercised by the Earl Marshal, and royal authority to grant the arms themselves is exercised by the Kings of Arms from the College of Arms.

There are no fixed criteria as to whether a modern application for a grant of arms should be allowed. If a herald is approached and does not consider that the application has merit, he may tactfully suggest to the applicant that he or she should not proceed. If it does proceed, its success or otherwise will depend on the approval of the Earl Marshal, who may apply his own standards. Peter Gwynn-Jones, Garter King of Arms, has recently written that "In practice, eligibility depends upon holding a civil or military commission, a sound university degree or professional qualification, or having achieved some measure of distinction in a field beneficial to society as a whole." (The Art of Heraldry (1998) P. Gwynn-Jones p 121).

If the Earl Marshal finds the application satisfactory, he will grant a Warrant authorising the Kings of Arms to proceed with the designing of arms. One of the heralds then works with the applicant to devise arms pleasing to him as well as heraldically correct. Once a final form is reached, the Kings of Arms grant letters patent (colourfully illuminated and decorated) authorising the use the arms blazoned therein to the grantee and his heirs.

They, or a differenced version of them using marks of cadency, will be inherited by all of the legitimate children of an individual and such children and their descendants may bear the arms (or a differenced version of them) from the moment of birth: they do not (as with other inheritance) have to wait for the death of the previous generation. Nor is there any requirement for the College of Arms to approve the use of the arms in each generation: the original grant of arms is the only authority required. Although daughters and sons inherit the right to bear arms for themselves personally, the right passes only through the male line: hence, a son transmits the arms to his children, but a daughter, while bearing them for herself, does not transmit them to her children. A partial exception to this rule is the case of a woman who has no brothers, or whose brothers have no issue; such a woman is called a heraldic heiress and may transmit the arms to her children and their descendants as a quartering with their own arms. Cadency is any systematic way of distinguishing similar coats of arms belonging to members of the same family. ... Drawing and quartering was part of the penalty anciently ordained in England for treason. ...

The costs involved are quite substantial; but it should be noted that in theory the applicant does not "buy" a coat of arms: the arms themselves are freely given, but fees must be paid to the heralds and artists involved as professionals, and to support the buildings and other running costs of the College since (aside from the heralds' traditional nominal salaries given above), the College of Arms is not financed by the taxpayer. A tax is an involuntary fee paid by individuals or businesses to a state, or to functional equivalents of a state, including tribes, secessionist movements or revolutionary movements. ...

Name changes

The College of Arms is also responsible for recording the changes of the names. In order to change one's name, one must apply for a deed poll to be entered on the College's registers and published in the London Gazette. (The deed poll is not entered on the registers, but is still published, if the name change does not amend the surname.) A deed poll is a legal and formal contract binding only to a single person. ... The London Gazette is the oldest surviving English newspaper; it was first published on November 7, 1665. ...

Alternatively, when a Royal Licence is granted for a transfer of arms, the change of the surname of the transferee to that of the transferrer may be permitted by the Licence itself, without the need for a deed poll.

See also

• UK topics

Shortcut: UK topics This is a list of topics related to the United Kingdom. ...

External link

• The College of Arms website