• rec.heraldry FAQ (1/2)

    From 3ARwun@21:1/5 to Francois R. Velde on Wed Nov 6 02:48:30 2019
    On Friday, November 1, 2019 at 1:00:07 AM UTC-5, Francois R. Velde wrote:
    Archive-name: heraldry/faq
    Posting-Frequency: monthly
    Last-modified: 2000/01/25
    URL: http://www.heraldica.org/faqs/heraldry.faq

    The rec.heraldry Frequently Asked Questions File
    ================================================


    Although rec.heraldry isn't a very high-volume newsgroup, there are several questions often asked by those new to heraldry. This is an attempt to collect them, and their answers, in one posting which can be distributed regularly.

    You'll soon find that there's lots of nonsense written about heraldry. Always remember that the origins of heraldry are lost in antiquity, that many writers on heraldry have simply copied each other's mistakes, and
    that there is much disagreement among heralds. Remember, too, that a
    "rule" which applies in one place at one time may not travel well to
    another time or place.

    This FAQ file was initially written by Gordon Findlay (gordon@chmeds.ac.nz). It is now maintained by François Velde (http://www.heraldica.org/contact.html)
    and posted monthly.

    A weekly posting called the rec.heraldry MFAQ answers the question: "My name is Smith, what are my arms?" It can be found at http://www.heraldica.org/faqs/mfaq


    Table of Contents
    =================

    1: What is rec.heraldry?
    2: What other newsgroups and mailing lists are there?
    3: How can I find my coat of arms or my family's coat of arms?
    4: What about those outfits in the malls that'll sell me my arms?
    5: What is the difference between a coat of arms and a crest?
    6: How do you blazon a coat of arms?
    7: What's the SCA? How does it relate to rec.heraldry?
    8: What do arms mean?
    9: How inviolable is the rule of tincture?
    10: Is the Court of Chivalry dead?
    11: What heraldic software is available?
    12: How do I unzip Blazons?
    13: Is there a computerised Ordinary available to download?
    14: Where can I find heraldic clip-art on the net?
    15: What are some books I can turn to to learn more?
    16: What tartan should I wear, and other tartan stuff.
    17: Addresses of national heraldic and genealogical associations.
    18: Distribution

    1: What is rec.heraldry?
    ========================

    The rec.heraldry newsgroup exists for the discussion of coats of arms,
    the work and history of heralds, and related topics such as flags,
    seals, ceremony and precedence.


    2: What other newsgroups and mailing lists are there? =====================================================

    For genealogical matters, see the newsgroups soc.genealogy.* and alt.genealogy. For matters royal and aristocratic, there is alt.talk.royalty

    For the SCA (see question 7) there are rec.org.sca and alt.heraldry.sca (although the latter group is badly propagated). There is also the
    mailing list SCAHRLDS@listserv.aol.com@listserv.aol.com.
    More generally, the SCA's Web site is at http://www.sca.org.

    There is a mailing list devoted to flags; this description was provided
    by its first maintainer:

    "The scope of the FLAGS mailing list is to create a worldwide, real-time
    updated database about all kinds of flags: (inter)national, (un)official,
    ethnical, political, religious, movements' flags; to discuss symbols
    and colours used on flags, in order to find common or unique
    meanings of them; and to gather informations about flags' history."
    If you want to subscribe, send a message to <flags-subscribe@yahoogroups.com>

    The Flags of the World Web site is at <http://www.fotw.ca/flags/>

    François Velde maintains a Web page at
    http://www.heraldica.org/
    which contains articles on a number of interesting heraldic topics.

    There are World Wide Web pages at
    http://www2.ncsu.edu/eos/users/s/sfcallic/SCA/Heraldy.html
    http://www.tiac.net/staff/zach/east.html
    http://www2.ecst.csuchio.edu:80/~rodmur/sca/
    which are fairly SCA oriented, but check them out; there is a lot of real-world heraldry information as well.

    Another SCA resource is the Academy of Saint Gabriel, which provides consultation to Society members on choosing names and armory for Society use:
    http://www.s-gabriel.org/

    The British Heraldic Archive WWW pages are at
    http://www.kwtelecom.com/heraldry/index.html
    and contains information about the Heraldry Society, indices to "The Coat of Arms" and articles of interest.


    3: How can I find my coat of arms or my family's coat of arms? ==============================================================

    This is a difficult question to answer; it requires a great deal of
    research and skill.

    In most countries in the world, you can bear any arms you want. This is the way in which arms were originally adopted, before codification and
    regulation by European heralds and rulers.

    However, many people consider it wrong to adopt someone else's arms. In some countries, notably Scotland, this is not only dishonourable but illegal.

    In particular, there are no laws regulating the use of _non-governmental_ arms in the US. The American government neither grants nor recognizes armory. You can adopt any arms you choose and use them however you want (unless you infringe on someone's trademark, which is an entirely different subject that has been beaten to death on this newsgroup so please don't ask about it); but you have no particular right to those arms or any other.

    If you are descended from someone who was granted arms by some heraldic authority then you may have some claim to those arms within the
    jurisdiction of that authority. The chances are very good that you do not have any claim on any actual arms. Most people in the world do not.
    Exactly what conditions you have to meet to establish such a claim vary considerably from one country to another. At the very least, you will have
    to prove that a recognized holder of the arms is your ancestor. In some countries, you would have to prove that you are the legal heir of that person. Getting an official recognition of your claim is likely to be expensive and time-consuming; in England, for example, it costs thousands
    of pounds.

    *** Your last name has nothing to do with the matter. ***

    Arms are not associated with surnames, but with individuals and, in some countries, with families. The important thing is who your ancestors are,
    not what surname you happen to bear. The fact that your name happens to be "Smith", for example, gives you no claim whatsoever on any of the thousands of arms borne throughout history by various people named "Smith."

    Unfortunately, there are lots of unscrupulous businessmen worldwide who are happy to promulgate false information about the subject of armory. They will happily take your money to tell you "Your Family Arms", which they supply simply by finding an armigerous family that happens to share your surname. We suggest that you avoid these companies; if you want anything more than a decorative wall-hanging, they are a waste of your money. And if you will
    be happy with any pretty picture to hang on your wall, you can save
    yourself the trouble of dealing with these companies, and simply choose
    arms that you like.

    See also the MFAQ at: http://www.heraldica.org/faqs/mfaq

    4: What about those outfits in the malls that'll sell me my arms? =================================================================

    See question 3.

    "Unless you pay them thousands of dollars, the companies [in the malls,
    and in advertisements in many publications] won't do that research;
    they'll just look in their books under your surname, and tell you what's there.

    All that will tell you is that there is (or once was) a person sharing
    Byour surname who bore arms. Suppose your name were "Jones"; it wouldn't
    be very significant to learn that there was once an English armiger
    named "Jones".

    - Josh Mittleman (mittle@panix.com)


    5: What is the difference between a coat of arms and a crest? =============================================================

    Many people mistakenly call a shield bearing arms a crest, for example
    in the phrase "my family's crest", which usually refers to the shield itself, or perhaps a badge.

    A full English coat of arms (an "achievement") consists of:

    - a shield (with arms painted on it, obviously);
    - above the shield, a helm or helmet;
    - hanging from the helm, the mantling, which represents a piece of
    cloth used for protection from the sun. The mantling is frequently
    arranged in decorative swirls around the shield, suggesting a tattered
    cloth hacked about in fighting;
    - a torse, or wreath, being twists of cloth wound around the helmet;
    - the crest, sitting on the torse.

    There may also be, if the bearer is entitled to them:

    - a supporter on each side of the shield (in some cases there may be
    only one supporter);
    - a compartment for the supporters to stand on;
    - one or more collars of orders of knighthood surrounding the shield,
    or symbols of office (eg batons) behind it.

    Not all the elements have to be present; the essential part is the
    shield. There may also be other bits and pieces, such as mottos, badges
    or war cries.

    Achievements in other countries frequently differ: for example the torse is not very common on the continent, and coronets are commonly found in French heraldry.

    Any book should have illustrations of many different achievements, with different selections of these elements.


    6: How do you blazon a coat of arms?
    ====================================

    Coats of arms are described in a technical language, devised over the centuries by heralds, with the aim of describing even the most complex
    coats concisely and unambiguously.

    This language cannot be summarised usefully in the space of a FAQ. The
    books in the bibliography cover this in detail: those by Moncreiffe, Franklyn, Boutell (Brooke-Little) and Friar are particularly useful in
    my opinion.


    7: What's the SCA? How does it relate to rec.heraldry? ======================================================

    The SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) is an international living-history society which researches and recreates many elements of medieval life, from battles to feasts. It has an active group of
    heralds, kings-of-arms and so on, who exercise considerable influence
    over the heraldry used in the SCA's activities.

    There are other such groups, but the SCA is by far the largest.

    Many SCA heralds participate in rec.heraldry, but please keep
    SCA-specific discussion in more appropriate fora (see question 2).


    8: What do arms mean?
    =====================

    Without knowing the circumstances of the original grant, it is difficult
    to say whether a coat means anything at all, except that someone
    (grantee or herald) liked the design.

    Some arms ("canting" arms) contain a charge whose name is related to the surname of the bearer (e.g. de Trumpington: Azure, crusily, two trumpets pileways Or). This can be taken to the extent of becoming a rebus
    puzzle -- the Borough of Congleton bears Sable, on water in base
    barry-wavy azure and argent, on a tun between two conger eels argent, a
    lion statant-guardant Or, which decodes to Conger-Leo-Tun.

    In the Middle Ages, bestiaries, popular tales and folklore contributed greatly to the association of specific animals with specific characteristics or virtues, some of which persist to this day (owls are wise, elephants
    have memory, etc). It is quite possible, for any given coat, that the original bearer chose an animal with such associations in mind.

    Often a coat will contain charges alluding to the original grantee's
    career or interests; for example medieval merchants and guildsmen often included the tools of their trade. These may become less appropriate as
    the coat is passed down through the generations, or their significance
    is forgotten. Quite elaborate schemes can be developed: a former
    Governor General of New Zealand has a coat based on the theme "a cat
    among the pigeons", which is apparently how she sees her career.

    Some charges were taken from the arms of a bearer's feudal lord or
    protector as a mark of loyalty. For example, the Maltese cross in the
    arms of several towns in Switzerland is a reference to the Knights of
    Malta, who were once sovereign in that area. The frequency with which
    the bar, a type of fish, appears in coats of arms of the former duchy
    of Bar in Eastern France can only be explained in this way. Also, imperial eagles which appear in many Italian coats were originally meant as a sign
    of allegiance to the Imperial party in the conflicts which tore medieval Italy.


    9: How inviolable is the rule of tincture? ==========================================

    The "colours" used on shields are strictly called tinctures; there is a limited range which varies somewhat from place to place and time to
    time. These tinctures are divided into two groups: gold and silver,
    which are called the metals, and all the others, which are called the colours.

    In Woodward's words, it is a "primary heraldic canon" that colour is
    not placed on colour, nor metal on metal. This rule was used to ensure
    that coats of arms could be easily recognised at a distance or in the
    heat of battle.

    It is commonly said that the arms of Jerusalem (Argent, a cross potent between four crosses Or) are the only counterexample. However, Woodward quotes several examples from continental heraldry in which the "rule" is broken: e.g. Grasse (Azure, ten stars Gules, 1, 2, 3 and 4) and Doro (Argent, a lion Or). Augmentations of honour sometimes breach the rule
    as well, and a chief of colour is often, especially in continental
    heraldry, placed on top of a simpler coat, giving an appearance of
    colour on colour.

    What _is_ certain is that colour on colour or metal on metal is
    exceedingly uncommon or non-existent in English, French and Scottish heraldry, and that the Kings of Arms in Scotland and England would not
    grant such an arrangement today.

    In other countries the rule is less rigidly followed, and in some, such
    as Hungary, colour on colour is very common. Most of the books in
    English reflect English or Scottish heraldic practice and ignore the heraldry of other nations.


    10: Is the Court of Chivalry dead?
    ==================================

    The Court of Chivalry is a leading contender for "flame-bait of the year" award in rec.heraldry.

    In mediaeval times heraldry was strictly regulated, and in England there
    was a Court of Chivalry to deal with heraldic jurisdiction. This court
    had a chequered history, going into abeyance more than once.

    This English Court of Chivalry most recently sat in 1954, after a long period of disuse. During that judgement (a case of assumption of
    another's arms) it was declared that the Court should sit only in very exceptional circumstances. There have been changes in the English legal system since 1954 which would make it difficult for the Court to sit
    again without legislation. Notwithstanding this, the current (1994)
    Somerset Herald and Norroy and Ulster King of Arms have both stated
    their opinion that the Court could still sit.

    The situation is quite different in Scotland: Lyon Court functions as it always has.


    11: What heraldic software is available? ========================================

    There are two Windows95 shareware progams, different in spite of similar names:
    (1) Blazon and Blazon95, written by Peter Barrett for educational purposes, are
    available at <http://petebarrett.members.beeb.net/blazon.htm>.
    (2) Blazons! written by Bob Billard, is available at <http://www.blazons.com/>.

    For Macintosh,Steven Solomon has written a program called Heraldry Primer. It is shareware, and version 1.1 is available at <http://members.aol.com/grammarman/grammarstuff/aboutheraldry.html>.

    12: How do I unzip Blazons?
    ===========================

    This comes up very, very frequently. There are lots of ways of doing this, but this one at least works. I'll use drive C:, substitute the letter of your hard drive if necessary.

    Step by step then:

    - obtain the file BLAZONS.ZIP. If you FTP it yourself, remember to use
    binary mode .
    - move BLAZONS.ZIP into the ROOT directory of drive C:
    - obtain a copy of PKUNZIP.EXE, if you don't already have one. Put it
    in any directory on your path. Most people have a UTILS or UTILITY
    directory.
    - type PKUNZIP -D BLAZONS (Enter) The -D is critical: it forces pkunzip
    to create the correct directories.

    If all goes well, you will have a directory called BLAZONS, and in it several
    files, and a subdirectory called PICTS. You can now delete BLAZONS.ZIP, or
    at least move it someplace more appropriate than the root directory.

    Run the program from the BLAZONS directory. There is a documentation file BLAZONS.DOC in that directory as well.

    If the unzip operation fails check that:

    - you have a recent version of pkunzip. Version 2.04g certainly works, so
    should any later versions. Earlier versions MIGHT work.
    - you did ftp BLAXONS.ZIP in binary mode.
    - you remembered the -D switch.


    13: Is there a computerised Ordinary available to download? ===========================================================

    (An Ordinary is a reference book which lists shields of arms by the
    charges they contain, which obviously helps identify an unknown shield.)

    The SCA has one, but it covers only SCA heraldry. It is available by ftp from:

    vela.acs.oakland.edu (141.210.10.2), /pub/heralds/armorials
    nimbus.gp.cs.cmu.edu (128.2.218.62), /usr/kvs/pub

    Other SCA armorials can be searched from the Web pages mentioned in question 2.


    14: Where can I find heraldic clip-art on the net? ==================================================

    It is said that CorelDraw versions 4 through 7 has some heraldic clip-art. Also, there are some links to clip-art at <http://digiserve.com/heraldry/clipart.htm>.

    15: What are some books I can turn to to learn more? ====================================================

    The following are a few of the many books on heraldry and the work of heralds. The list is specifically aimed at the beginner, but includes
    the most often quoted references (Papworth, Woodward, Fairbairn).

    See also the annotated bibliography at <http://www.heraldica.org/biblio/>.

    Heraldry books can be hard to track down. One very good source is:

    Heraldry Today, Parliament Piece, Ramsbury, Wiltshire SN8 2QH, ENGLAND.

    Get to know your local second-hand book dealer too!

    Bedingfeld, H. and Gwynn-Jones, P. _Heraldry_. London, Magna Books, 1993.

    Boutell, C. (Revised J.P. Brooke-Little) _Boutell's Heraldry_. London,
    1863 (latest edition 1983).

    Brooke-Little, J.P. _An Heraldic Alphabet_. London, 1973 (revised
    edition 1985).

    Burke, Sir Bernard. _The General Armory of England, Ireland, Scotland
    and Wales_. Heraldry Today, first printed 1842; final edition 1884; reprinted 1984.

    Dennys, R. _The Heraldic Imagination_. London, 1975.

    Dennys, R. _Heraldry and the Heralds_. London, 1982.

    Elvin, C.N. _A Dictionary of Heraldry_. Heraldry Today, 1889; reprinted 1977.

    Evans, I.O. _The Observer's Book of Flags_. Fredrick Warne and Co.,
    London, 1975.

    Fairbairn, J. _Fairbairn's Book of Crests of the Families of Britain and Ireland_. 1905, reprinted 1983.

    Fox-Davis, A.C. (revised and annotated J.P. Brooke-Little). _A Complete
    Guide to Heraldry_. London, 1909; revised edition 1985.

    Franklyn, J. _Shield and Crest_. MacGibbon and Kee, London, 1960;
    revised edition 1967.

    Friar, S. (ed) _A New Dictionary of Heraldry_. Alphabooks, London, 1987.

    Friar, S. and Ferguson, J. _Basic Heraldry_. Herbert Press, London, 1993.

    MacKinnon, C. _The Observer's Book of Heraldry_. Fredrick Warne and Co, London.

    Moncreiffe, Sir Iain, and Pottinger, D. _Simple Heraldry_. London, 1953.

    Neubecker, O. _Heraldry: Symbols, Sources and Meaning_. London, 1976.

    Papworth, J. _Ordinary of British Armorials: An Alphabetical Dictionary
    of Coats of Arms Belonging to Families in Great Britain & Ireland_.
    Heraldry Today, Bath 1884, reprinted 1977.

    Scott-Giles, C.W. _The Romance of Heraldry_. London, revised edition 1967.

    von Volborth, C.A. _Heraldry: Customs, Rules and Styles_. Poole, 1981.

    von Volborth, C.A. (ed. D.H.B. Chesshyre) _Heraldry of the World_.
    London, 1973.

    Wagner, Sir Anthony. _Heraldry in England_. London, 1946.

    Woodcock, T. and Robinson, J.M. _The Oxford Guide to Heraldry_. OUP,
    Oxford, 1988.

    [An excellent general introduction, with much material not
    found in the other introductions listed here, but much more
    reliable on English heraldry than any other countries]

    Woodward, J. and Burnett, G.A. _Treatise on Heraldry, British and
    Foreign_. 1891, reprinted 1969, with new introduction by L.G. Pine,
    Charles E Tuttle Co., Rutland, Vermont.

    A very large and scholarly bibliography of heraldic references was
    compiled by David Sanders (ae766@yfn.ysu.edu). It covers the entire
    world, and several centuries. It is available for anonymous FTP
    in ZIP format from ftp.heraldica.org as /pub/heraldry/faqs/sanders.zip (alternate URL <http://www.heraldica.org/faqs/sanders.zip>).


    16: Which tartan should I wear, and other tartan stuff. ======================================================

    This subject frequently rears its head in rec.heraldry; it is however well off charter!

    More appropriate newsgroups are soc.culture.scottish, soc.culture.celtic, and alt.scottish.clans (which is badly propagated).

    Just remember that there is even more nonsense talked about tartan than is talked about heraldry.


    17: Addresses of national heraldic and genealogical associations. =================================================================

    The following are addresses of heraldic associations and authorities.

    Only national associations are listed; there are numerous local and
    regional societies in many countries and the national societies should be able to put you in touch with them.

    Some of these are undoubtedly out of date. PLease forward any corrections
    to the FAQ-keeper.

    Australia (current as of 1/2006):

    Heraldry Australia Inc.
    C/- Stephen M Szabo
    Hon. Secretary
    PO Box 107
    Lawson NSW 2783
    Australia
    heraldry_aust@optusnet.com.au
    http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gold_gryph/heraldry/index.htm


    The Armorial & Heraldry Society of Australasia Inc.
    PO Box 352
    World Trade Centre
    Melbourne, VIC 3005

    The Honourable Company of Armigers Inc. (Australian Chapter)
    The Chancellor
    PO Box 11
    Armadale, Vic
    Australia 3143
    home page http://expage.com/page/armigers

    South Australian Genealogy & Heraldry Society Inc.
    GPO Box 592
    Adelaide, SA 5001
    Australia
    home page http://saghs.mtx.net/

    Heraldry & Genealogical Society of Canberra
    GPO Box 585, Canberra, ACT 2601
    Australia
    home page http://www.hagsoc.org.au/

    Austria:

    Heraldisch-Genealogische Gesellschaft "Adler"
    Universitätsstraße 6, Flat 9b, A-1096 Vienna
    email: society.adler.vienna@chello.at
    (they give advice on genealogical and heraldic research)

    Belgium:

    Association Royale Office Généalogique et Héraldique de Belgique
    Avenue Charles Thielemans, 93
    B -1150 Bruxelles
    Tél. et Fax: 02 / 772.50.27
    http://www.oghb.org/home.htm

    Vlaamse Vereniging voor Familiekunde
    The VVF has a "Heraldic College" that registers arms:
    http://users.skynet.be/sky60754/familiekunde/vvf/vvfheraldcollege.htm

    Canada:

    Canadian Heraldic Authority
    Rideau Hall
    1 Sussex Drive
    Ottawa, ON
    K1A 0A1
    http://www.gg.ca/heraldry/index_e.asp

    Royaly Heraldry Society of Canada
    P.O. Box 8128
    Terminal T
    Ottawa, ON
    K1G 3H9
    Canada
    http://www.heraldry.ca

    Denmark:

    Heraldisk Selskab
    c/o Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard (president),
    Tesdorpfsvej 59, DK 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark
    e-mail: kurrild-klitgaard@heraldik.org

    Nordisk Flaggselskap [society] & Nordisk Flaggskrift [journal]
    c/o Lisbeth Stilling (secretary)
    Stilling Flag
    Sorgenfrivej 14
    DK Lyngby
    Denmark
    Web site: http://w1.150.telia.com/~u15003985/nordflagg/
    E-mail: Stilling@danbbs.dk

    England and Wales:

    The College of Arms,
    Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 4BT.
    Web site: http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/

    The Heraldry Society,
    PO Box 32, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 3FD
    Web site: www.kwtelecom.com/heraldry/hersoc


    Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies,
    Northgate, Canterbury, Kent CT1 1BA.
    Web site: http://www.ihgs.ac.uk/

    Finland:

    Suomen Heraldinen Seura / Heraldiska Sällskapet i Finland
    The Heraldry Society of Finland
    P.O. Box 48
    FIN-00101 Helsinki, Finland

    Genealogiska Samfundet i Finland
    Elisabetsgatan 16 A
    FIN-00170 Helsingfors, Finland

    France:

    Fédération Française de Généalogie
    Histoire des Familles, Héraldique, Sigillographie
    3 rue de Turbigo - 75001 Paris
    tel : +(33) 1 40 13 00 88
    fax : +(33) 1 40 13 00 89

    La Société Française D'Héraldique et de Sigillographie,
    60, rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 75003, Paris.

    La Société du Grand Armorial de France,
    179, Boulevard Haussman, Paris.

    Conseil Français d'Héraldique
    http://www.karolus.org/org/assoc/as-fr/as-fr-na/h-cfh.htm
    c/o Dr Jean-Marie THIÉBAUD
    30, rue de la République
    B.P. 181
    25303 PONTARLIER CEDEX

    Germany:

    Der Herold,
    Archivstraße 12-14, D-14196, Berlin (Dahlem) 33.

    Genealogisch-Heraldische Gesellschaft,
    Postfach 2062, D-37010, Göttingen.

    Wappen Herold,
    Deutsche Heraldische Gesellschaft
    Postfach 556, D-7000,
    Stuttgart 1.

    Hungary: (tentative)

    Magyar Heraldikai es Geneologiai Tarsasag
    Elte University of Budapest, Budapest, v. Pesti Barnabas Utca 1.

    Iceland:

    Icelandic Heraldry Society,
    Bolstadarhild 16, Reykjavic.

    International:

    Académie Internationale d'Héraldique,
    4 bis, Bvd de Glatigney, F-78000, Versailles, France.

    Confédération Internationale de Généalogie et d'Héraldique,
    24, rue St-Louis-en-l'ile, 75004 Paris, France.

    International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Studies,
    Harmignies, Rue Martin Lindehens, 57, B-1150 Bruxelles,
    Belgium.

    International Fellowship of Armorists (Heraldry International),
    Werastr. 105, D-7000 Stuttgart 1, West Germany.

    International Genealogical Institute,
    Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints,
    50 East Smith Temple St, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

    Ireland:

    The Chief Herald of Ireland's Office,
    2 Kildare St, Dublin.

    The Heraldry Scoiety of Ireland,
    Castle Matrix, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick.

    Italy:

    Aradico Collegio,
    16 Via Santa Maria dell'Anima, Roma.

    Istituto Italiano di Genealogia ed Araldica,
    Palazzo della Scimma, 18 Via dei Portohesi, Roma.

    Japan:

    The Heraldry Society of Japan,
    3-88-26 Higashi Toyonaka, Toyonaka, Osaka.

    Luxemburg:

    Conseil Héraldique de Luxembourg,
    25 Rue Bertholet.

    The Luxembourg Society of Genealogy and Heraldry
    P.O.Box 118
    L-7502 Mersch
    Luxembourg
    Web site: http://www.luxembourg.co.uk/genealog.html

    Netherlands:

    Koninklijk Nederlandsch Genootschap voor Geslacht- en Wapenkunde,
    5 Bleijenburg, Den Haag.
    Web site: http://www.knggw.nl/index.html

    Central Bureau voor Genealogie,
    PO Box 11755, 2502 The Hague.
    Web site: http://www.cbg.nl/hoofd.htm
    The Bureau has a registry of Dutch coat of arms

    New Zealand:

    The Heraldry Society of New Zealand,
    60 Sayegh St, St Heliers, Auckland.

    The Heraldry Society (New Zealand Branch),
    PO Box 68-051, Newton, Auckland.
    Web site: http://www.geocities.com/heraldry_society/

    Norway:

    Norsk Heraldisk Forening,
    PO Box 958-Oslo Sentrum, N-0104 Oslo 1

    Den Norske Våpenring
    c/o Cappelen
    P.O.Box 1633 Vika, N-0119 Oslo

    Norsk Slekthistorik Forening,
    P.O.Box 59 Sentrum, N-101 Oslo

    Poland:

    Polskie Towarzystwo Heraldyczne
    (The Polish Heraldic Society)
    Rynek Starego Miasta 29/31
    PL 00-272 Warszawa, POLSKA (=Warsaw, POLAND)
    tel.(48-22) 831 02 61, fax (48-22) 831 36 42

    Polen

    Polish Genealogy and Heraldry Society
    Wodna 27, Palac Gorkow
    61-781 Poznan
    Web site: http://feehs.org/pol/frg-pghs.html

    Portugal:

    Institutio Portuges de Heraldica
    Convento do Carmo, Largo do carmo, P-1200 Lisboa.

    Scandinavia:

    Societas Heraldica Scandinavica
    c/o Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard (president),
    Tesdorpfsvej 59, DK 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark
    Web site: http://www.heraldik.org
    e-mail: kurrild-klitgaard@heraldik.org


    Scotland:

    Lord Lyon King of Arms, and the Court of Lord Lyon,
    H.M. New Register House, Edinburgh EH1 3YT.

    The Heraldry Society of Scotland,
    25 Craientinny Cres., Edinburgh EH7 6QA.
    Web site: http://www.heraldry-scotland.co.uk/

    The Scottish Genealogy Society
    15 Victoria Terrace
    Edinburgh, EH1 2JL
    Web site: http://www.scotsgenealogy.com/



    South Africa:

    The address of the South African Heraldic authority is:

    The State Herald
    Bureau of Heraldry
    Private Bag X236
    Pretoria
    0001

    Tel : +27-12-323-5300
    Fax : +27-12-323-5287

    The Heraldry Society of Southern Africa,
    PO Box 81011, Parkhurst 2120..

    Spain: (as of 1997)

    Exc.mo Sr D. Alfonso de Ceballos-Escalera y Gil, Marques de la Floresta
    Cronista de Armas de Castila y Leon
    Quintana 28
    Madrid 28008
    SPAIN

    Sweden:

    Swedish state herald:

    Henrik Klackenberg
    Riksarkivet - Heraldiska sektionen
    Box 12 541
    S - 102 29 Stockholm
    http://www.ra.se/-RA/heraldik.htm

    There are two heraldry societies, the larger one (300 members)
    is the Svenska Heraldiska Föreningen, the smaller one (60 members)
    is Heraldiska Samfundet.

    Svenska Heraldiska Föreningen (Heraldry Society of Sweden)
    Jesper Wasling, Secretary
    Sämgatan 10
    S - 507 45 Borås
    e-mail: jesper@heraldik.se
    http://www.heraldik.se

    Other contacts:
    Henric Åsklund, Chairman
    Ekoxevägen 9
    S - 247 35 Södra Sandby
    e-mail: henrik@heraldik.se



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