ACTIVITIES 2003

Society of Heraldic Arts' Brocklebank speaks

Ralph Brocklebank, chairman of Britain’s Society of Heraldic Arts, spoke at a College of Arms Foundation meeting held at the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society on Election Day Tuesday 4 November 2003. It is no exaggeration to say that he delighted his attentive audience in the Portrait Gallery with his charming anecdotes and obvious enthusiasm for heraldry.

Mr. Brocklebank declared that many friends had designed coats of arms for themselves which had subsequently been granted to them by the College of Arms. As he already had a coat of arms (granted to his grandfather in the 19th century) that avenue was closed to him. Instead he channeled his passion into encouraging his family (sons-in-law) and friends, and even his school in Canada, to seek arms and helped to design them.

The audience was particularly interested to observe projected images of preliminary sketches for a shield and the final result; also, the see how different artists, working in different periods or in different styles, can dramatically affect the overall appearance and liveliness of the charges. Mr. Brocklebank showed five different renditions of his own arms, produced in a 150 year period. The elements were the same in each shield but none was alike; underscoring that artists can and do make judgments when rendering a design.

The Society of Heraldic Arts is a British non-profit making international guild of heraldic artists, craftsmen and designers. It was formed in 1987 to offer a range of services both to the public and to commercial, civic and corporate organizations, from designing a simple bookplate to the creation of a corporate heraldic image for a multi-national corporation.

The interpretation of heraldic symbolism in paint, gold, stone, glass and precious metals is an ancient craft, requiring skill, knowledge and inventiveness, qualities acquired through rigorous training, experience and an intuitive appreciation of 'the heraldic imagination'.

Trained as a Zoologist at Cambridge, Ralph Brocklebank went on to study color perception and has lectured widely on the subject in addition to publishing papers in scientific journals. He was Chairman of The Colour Group (Great Britain) from 1971 to 1973, after which he became Principal of Sunfield Children’s Homes and Special School in Clent, Worcestershire, UK from 1978 to 1998. From 1998 to 2003 he was Chairman of the Committee for Steiner Special Education. He was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Heraldry Society in 2001 and Chairman of the Society of Heraldic Arts in 2002. He has written articles for The Coat of Arms, The Heraldry Gazette, The Heraldic Craftsman, The Double Tressure, Aspects of Heraldry, The Midland Ancestor, and Heraldry in Canada as well as booklets: The Sunfield Arms: Heraldry and History, Heraldry in Clent, and How to Do Heraldry with Arms for Family and Friends.


After the talk audience members surrounded Ralph Brocklebank to discuss his presentation. From left to right: Richard Rabbito, Victoria Campbell Kirsten, John Shannon, Ralph Brocklebank, Edward Moritz and Stephen Bacon.


At the talk Mr. Brocklebank displayed a “table shield”: a small shield designed to be displayed on the dinner table. This one was made by British artist Baz Manning, a member of the Society of Heraldic Arts, and bears the arms of Mr. Brocklebank.



Irish Author Susan Hood speaks on Irish Office of Arms

Dr. Susan Hood, author of Royal Roots, Republican Inheritance: The Survival of the Office of Arms (Dublin: The Woodfield Press, 2003) spoke at a meeting sponsored by the College of Arms Foundation and the Committee on Heraldry of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society on Tuesday 28 October.


Dr. Susan Hood

The office of Ulster King of Arms and Principal Herald of Ireland was established by King Edward VI of England in 1552 to oversee all aspects of Irish heraldry. The office endured until 1943 – 21 years after the foundation of the Irish Free State – when, after high level negotiations between London and Dublin, the function was transferred to the Dublin government. The title of Ulster King of Arms was merged with that of Norroy King of Arms and effectively repatriated to England. The Irish state changed the office’s name to the Genealogical Office, while the Chief Herald of Ireland replaced the King of Arms as the principal officeholder. The heraldic functions were maintained in spite of the trappings of royalty and nobility with which the system had been formerly imbued. Thus, curiously, the Office of Arms survived the transition from crown to republic. Today the Office of Arms provides heraldic services for Irish people and institutions throughout the world.

Born in Belfast, Susan Hood was educated at Trinity College Dublin, where she studied History; the University of London, where she received a Masters in Archives Studies; and at the University of Ulster in Coleraine, where she was awarded a Doctorate for research on the towns of Stokestown, County Roscommon – the location of Ireland’s Famine Museum. As an undergraduate at Trinity she gained valuable work experience in the Genealogical Office, which over several years laid the foundation of her knowledge about the Office’s complex and colorful history.



Lord Lyon speaks at NY Genealogical & Biographical Society



A large number of people gathered at the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society on Tuesday 14 October to hear a presentation by Robin Orr Blair, LVO, the Lord Lyon King of Arms making his first official visit to the United States, on the function and duties of the Court of the Lord Lyon in modern Scotland. As might be expected from one who has spent his working life as a lawyer, Lyon’s presentation was notable for its comprehensiveness, information and lucidity.

The post of Lord Lyon dates back to 1318. Remarkably, Mr. Blair is only the 35th person in seven centuries to hold it. The Lord Lyon’s duty was to proclaim (and therefore determine) the new king of Scotland; and to organize the coronation.

The position today is held by a lawyer because the Lord Lyon is a judge and presides over a functioning court of law, for which he is paid a salary fixed by Parliament. The post is for life.

The Court’s duties involve planning and carrying out state ceremonies (more frequent occurrences in Scotland than in England); granting or matriculating arms; handling queries about genealogy and claims to titles or chiefdoms of clans; as well as questions about flags, tartans and many other things.

His staff consists of himself and one other full time person. They are the only “duty officers”. There are three heralds and three pursuivants that act as advisors but are not in the office full-time. Lyon noted that many applicants for arms design them themselves.

Arms are granted by the Crown. In England that function was delegated to the Earl Marshal and the College of Arms. In Scotland, the Lord Lyon is the equivalent to a combination of the Earl Marshal and Garter King of Arms.

Lyon noted that, because of the clan system (there are over 180 officially recognized clans today), there is a close relationship between a surname and its arms: certain charges are always associated with certain surnames. As in England, arms are inherited, but only the eldest son can bear them undifferenced in Scotland. His brothers must, if they wish to use arms, matriculate their own arms with a difference, usually a bordure. In this way every Scottish coat of arms is unique to every bearer; and there is no such thing as a “family coat of arms” that several people can bear at the same time. This is different from the English system of “cadencing”.

Lyon described the effort going into digitizing the Court’s records: a huge project whereby all records (dating from the 1670s) will become accessible to the public via the Internet. In addition to scanning images of shields, there is also the work of transcribing the text. It is a massive project is being funded by the Scottish Executive.

Lyon brought to his audience’s attention his efforts to try to introduce some kind of system to control and regulate tartan. At present, there are no rules whatsoever and anyone may design something and call it a “tartan”. At present, he said, there are more than 5,000 “tartans”, a proliferation which threatens the quality and reputation of the genuine thing.

Lyon held his hearers spellbound for 45 minutes, after which he met with them one-on-one during a reception.


Henry C.B. Lindh, President of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, welcomed the audience to the meeting.


Ellsworth G. Stanton III, Secretary of the College of Arms Foundation, introduced the Lord Lyon.


Robin Orr Blair, LVO, addressing the meeting.


Francis J. Sypher, Jr., R. Brandon Fradd, and Jeffrey A. Ryan were among the attendees. Mr. Sypher is a member of the NYG&BS Committee on Heraldry and Mr. Fradd is a director of the College of Arms Foundation.


Several gentlemen attended in kilt, including James Campbell and Ed Cattell, members of the New York Caledonian Club.


Dr. Christopher Pratt, Chief of the New York Caledonian Club, poses with William P. Johns, Executive Director of the NYG&BS.



Reception and Presentation by Henry Bedingfeld, York Herald, on 24 April 2003

Henry Bedingfeld, York Herald of the College of Arms, gave a fascinating talk entitled “Music in Heraldry” at the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society on Thursday 24 April 2003. The “G&B” and the College of Arms Foundation jointly sponsored the presentation, which was attended by members of both organizations.

Mr. Bedingfeld showed the audience numerous expressive and original examples of recent grants of arms featuring music, frequently - though not always - an instrument. Musical notation – such as staves, clefs, and notes – also featured, as well as a crest of Terpsichore. Many of the grants were to performers (including Elton John and Paul McCartney), along with symphony conductors, musical impresarios and professional organizations.

Several conclusions from the presentation were apparent. First: far from being a “dead language,” heraldry in England is very much thriving today. Second: many talented individuals want and are able to successfully express their careers or identities through heraldry. Third: the work coming out of the College of Arms today is more lively, attractive and interesting than it was even as little as 20 years ago.

“The Foundation’s mission is to increase awareness of and interest in English heraldry,” said John Shannon, President. “This is all the more interesting because the heralds have created a fresh and distinctively English heraldic look based on clear, simple and strong design.”

“The College of Arms today is practically the only body in the world that still produces grants of arms the same way – on illuminated and engrossed sheepskin – it did five centuries ago,” he continued. “The College employs an extraordinary cadre of artists whose artistic and execution skills are world class.”


York Herald Henry Bedingfeld poses in front of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society’s colorful banner.


Among the attendees were John Mauk Hilliard, President of the St. Andrew’s Society in the State of New York, and James C. Risk, CVO, FSA.


Duane L.C. Galles has written numerous articles on heraldry or, more correctly, armory.


Young armorialists: R. Brandon Fradd and Curtis M. Estes.


W. Richard Rabbito engages the York Herald in conversation after the presentation.



Presentation by Bruce Patterson, Saguenay Herald of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, on 7 April 2003

Appointed Saguenay Herald in 2000, Mr. Patterson is Assistant Registrar of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, a body established within the office of the Governor General in 1988 to exercise the Sovereign’s power to grant arms in Canada. His functions include designing armorial bearings, writing and reviewing grant texts, and answering enquiries from the public.

A graduate of the University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario, Mr. Patterson has been active in heraldry in Canada for several years. He and Gordon Macpherson provided the illustrations for A Canadian Heraldic Primer published by the Heraldry Society of Canada in 2000. Friends of the Foundation were interested to discover the similarities and differences between England’s College of Arms and Canada’s own heraldic authority.


College of Arms Foundation President John Shannon with Bruce Patterson, Saguenay Herald of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, on 7 April 2003 in New York City.

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