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Granted,
Recorded or
Matriculated Arms
The
armorial bearings of
persons resident in
countries with an
existing law of arms
and/or granting
authority [or former
Granting Authority] will
only be accepted as
having the authority of
the Crown (or of the
granting authority if
outside the UK), if they
have been granted,
recorded or matriculated
by the recognised
granting authority and
that they are the
rightful arms of the
applicant. Where
armorial bearings are
being claimed or used by
way of “ancient usage”
the editor may ask to
see a recent
matriculation or
exemplification of the
arms before they can be
recorded against the
name of the present
bearer. If there is no
proof of a grant,
exemplification or
matriculation from the
Crown (or other granting
authority) then the
armorial bearings will
be recorded as Assumed
(please note that
Scottish armorial
bearings will only be
accepted if they are
recorded in the register
of the Lord Lyon King of
Arms).
In cases where, for
example, a citizen of
the United States of
America is using
armorial bearings by
descent from an
armigerous ancestor who
emigrated to the USA
from, say, England or
Scotland where the arms
were granted to said
ancestor, the editor
will expect to see a
recent matriculation or
exemplification of the
arms or genealogical
proof of descent from an
armiger. In the event
that the armiger is not
inclined to matriculate
his/her arms with a
heraldic authority or
provide genealogical
proof of descent from an
armiger the arms will be
registered as ‘assumed
arms’ (see below).
The
“status” of arms in the
Register will be
recorded as Granted,
Recorded or
Matriculated; alongside
a record of the relevant
granting authority where
there is one. In cases
where there is no lawful
granting authority the
arms will be shown as
“assumed” and the date
of assumption recorded.
The College of Arms
(England) has adopted
the practice of granting
honorary arms to
“foreigners”; such arms
will be recorded as
honorary.
Assumed
(Burgher) Arms
Subject
to the discretion of the
editor all 'assumed'
arms will be required to
comply with the accepted
norms of heraldic design
for the host nation. The
Company intends the
publication to be a
register of already
existing arms that
conform to the laws,
customs, and traditions
of the country where the
arms originate. Where
laws and customs
governing external
additaments are
undefined, the register
will record only a basic
achievement.
Titles,
Awards and Medals
Where
the applicant uses a
title or titles or their
armorial bearings
feature additaments such
as awards and medals,
ecclesiastical hats or
supporters and coronets
of rank the applicant
will be expected to
assure the editor that
they are genuinely
entitled to them and
that the awards and
titles themselves stem
from genuine
authorities. The
Editor's decision will
be final.
It
will be the aim of the
editor to ensure that
all armorial bearings
within the International
Armorial are genuine and
the persons whose names
are included therein
will be expected to give
an undertaking that the
information they have
furnished is true in
every respect. Where an
armiger uses assumed
arms he will be expected
to satisfy the register
that prior to their
assumption every effort
was made to ensure that
the blazon could not be
mistaken for any other
coat of arms already in
use by another person,
body or corporation. If,
however the editor
should discover, that
any record may not
conform to the
information supplied
then the relevant entry
may be deleted from the
register until the point
at issue has been
resolved.
A
contemporary popular
view of Lairdship
titles has taken a
unique twist in the 21st
century. Millions of
sales of souvenir land
plots from buyers who
show no interests in the
opinions of the Registry
of Scotland or of the
Court of the Lord Lyon.
They see their contract
purporting to sell a
plot of Scottish
souvenir land as
bestowing them the
informal right to the
title Laird. This is
despite the fact that
the buyer does not
acquire ownership of the
plot because
registration of the plot
is prohibited by Land
Registration (Scotland)
Act 2012, s 22 (1) (b).
As ownership of land in
Scotland requires
registration of a valid
disposition under Land
Registration (Scotland)
Act 2012, s 50 (2) the
prohibition on
registration of a
souvenir plot means the
buyer does not acquire
ownership, and
accordingly has no
entitlement to a
descriptive title
premised on
landownership.
The
Armorial Register
Limited is of the view
that it is inappropriate
for a person who has
purchased what purports
to be a souvenir plot of
land amounting to little
more that a novelty
certificate to call
himself (or be referred
to by others) as “Laird”
or “Lord”. Where a
person has changed their
first name to any form
of name which might be
mistaken for a title,
The Armorial Register
Limited will ensure that
for clarity the first
name is highlighted as
being nothing more than
a first name and is not
a title.
Malta.
N.B. The Office of the
Chief Herald of Malta
has presented us with
some difficulty. Despite
the claims to legitimacy
by the "Chief Herald" in
the early days, there
was in fact no lawful
authority until finally,
after complaints had
been lodged (by a
Director of this
Company) with the
Maltese Ombudsman,
legislation was put into
place giving the office
legitimacy early in
2022. The Armorial
Register Ltd now accepts
Maltese grants and
registrations for
registration however,
the present Chief Herald
of Arms of Malta has set
some challenges in his
modus operandi. One of
the immediate anomalies
is his creation, anew,
of a nobles coronet but,
in the limited time we
have had to appraise his
actions, one of the most
disturbing is the fact
that he appears to have
granted a "baron's
coronet" and even
supporters to those few
Scottish Feudal Barons
who have approached him
for a registration of
their arms. It has come
to our attention that a
number of Scottish
(feudal) barons have
chosen not to seek
recognition from the
Lord Lyon King of Arms
of Scotland (or can no
longer obtain
recognition) and have
chosen instead to swim
over to Malta to seek
recognition. There is
clear legislation set
down in Maltese law
(Gieh ir-Repubblika Act,
Ch. 28-29) which forbids
the Chief Herald to
acknowledge any foreign
title unless it has the
recognition of the
original Sovereign
State. It appears that
the Chief Herald of Arms
of Malta is content to
ignore this legislation.
We
are uncomfortable with
his actions in
recognizing a number of
"foreign" titles that
have no recognition in
their originating
Sovereign State and his
granting a baron's
coronet to Scottish
Feudal Barons. The Lord
Lyon does not allow a
coronet of rank to
Scottish Feudal Barons.
Until
we are able to either
come to terms with this
anomaly or there is
further clarification,
possibly from the Lord
Lyon though we doubt he
would concern himself
with what is happening
in Malta as his is not
an International
Register, we will not
record/illustrate
Maltese
grants/registrations
awarded to foreigners
with any additaments
unless those additaments
would have been granted
in their own country of
residence/domicile or
the country from whence
their grant of arms
originated. This policy
does not in fact change
our existing policy of
recording the arms of
legitimate holders of
dignities in the manner
in which they would have
been displayed in the
country from whence the
title originates. For
clarity, if a potential
registrant wishes to be
recorded, in our
register, as a Scottish
Feudal Baron then their
arms will be displayed
with the appropriate
additaments (which does
not include a Maltese
baron's
coronet).
Companies,
Societies,
Associations,
Membership
Organizations etc.
Applications received
from Companies,
Societies, Associations,
Membership Organizations
and Charitable Bodies
will all be dealt with
on their individual
merits however, it will
be expected that the
organization will have
been fully active for a
minimum of five years
and be able to supply,
as a minimum, documents
of incorporation or
relevant founding
documentation such as
Constitution along with
proof of their accounts.
The Armorial Register
Limited will not
register the arms of
Dormant or Non Trading
Companies. Charities
will be required to
provide similar
documentation including
Constitution and
accounts.
Further
Information
Applicants
are strongly advised
that if they are in any
doubt about the
acceptability of their
armorial bearings they
should make prior
enquiries.
Unfortunately, during
2020 PayPal altered
their fee policy and no
longer reimburse us for
their fee when we have
given a refund
therefore, where an
applicant has submitted
an application which is
deemed to be patently
un-heraldic and
unacceptable having not
availed themselves of
our willingness to check
their application prior
to making a payment, we
will only be able to
refund the net amount
(our fee less the PayPal
charge we have
incurred).
The
Armorial Register
reserves the right not
to accept any
application. Where a
substantial amount of
work or research has
been undertaken on any
application which proves
to be unsuitable for the
register (i.e self
styled (bogus) titles or
no legitimate right to
use of arms or
additaments) we reserve
the right to recoup any
costs incurred.
The
Armorial Register will
undertake to alter and
amend any errors to a
web page entry as soon
as is practicable.
Registrants may make
additions and
alterations to their
entry free of charge for
28 days after
publication. After the
initial 28 day period
all corrections,
amendments and
alterations to an entry
will be subject to a £30
administration fee. No
charge will be made if a
correction is necessary
as a result of editorial
error. All amendments
and alterations will be
at the Editor’s
discretion.
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