Can some one explain?

General Heraldry subjects
andrewkerensky
Posts: 42
Joined: 27 Jul 2014, 19:41

Can some one explain?

Postby andrewkerensky » 28 Jul 2014, 16:36

Hi, I'm Andrew. I'm new here. Can some one explain the difference between a grant and a registration of arms? I don't have an amorial coat yet....its being sorted though by an organisation called the Bureau of Heraldry in South Africa although they inform me it can take up to a year to complete. I had wanted one from the College of Arms in the UK but don't currently have a spare £5500 for a CoA's. I could just to say find the £400 or so for a CoA's with the BoH.

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Arthur Radburn
Posts: 1331
Joined: 11 Jul 2012, 09:56

Re: Can some one explain?

Postby Arthur Radburn » 28 Jul 2014, 19:34

Hi Andrew

Welcome to the forum.

I suppose the essential difference between a grant and a registration is that a grant is conferred as an honour, whereas a registration is merely the recording of ownership.

The College of Arms (and the Lord Lyon, and the Chief Herald of Ireland and the Canadian Heraldry Authority) do both. They grant arms to applicants, and then they record the details in their registers. Each of these authorities has criteria to determine whether or not applicants are eligible to be honoured with grants of arms, e.g. in England you must be an "eminent gentleman", in Scotland "virtuous and well-deserving".

The BoH doesn't grant arms because South Africa uses the old Roman-Dutch law, under which people simply assume arms. One doesn't have to be eminent, virtuous or well-deserving to have a coat of arms, because there's no special status attached to it. The Bureau registers arms to confirm ownership, and provides owners with official (and attractive) certificates to prove the fact.

You bear a famous Russian surname. If I may ask, are you registering ancestral arms, or entirely new ones?
Regards
Arthur Radburn

andrewkerensky
Posts: 42
Joined: 27 Jul 2014, 19:41

Re: Can some one explain?

Postby andrewkerensky » 28 Jul 2014, 20:30

Arthur Radburn wrote:Hi Andrew

Welcome to the forum.

You bear a famous Russian surname. If I may ask, are you registering ancestral arms, or entirely new ones?


Thank you Arthur for the clarification. I must confess I know little about my 'Kerensky' surname. Initially my interest was struck when I discovered my grandfathers old leather passport, he was a 'Frissell' born in Greenock (1919), Scotland and so i wrote to the Lord Lyon to see if he had a CoA's or if I could have one matriculated by virtue of him being my grandfather. Alas it proved to be a dead end, Lord Lyon explained that as the link was through my maternal side and that as I do not live in Scotland their was no way to matriculate arms. I still think its cool that I have some Scottish ancestry though. :D

So i've registered with the Bureau of Heraldry in South Africa my Kerensky 'assumed arms' and hope to have a preview of my arms within a few weeks. I've asked for a small thistle to be placed on my shield to reflect my Scottish ancestry and also a sackbut to reflect my profession. I did also want supporters but it has been explained to me that this is not possible. Really looking forward to it actually. I must say they have a really nice open policy to extending arms even to us 'foreigners'. My current avatar reflects some of my concepts but Marcel van Rossum is going to help keep my ideas within the traditions of heraldry.


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