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Contemporary Uses of Heraldry |
Despite
its feudal origins, heraldry’s ancient devices and antiquated
language survive well into the space age. Arms are frequently
granted to individuals and corporate bodies throughout the
Commonwealth and honorary arms are granted to American citizens of
British descent. Since the remote past arms have been granted to
institutions, universities, abbeys, colleges, and cities.
Universities and colleges use armorial bearings in formal
circumstances, such as the Corporation seal (used for certain legal
purposes) and awards certificates. Today heraldry has proved its
fecundity in business life as well. There are many great concerns,
which not only take out arms grants themselves but which also use
information about coats of arms to advertise or otherwise show forth
their wares.
Apart
from its general significance in providing distinguished symbols,
heraldry has also an important decorative and architectural use. All
cities, most towns and many villages in England can show examples of
the use of decorative heraldry on public and private buildings,
gateways, shop fronts, and pub signs. This lavish display of
heraldry is a particular feature of English traditional urban
design, and it adds greatly to the attractions of the average
English town.
Heraldry can help a student of genealogy to link one person with
another, to connect families, and to disclose origins of states and
institutions. Heraldry can help a historian to gain a deeper insight
into English social history by providing him or her with the
evidence, in the form of the records of grants, of social mobility
in England. Heraldry can help a devotee of brass-rubbing to
appreciate armorial bearings, included in the composition of a great
many, possibly the majority of, monumental brasses.
Heraldry can do all this, and more. But even if we manage to get on
without it, it stills deserves a bit of our attention, if only to
appreciate the humour of the scenes with master Mumblazen in Walter
Scott’s novel Kenilworth. In Mumblazen we have a portrait of
a pedant, who has something in common with Shakespeare’s Holofernes.
Deeply steeped in heraldry and genealogy, Mumblazen cannot help
speaking about everyday matters in his enigmatic heraldic phrase.
Here is, for example, a piece of gossip about a young couple
Mumblazen is having with the Curate:
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“At
first,” said the clergyman, “she did not, as it seemed to me, much
affect his company, but latterly I saw them often together.”
“Seiant
in the parlour,” said Michael Mumblazen, “and passant in the
garden.”
“I once
came on them by chance,” said the priest, “in the South Wood, in a
spring evening – Varney was muffled in a russet cloak, so that I saw
not his face, - they separated hastily, as they heard me rustle
amongst the leaves, and I observed she turned her head and looked
long after him.”
“With
neck reguardant,” said the herald – “and on the day of her flight…I
saw Varney’s groom, attired in his liveries, hold his master’s horse
and Mistress Amy’s palfrey, bridled and saddled proper,
behind the wall of the churchyard.” |
In
another instance Mumblazen is giving advice, “You are going to
court, Master Tressilian, you will please remember, that your
blazonry must be argent, and or – no other tinctures
will pass current” – meaning that Tressilian will need ready money
to prosecute a suit at court.
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Copyrighted material |
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