American College of Heraldry and Arms

 
Michael Swanson
 
Avatar
 
 
Michael Swanson
Total Posts:  2462
Joined  26-02-2005
 
 
 
17 July 2006 23:12
 

I updated the wiki entry on the American College of Heraldry and Arms, or rather, I added links to stubs about the officers.  I would welcome anyone adding to these brief bios.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_College_of_Heraldry_and_Arms

 
Joseph McMillan
 
Avatar
 
 
Joseph McMillan
Total Posts:  7658
Joined  08-06-2004
 
 
 
18 July 2006 07:12
 

Mike,

Nice job, but a couple of glitches in the description of the arms on the seal:

 

Per pale Gules a castle Or and Argent a Lion rampant Purpure (9) on an Escutcheon over all Argent six Pallets Gules on a Chief Azure thirteen Mullets Argent. It should be noted that the escutcheon is an erroneous representation of the arms of the United States of America, which correctly should not have mullets (stars) on the chief.

 

Also, I thought I recalled that the fimbriation in the LBJ arms was silver and the star and eagles gold. I’ll have to check my files at home to say for sure.

 
Michael Swanson
 
Avatar
 
 
Michael Swanson
Total Posts:  2462
Joined  26-02-2005
 
 
 
18 July 2006 11:09
 

Joseph McMillan wrote:

Mike,

Nice job, but a couple of glitches in the description of the arms on the seal:

 

Per pale Gules a castle Or and Argent a Lion rampant Purpure (9) on an Escutcheon over all Argent six Pallets Gules on a Chief Azure thirteen Mullets Argent. It should be noted that the escutcheon is an erroneous representation of the arms of the United States of America, which correctly should not have mullets (stars) on the chief.

 

Also, I thought I recalled that the fimbriation in the LBJ arms was silver and the star and eagles gold. I’ll have to check my files at home to say for sure.


The blazons were already there, but I updated the one in the caption based on the information you supplied above.  As for the US arms being misrepresented, I am not sure of their intent.  Perhaps it was to follow the law and not use the US arms?

 
Donnchadh
 
Avatar
 
 
Donnchadh
Total Posts:  4101
Joined  13-07-2005
 
 
 
18 July 2006 11:18
 

Why would they exclude helms from crest in their grants? This seems illogical; people are not the same as corporations be they civic, non-profit, religious or commercial. If that is your choice - fine. But to do so as a rule seems very strange.

 
Michael Swanson
 
Avatar
 
 
Michael Swanson
Total Posts:  2462
Joined  26-02-2005
 
 
 
18 July 2006 11:21
 

Donnchadh wrote:

Why would they exclude helms from crest in their grants? This seems illogical; people are not the same as corporations be they civic, non-profit, religious or commercial. If that is your choice - fine. But to do so as a rule seems very strange.


I am still trying to find where their historical papers (grants, documents, etc.) are located.  Little is known about their activities, which appear extensive.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
Avatar
 
 
Joseph McMillan
Total Posts:  7658
Joined  08-06-2004
 
 
 
18 July 2006 12:51
 

Mike wrote:


Quote:

Perhaps it was to follow the law and not use the US arms?


There is no law prohibiting private use of the US arms.  There is a law prohibiting misuse of the US great seal, which to me means an image of the arms (surrounded by an annulet) in the same emblazonment as they appear on the actual seal.  Certainly marshalling the shield of the arms as part of a bigger composition, while heraldically bad (Mr. Scotland, whose mother was born Miss Sweden, whose mother was Miss Ireland, etc., and who is married to Miss United States, a heraldic heiress), would not be illegal.

 
Michael F. McCartney
 
Avatar
 
 
Michael F. McCartney
Total Posts:  3535
Joined  24-05-2004
 
 
 
20 July 2006 20:39
 

RE: omitting helmets—did they try to say that using helmets was "wrong"?  Or did they just decline including (depicting) the helmet in their "grants"—thus sidestepping questions as to which helmets were or were not appropriate in an American context? —thus leaving the decision as wo when/how/what etc. to the individual?

 
Edward Wenzl
 
Avatar
 
 
Edward Wenzl
Total Posts:  158
Joined  18-04-2006
 
 
 
24 July 2006 21:43
 

Thank you, Michael, for the the informative Wlki article on the ACHA.  I have never come across a reason as to why the ACHA would omit the helm.  Its goal was to become the "College of Arms" of the US.  To that extent it seemed to have developed its own standards.  The whyfore of those standards, I do not know.  I have been unable to trace the present location of its papers.  The decendents of the founders do not reply to inquiries. My guess is that the papers no longer exist.

 
arriano
 
Avatar
 
 
arriano
Total Posts:  1303
Joined  20-08-2004
 
 
 
25 July 2006 12:07
 

st_louis_herald wrote:

My guess is that the papers no longer exist.


Any possibility copies were sent to the Library of Congress?