Friends,

I was curious to know which members and friends of the American Heraldry Society will be making it to the 27th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences. I’d love to go, but Beth and I will be in the process of settling back into the US at the time. Incidentally, it seems that the 28th Congress is going to be held closer to home in Quebec in 2008…does anyone know where the next Heraldry Colloquium will be held in 2007? Just curious.

—dave—

I will attend St Andrew’s 2006, and am really looking forward to being there. The programme looks wonderful !

Nicolas

Unfortunately I will not be there as I am pretty busy with the band at that weekend but, through the week I will try to get down to the congress for at least one day (work permitting) and may see some of you at least who are attending.

David Boven wrote:

I was curious to know which members and friends of the American Heraldry Society will be making it to the 27th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences.

I will be in attendance.

David

Chris Lindesay who is the current Secretary of the IAAH will be presenting a paper there, so look out for him as well.  He’d be pleased to meet any of you that are attending.

Dave,

I think it is every two years?

rescu5 wrote:

Dave,

I think it is every two years?

The link and more informatyion s in the calendar….

http://www.heraldrysociety.us/forums/calendar.php?month=8&year=2006

I am sure some of you have seen this already, but this got my interest.

Friday, August 25 - 2:30p.m.

Lecture Theatre THREE

42. The Law of Arms in the United States of America – Reality v. Myth.

James R Terzian and Sarahann Shapiro

Does anyone know either of these two? I would be interested in reading their presentation.

Dave Shorey

DRShorey wrote:

...James R Terzian and Sarahann Shapiro

Does anyone know either of these two? I would be interested in reading their presentation….

Jim is the Executive Director of the Heraldry Foundation and Permanent Representative of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society to the Congresses;  Sarahann Shapiro is an Attorney at Law with a practice in Real and Intellectual Property—I’ve never met her.

Jim meets with us at our "Left Coast Heraldry & Swap Meet" at Mario’s (Mountain View CA; near NASA Ames Research Center) about every month or so ... depending on meeting schedule.  Usually in attendance are Jim Terzian, Seb Nelson, Mike McCartney, Alan Hepburn, myself, and Nyle Monday.  Nyle just joined us; he edited the chapter on Hawaiian Orders in Guy Stair Sainty’s new book.

I’ve read Jim’s precis and it ought to be an interesting presentation.
Quote:

The United States is a nation of explicit statutory, administrative and case law, yet nowhere among its precedential writings is something named a ‘Law of Arms of the United States of America.’  This presentation explores whether there is, in fact, a law of arms in the United States, and if so, of what it might consist.

In this presentation, the authors will conduct a comprehensive legal analysis of American armorial practice, reviewing the laws that exist relating to heraldry, and dispelling the associated myths that have been concocted over the past two centuries.  As part of this analysis, the authors will provide a framework to question the legal status of heraldry in countries which have abolished their laws of arms.

 

The presentation will begin by defining arms, not within their historical, geographic or cultural context, but in a form amenable to legal analysis.  In order to do so, the authors will articulate a universal legal definition of the lowest common denominator of “arms”, a characterization that may be used to analyze the law of arms of any country.  The authors will then use this analytical foundation to examine the statutes and ordinances within the United States that establish, and to a certain extent regulate, the use of heraldry by governmental entities.  Next, the authors will explain the statute and case law relevant to personal arms in the United States.

 

The presentation will then consider each of the more notable myths of American heraldry.  Not the least of these are the continuing effect of armorial laws once in force in lands now part of the United States, the status in the United States of arms registered or granted its citizens by foreign heraldic jurisdictions, and the standing of arms allegedly adopted by prescription after the United States came into being.

 

Finally, the presentation will consider those aspects of bearing arms that American law does not specifically address, assessing the extent to which the fundamental freedoms guaranteed to all United States citizens may allow the adoption and use of armorial ensigns at will, and whether the law takes notice of or protects such adoption and use.

He’s also mentioned attempts to diagram an illustrated heraldic genealogy of one person’s (I forgot) ancestral chart .... but the poster would fill a wall.  I wonder what he’s gonna do???  I don’t recall if the poster complimented his paper, or if it is an adjunct to his paper.

—Guy

Thanks for the information. Still being new to the heraldry community, I still don’t know who any of the players are. I hope you don’t mind my ignorance.

In any event, I really need to make it to one of your lunches one of these days.

I hope you are staying cool.

Dave

And so the question screaming for an answer is:

Why aren’t these people members of the American Heraldry Society???

Terzian’s paper sounds excellent!

I wonder whether Terzian’s talk will be video or audio recorded, or transcribed?

I would love to read it.

Stuart wrote:

I wonder whether Terzian’s talk will be video or audio recorded, or transcribed?

I would love to read it.

Papers accepted for presentation at seminars are—to my knowledge—collated into a proceedings CD or other publication for distribution to attendees.  I’ll ping Jim and see if he will release his paper to the AHS after presentation.

—Guy

In follow up to Joseph’s post above, we really should be encouraging folks to join AHS and become active on these forums. Both our educational, legislative and even our social activities would benefit from this.

Dave

Jim’s time is very tightly scheduled and he barely has time to make our meetings.  I’ll bring up the AHS to him at out next "soire".  I’ve just pinged him with regard to his Congress paper, so my query might engender some AHS interest on his part.

—Guy

http://www.fifenow.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=1022&ArticleID=1703313

Quote:

PRINCESS TO RAISE FLAG FOR ‘HERALDRY OLYMPICS’

AN EVENT known as ‘the Olympics of genealogy and heraldry’ will literally bring St Andrews to a standstill when it descends upon the town next week.

The town will find itself awash with colour and pageantry when the international event — which will be officially opened by its patron, HRH The Princess Royal — heralds its arrival to Fife.

Around 300 heraldic experts and aficionados from across the globe will gather in what will be the greatest single gathering of heralds since the Middle Ages.

Delegates and heralds from 26 countries including South Africa, Russia, Canada, Spain and Norway are expected to be represented.

Presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, George Reid MSP, will deliver the plenary address on ‘Myth and propaganda in public life.’

The International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences, which ends on Saturday, August 26, is a biennial event and the 27th Congress will involve a week-long series of lectures and events at the University of St Andrews.

To mark the event, the Lord Lyon King of Arms of Scotland, Robin Blair, will grant supporters (Saint Andrew and a lion) and a crest to the university to add to its arms.

The university and the Burgh of St Andrews will also be presented with keepsakes in the form of specially created heraldic processional banners, ‘gonfannons’, which will be blessed by The Bishop of Edinburgh and presented during the opening ceremony.

A truly home-grown effort, the university’s banner was designed on the kitchen table of congress organiser Mark Dennis. Thereafter it was crafted and appliquéd in the sitting rooms of members of the Dundee Embroiderers Guild.

Mark, secretary general to the organising committee, lives in St Andrews and he and the organising committee have been planning the event for the last four years.

He said: "This event will be singular and quite unusually memorable event given its historic significance.

‘‘It will be the first time since the Middle Ages that heralds of several countries have met together in State and will be a colourful affair with the university’s traditional robes and maces intermingling with state dress, civic robes, tabards and armorial banners.’‘