Is A Canon in the Anglican Church entitled to a Galero? If so would the Galero have black and white cords like that of a Dean’s? How many tassels would it have? Is a distinction made between the Canon Pastor and the Canon Minor?
Below is a chart of the various galeri used by Anglican clergy. They are (upper left) for a Dean, (upper right) for a Canon, (lower left) for an Archdeacon and (lower right) for a priest with the black and white cords intertwined. In addition, priests who are doctors may intertwine a red skein in their cords.
So the galero for a Canon has cords that are all black and the tassels are red. In addition, it is worth noting that these hats are granted by the English College of Arms (and used by those who follow their customal). However, Lord Lyon grants a hat to Catholic and Anglican priests that have entirely black cords.
Wow. I was not aware that our Anglican brothers used so much Catholic heraldic emblems. In a small book I got, as suggested at the Scottish heraldry society, I noticed that Lyon grants a ‘Calvinist’ hat with tassels to Presbyterian ministers, but I was not aware of the Anglicans as well.
Where did you find this? I have yet to do any arms for a Protestant pastor of any denomination, but one day it may well come that an Anglican minister wants them drawn up and I’d have no idea where to even look for them.
Are other Protestant denominations as Catholic in their heraldic display as the Anglicans and to a lesser extent the Presbyterians? Since the Anglican, or rather the Episcopalian, and Lutheran communion – of sorts – do the Lutheran’s also now use these devices?
Very interesting stuff good father.
You need to read Heim’s book.
In addition, you should get one that is still in print entitled A Manual of Ecclesiastical Heraldry by Michael McCarthy. It covers Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran and Presbyterian heraldry.
By the way, the "calvinist hat" is called a Geneva Bonnet. Also, I wouldn’t say the Anglicans are using Catholic emblems. Rather, to avoid just that they devised a system of ecclesiastical hats all their own as depicted.
Dear Father,
Thank you for your message and drawings. I showed them to our Canon this morning and he was very happy to know he is entitled to a Galero. He is now
going to ask the person who orginally designed his Arms to re-design them with a Galero.
Thank you for your help,
Ed Wenzl
Thanks for the heads up father. I want to read Heim, but, it is not available in my library system and so have sent out for it via an interlibrary loan – that takes time here in cowboy country USA.
I’m sorry if I’ve said something wrong about non-Catholics using Catholic heraldic emblems. I didn’t know I was. In fact I was thinking of Fox-Davies when I said that. For, in that work he mentions that Anglican ministers did not use them and instead used a crest; and when a bishop obviously used the mitre. He wrote in the early 20th century, so I assumed this was the way it was and why I was so “wowed†by the fact that our Anglican brothers used them. I know we need to take Fox-Davies in context of when he was writing, but I assumed since it was such a short time ago it was right. Sorry about that – my bad!
If anyone else is upset over that, please don’t be, as it was not meant as a slight – I rather like the idea of non-Catholic clergymen using these things, as it is at least one way we can sort of come together in a quasi-ecumenical sense – I was just wowed by their use of it, as Fox-Davies said they didn’t. My bad and sorry again.
