Assumed arms

Assumed arms, in heraldry, are arms which have simply been adopted by the armiger rather than granted by an authority.[1]

In England, the founding of the College of Arms was accompanied by a prohibition on the use of assumed arms.[2] In other countries with an heraldic authority, such as Canada, the use of assumed arms is not illegal, however, "is considered improper and such arms have no legitimacy".[3] As of 1998, five of the seven universities in New Zealand were reported to have been using "legitimate" arms, though many Australian universities were using assumed arms.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Friar, Stephen (1987). A New Dictionary of Heraldry. London: Alphabooks. p. 27.
  2. ^ "THE CORDER COLLECTION of heraldic and genealogical manuscripts: a users' guide" (PDF). suffolkarchives.co.uk. Suffolk County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-27. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  3. ^ "Common Misconceptions about Heraldry". heraldry.ca. Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  4. ^ Boudreau, Claire (1996). Genealogica & Heraldica. University of Ottawa Press. p. 294. ISBN 0776616005.