Arms adopted rather than granted in heraldry
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]
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