THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF HERALDRY — REGISTRATION CERTIFICATES: 2004-2024 Paperback – February 26, 2026

HERALDRY IS, BY ITS VERY NATURE, A VISUAL ENDEAVOR. That being said, the textual aspect of the heraldic Achievement — the Blazon — arose out of the sheer necessity to record a description of Armorial Bearings where the visual display of same (especially in color) was either not feasible or practical. While Rolls of Arms were recorded as early as the 11th century (e.g. as in the Dering Roll), documentation of Armorial Bearings “officially” began in earnest in 1530 with Visitations as authorized by Henry VIII; they usually included pedigrees of ostensibly armigerous individuals along with illustrations of claimed Arms.Why call them Registrations and not Grants, and why Certificates and not Letters Patent?Fair question. Historically a Grant of Arms is distinguished from both a Confirmation of Arms and a private Registration of Arms. A Grant of Arms confers a new right, whereas a Confirmation of Arms confirms an existing right; and a private Registration of Arms is a record which does not purport to create or confirm any legal right. However, a governmental registration of arms by an official government agency, (e.g., Bureau of Heraldry in South Africa) does create and confirm new legal rights.A Grant of Arms or government Registration of Arms typically takes the form of Letters Patent, which provides self-contained proof, upon production of the Letters Patent, of the right conferred. For example, a Grant or Patent of Arms from Officers of the College of Arms in London, as well as related Letters Patent such as a Grant of an Augmentation, a Crest, or Supporters… this applies equally to Grants made to private individuals and to Grants made to corporate bodies, and also applies to Grants made to entities in Australia or any other Commonwealth realm in which the College has heraldic jurisdiction.The American College of Heraldry does not claim to issue Grants of Arms – nor can any US-based heraldic organization, as the U.S. government does not involve itself in heraldry outside of the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry.Why 2004-2024?It was only in 2004 that an unbroken stream of electronic copies of all new Armorial Registrations was kept on file, and thus available for this publication. Ending the book in 2024? Simply a nice “rounding out” of numbers. In the 20+-year span included herein one will find almost 600 Armorial Registration, with thousands of Registered individuals (including Descendants). Not a bad head count. Obviously, further volumes will be warranted as the College continues to grow.This book is by no means intended as a comprehensive catalogue of the timespan of Registrations indicated. The misfortunes of time, inevitable computer crashes, and early data storage (and/or lack or reliability thereof) may have resulted in the loss of one or more images through the decades. While ALL of the Armorial Bearings Registered with the College have been included in other titles published by the College, this volume merely intends to reflect those emblazonments in situ within their issued Registration Certificates and reflect the progression of said documents – as well as the breadth of designs of Armorial Bearings – as issued by the College. Read more