Herald

Information about Herald

This article is about heralds of arms. For other uses, see Herald (disambiguation).
Enlarge picture
Heralds, wearing tabards, in procession to St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle for the annual service of the Order of the Garter in 2006. (l-r) Wales Herald of Arms Extraordinary (Michael Siddons), Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary (David White), Maltravers Herald of Arms Extraordinary (John Robinson), York Herald of Arms in Ordinary (Henry Paston-Bedingfeld), Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary (William Hunt).
Enlarge picture
Herald Gelre of the Duke of Gueldres (around 1380).


A herald, or, more correctly, a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is often applied erroneously to all officers of arms.

Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to convey messages or proclamations. Like other officers of arms, a herald would often wear a surcoat, called a tabard, decorated with the coat of arms of his master. It was possibly due to their role in managing the tournaments of the Late Middle Ages that heralds came to be associated with the regulation of the knights' coats of arms. This science of heraldry became increasingly important and further regulated over the years, and in several countries around the world it is still overseen by heralds. Thus the primary job of a herald today is to be an expert in coats of arms. In the United Kingdom heralds are still called upon at times to read proclamations publicly; for which they still wear tabards emblazoned with the royal coat of arms. The given name Harold is also derived from this office of arms.

There are active official heralds today in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Canada, and the Republic of South Africa. In England and Scotland most heralds are full-time employees of the sovereign and are called "Heralds of Arms in Ordinary". Temporary appointments can be made of "Heralds of Arms Extraordinary". These are often appointed for a specific major state occasions, such as a coronation. In addition, the Canadian Heraldic Authority has created the position of "Herald of Arms Emeritus", with which to honor long-serving or distinguished heraldists. In Scotland, some Clan Chiefs, the heads of great noble houses, still appoint private officers of arms to handle cases of heraldic or genealogical importance of clan members, although these are usually pursuivants.

English Heralds

English Heralds of Arms in Ordinary

English Heralds of Arms Extraordinary

Scottish Heralds

Scottish Heralds of Arms in Ordinary

Scottish Heralds of Arms Extraordinary

Canadian Heralds

Canadian Heralds of Arms In Ordinary

Canadian Heralds of Arms Extraordinary

Canadian Heralds of Arms Emeritus

Heralds in Fiction

Fiction

Comic Books

See also

External links

A herald is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms.

Herald may also refer to:
  • The Herald - an 1866 United States Supreme Court case, see List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 70

..... Click the link for more information.
officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions:
  • to control and initiate armorial matters
  • to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state

..... Click the link for more information.
Pursuivant, or more correctly a pursuivant of arms, is a junior officer of arms. Most pursuivants are attached to official heraldic authorities, such as the College of Arms in London or the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh.
..... Click the link for more information.
King of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings. In other traditions, the power has been delegated to other officers of similar rank.
..... Click the link for more information.
Messenger may refer to:

Computers

  • An instant messaging client or service in general, or specifically one of the following services:

..... Click the link for more information.
monarch (see sovereignty) is a type of ruler or head of state. Monarchs almost always inherit their titles and are rulers for life; that is, they have no term limit. Historically monarchs have been more or less absolute rulers.
..... Click the link for more information.
This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details.
This article has been tagged since September 2007.

..... Click the link for more information.
worldwide view of the subject.
Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page.


A proclamation (Lat. proclamare, to make public by announcement) is an official declaration.
..... Click the link for more information.
tabard is a short coat, either sleeveless, or with short sleeves or shoulder pieces, which was a common item of men's clothing in the Middle Ages, usually for outdoors. It might be belted, or not.
..... Click the link for more information.
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a single sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:

..... Click the link for more information.
Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe European history in the period of the 14th to 16th centuries (AD 1300–1500). The Late Middle Ages were preceded by the High Middle Ages, and followed by the Early Modern era (Renaissance).
..... Click the link for more information.
coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short), in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people) and used by them in a wide variety of ways.
..... Click the link for more information.
Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms.[1] To most, though, heraldry is the practice of designing, displaying, describing, and recording coats of arms and badges.
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
..... Click the link for more information.
tabard is a short coat, either sleeveless, or with short sleeves or shoulder pieces, which was a common item of men's clothing in the Middle Ages, usually for outdoors. It might be belted, or not.
..... Click the link for more information.
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion.
..... Click the link for more information.
Harold is an Old English name, meaning "army leader", same as the title herald. It is a common first name for people over the age of 50. A diminutive of Harold is Harry.
  • Several kings of Denmark, England and Norway were named Harald or Harold
  • Harold Ford, Jr. (D) U.S.

..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
..... Click the link for more information.
Anthem
Amhrán na bhFiann  
The Soldier's Song


..... Click the link for more information.
This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved.
Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
..... Click the link for more information.

..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
Dieu et mon droit   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
Nemo me impune lacessit   (Latin)
"No one provokes me with impunity"
"Cha togar m'fhearg gun dioladh"   
..... Click the link for more information.
A coronation is a ceremony marking the investment of a monarch with regal power through, amongst other symbolic acts, the placement of a crown upon his or her head. Where the monarch is anointed, the ritual may have religious significance.
..... Click the link for more information.
Scottish clans (from Old Gaelic clann, children), give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs officially registered with the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms
..... Click the link for more information.
This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details.
This article has been tagged since September 2007.

..... Click the link for more information.
private officer of arms is one of those heralds and pursuivants appointed by great noble houses to handle all heraldic and genealogical questions.

History

Since the development of heraldry in the middle ages, and the rise of officers of arms, noble families have appointed
..... Click the link for more information.
Richmond Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms of the College of Arms. From 1421 to 1485 Richmond was a herald to John, Duke of Bedford, George, Duke of Clarence, and Henry, Earl of Richmond, all of whom held the Honour (estate) of Richmond.
..... Click the link for more information.
Chester Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. The office of Chester Herald dates from the fourteenth century, and it is reputed that the holder was herald to Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince.
..... Click the link for more information.
Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an English officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. The title of Lancaster Herald first occurs in 1347 at Calais, and to begin with this officer was a servant to the noble house of Lancaster.
..... Click the link for more information.

This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.