Coat of Arms Registries
by: Linda Mock
Since the early 13th century, Coats of Arms and Heraldry have been a
source of great fascination as well as a subject of true historical
importance. The rich and colorful display lives on as proof of a
family's claim to "gentility".
It is easy to understand why more than
half a million coats of Arms are recorded in history, these are proudly
displayed after more than 7 centuries. Because war was an almost everday
occurance during the middle ages, more and more armor would be added to
the Knight's battle armor.
Having protected him from head to toe, it was
impossible to tell one knight from another, which at a great cost of
life, because no identity could be made in battle from foe or friend. A
colorful solution first came as knights painted patterns on their battle
shields.
Patterns were eventually woven into tunics that were worn over
the armor (horses too had blankets with these symbols). As more
designs were created, it became necessary to register these designs,
so that no two knights would use the same design.
Records were kept that
gave each knight exclusive rights to his Arms. Libraries have books on
Heraldry that can tell you about the symbols and their meanings, also check
on parts of the shield, the fields, charge (figures there on) colors and
furs, the crest and the motto.
There are approximately 100,000 English Arms on the rolls of the Royal
College of Arms in London. Below are the countries in Europe that have
registries:
Belguim
Office Genealogique et Heraldique
de Belgique
Parc du Cinguantenaire 10
B-1040 Brussels, Belgium
France
Le Conseil
Historique et Heraldique de France a Paris
105 Rue de Courcelles-75017
Paris, France
Germany/Austria
(earliest arms back to 1200's)
NORTHERN GERMAN NAMES
Genealogie, Archivstrasse 12-14
D-14195
Berlin, Germany
SOUTHERN GERMAN NAMES
Osterreiches Staatsarchiv
Minoriten platz 1,1010
Wien, Austria
Great Britian/lreand
The College of Arms
128 Victoria Street
London EC4V 4BT
England
ALSO TRY THIS
The Heraldic Society
44/45 Museum Street
London WCIA 1LY
England
(Scotland)
Court of the Lord LYON
King of Arms
New Register House
Princes Street
Edinburgh, EHI 3YT
Scotland
(Ireland)
Norrroy and Ulster King of Arms
10c/o 2 Kildare Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
OR
Norroy and Ulter King of Arms
c/o Collage of Arms 128 Victoria Street
London EC4V 4BT
England
The Chief Herald of IRELAND
2 Kildare Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
Italy
Collegio Araldico
Via Santa Maria dell'Anima 16
00186 Rome, Italy
Netherlands (Dutch)
(covers from 1581-1815)
Koninklijk Nederlandsch Genootschap voor
Geschlacht en Wappenkunde
Prins-Willem-Alexanderhof 24
NL-2595
The Hague, Netherlands
Poland
(there are thought to be approximately 5 thousand CofA's in Poland, but
during WW2 Germany/ Russia destroyed many orginals)
Towarzystwo Genealogiczno-Heraldycne
ul.Wodna 27 (Palac Gorkow)
PL-61-781
Poznan, Poland
Spain
Cronistas de Armas
Ministry of Justice
28000
Madrid, Spain
Sweden
Scandinavian Heraldiske Selskab
Vallgatan 3
234 00 Lomma
Scania,Sweden
OR
Heraldska Salskap
Vasta Sveriges
Fortrolighhheten 4
Goteburg,Sweden
Switzerland
Schweizerische Hearldische Gesellschaft
Bibliotheque Cantonale et Universitaire
Postfach
CH-Fribourg, Switzerland