THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF

VOL. I No. 26 APRIL

G A Z E T T E THE HERALDRY SOCIETY

1963 1/- (Members—Gratis)

NEWS AND COMMENT L A R C E N Y ON T Y N E

Variable winds on the North-East Coast seem to have played havoc with the civic insignia of Tynemouth, for on the newly-painted vans of the Health Department the ship above the shield is shown with its sails billowing to the dexter while the flags are flying to the sinister. The error has been pointed out by M r . Frank Brewis, who describes it as " a crying shame that such a mistake should happen in a town like ours, which has so many close links with ships and the sea " , reports the Sunday Express.

M r . Brewis has reason to be proud of the Tynemouth insignia, which as a former member of the police force he wore for 31 years. " A town's crest is something very precious and noble", he writes, "and it should not be mucked about with in the slightest way ". We should the more readily share his in­dignation i f the ship were in fact Tyne­mouth's crest, but alas ! it is no more than a locally assumed device, used without the authority of the Kings of Arms. It surmounts a shield bearing the arms which properly appertain to the see of Ely, flanked by a miner and a sailor which remind us of but do not quite repeat the supporters of Truro.

Boundary revision is likely to bring changes to Tynemouth. Let us hope that one of them will be the acquisition of genuine armorial bearings, so that the guardians of the law no longer walk the streets displaying evidence of heraldic larceny.

A R M O U R E D CARS

We note with mixed feelings the new fashion of placing a small plaque on the back of motor cars. On the plaque is an exiguous representation of the

C O N T E N T S Page

News and Comment — Larceny on Tyne — Armoured Cars — Lèse Majesté? 1 Not so Complicated — The Noble Life — Semper Eadem — Sable Basilisk — The Loyal South — Common Market Competition 2

Heraldry Society — The Secretary — Honorary Fellow — Obituary — Macclesfield Branch — Austra­lian Branch 3 Heraldry Courses — Slide Col­lection — Tests — Exhibition — Burke's Extinct Peerages — Important Notice — Gazette .... 4

arms of a County Council together with the name of the county. Presumably the plaque refers to the County in which the owner of the motor car lives, or possibly it refers to the county authority which registered the vehicle ; whichever it is, most plaques which we have seen are armorially insignificant.

Now we are all for arms being used wherever they can add lustre. The arms of the Swiss Cantons on the registration plates of Swiss vehicles are splendid, but we find it difficult to be so enthusiastic over the new English variety. For one thing the arms are too small, and in straining ones eyes to identify them one could well put death on the road ; for another, is this display really correct ?

The arms sported are those of various County Councils and their appearance on vehicles, though seemingly harmless, is not strictly speaking a proper use of arms and it could create a nasty precedent for the widespread use of corporate arms by individuals.

Could we not copy the Swiss ? The registration plate could carry not only the registration letters and number but also a bold, coloured representation of the badge, not the arms, of the registration authority. This would at once brighten up our registration plates, bring a proper use of heraldry to the notice of every citizen who ventures out of his front door and add interest to that most popular of English occupa­tions — sitting in a traffic jam.

L È S E MAJESTÉ ?

The Kings of Arms have a rival in the person of Sir George Beaumont, Bart., for it is reported that he has granted arms to a Working Men's Club. Not only that, he has granted them a coat of arms which belongs to some­one else — himself! It is not easy to discover what this grant entails. The D a i l y Express (26-1-63) lucidly reports that he gave the club permission " to use his family coat of arms — motto " Exalted not Elated" — as a coat of arms". On the other hand the Leicester M e r c u r y (22-1-63) reports that he has given the club " the exclusive right to use the family coat of arms ". Let us hope that both papers are wrong and that as the club is called the Beaumont Working Men's Club, all that the noble baronet has done is kindly to let it use his arms as decoration to its new premises, and not to bear them as i f they were the arms of the club.

Quite apart from the impropriety of members of the club bearing Sir George's arms, if each member of the Club's bowls team were to appear with the arms emblazoned on his blazer pocket, think of the class rivalry which might ensue — a team of blinking baronets ! In the interests of keeping up with the Beaumonts it would be only a matter of time before a working men's club took to the green in tabards of the Royal Arms.

H E R A L D R Y

HERALDRY SOCIETY

HERALDRY SOCIETY

T H E S E C R E T A R Y

As the Chairman reported in a circular letter giving details of the Annual Dinner (and therefore not sent to members living abroad), M r . Bernard Jackson has resigned from the post of Secretary of the Society.

The Council has appointed Colonel C. C . Danby, O.B.E. , Acting Secretary for a trial period with a view to making the post permanent in the near future.

The Council wishes to thank M r . Jackson for his services during the past year and to welcome Colonel Danby and wish him every success.

H O N O R A R Y F E L L O W

At a meeting of the Council of the Society held on 24th Apr i l , 1963, M r . Robert Massey was unanimously elected an Honorary Fellow of the Society. M r . Massey has been responsible for collecting, indexing and generally organising the Society's Collection of slides. In addition to this, of the six hundred or so slides now in our collection, no small number were taken by M r . Massey himself and presented to the Society. As M r . Massey hopes to leave the London area soon and settle in the country he has given up the librarianship of the slide library although he will remain on the Slide Library Sub-Committee. The Council considered that this was a fitting occasion to make recognition of all M r . Massey's good work for the Society.

O B I T U A R Y

The death this year of Colonel H . A . Cape, D.S.O. Hon.F.H.S. , at the age of ninety (though this is hard to credit) is a sad loss to the Society. Colonel Cape was one of our oldest members (in every sense of the word) and one of the keenest. It was he who arranged an open meeting at York which was so well attended that people had to be turned away. He also arranged a most successful lecture tour of the North of

England made in 1960. At the word of command the Colonel's fellow York¬shiremen readily got fell in for a heraldry fatigue, but, as they soon discovered, the only fatiguing thing about heraldry is that it just won't let you go. He must have been responsible for interesting hundreds of people in the hobby he loved. The Council rewarded his gallant services with an honorary fellowship, and it is some consolation to know that the Colonel really valued this distinction, for he included it in his otherwise modest biography in the reference books. Colonel Cape will be mourned not only by northern members for, being an assiduous attender at the Annual Dinner (he never missed once), he had a very wide circle of friends throughout the Society.

We also report with sorrow the death of two old members, Miss L . E . O'Hanlan of Orior, a life member for the past thirteen years and Mrs . E . E . Taylor who had been a member since 1953. Two comparatively new members have died this year and we record their deaths with regret, M r . David Pool and Mrs. W . M . Thoseby who took over the Secretaryship of the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral from Miss Margaret Babington. She will be well known to many members for her splendid work for the Friends.

M A C C L E S F I E L D B R A N C H

The Council has received the 1962-1963 Annual Report of the Macclesfield Branch of the Society, known as the Macclesfield Heraldry Society. The President is Miss C. Mosley, the Hon. Treasurer is Miss M . Winstanley and Mrs. M . Heath, Hon. F .H.S . is the Hon. Secretary. During the year two summer visits were made, one to Bun-bury Church and one to Chetham's Hospital and Library, Manchester. Two exhibitions were held, and we do not have to rely on the Annual Report to tell us how successful these were, for like most of the activities of this branch, they were fully and favourably reported in the local press.

We also learn that a library has been started, inspired by a generous donation of books from M r . Alan Kei th-Hi l l , a stalwart supporter of the Macclesfield Society. If any members have heraldic books or pamphlets which they do not want we know that they will be most gratefully received by Mrs. Hearh.

Five lectures were arranged for the Winter Session. They were given by M r . L . M . Angus-Butterworth, M r . Dennis Cox, M r . Aland, Major E . M . Kandel and Major T. R. Davies.

The Council would once again like to congratulate all members of the Branch on a very busy and successful year, and in particular the indefatigable Honorary Secretary Mrs . Heath. In­formation regarding the Branch may always be obtained from Mrs. Heath whose address is, Tower H i l l Cottage, Rainow, Macclesfield, Cheshire.

A U S T R A L I A N B R A N C H

We were very sorry to learn from M r . G . R. Jebb, the Hon. Secretary of the Australian Branch, of the death of Sir Rowden White, Vice-President of the Branch. His death has been a great loss to the Branch, especially as Sir Rowden's death followed so closely upon that of Sir John Medley, President of the Branch. Sir Rowden was a well known medical specialist and physician and had only recently been knighted.

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The Branch has embarked on a News Letter which is quite excellent and the Council sends its warmest congratula­tions and good wishes for its future success. It also hopes that it will not be long before the Branch feels able to undertake the exhibition of heraldry which it has long been planning.

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In a recent letter to the Chairman the Hon. Secretary mentioned that an Australian newspaper had reported that the College of Arms was receiving at least 5,000 applications for grants of arms each year ! This, together with the rumour that the courtyard of the College of Arms is to be repaved with gold blocks, can definitely be denied.

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HERALDRY GAZETTE

N O T SO C O M P L I C A T E D In an otherwise unexceptionable

article on the acquisition of arms, which appeared in the Coventry E v e n i n g Telegraph (7-2-63), there is the following curious paragraph :

" The research carried out by the Kings of Arms' officers into the back­ground and family antecedents of applicants is vast and sweeping. The length of the inquiry depends on ' the number of complications'."

One thing we can be proud of in this country is that a man may aspire to the highest offices and dignities in the kingdom without being debarred by humble, criminal or illegitimate birth. Such a background may be an initial handicap but that is all. The pages of our history are resplendent with men who have overcome their background and founded great and noble dynasties. A grant of arms recognises the gentility of a man, not of his parents or grand­parents, so that whilst the Kings of Arms take every precaution possible to see that an applicant for arms is a respectable and worthy person, this does not include a search for skeletons in the family cupboard.

T H E N O B L E L I F E

The latest magazine to feature herald­ry and genealogy is none other than Life. The article which it published is a strange mixture of accuracy, half-truths and gentle sneers, such as—"Those who cannot find ancestors but who want to play by the rules can, under certain conditions, obtain a grant of arms from the College of Arms for around $450, with all the nonexistent privileges per­taining thereto".

The do-it-yourself genealogy which the article features is of the grave-stone, telephone directory, oldest-inhabitant variety, once the favourite of the British Travel and Holidays Association. The article also warns ancestor searchers, on the advice of a writer on genealogy, that one out of six families springs from an illegitimate root. This is an interesting deterrent, but we wonder i f it is really supported by evidence. Our

own experience is that the researches of the amateur genealogist usually come to a halt with a perfectly sober, usually humble, but invariably quite legitimate late 18th century citizen.

It would be nice i f some magazine of the same calibre as Life would feature a real genealogical search. It would en­courage the amateur much more i f he really knew how to go about his researches. The story would, inevitably, be far more dramatic than that given in Life, where a girl finds a cousin by telephoning everyone of her name in the Copenhagen telephone directory, which is after all, an extremely anti­social occupation.

SEMPER E A D E M

The Leicester M e r c u r y (13-6-63) reports that an interesting piece of brick sculpture will soon be dust and rubble. It is a representation of the Royal Arms ( c i r c a 1870) sculpted in brick, and it is to be found on the side of the drill hall adjoining the Magazine in The Newarke. It is a splendid piece of Victoriana worked in a most un­usual medium and we should have thought that Leicester — motto (pace the D a i l y Express) ' Semper Eadem ' could have raised the £200 necessary to preserve something so unusual. How­ever we have to face up to the sad fact that ' historical interest' now stops at an arbitrary date, in much the same way as many historians make the middle ages come to a grinding halt in 1485.

S A B L E BASILISK

As most of our readers will have no doubt observed, Ian Fleming has recently written a new James Bond book entitled " On Her Majesty's Secret Service", which has an amusing heraldic slant. In it the hero, with the help of a pursuivant with a ' brief and firm hand­shake ', called Sable Basilisk, becomes a special agent for the College of Arms. From an heraldic point of view this is one of the few factual improbabilities in the book. The 'heavy gold painted door ' of Sable Basilisk's room may not be everyone's impression of the interior of the College of Arms, yet

'musty corridors' rings a true and homely note as do some of Sable Basilisk's remarks. ' Y o u can easily mug up a few books on heraldry. It's not difficult to be impressive on the subject. Very few people know any­thing about it!.' This is almost a truism.

One or two heraldic enthusiasts have written to say that they have been shocked by this book. If this is the case they should not be enthusiatss.for they lack the enthusiats's essential saving grace, a sense of humour.

T H E L O Y A L S O U T H

We were very pleased to receive from one of our American readers, evidence that one oasis in the South is still loyal to the British Crown. It is the Carriage Club of Kansas City, Missouri. This country club exhibits its loyalty by printing, on the reverse of its packets of book-matches the Royal Arms of Great Britain as used between 1714 and 1801. The passage of time has left the arms practically unscathed except that the lillies of France have been trans­formed into a rat extended in bend. Not knowing whether the -Carriage Club has any strong political affinities we cannot say whether or no this metamorphosis is intentional, but we should be interested to learn.

C O M M O N M A R K E T C O M P E T I T I O N

The entries for this competition were so diverse, that the judges were hard put to it to name the winner. Even­tually a serious attempt won the day and the first prize was awarded to the Rev. F . M . Best. The second prize was won by M r . J . C . Soulsby. Many com­petitors plumped for ' Crest—fallen. Supporters—none.' A good idea, but in no case were the accompanying arms sufficiently good to win a prize.

The judges commended the efforts of Mrs. Tranter, Colonel A . G . Puttock, M r . Anthony W. C. Phelps, M r . A . R. Crawford and M r . S. C. Sanders and they also praised the number of excel­lent paintings which were submitted, although artistry was not taken into ac­count when judging. Space does not permit a detailed discussion of the en­tries but this will appear in the next issue of the Gazette.

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HERALDRY SOCIETY

H E R A L D R Y COURSES Two courses of 24 lectures will be

held in Essex under the auspices of the University of London during the winter of 1963/64. A . A n Introduction to Heraldry.

Chingford Senior Evening Institute, County High School, Nevin Drive, Chingford, E.4. Tuesdays at 7.30 p.m. commencing on September 24th. This course covers the basic prin­ciples of heraldry and is particu­larly suited to the needs of the newcomer to the study of armory.

B. Heraldry Past and Present—Ilford Literary Institute, County High School for Girls, Cranbrook Road, Ilford, Essex. Thursdays, at 7.15 p.m. commen­cing on September 26th. The topics to be covered will in­clude, Royal Heraldry and Geneal­ogy, Civic Heraldry, Orders of Chivalry, School and University Arms, The Heraldry and Geneal­ogy of the Early Garter Stall Plates.

Visits will be arranged to various centres of heraldic interest and all lectures will be illustrated by slides many of which have been taken from original manuscripts, seals, stained glass and monuments.

The lecturer will be M r . G . W. Potter, F . R . S . A . Hon . F .H .S . except in the Civic Heraldry section of Course B which will be taken by M r . C. W. Scott-Giles. O.B.E. , F .H.S. , Fitzalan Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary, who will also be in charge of a tour of the heraldry of the University of Cambridge.

Applications for enrolment should be addressed to the Principal of the appropriate Institute. In both cases the fee for the course is twenty-five shillings.

SLIDE C O L L E C T I O N The greatly regretted loss of M r .

Robert Massey as Librarian of the Slide Library which has been noted elsewhere in this issue, has necessitated the appointment of a successor to take over his duties. The generous offer of M r . Frank Smith to shoulder the

burden was gratefully accepted by the Council. Wi l l members please note that from the date of this Gazette the following procedure should be followed in all matters appertaining to slides.

Requests to borrow slides or gifts of slides for the collection should be addressed to :

M r . F . W. Smith, Hon. F.H.S. 137, Cavendish Drive, Leytonstone, London, E . l l .

Telephone : Leytonstone 0094. Suggestions for material which mem­

bers would like to see included in the collection should be sent to :

M r . G . W. Potter, Hon. F .H.S . 96, Ashurst Drive, Gantshill, Ilford, Essex.

As both these members have very heavy commitments in connexion with the forthcoming exhibition of heraldry at Reading, it would be appreciated if requests for slides could be limited to only the most urgent needs until the end of September.

M r . D . S. Hopkinson has kindly consented to serve on the Slide Library Sub-Committee in the place of M r . Massey.

TESTS The following were successful in the

Tests in Intermediate Heraldry held in A p r i l :

Mrs . P. M . Bowes Miss K . M . Wait H . K ing In the tests in Elementary Heraldry

the following were successful : Mrs. C . M . Bilger Miss M . S. Josty D . M . Bishop M . M . Mattice J. R . Harvey E . Medley Mrs . R. J. Jameson H . W. Johnson Denzil R. Walker

Successful candidates will receive their certificates before the end of July. The examiners hope that those who were not successful in the tests will take them again next year, and they have expressed their willingness to comment on the papers submitted i f asked to do so by the candidate.

EXHIBITION The Institute of Heraldic and Genea­

logical Studies is staging a summer exhibition at Northgate, Canterbury, Kent entitled ' English Family History'. The exhibition is open daily from 2 until 7 p.m. It will close on 31st August. Admission is by catalogue price 5 shillings.

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The Editorial Board of the Gazette will always be pleased to print notices of heraldic exhibitions or meetings provided that details are sent at least three months before the event is due to take place.

BURKE'S E X T I N C T P E E R A G E S

Professor R. C. Gale has compiled an index to Burke's " Dormant and Extinct Peerages". Although he is still in the process of typing it he will be pleased to answer any queries. These should be addressed to him at 10 Gourock Road, Eltham, London, S.E.9.

I M P O R T A N T N O T I C E The Society has acquired 100 copies

of the London Survey volume of The College of Arms. This is a large and magnificent work. It contains a history of the College building with numerous full page plates and also a short biography of every King of Arms, Herald and Pursuivant known, together with a picture and description of his arms. As we expect a heavy demand for this unique book, orders will be dealt with in strict rotation (a number of volumes being reserved for overseas members). The book may be obtained from the office at a cost of five guineas, or, if sent by post, then a further six shillings is payable for postage and packing. Please send cash with order.

G A Z E T T E We are sorry that a number of items

have had to be omitted from this issue owing to shortage of space. The next issue, however, will appear very shortly and will be sent to members with the Annual Report and Statement of Accounts.

Published by The Heraldry Society, 59 Gordon Square, London, W.C.I, and with the authority of the Council, and Printed by The Shaston Printers Ltd., Shaftesbury