BACKGROUND TO THE SITE
I first published STUDIES IN HERALDRY on the internet in 2001, after I had been unable to publish THE CIVIC HERALDRY OF FRANCE in book form.
The research had been completed in 1991, after five years of correspondence with most of the administrative cantons in France, of which there are over three thousand. This was when there no internet, and when there was no easy way to include illustrations in a document.
The project foundered, until I established the original website, which gradually grew to over four hundred pages on various aspects of heraldry. In addition to The Civic Heraldry of France, I included sections on medieval rolls of arms, which proved to be the most popular area, as well as, among others, illustrations of postage stamps, cigarette cards and pub signs.
After a period of illness, I allowed the website to stagnate, and since 2005, it has been incorporated into Early Blazon, an excellent site devoted to early heraldry, written in both French and English. I am most grateful to Pascal Laparre for his kindness in hosting my work since then.
I have now incorporated Studies in Heraldry into this site, but I do not intend to add to it in the near future.
The new venture is A GLOSSARY OF THE TERMS USED IN FRENCH CIVIC HERALDRY, which by its nature will continue to develop over a long period. If it grows at its present rate it may never be completed, but I hope that it will be of interest to all those interested in all aspects of heraldry. It is described in detail in the Introduction to the Glossary
A comprehensive study of the arms of the communes of France, written in 1991
An illustrated glossary of terms used in French Civic Heraldry, and by extension, in French heraldry in general. The work is continuous, and is divided into alphabetical sections. These are in .pdf format, and represent more than 650 printed pages. The easiest way to navigate the Glossary is to use the back button on your browser and return to the main Glossary Page
The following examples of English and European medieval rolls include the original blason, with an English translation and an illustration of the the arms
The Caerlaverock Poem, 106
The Camden Roll, 270
Charles' Roll, 486
Collins' Roll, 598
The Dering Roll, 524
The Falkirk Roll, 115
The Heralds' Roll, 697
The Lord Marshal's Roll, 588
The Stirling Roll, 102
The Galloway Roll, 261
Glover's Roll, 218
St George's Roll, 677
Walford's Roll, 185
A total of 5200 coats of arms, some of which are duplicated, as the bearers appear in more than one roll.
There is also a List of the Rolls which are published, or in the process of completion.
A list of the arms in order of their blazon, containing almost 5000 coats, is published as a PDF file
Armorial du Hérault Vermandois, 1177
The Wijnbergen Roll, 1312
The Bigot Roll, 291
The Chifflet-Prinet Roll, 147
A total of 2927 coats of arms, some of which are duplicated.
A pdf file, containing details of all the arms in the sections Early Rolls of Arms & European Rolls of Arms.
The database sets out the blazon of 5200 coats of arms appearing in these rolls, forming a simple ordinary of the arms.
The complete database is available on DVD
Shields from Joseph Foster, Some Feudal Coats of Arms, 1901
Coloured shields from the original work, with references to other rolls and a commentary
An illustrated page on the seventy two seals of the signatories of the Letter to the Pope, 1301, and some miscellaneous items.
Images of cards bearing civic coats of arms, including
Wills, 1912, set of 50
and
Wills, 1903 - 06. There are images of 135 cards
A collection of English pub signs from various sources. There are pages on signs in Sheffield and Lincolnshire, on common signs such as the Red Lion and the White Hart, and a separate section on the Whitbread cards.
Images of French stamps of towns and provinces, as well as all those which incorparate a coats of arms into their design. There is also a page of Spanish Stamps.
This is the least successful part of the site, with several broken links. However, I intend to expand it, and there are pages on the arms of the regiones and the provincias
A selection of thoughts on French Place Names, which was never fully developed. Nothing to do with heraldry, but begun on a whim!
This section is an amalgamation of two previous pages: Topics and Ephemera
The Arms of the Préfectures in France