The Committee on Heraldry of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, established in 1864, is the world's oldest non-governmental body primarily concerned with

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

Purpose

The committee was charged, on 3 February 1864, by the council of the New England Historic Genealogical Society "to collect and preserve information in regard to heraldry" and to otherwise deal with all matters to do with the subject for the society.

Roll of Arms

The committee authenticates and registers

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...

rightfully borne by "American colonists, or immigrants to the United States, who were rightfully armigerous according to the authorities and customs of their countries of origin, or those already resident here during colonial times who were granted arms by such authorities", publishing these historic arms in their '' Roll of Arms''. Only historic arms dating from before 1900 are published in this ''Roll of Arms''. The roll itself is published in pamphlets called ''parts'', the first of which was published in 1928; but each segment of the roll also appears in an issue of ''The New England Historical and Genealogical Register''. The committee illustrates the published ''Roll of Arms'' with only the escutcheons or shield of arms for the registration. However, in the text of the ''Roll of Arms'' the

full achievement In heraldry, an achievement, armorial achievement or heraldic achievement (historical: hatchment) is a full display or depiction of all the heraldic components to which the bearer of a coat of arms is entitled. An achievement comprises not only ...

, and other related matters are discussed. In 2013 the Committee on Heraldry published a one-volume edition of the complete ''Roll of Arms'' to date (registrations 1–741), edited and with a historical introduction and notes by the committee's secretary at the time, Henry L. P. Beckwith. One need not be entitled to the arms in order to apply for their registration. Genealogists and others often apply to register arms having nothing to do with their own ancestry purely to put them on record with the committee. File:Coat of Arms of George Washington.svg, The first entry in the ''Roll of Arms,'' the coat of arms of John Washington, the great-grandfather of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

File:Coat of Arms of Samuel Appleton.svg, The second entry in the ''Roll of Arms,'' the coat of arms of Samuel Appleton (1625-1696), an ancestor of Samuel Appleton. File:Coat of Arms of Percival Lowell.svg, The thirtieth entry in the ''Roll of Arms,'' the coat of arms of Percival Lowell, of the Boston Brahmin Lowell family.

Recording of modern and assumed arms

As of 1933, the Committee on Heraldry has also recorded coats of arms which are not eligible for inclusion in the above ''Roll of Arms''. At that time, the committee began recording assumed arms (arms created and used in

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

or recent times without formal sanction by a government heraldic authority). In 1972, the committee no longer included in their ''Roll of Arms'' any arms granted in the 20th century to the use of Americans by foreign heraldic authorities; these also are now recorded separately.

History

The committee's 1899 and 1914 reports on heraldry are considered two of the key documents in the history of

United States Heraldry Heraldry in the United States was first established by European settlers who brought with them the heraldic customs of their respective countries of origin. As the use of coats of arms may be seen as a custom of royalty and nobility, it had bee ...

External links

Committee on Heraldry

New England Historic Genealogical Society

References