BECOMING AN ARMIGER

An ARMIGER is a person entitled to bear heraldic arms.
As my profile states, I was for some years a commissioned Officer of H.M. Customs & Excise. Having read somewhere that this could entitle one to have a coat of arms. I accordingly wrote in July 1998 to The College of Arms in London, enquiring whether this was correct.
A prompt reply was received from one of the Heralds, Bluemantle Pursuivant (Mr. Robert Noel), confirming that this was so. As well as giving a background to the granting and bearing of arms through the ages, he also gave some encouragement and advice as to the design of the Arms and Crest, taking into account the grantee's family and personal background. Before any prior Warrant can be obtained from the Earl Marshal, the petitioner has to submit a Memorial desiring "of having Letters Patent a Armorial Bearings granted and appointed unto him", etc.
In further correspondence from Bluemantle regarding clarification of some details, I was told I had to supply the names and addresses of two referees.
Some complications could arise through my only having daughters (3). Firstly, the Crest, the Helmet, and what is placed thereon, and any motto, would be personal only to myself, and could not be used by any of my descendants. My daughters would have the right to the entire Shield of arms; and during their lifetime, or on their decease may transmit to their issue the right to marshal for themselves within the shield's quarterings Nos. 2 & 3 of the arms of KNIGHT. Quarters 1 & 4 would be for any paternal arms of any of their children - my grandchildren. But the College of Arms, or an authorative book on heraldry would be able to give more definitive information. My poor wife, alas, would not get a look-in.
As I had intimated it would not be possible to make a weekday daytime visit to the College of Arms to discuss design, etc., Bluemantle offered to visit me during one of his often visits to the area.
Based on this encouraging information I duly sent off to Bluemantle a signed and dated Memorial, a cheque for the substantial fee (now even higher), the names of my two referees, and documentary evidence of my service in H.M. Customs & Excise - see my cancelled commission below. I finally said how honoured we would be to receive a visit from him.

Thus the 6th October 1998 was to be a red-letter day - or rather evening - when we entertained a Herald in our humble abode. I had already drafted a possible design for my Arms. The colour of the shield to be green, with a white cross dividing it into four quarters. To denote my Customs & Excise service there could be a gold/yellow portcullis in quarters 1 & 4 - a device shown on C & E badges, stationery, etc. To show my family's Hampshire ancestry there could be a gold/yellow hog's head (the Hampshire Hog), with superimposed upon it a small red rose (the Hampshire Rose - a county emblem) in quarters 2 & 3. To illustrate the name KNIGHT would be use of the accepted device of a Spur, placed in a canton (heraldic name for a small square) either in the top left-hand corner of quarter 1, or at the top of the join of quarters 1 & 2. To denote my writing activities, there would be a hand holding a quill pen coming out of the wreath on top of the helmet.

Knights to protect themselves from the sun used to have a long mantle issuing from the helmet, being held by a wreath. This mantle is nowadays heraldically displayed in a fanciful flowery form, but I wanted something traditional or more realistic. As my favourite colours are green and yellow, as already intimated, the inside of the mantle would be gold/yellow, whilst the outside would be green - depicting my service in the Environment Agency (and its predecessor) when I had to sometimes maintain discreet surveillance whilst on the look-out for illegal waste disposal activities.

The full armorial bearings of an armiger, i.e. shield, mantling, helmet, wreath and crest is called the Achievement. As my Achievement would somewhat display to the world something of my ancestry and achievement in life, and as punning is accepted in heraldic depictions, etc., my motto could be aptly BY ACHIEVEMENT BE KNOWN.

Bluemantle initially liked my ideas for the general design, but expressed doubts about the mantle, until I showed him in a book I had an example of my old version having been used not too long previously. He said he would now take my ideas back to the College of Arms, for the opinions of his senior Heralds and Kings of Arms.

A fortnight later came Bluemantle's letter, bearing a favourable response. The general opinion had been most favourable to the general design, particularly the Hampshire depictions; and my 'Georgian' abundant mantling was accepted in place of the 'Tudor' limited mantling. 'Keeness' had also been shown with the motto. What I was to be immediately and particularly enamoured with, as were the Heralds, was the Kings' inspired concept of KNIGHT being depicted by a circlet of spurs on the helmet.

To enable knights to breathe more easily inside their helmets, small ventilation holes (ventrailles) were drilled in the lower part of the helmet. When asked about this I requested that these be in the form of a broken cricket wicket - to depict my fondness for the game but ineptitude in the playing of it.

After a couple of drafts the definitive version of the Achievement was finally agreed and accepted by me at the end of November 1998. Bluemantle was then about to go to Israel to seek out satisfactory vellum skins suitable for preparing illuminated Patents, including my own. In the meantime I sent him details of my ancestry pedigree going back several generations for the College's records.

It was not until the evening (8-45 p.m.) of 27th August 1999 that my wife and I were eventually privileged to attend in awe at the College of Arms, and receive from Bluemantle himself the illuminated Patent - shown below. On the same occasion we were shown some of the College's treasured items, as well as a couple of reference books from which I was able to obtain details for my own researches.

The illustration below of the College of Arms building is derived from one of the College's own postcards.

The following is a transcription of the above Patent from the College of Arms. Once having been officially granted my Arms, they have been used so far on letterheads and bookplates, and a framed personal variation for each of my daughters. It would be nice, for instance, to have a dinner service bearing the arms, or even table-mats, but for the expense!

I have since joined the White Lion Society, which is a form of Friends of the College of Arms - see separate posting.

The Manorial Lord of Purse Caundle in his personal armorial jumper, knitted by his joint-Lord wife from a pattern produced by the well known pattern designer Jo Newton, to both whom grateful thanks are given.