For identifying British coats of arms the two most important published works are J.W. Papworth's Ordinary of British Armorials, published in 1874 and since reprinted, and The Dictionary of British Arms of which two volumes have so far appeared (vol. 1, edited by D.H.B. Chesshyre and T. Woodcock in 1992, and vol. II, edited by T. Woodcock and J. Grant, in 1996) Both of these works is an ordinary, that is a book which lists arms by their component parts. To be able to use these two works it is necessary to be able to understand how to blazon a coat of arms (i.e. to describe it in heraldic language).

If you do not have access to these volumes, do not know heraldic blazon, or would simply like to have an expert opinion then it is suggested that you contact one of the three heraldic authorities in the British Isles, in London, Edinburgh, or Dublin. It is best to send a photograph of the arms if possible. You should then receive a reply from the particular authority saying whether the arms look as if they might be genuine, and quoting you a fee for carrying out research to try and identify them.

The standard works for trying to identify continental European heraldry are J.-B. Rietstapp's Armorial General vols i and ii (1884 and 1887), and its Supplement in 8 volumes (1904-1954); V and H.V. Rolland's Illustrations to the Armorial General by J.-B. Rietstapp (1954); and Theodore de Renesse's Dictionnaire des Figures Heraldiques, in 7 volumes (1894-1903), Rietstapp and Rolland have been reprinted since they were originally published.

Rouge Croix Pursuivant
December 2001