Events Archive

A NEW LOOK AT THE START OF HERALDRY: WHO, WHEN, WHERE, AND PERHAPS WHY

In the past, heraldists competed to find the earliest seals that appeared to have heraldic designs on them, and they found isolated examples scattered over a wide area of Western Europe and dating from the second quarter of the twelfth century.  However, a more fruitful approach to the start of heraldry and its family symbolism has been an investigation into individual medieval families to see when they changed from using non-heraldic seals to using seals with heraldry.

Peter G. R. Howarth
Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds

Oxford University Heraldry Society: The Autobiography of Georg von Ehingen

Lecture by John Whitehead

THE HAZARDS OF HERALDRY: DISGUISE AND ANONYMITY ON THE MEDIEVAL BATTLEFIELD

Bringing a painted shield or a brightly-decorated coat onto the medieval battlefield was not just about vanity - it was a matter of life and death. Heraldry was a statement of identity, of courage in the face of danger but it also made you a target, a focus for your enemies' hatred and greed. For this reason, some combatants chose to take the field without their heraldic arms but this was not without risk either.

City of Bath Heraldic Society: What Wars? What Roses?

Lecture by Andrew Gray.

XXIInd Colloquium of the International Academy of Heraldry

Biennial Colloquium 16-19 August; theme: Heraldry and the Law

Fifth Birmingham International Heraldry Conference

Two-day event organised by Adrian de Redman; theme Fabulous Beasts. Free of charge.

Day Trip to Hatfield in Hertfordshire

A fantastic day trip to Hatfield in Hertfordshire.

Summer Reception

The welcome return of our popular Summer Reception

THE ROLE OF MONUMENTAL HERALDRY IN THE POLITICS OF THE DUKES OF BOURBON, 1327-1531

In this talk, Antoine Robin will present his doctoral research on the visual politics of the dukes of Bourbon, and more specifically, the use of signs of power - coats of arms and emblems - in the construction of a politicised monumental landscape in the late Middle Ages.

STEAMING AHEAD – THE HERALDRY OF OUR RAILWAYS

Railway heraldry is an absolute mess. Almost all railway heraldry conforms to the rule of being borrowed, bogus, or the product of outright theft. Indeed, Scotland’s major railway company even had the temerity to steal the Royal arms of the Kings of Scots, a heraldic version of a Great Train Robbery.