United States Heraldic Registry
Encyclopedia
Founded in 2005, the United States Heraldic Registry (USHR) is a private, American enterprise that offers free registration of contemporary and historical heraldry
.
By early 2010, the USHR had compiled information for over 900 coats of arms. As of September 7, 2011, the last update to the USHR website took place on July 14, 2010, with the addition of several registrations.
Registration with the USHR is open to all American
and foreign persons and entities. Registrants receive a unique registration number and information about the coat of arms is placed in an online database. Coats of arms are stored as a written description called a "blazon"
and, optionally, with a graphic, a design rationale, and history of the arms.
who actually bore that coat of arms or (b) design (or have been granted
) an original coat of arms that does not duplicate an existing design. The USHR also registers personal arms "in memoriam"
for near ancestors.
The USHR does not register "surname" family coats of arms sold by "bucket shops."
. Grants are available only from government agencies in a few countries that regulate heraldry, such as Scotland
, England, Wales, Northern Ireland
, and Canada
. Grants offer limited legal protection against theft of design within the granting country's borders. While private registration offers no legal protection, it provides some benefits. Registration provides a date-certain for the use of the arms, which can settle disputes if someone later claims the same design, and online rolls can prevent unintentional duplication.
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
.
By early 2010, the USHR had compiled information for over 900 coats of arms. As of September 7, 2011, the last update to the USHR website took place on July 14, 2010, with the addition of several registrations.
Overview
The USHR is one of several private heraldry registration services.Registration with the USHR is open to all American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and foreign persons and entities. Registrants receive a unique registration number and information about the coat of arms is placed in an online database. Coats of arms are stored as a written description called a "blazon"
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
and, optionally, with a graphic, a design rationale, and history of the arms.
Qualifying coats of arms
As a condition for registering a personal coat of arms with the USHR, the registrant must either (a) inherit a coat of arms from a documented, usually patrilineal ancestorAncestor
An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor ....
who actually bore that coat of arms or (b) design (or have been granted
Grant of Arms
A grant of arms is an action by a lawful authority, such as an officer of arms, conferring on a person and his or her descendants the right to bear a particular coat of arms or armorial bearings...
) an original coat of arms that does not duplicate an existing design. The USHR also registers personal arms "in memoriam"
In Memoriam
In Memoriam may refer to:*In memoriam is a Latin phrase that translates directly as 'in memory of', examples of its uses can be found in obituaries and in epitaphs.Collins Latin Dictionary & Grammar...
for near ancestors.
The USHR does not register "surname" family coats of arms sold by "bucket shops."
Bucket shop (heraldry)
An heraldic bucket shop is a heraldry company that will "sell" a coat of arms associated with the customer's surname, regardless of whether the customer can actually claim a relation to the original armiger....
Registration vs. grant
Registration is not the same as a grant of armsGrant of Arms
A grant of arms is an action by a lawful authority, such as an officer of arms, conferring on a person and his or her descendants the right to bear a particular coat of arms or armorial bearings...
. Grants are available only from government agencies in a few countries that regulate heraldry, such as Scotland
Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
, England, Wales, Northern Ireland
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, and Canada
Canadian Heraldic Authority
The Canadian Heraldic Authority is part of the Canadian honours system under the Queen of Canada, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General. The Authority is responsible for the creation and granting of new coats of arms , flags and badges for Canadian citizens, permanent residents and...
. Grants offer limited legal protection against theft of design within the granting country's borders. While private registration offers no legal protection, it provides some benefits. Registration provides a date-certain for the use of the arms, which can settle disputes if someone later claims the same design, and online rolls can prevent unintentional duplication.