Assumed arms explained

Assumed arms, in heraldry, are arms which have simply been adopted by the armiger rather than granted by an authority.^[1]

In England, the founding of the College of Arms was accompanied by a prohibition on the use of assumed arms.^[2] In other countries with an heraldic authority, such as Canada, the use of assumed arms is not illegal, however, "is considered improper and such arms have no legitimacy".^[3] As of 1998, five of the seven universities in New Zealand were reported to have been using "legitimate" arms, though many Australian universities were using assumed arms.^[4]

See also

• Arms of assumption

Notes and References

1. Book: Friar. Stephen. A New Dictionary of Heraldry. 1987. Alphabooks. London. 27.
2. Web site: THE CORDER COLLECTION of heraldic and genealogical manuscripts: a users’ guide. suffolkarchives.co.uk. Suffolk County Council. December 27, 2017. 2017-12-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20171227180356/http://www.suffolkarchives.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/31-CORDER-COLLECTION-2016-05-26.pdf. dead.
3. Web site: Common Misconceptions about Heraldry. heraldry.ca. Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. December 27, 2017.
4. Book: Boudreau. Claire. Genealogica & Heraldica. 1996. University of Ottawa Press. 0776616005. 294.