How to Request Arms

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

Every citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa is considered a member of the gentry and may therefore distinguish himself or herself from the 40,000 person Cestour population of the Kingdom by obtaining a grant of a coat of arms from His Majesty the King.

This post contains information that a would-be armiger should know, concerning the College of Arms, the ancient art of heraldry and its application in the Kingdom, the achievements of arms that are available, and the procedure to be followed to request a grant of arms.

How Arms are Granted. The King of Talossa will grant the right to bear a coat of arms to citizens only in response to a petition made to the King by the Royal Talossan College of Arms. Citizens may not obtain an audience with the King directly on matters of arms.

The full, ordinary procedure for obtaining arms, is:

A citizen requests arms by posting a specifically formatted request on this board. In true Monty Python imitation, this post must answer Three Questions.

   
• What is your name?
• What is your request?
• What is your favourite colour?

The answer to the second question must be "If it so please the Squirrel King of Arms, I request the assistance of the College in designing and obtaining arms for myself and my lawful heirs."

After this post is made, the Squirrel King of Arms or other official will assign a member of the College to assist you.

Can I Design My Own Coat of Arms? When you approach the College of Arms for assistance, one of the fellows of the College will be assigned to help you design the arms that will be presented to the King in the petition. Your arms will indeed be a reflection of your wishes and your personality. The College will not present a grant of arms to the King unless you yourself have been intimately involved in creating it, and are completely happy with it.

How Does the College Help Me? The College is there to ensure that the arms you design are legal according to the ancient rules of heraldry. These rules have been in place for many centuries and although they may initially frustrate your choices in designing your coat of arms, they are there to make sure that your arms are properly constructed and easily distinguishable.  Accordingly, they will help you create a design that follows our rules of heraldry.

Can I Use a non-Talossan Coat of Arms? His Majesty will grant a citizen the right to use a non-Talossan Coat of Arms only if it can be proven and demonstrated that the citizen is the direct lineal descendant of the person to whom some other monarch (that is, the King of England, of Italy, etc.) granted the right to bear those arms. If this cannot be proven, the arms shall not be borne in the Kingdom of Talossa.

Can I Use My "Family Coat of Arms"? There are several web sites that purport to offer a "family crest" or "family coat of arms" based on nothing more than a surname. Citizens requesting arms must remember that arms are granted to individuals, not to surnames, and entitlement to bear a particular design cannot be presumed from identity of surname alone. If you request a design identical to or based on a pre-existing achievement of arms, you must be prepared to identify the armiger who was originally granted those arms and demonstrate your relationship to that armiger. You will not be granted arms that imply your descent from an armiger to whom you have not demonstrated an actual relationship to the satisfaction of the College. Of course, some surnames naturally suggest certain charges or design elements (e.g., canting arms or occupational items) that commonly appear in the arms of individuals of that surname who are not related. Such charges, logically related to your surname, are permissible so long as the overall achievement does not create the impression that it is based on the arms of a particular non-relative.

Can I Get a Motto Too? Members of the gentry are eligible for the achievement of a coat of arms, but no other achievement. Persons who are admitted by the King to an order of knighthood are eligible to add to this coat of arms the achievement of a belt (indicating the order of knighthood to which the knight or dame belongs, if any), a draped helm, and a motto. Members of the peerage (barons, baronesses, counts, countesses, dukes, and duchesses) are eligible to add to their achievements a motto, a crest, a helm, and mantling. Members of the royal family hold arms with a motto, a crest, a helm, mantling, and supporters.

How Can I Become a Knight (or Dame) or a Peer? The only way to do so is to prove to your King, over an extended period of time, that you are a dedicated, industrious, and valuable citizen, who works tirelessly for Talossa, her institutions and culture, and her King, and who provides service to the Royal House, His Majesty's Government, or the realm that merits special recognition by the Crown.  You should never request a title.

What Is The College of Arms? The College of Arms is an Office of the Royal Household. The post of Squirrel King of Arms is a member of the Royal Household who is appointed by the King of Talossa, and who oversees the College with the assistance of its Dean, who is elected by the members of the College. The College is made up of heralds (the senior members of the college), pursuivants (the next-senior members), and fellows. The College also is responsible for establishing all social protocol for address and accommodation of the royalty, the peers, and the knights and dames, and maintains the Department of Vexillology, which studies, designs, and maintains the official descriptions of all flags of the realm.