[Ansteorra] Mommy, where do arms come from?

[Tim McDaniel]

On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 3:34 PM, Hugh & Belinda Niewoehner
<burgborrendohl at valornet.com> wrote:
> Before 1394 and the accepted authority of the "king of arms" how
> were arms assigned/chosen?

There were times and areas in which there were strong heraldic
authorities.  For example, in 16th and 17th century England, heralds
would perform heraldic "visitations", checking the arms in use in
particular areas.  The bearers of arms would have to show proof that
they'd been granted the arms, or that they'd been using the arms for a
long time: if so, the arms were recorded and confirmed; if not, the
arms were defaced and the bearers enjoined from using them.

There were far more times and areas without strong heraldic
authorities.  People bore assumed arms: if they felt they should be
armigerous, they simply started bearing arms (and how they came up
with designs I wot not).

Danyll de Lyncoln
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com