American Heraldry - Private Heraldry

Private Heraldry

There are several private organizations working to advance heraldic traditions in the United States. These organizations keep registers of arms and give advice on designing coats of arms.

For a fee, the English College of Arms will devise arms for persons of English or Welsh descent, as the Scottish Court of the Lord Lyon will for persons of Scottish descent. The Chief Herald of Ireland has granted arms to Americans of Irish descent. The Spanish Cronista Rey de Armas (Chronicler King of Arms) grants arms to descendants of Spanish citizens, and to residents of territories formerly part of the Spanish empire, regardless of ancestry. Some American recipients of foreign orders of knighthood in which arms are expected to be borne have received arms from the relevant foreign authorities.