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.
Read more about this topic: American Heraldry
Famous quotes containing the word private:
“Consider any individual at any period of his life, and you will always find him preoccupied with fresh plans to increase his comfort. Do not talk to him about the interests and rights of the human race; that little private business of his for the moment absorbs all his thoughts, and he hopes that public disturbances can be put off to some other time.”
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859)