Alabama on Herald Dick Magazine

One of the heraldry blogs I follow is Herald Dick Magazine, of French origin. For sometime, it has published entries on the heraldic and vexilogical achievements of various nations and states around the globe. With baited breath, I have waited for them to do a write-up on Alabama, and it is finally here (English translation).

I must admit, that I somewhat wince that Alabama is still known around the world for its lesser moments in history. We've made such great accomplishments since then!

In deference to true heraldic artists

I recently stumbled upon A Message from Andrew Stewart Jamieson in which he contrasts true "heraldic artists" with "fraudsters, amateurs, and con artists who, calling themselves heraldic artists, offer substandard, commercial services to unsuspecting clients and patrons". On the same site was a post titled Heraldic Art and Copyright Infringement, both of which are written on the premise of the existence of amateur hacks attempting to exploit the desire for heraldic designs.

Mr. Jamieson is the Scribe and Illuminator of HM Queen Elizabeth II, and has a well-documented career in heraldic arts. Given his reputation, I give much credence to what he has said in the aforementioned article. In it he stated he "began to notice a pattern emerging and to me it was a danger signal which warned of the very demise of the art form I love." This was related to individuals on web forums offering services as heraldic artists, but without a background and portfolio of works commensurate with the services they were looking to charge others for. In Mr. Jamieson's words:

Many of these amateurs have little or no idea of the craft of heraldic art or of its long tradition and development from the techniques of medieval manuscript illumination. They have no sense of design and, most importantly, they cannot draw. 

This statement, to me, sums up much of modern art, but I suppose in that realm I am just not cultured enough to appreciate it. Many an artist has splashed paint against a canvas and sold for profit what would earn my children a severe scolding, were I to find it on my own wall. Alas, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Mr. Jamieson's heraldic works, though, truly are objets d'art.

In the past, an artist would master his craft by mimicking the works of those whom he admired, and spend many years working toward his own style, but as was stated in the articles referenced, modern technology has short circuited the process. One now only has to obtain a digital copy of an image to begin manipulating it to his own designs. With a little practice, one could become proficient in taking a cookie cutter approach to emblazonment, and output decent quality (digital) work. It is my uneducated opinion that a vast majority of heraldic consumers would never know the difference. With the anonymity afforded by the Internet, one could easily build a pseudo-reputation as an heraldic artist. And as stated by Mr. Jamieson:

These fraudsters are often retired or are employed and have careers and receive a regular wage; to them heraldry is just a sideline. I have seen young professionals for whom heraldry is their only career, fall by the wayside no longer able to support their families. This is morally wrong and it is delivering a death blow to this field.

The problem here seems to be whether a patron is willing to pay for true art put down on canvas by a steady hand in quality inks, or is the patron satisfied with a digital work? As an anachronist, I do not even consider the two to be on the same level. The physical artist makes an heirloom to be passed down for generations, the digital artist creates a work that lasts so long as it is electronically available^[1]. One cannot be duplicated without retaining the hand of the master, the other can be duplicated en masse with the click of a button. Anyone can own a "Renoir", but only one can possess the original^[2].

So what of the aspiring heraldic artist, the rank amateur, or (in my case) the novice? Those of us who want to dabble in heraldic design and entertain ourselves with our handiwork? Mr. Jamieson has words for us as well:

There is, of course, no problem with amateurs and hobbyists doing heraldic scribbles for their own amusement. I positively welcome this

As illustrated by my assumed arms as emblazoned, I am amongst the ranks of heraldic scribblers. I think in putting my illustrations together I violated nearly everything spoken against in the two articles. First, I pulled down SVGs of heraldic examples from Wikipedia. I cut and pasted elements to suit my needs. I traced over jpegs of lower quality so that I could make scalable vector images. I did my best not to use copyrighted images, so as not to violate anyone's copyright. I bought several books on heraldry and heraldic art so that I would have examples to follow, but I have not developed my own style, nor likely will I. I simply reached a point with my "work" that I was not ashamed to post it to my own website. I sat back, satisfied (but not content) with the "quality" of what I had created. Would I do the same for someone else? Sure. Would I charge them for it? Absolutely not. One should not pay someone else for amateur quality work. Would I ever endeavor to become a professional heraldic artist. Never. This is not my forte, and as quoted above from Mr. Jamieson, it cuts into the livelihood of true artists.

All this hearkens back to the notion that technology undercuts talent. We can call this luddism if we like, but the fact remains that skills are lost when the means of creation are taken out of human hands. This is especially true in the arts. Where once a musician was required to perform great melodies, nowadays, anyone with Garage Band and a sufficient supply of instrumental samples can put together a song. That song can then be replayed in its digital "perfection" as many times as the listener desires. Likewise, the Renoir referenced above can be reprinted to exact tolerances as many times as it can be sold, always "perfect". And this perfection can be obtained in anything reproduced digitally, but the element lacking is "soul": that imperfect and one-offness that can only be imparted at the moment of creation by a human hand. The fingers strumming a string or grasping a brush. The pressure applied by human hand to create that which is truly unique.

So back to the premise of supply and demand. Are we who desire objects willing to pay for the quality of masters, or are we satisfied with a third-rate knock-off? I fear I know the answer. Will we see the demise that Mr. Jamieson fears? Let those of us interested in heraldic arts hope not.

~~~

[1] I am purposely ignoring arguments for the loss or destruction of the physical work and I realize a digital copy may be archived, replicated, recreated, &etc.

[2] What if the artist created two originals? They are still going to be two unique works, and not identical.

[UPDATE: 22 July 2013]
Here is another example of a truly talented heraldic artist:
http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/81516/rochdale-man-carves-oldham-coat-of-arms

Principality of Hutt River

I have a bit of a penchant for monarchic states so a recent article on the Principality of Hutt River on Reason.com caught my attention. From the article:

Hutt River’s secession and heraldry are neither a political statement nor a publicity stunt. They resulted from one man’s determination to save his wheat farm from ruinous government mandates. In 1970, after fighting a losing battle to repeal a stifling wheat quota, Leonard Casley and several of his neighbors declared independence from Australia. “We seceded to protect our lands,” says Casley, “to stop our lands from being taken from us.”

For more than four decades the self-made monarch has matched wits with irritated bureaucrats and politicians. So far, he’s come out ahead.

The article is an interesting read on what led Prince Leonard to reach the point of seceding from Australia. Reason focused on the libertine issues that led to the formation of the Principality: the wheat tariffs, the actions of the Australian government, the legal maneuvering by the Prince to secure his lands within international and common law. I find all that impressive. The declaration of war and cessation of hostilities to establish his sovereignty was ingenious. A couple other articles detail the events (here and here) and it is worth noting that, while it may be viewed as only existing "on paper", the Principality of Hutt River nonetheless still exists. I offer my best wishes to Prince Leonard and the success of his Principality.

Hatching emblazoned arms

An excellent article on using hatching in emblazoned arms:

Coelius Servilius:
ARA everyone likes. It is a saying that warns of the subjectivity of tastes and preferences of each. We live in the XXI century and since the end of the last century we have the possibility of many colors represent a variety of ways, easily and at a relatively low cost. We even have multiple systems management thereof.

Pantone color palette.

The system to represent the colors on a computer monitor is RGB system. RGB is a combination of red, green and blue. It is a reliable way to represent a color. For print professionals is better to tell the colors with the CMYK gamut. Also a combination CMYK RGB type, therefore is also reliable. Another color management system is the Pantone palette. Pantone colors is numbered so that giving your reference can compose a pot of paint desired shade. Pantone is a trading system, so it is not advisable to reference your color palette, because as the owner of the code, can change anytime.

RGB, CMYK and Pantone, like others, are modern color spaces. In the twelfth century devised a "color space" for heraldry.

Palette heraldry.

Unlike now had to define the exact methods to use chromaticism. The gules is red, period. What is red? it is the color of blood, poppies color or some roses. , Come on, you know what the red and if you do not have a problem.

Illuminated manuscript.

Formerly the books were luxury items. The acquisition of a book was in the hands of a few and there were few who could afford the cost of doing a book manuscript. Still, with these books had the opportunity to represent the blue, red, gold, green ... of glazes. With the advancement of technology and the invention of printing was achieved very efficiently in the production of a book referring to what came before.


Europeans associate the invention of the Gutenberg printing press, but Asians had already printed books centuries before we did it. More than a figment of a person was the evolution of culture. Thanks to this method could be stamping letters on paper and then bind. It took quite in assembling the letters to make a sheet, but once assembled it was very easy to make duplicates. He gained in effectiveness, but was lost in elasticity. Now was printed in one ink and could not represent colors.

A priest heraldista Silvestro da Pietrasanta Italian named Petra Sancta or Sylvester or Silvester Petra Sancta Petrasancta or Pietrasanta or Sylvester or Sylvester resembling in some language and "Holy Stone" in another, also known by his pseudonym Coelius Servilius invented in 1638 a system of traces to represent the enamel without the need to do with color.

And with this system may represent a single ink around a heraldic shield:

Party: 1 gold, an eagle of saber gold 2nd, a tree vert gules fruity with a steep boar sable, defended and armed gules, surmounted of three growing ranversados ​​azure.

Vert: a Gordian knot of gold, pierced by a sword low silver gold trimmed end of which is held by the skillful peak of a contoured silver dove with outstretched wings, and the fire in the snout of a fox silver, both in attitude undo; campaign ondada tucked in waves of silver and sable, a golden sun brochante loaded with the symbol of the Virgin Mary of azure.

To see more types of scratches to enamels called secondary raw, etc. should not be used, look at the entry written at the time. I leave the link at the end:

Related Posts

1. Metals

1. Colors

1. Veros

1. Stoats.

1. Enamels side

http://dibujoheraldico.blogspot.com

Casting aside Arthur in search of fact

An interesting read from the Oxford University Press: Ten ways to rethink ‘Arthur’s Britain’:

1. Stop looking for ‘King Arthur’. 
2. Forget the characters, artefacts, and places of legend. 
3. Abandon the written sources.
4. It’s not just about the South — get some context!
5. ‘Arthur’ was not the defender of the Romans.
6. ‘Arthur’ did not fight against the Saxon invasion.
7. Britain wasn’t united — fifth-century factions.
8. Stop looking for Saxons or Britons.
9. There were no ‘knights’.
10. Start thinking in terms of a mess.

Well, this list sure takes the fun out of the matter. I suppose number one is a bit of contradictory advice for a gentleman trying to sell a book on the topic. We live in a stale, matter-of-fact world where if there is not room for conjecture or speculation. If a particular subject does not stand up to the scrutiny of whatever scientific or archaeologic application of a given period, it is discarded as false. Until it isn't, as was the case with Troy. There wasn't a Troy until the right person came along and dug in the right place. A fair amount of Homer's account of the Trojan was was vindicated, allowing for embellishment through oral tradition over generations. I'll stick with my probably-embellished-possibly-false accounts and enjoy the story.

So to be fair in my rant, I need to actually read the book and then comment back intelligently.

Beautiful example of heraldry

Restoration of Queen’s Park Suspension Bridge, Chester 2012.:

 

In 2012 David Kynaston was commissioned by Chester West and Chester Council to restore the armorial bearings of the seven Norman Earls of Chester along with the ancient and modern versions of the Chester Arms which grace the Queen’s Park Suspension Bridge in Chester. The arms, which are cast out of lead, were fully repaired with all their broken and missing parts replaced. They were then fully repainted and finished in 23 1/2 carat gold leaf. The silver wolves’ heads were finished in palladium leaf.

I reproduce below some of the photographs from the web site of the restorer and encourage my reader to pay it a visit. A worthy project undertaken on behalf of a proud local authority by a true craftsman.

 

http://davidkynaston.tidywebsites.co.uk/heraldry

My connection to Clan Douglas

Some time back I became interested in my Scottish roots and discovered that my maternal ancestors, the Blackwoods, were historically associated with Clan Douglas. I understand that normally, Scottish clan association is paternal, but given that my paternal ancestry is Welsh, I was curious if I could actually claim clanship through my mother's line, so I contacted the Court of the Lord Lyon to enquire.

Armed with this affirmation, I continue down the rabbit hole that is genealogy. 

I have to admit though, that the Blackwood line appears to be a little easier to trace than the Blevins line has proven to be. I have a fairly unbroken line from me to the Blackwoods who settled in North Carolina. The first Blackwood that I have found reference to in American was a William Blackwood who came over with a group of Presbyterians, first to Pennsylvania, and then on to North Carolina.  Here is my line to this gentleman:

Me > Donna Kay Puckett (Blackwood) > Wes Chester (1931-1997) > James Wesley(1884-1939) > James Monroe (1853-1924) > Joseph (1833-1863) > Isaac (1775-1855) > James (1732-1810) > William (1706-1774)

This William Blackwood was the son of Charles Blackwood (b.1680) and Agnes Hunter and was born in Glencarin, Dunfries, Scotland, and christened on 11 August 1706. He married Elizabeth "Betsy" Craige after he had moved to Londonderry, Northern Ireland. They are purported to have immigrated to  Philadelphia 1740 aboard a ship named "Mary William", but I've found no ship of such name, though there were ships named Mary, Mary Ann, and William destined from Northern Ireland to Philadelphia about that time.

To be continued...

Sources:

• https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/9WRX-SP5
• http://books.google.com/books?id=MJssAQAAMAAJ&dq=History%20of%20New%20Hope%20Church%20of%20Orange%20County%2C%20NC&pg=PA50#v=onepage&q=william%20blackwood&f=false
• http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/th/read/BLACKWOOD/2002-04/1017698388

Heraldry Exhibit at the National Library of Ireland

The National Library of Ireland has a wonderful exhibit on Irish Heraldry:

Heraldry: Coats of Arms Uncovered!: Heraldry had its birth on the battlefields of Medieval Europe. To distinguish themselves in battle, knights had unique, identifying designs painted on their armour.
www.nli.ie/heraldry_site/

Join the aristocracy – become a Scottish Laird, Lord or Lady!

I recently ran across website that says for £29.99 ($47.74) one can become a 'real' titled laird of Scotland. Given that my maternal family are Blackwoods and came from Scotland, I thought what a great novelty to have hanging in my study (whenever I get a study...). I'm an American, and its not like I can bear a title and be all haighfalutin anyway, so what harm could it do?

[Note: Try as I might, I am not an expert in my family's history. If I say something below that is incorrect, you would be my friend in pointing it out to me.]

Join the aristocracy – become a Scottish Laird, Lord or Lady!:
Have you ever dreamt of being a member of the aristocracy? Of having an impressive title before your name? Well, here is your chance. For only £29.99 we can provide you with a perfectly legal hereditary title and ownership of land in Scotland. 

According to old Scots law and custom a landowner is granted the right to use the title ‘Laird’ and female landowners are styled as ‘Lady’. Some male Lairds choose instead to use the more well-known English translation ‘Lord’. Scottish Lairds are members of the lower aristocracy and historically held feudal rights under the crown. In the table of precedence a Laird ranks above an Esquire and directly below a Baron. 

By purchasing a plot of land on the Blackwood Estate in Scotland you will acquire the right to style yourself Laird, Lord or Lady of Blackwood. At the same time you will contribute to the preservation of Loch Wood, one of Scotland’s few remaining native woodlands. What better way to start your new life as a member of the aristocracy than to embrace your own favourite charity? 

As Laird, Lord or Lady of Blackwood you will also be granted the exclusive right to wear the Blackwood coat-of-arms and tartan, that may not be used by others than the rightful owners of land on the Blackwood Estate. The coat-of-arms will look very impressive on your stationery and business cards. We also provide various aristocratic accessories imprinted with the Blackwood coat-of-arms in our webshop.

As a member of the elevated classes you may wish to take up other Scottish lordly pursuits, such as wearing the kilt, fishing for salmon or even playing the bagpipe if the fancy takes you! And do not be surprised if your new title brings about some added perks, like plane upgrades and other preferential treatment. It’s been known to happen. The Lairdship Portfolio will also make a perfect gift for someone special.

Buy land on the Blackwood Estate and commence your new life of entitlement today!

Below is a map of the location of the property one could buy a plot in.


View Larger Map
A few things seemed out of place to me. First off, it's my understanding that the Blackwoods were a sept of the lowlands Douglas Clan. There were noble Blackwoods that have been recorded in history, but in Scotland and Northern Ireland, which seems to have been a layover, at least for my ancestors, on their way to America. There are no claims to a Blackwood Clan on this site, but it wanted to make the point clear.

Next is the 'coat-of-arms'. Per the Court of the Lord Lyon:

There is a widespread misconception that a family or a clan can have a family or clan Coat of Arms. Many heraldic and clan web sites and other media suggest that a person has the right to use the family or clan Arms. This is completely incorrect.

Third on the hit list is the tartan. Per the Scottish Tartans Authority this tartan was:

Designed for the exclusive use of the owner and the souvenir plot owners of Loch Wood on the Blackwood Estate Lanarkshire.

So what one has a right to are the corporate arms and tartan of an entity stood up to sell titles to parcels of land and other branded merchandise that looks heraldic. So what about the 'title'? Can a trifle like £29.99 be all it takes to be ennobled? Maybe hundreds of years ago before mass inflation debased the pound. I would wager that one would be hard pressed to get a meal at an upscale restaurant for that amount. The Telegraph had an article back in 2004 on this topic, although the land in question was in
Glencairn. From the article:

The Court of the Lord Lyon, which deals with heraldic matters and coats of arms in Scotland, said the Glencairn title - like the many others on offer - was "meaningless".

A spokesman said: "We have had countless inquiries. The title Laird of Glencairn would only apply to the owner of the entire estate, if it exists, not to those buying square-foot portions of it."

It was decided five years ago that the sale of such plots would not be recorded in the national register of Scotland, and therefore there is no proper legal record of the miniature land sales.

Critics say the adverts wrongly claim the word laird - Scots for landowner- is interchangeable with lord. But it simply means landowner, whether titled or not.

A website mentioned in the article also has some interesting information if you'd like further reading.

So back to the idea of what harm it could do. For one thing, it diminishes the value of the titles of true Lords and Ladies. It makes a mockery of an institution of British heritage, which you don't have to be British to admire. I know in the modern world we are all equal and there is no such thing as privilege, and the system of nobility was undermined (for the most part) nearly a century ago, but it is a matter of principle. There are still noble families that have maintained their holdings for hundreds of years. I don't think they are or were God's elect, but they for better or worse helped shape the course of the nations of the United Kingdom. And there have been legitimate purchases of titles in the past, but they cost a wee bit more than £29.99, and they didn't come from a private corporation.

Therefore, despite my draw to the novelty of it, I don't think I will become Lord Blevins of Blackwood, lest I become the laughingstock of my family and an embarrassment to all who know me.

Assumption of Arms

Over the past several years, I've become quite a fan of Heraldry. I remember stories and seeing pictures growing up of the "family crest". I was even duped by a kiosk at a local mall into paying money for a copy of my family's crest, which, by the way, didn't look anything like the one I had seen growing up. It was only much later that I actually started studying heraldry as a hobby that I learned that families don't have crests, but individuals can be armigerous and can have a distinct coat of arms associated with them, that they can pass down to their descendants (with marks of cadency as necessary), following the rules of heraldry in their particular country.

I've also learned that as an American, there is no official body that regulates coats of arms. Unless I pursue the services of a heraldic body that is a part of another nation, I cannot obtain a grant of arms. This leads me to assume arms, as I am free to do as an American. There are many sites with great information on the processes of being granted or assuming arms. I'll link to them later.

This post will serve as public record of my intention to assume the following arms. They are blazoned as follows:

Argent, a saltire between three wolf's heads erased and a Phrygian cap gules.

I chose the elements present for very specific reasons. First is the St. Patrick's cross. This represents Alabama, the state that has been home to my family for longer than it has been a state. All of my Blevins ancestors from John Blevins, who moved there in the 18-teens are all buried within a 75-mile radius of my home. I think its fair in that case to make use of the Alabama flag as a part of my arms.

Next are the three wolf's heads. My surname is derived from a Welsh word that roughly meant wolf cub, or son of Wolf (Blaidd-yn). The wolf's heads are a cant of that name, and represent both my two siblings and myself, and my own three children.

Finally is the Phrygian, or Liberty cap. It represents both the freedom I hold so dearly as an American, and my military service. It is a prominent component of the seal of the Department of the Army.

Several things might be noticeably missing to the astute observer well versed in heraldry. First, there is no helmet, mantling, torse, nor crest. Since I am assuming arms and providing no proof of gentility to an heraldic body, I do not feel it is proper for me to do so. Second, I have not employed the use of supporters. My reasoning is the same as for the crest, plus, supporters in English heraldry are (or were, please correct me if I am wrong) tied to peers. As highly as I think of myself, I am not, to the best of my knowledge a first son of a first son of... a peer.

Also, if you're interested what software I used to create the arms, I started with SVGs from various Wikipedia articles to get the elements I wanted and imported them into Inkscape, and then did the finishing touches in the GIMP.

William Blethyn Pedigree Roll

In the history of the Blevins/Blevin/Blethyn/Bleddyn name, one of the more famous characters in the past thousand years would have to be William Blethyn, Bishop of Llandaff, who lived in the 16th century. There is a fair amount of information on him in out of print books, many of which can be found on Google books. At a later date, I'll go back and give a better biography of him.

The one piece of historical information that is by far the most valuable, and in my opinion, of great importance to Welsh national heritage, is the William Blethyn Pedigree Roll kept at the Glamorgan Archives. A zoomable copy of the Pedigree Roll can be viewed here. One of the amazing things to me is that this roll purports to trace the lineage of William Blethyn back through the Welsh kings of antiquity and on to Brutus of Troy, the legendary founder of Britain. And even more astounding, the top left corner of the roll take the genealogy from Brutus all the way back to Adam. I'll leave it to individual opinion how much of the genealogy presented is to be accepted as fact.

Copyright Glamorgan Archives (Reference CL/PED/1)

At some point in the future I'd like to transcribe the text of the roll and redraw the arms listed and research them one by one until I have a clearer picture of what all is here. Given the magnitude of information listed, this could turn into a life-long project. If there is anyone else out there interested in helping, please let me know.