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Somerset Herald's lecture tour	Arms of Bishop Brady
Australia's uniform at the Beijing 2008 opening ceremony	Michael Francis McCarthy
New Lord Lyon appointed	Royal Danish arms
Australian Commonwealth coat of arms 1 oz silver proof coin	New publications
2008 lecture by Dr Katie Stevenson	Year of Australian academic heraldry

 

Somerset Herald's lecture tour

David White, Somerset Herald of Arms, is on a lecture tour of Australia during October and November 2008. He will be speaking on grants of arms to Australians. To attend a lecture, email the Society at one of the addresses as listed:

City	Date (2008)	Venue	Bookings
Adelaide	Wed 5 Nov - 5:30 for 6pm	Old Parliament House North Terrace	adelaide@heraldryaustralia.org phone 0431 701 055
Armidale	Tues 21 Oct - 5:30 for 6pm	Armidale Dumaresq Council Chambers 135 Rusden St	armidale@heraldryaustralia.org phone 0431 701 055
Bathurst	Mon 27 Oct - 5:30 for 6pm	Library Meeting Room Bathurst City Library 70-78 Keppel St	bathurst@heraldryaustralia.org phone 0431 701 055
Brisbane	Wed 22 Oct - 5:30 for 6pm	Undumbi Room Level 5 Parliamentary Annexe cr George and Alice Sts	brisbane@heraldryaustralia.org phone 0431 701 055
Canberra	Wed 29 Oct - 5:30 for 6pm	Forestry Lecture Theatre Forestry Building (Building 48) Linnaeus Way Australian National Universtiy	canberra@heraldryaustralia.org
Hobart	Tues 4 Nov - 5:30 for 6pm	Centenary Building Lecture Theatre Grosvenor Crescent University of Tasmania Hobart Campus Churchill Av Sandy Bay	secretary@heraldryaustralia.org phone 0431 701 055
Launceston	Mon 3 Nov - 5:30 for 6pm	Architecture Lecture Theatre University of Tasmania Inveresk Campus 2 Invernay Rd	secretary@heraldryaustralia.org phone 0431 701 055
Melbourne *	Fri 24 Oct - 5:30 for 6pm	Village Roadshow Theatrette State Library of Victoria Entry 3 La Trobe St	melbourne@heraldryaustralia.org
Melbourne	Sat 25 Oct - 1:30 for 2pm	Village Roadshow Theatrette State Library of Victoria Entry 3 La Trobe St	melbourne@heraldryaustralia.org
Newcastle	Mon 20 Oct - 5:30 for 6pm	Newcastle Room Newcastle City Hall King St	newcastle@heraldryaustralia.org phone 0431 701 055
Sydney *	Tues 28 Oct - 5:30 for 6pm	Parliamentary Theatrette Parliament House Macquarie St	secretary@heraldryaustralia.org phone 0431 701 055
Sydney	Sat 8 Nov - 12:30 for 1pm	Metcalfe Auditorium State Library of New South Wales Macquarie St	secretary@heraldryaustralia.org phone 0431 701 055
Wagga Wagga	Thurs 30 Oct - 5:30 for 6pm	The Council Meeting Room Wagga Wagga Civic Centre cnr. Bayliss and Morrow Sts	waggawagga@heraldryaustralia.org

In 1995 David was appointed Rouge Croix Pursuivant and in 2004 was appointed Somerset Herald. A regular lecturer on heraldry, he is currently chairman of the Heraldry Society which, although based in London, has members throughout the world. He first visited Australia in 1981 in his gap year between school and university, when he worked as a labourer on the Seppelts winery at Great Western in Victoria. He has returned to Australia half a dozen times since.

David Vines White, MA (Cantab) MA (London), will talk on "Of Sheep and Lions, Emus and Kangaroos: 19th and early 20th century grants of arms to Australians", or "Chinese Dragons, Latvian Lions, Hagen David and Hindu Prayer Wheels: Cultural Diversity in English Heraldry" as indicated by a *.

 

Australia's controversial uniform at the Beijing Olymics opening ceremony

What are our national colours? Green and gold? Blue and gold? White and blue? In an ABC radio interview, Stephen Szabo explains the significance of the colours of dress our sportsmen and women wore at the 2008 Olympic opening ceremony.

Click on ABC [ www] and download the 1.2 MB mp3 file.

 

New Lord Lyon appointed

The Australian Heraldry Society congratulates William Sellar on his appointment as Lord Lyon King of Arms. Mr Sellar was appointed by the Queen in March 2008, on the recommendation of the First Minister of the Scottish Government. He succeeds Robin Blair LVO WS, who has held the office of Lord Lyon since 2001.

Mr Sellar, educated at Oxford and Edinburgh, qualified as a solicitor in 1966. After two years with the Scottish Land Court, he joined the Faculty of Law at the University of Edinburgh where he is now an Honorary Fellow. He is joint author of the Saltire Society's Scottish Legal Tradition (1991), and has written on the history of various branches of Scots law, including marriage, divorce, incest, homicide and unjust enrichment. He has published on the Lordship of the Isles and on the origins of many Highland families, including the Campbells, MacDonalds, MacDougalls, MacLeods, Lamonts, MacNeills and Nicolsons. He has been a Member of the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland, Vice-President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Literary Director of the Stair Society, Chairman of Council of the Scottish History Society and Chairman of the Conference of Scottish Medievalists. He has also served on the Council of the Scottish Genealogy Society and of the Heraldry Society of Scotland. He was appointed Bute Pursuivant of Arms in 2001.

The Lord Lyon has both administrative and judicial functions. The administrative functions include the granting of armorial bearings to individual persons and corporations. The Lord Lyon's judicial functions include ruling on who has the right to bear an existing coat of arms, and the authorisation of matriculations of differenced Arms.

 

Australian Commonwealth coat of arms 1 oz silver proof coin

The Perth Mint has produced a 99.9% pure silver coin featuring the Australian Commonwealth coat of arms, in full colour. These arms, displayed on the obverse of the coin, were granted by King George V in a Royal Warrant on 19 September 1912. Australia's first coat of arms was granted by King Edward VII in 1908 and are featured on the reverse.

For further details visit the Perth Mint web site [ www]. This coin is available for purchase from the Perth Mint from January 2008.

 

2008 lecture by Dr Katie Stevenson

Heraldry Australia will start 2008 with a bang, with a lecture in Melbourne on the evening of Thursday 3 January 2008 titled "Chivalry, Iconography and Propaganda: Royal Heralds in Late Medieval Scotland". The venue is the Hawthorn Public Library Meeting Room, 584 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn. Print Melbourne Flier [ PDF 103 kB].

The lecture will be repeated in Sydney at 2:00pm on Saturday 5 January 2008 in the Metcalfe Auditorium, State Library of New South Wales, Macquarie St, Sydney. Entry to the lecture in Sydney and Melbourne will be by way of gold coin donation, and there will also be a raffle.

We are privileged to have these lectures delivered by Katie Stevenson BA (Hons) (Melbourne), PhD (Edinburgh), FSA Scot, FRHistS, Lecturer in Late Medieval British History at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Her published works to date include a book titled Chivalry and Knighthood in Scotland, 1424-1513 (Boydell, 2006) and several articles and book chapters, including "The Unicorn, St Andrew and the Thistle: Was there an Order of Chivalry in Late Medieval Scotland?" Scottish Historical Review, 83 (2004), "Contesting Chivalry: James II and the control of chivalric culture in the 1450s", Journal of Medieval History, 33:2 (2007), and 'Thai war callit knychtis and bere the name and the honour of that hye ordre': Scottish Knighthood in the Fifteenth Century' in Linda Clark (ed.), The Fifteenth Century VI (Boydell, 2006). Forthcoming works include "Royal Propaganda: Snowdon Herald and the Cult of Chivalry in Late Medieval Scotland", in Charles J. Burnett (ed.), Genealogica et Heraldica Sancta Andreae MMVI and "The Scottish King of Arms: Lyon's place in the hierarchy of the late-medieval Scottish elite', in Die 'Anderen' Könige: Königtum als Hierarchiebegriff in der spätmittelalterlichen Gesellscahft.

Dr Stevenson currently teaches a course titled "Heralds, Heraldry And History: Late Medieval Heraldic Studies" as well as organising a one-day workshop for postgraduate students and academic staff titled "Understanding Heraldry for Research". Current research interests for Dr Stevenson centre on elite and chivalric culture, and the struggle between royalty and aristocracy to control this culture. She also has an interest in the development and role of officers of arms within courtly culture.

Bookings to attend these functions are essential, and can be directed to the Hon. Secretary on 0431 701 055 or by email.

 

Coat of Arms of Bishop Terence John Gerard Brady DD

Bishop Brady was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney on 16 November 2007. Bishop Brady’s family is of Irish origin, derived from the Mac Brady sept of County Cavan in the Province of Ulster, Republic of Ireland. In the language of heraldry, the sept arms are: Sable in the sinister base a dexter Hand couped at the wrist proper pointing with the index finger at a Sun in splendour in dexter chief Or.

The Bishop’s arms, based on the arms of his sept with differences specific to himself, are blazoned: Sable in dexter chief a Sun Or charged in the centre with a Heart Gules in sinister chief a Celtic Cross Or in base a dexter Hand raised in blessing couped at the wrist proper.

Bishop Terence Brady DD following his ordination on 16 November 2007 with our President Richard d'Apice AM and the Bishop's new arms. (Photo by Natalie McNamara).

 

The charges which Bishop Brady has chosen to difference his arms are the heart on the sun emblematic of the Sacred Heart, the Celtic cross emblematic of Christ’s suffering and death for us, and the hand raised in blessing representative of the duties of the Episcopal office to which he has been called.

Bishop Brady’s titular see of Talattula is located in Bizacena, a district of the Roman province of Africa corresponding to the present area of Tunisia.

The arms were designed by Richard d’Apice and Christopher Lindesay and illustrated by Sandy Turnbull.

 

Michael Francis McCarthy KCHS SHA

It is with regret we advise that Michael McCarthy died suddenly on 3 August 2007 at his home in Sydney at the age of 57 years. Michael was an internationally renowned heraldic artist and expert on the heraldry of the Roman Catholic Church and an author of a number of texts on the subject including

Michael was an active member of the Australian Heraldry Society and was Vice-President (New South Wales) for a number of years. Many in the international community will recall meeting him at the 27th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences in St Andrews, Scotland, in August 2006, where he presented a paper on "The evolution of diocesan arms in Ireland". Michael's quiet advice and support will be sorely missed.

Tributes have been coming in from around the world emphasising the great loss Michael's death represents.

Aeternum vale.

 

Michael Francis McCarthy KCHS SHA (1950-2007)

Born January 20, 1950. Died August 3, 2007 suddenly at home at Darlinghurst.

Fond son of Norah Elizabeth (Scullion) and the late Francis John McCarthy, brother of Daniel and Thomas and uncle to their children. He was a former administrator at the School of Asian Studies, University of Sydney. He had been a seminarian in his youth but decided not to pursue the priesthood and he went home to Tasmania. He maintained strong links with the Church and in 2002 was invested as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. Recently he had been promoted to Knight Commander.

In 2003 he received a small grant from the National Library of Ireland to produce a book on the coats of arms of the bishops of Ireland. The beginnings of this were presented as a paper at the XXVIIth International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences convened at St. Andrews, Scotland in 2006. The completed work is with the Chief Herald of Ireland for review. He was hoping for its completion and eventual publication book at the time of his death.

From an early interest in heraldry encouraged by Archbishop Bruno Heim during his appointment to the Court of St James’, Michael established Thylacine Press (named after extinct carnivorous marsupial from his native Tasmania) in 1998 to publish works on ecclesiastical heraldry, which would be given in the historical context in which particular Coats-of-Arms were and are used. At his death he was the author, primary illustrator and publisher of no less than seven books on heraldry. They are:

In addition, in 2001 and again in 2005 he published supplements to the Heraldica Collegii Cardinalium and a CD ROM updated version of the Armorial of the Australian Catholic Hierarchy was produced in 2005.

A fine artist and a keen scholar Michael's unique style was befriended, encouraged and heavily influenced by the late great Archbishop Bruno Heim as well as being influenced by the late Dom Anselm Baker, OCSO. Michael could often be seen to be "difficult" by those who didn't know him well. He had very strong opinions and didn't suffer fools gladly. However, after a disagreement it was often he who was the first to offer a conciliatory word. Horribly worried about the decaying state of heraldry in the Catholic Church Michael undertook to effect a revival of sorts building on the foundation laid by Heim. For those who will miss his work and his contributions to the world of ecclesiastical heraldry his efforts were certainly not in vain and he was somewhat successful in achieving his goals. It is a shame that his untimely death comes just as he was beginning to receive the recognition he so richly deserved as one of the world's leading scholars of heraldry as well as one of its finest heraldic artists. In his Manual of Ecclesiastical Heraldry he left a work of great practical utility to experts as well as to many amateurs.

Michael was a devout man with a dry but very quick sense of humor. He lived modestly in Darlinghurst and ran his pet project, Thylacine Press, out of his residence. His tiny cramped library was a treasure trove of heraldica! In recent years he began to look forward to a hoped-for return to his native Tasmania. He will be sorely missed by those who knew him personally and those who knew only his magnificent and prolific work.

In recent times Michael had been putting his art work into bound volumes for its protection and with a view to its ultimate bequest to the Vatican Library to which he left “all my library of heraldic books, manuscripts, illustrations, artwork and related material and all copyrights belonging to me whether in published or unpublished works.” He was a member of Heraldry Australia as well as the Society of Heraldic Arts.

The Mass of Christian Burial for Mr MICHAEL FRANCIS McCARTHY was offered in St Canice’s Church, Roslyn Street, Elizabeth Bay, on Tuesday (August 14, 2007), commencing at 10 a.m.

May He Rest In Peace

Obituary and hatchment by Fr Guy Silvester

 

New arms for Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark’s marriage to Miss Mary Donaldson of Hobart, Tasmania was shortly preceded by the award of the Order of the Elephant to Miss Donaldson and the Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog to her father Professor John Donaldson. In accordance with the statutes of the Danish Royal Orders, these awards necessitated the design of new coats of arms for them for display in the Chapel of the Royal Orders at Frederiksborg Castle.

Heraldic achievement of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

The Donaldson family is Australian of recent Scottish origin and it was decided to design the arms as closely as possible to Scottish heraldic tradition, while including symbols of a personal nature and references to Australia. Professor Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard undertook the research into the Scottish background, and based upon this he made several suggestions for the design of the arms. Ronny Andersen, Kongelig våbenmaler (Royal Shield Painter), then made suggestions to The Crown Princess and Professor Donaldson and their personal preferences were also taken into account.

The basic design was the MacDonald eagle and boat for the Scottish ancestry and, in the chief, two seven pointed Federation Stars from the Crest of the Australian arms for Australia. More personal symbols were incorporated into the chief with Professor Donaldson choosing the infinity symbol as representative of his career as a mathematician (it corresponds with his motto as well) and with The Crown Princess choosing the rose as her personal symbol. The red lion in Professor Donaldson’s crest is derived from the Scottish red lion and also the red lion in the arms of Tasmania and Hobart.

Heraldic achievement of Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson

 

The coats of arms were approved in 2006 and painted on shields for the Chapel of the Royal Orders in 2007.

Designers: Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard and Ronny Andersen
Emblazonment: Ronny Andersen
Acknowledgement: Heraldisk Tidsskrift, Vol 10, No 95, (March 2007), pp 201-212

Reproduced with permission.

 

 

 

 

New publications

The Hasluck Banner

The former Australian Governor-General, Sir Paul Hasluck, was appointed to the Order of the Garter in 1979. Following his death in 1993, his banner was removed from St George's Chapel, Windsor, and laid up in St George's Cathedral in Perth. Sir Paul's son, Nicholas, reflects on tradition and change in the context of his father's life in his book titled The Hasluck Banner. Details of the banner and its transportation to Australia would be of most interest to students of heraldry. Published by Freshwater Bay Press, Claremont, 2006. ISBN 1-74008-390-3. Price A$15.00. 80 pp.

Armoria Pontificalium

Armoria Pontificalium. A Roll of Papal Arms 1012 - 2006 is compiled and lavishly illustrated by Michael Francis McCarthy. This work gives a new and fresh roll of Papal arms from 1012 to Benedict XVI, and includes the blazons of the arms used by popes with margin illustrations of actual examples of their arms taken from manuscripts, contemporary publications, artwork, architecture, and monuments. The author's rendition of the complete Roll is included in twenty colour plates. The book was published by Thylacine Press [ www] in April 2007. Price in Australia A$100.00.

 

 

 

 

 

Armorial of Haiti

The book is titled The Armorial of Haiti. Symbols of Nobility in the Reign of Henry Christophe. Edited with an essay, commentary and appendix by Clive Cheesman, Rouge Dragon Pursuivant, and published in May 2007. With a historical introduction by Marie-Lucie Vendryes, and a preface by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean, Governor-General of Canada. Published in London by The College of Arms, 2007. ISBN 978-09506980-2-1. Price in the UK £45. viii + 216 pp.