Following the death of an officer in the office of Heraldry his replacement typically came from the ranks of those below him. The Garter was the most senior in ranks of the Heralds, and when he died he would be replaced by one of the provincial kings. The provincial king that was chosen would be replaced in his position by one of the heralds and the herald in turn would be replaced by a pursuivant. The pursuivant was the lowest rung on the ladder and his replacement would be someone seeking an entry level position into the College of Heraldry. The College of Heraldry was under the leadership of the Earl Marshall and entry level officers were recommended to him...
The job of the Herald was to represent and advise his lord or master in all matters related to heraldry. Originally Herald's were messengers, trusted with conveying messages between nobles within the kingdom and sometimes further afield. When a jousting tournament was in the planning stages the noble lord planning the event would send his Herald to neighboring nobility with an invitation to the event. In times of war the herald would accompany his master into battle to help identify both his allies and his enemies on the battlefield. The Herald would also accompany his master to peace talks with the enemy.One of the most important rules of Heraldry is that each coat of arms is unique to the bearer...
The heralds were granted a charter by Richard III, who was a patron, in 1484. The heralds were incorporated as the College of Arms which still exists to this day. The College of Arms established their headquarters at Coldharbour house in London, a grant from their patron Richard III. Richard III was defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and the College of Arms lost their patron and also their main benefactor the Earl Marshall who also perished in the battle. The next Regent, King Henry VII, wanted Coldharbour house for his mother Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby, so the College of Arms remained without a permanent home until 1555. The college of Arms...
In the late 13th Century lords started hiring their own private heralds. These private Heralds added to the lord’s prestige by announcing his name, achievemnets and tirles as he entered the arena for the jousting tournament.The herlad would wear the coat of arms of his lord on his surcoat. In the 15th Century tabards replaced surcoats as the fashionable garment to wear over armor and also became the official garment that the heraldwould wear. The last King to wear a tabard was King Henry VII and by the sixteenth century tabards were outof style for knights. The heralds kept wearing the distinctive uniforms and still do to the present day for official heraldic activities.There are thee differing levels of herald....
There is no evidence that coats of arms were passed down from generation to generation until the Middle Ages. The hereditary element of heraldry did not become common until armor came into popular usage and heraldic symbols were recognized as leader's emblems. When this idea spread and became adopted in the wider populace heralds became a necessity. The job of the herald was to ensure that the rules of heraldry were followed and there was proper differentiation between coats of arms in order to protect against infringement of copyright of a particular coat of arms. They also would ensure that no two men would bear identical coat of arms. Heralds were very similar to modern day ambassadors, they did not...
