Bureau of Heraldry (South Africa)
Encyclopedia
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n heraldic authority
Heraldic authority
For the purposes of this article, an heraldic authority is defined as an office or institution which has been established by a reigning monarch or a government to deal with heraldry in the country concerned...
, established in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
on 1 June 1963. It is headed by a National (formerly State) Herald and its functions are to register arms, badges, flags and seals (as well as names and uniforms), to keep a public register, to issue registration certificates and, since 1980, to advise the government on heraldic
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
matters. Together with the Heraldry Council
Heraldry Council (South Africa)
The Heraldry Council is part of the South African heraldic authority. It was established in Pretoria in June 1963, in terms of the Heraldry Act. It is the governing and policy-making body for the Bureau of Heraldry and consists of the National Herald ex officio as deputy chairman, and other...
, it forms part of the National Archives and Records Service (formerly called the State Archives Service), which is currently under the authority of the Minister of Arts & Culture.
Purposes
Under South African law, everyone has the right to bear a coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
as she or he pleases, as long as she or he does not infringe on the rights of others (i.e. the arms are not too similar to arms already in use by someone else) and the proposed arms conform to basic heraldic principles. The National Herald approves of and registers arms under the authority given by the Heraldry Act. This process is in substance no different than that used by the Republic of Ireland wherein the authority of the Chief Herald of Ireland is vested in the Irish government through the National Library of Ireland. The Chief Herald of Ireland is an employee of the National Library of Ireland. The College of Arms in London is a private corporation operating under the jurisdiction/authority of the Crown of England and forming part of the Royal Household. The Canadian Heraldic Authority, financed by the Canadian Government, operates under the direct supervision of the Queen of Canada via the Office of the Queen's representative, the Governor General. The Lord Lyon of Scotland has direct control of the assignation of Arms in Scotland.
In addition to registering coats of arms, badges, and other heraldic representations, the Bureau keeps records of names, uniforms, and badges (which include some corporate arms) previously registered by the Department of the Interior (1935-1959) and the Department of Education, Arts & Sciences (1959-1963). Anyone, regardless of nationality or place of residence, may register arms with the Bureau. Since 1980, it has also been authorized to register the arms of official bodies in foreign countries.
Originally, applications had to be approved by the Heraldry Council before the Bureau could register them, but the power of approval was delegated to the National Herald in 1969, though he can still refer applications to the Council (or, since 1980, its Heraldry Committee) when necessary. In 1980, the National Herald was authorised to delete arms from the register, either on an applicant's request or, in the case of official, municipal or corporate arms, if the organisation concerned no longer exists. Appeals against the National Herald's decisions can be made to the Heraldry Committee
Heraldry Council (South Africa)
The Heraldry Council is part of the South African heraldic authority. It was established in Pretoria in June 1963, in terms of the Heraldry Act. It is the governing and policy-making body for the Bureau of Heraldry and consists of the National Herald ex officio as deputy chairman, and other...
.
In the 1970s, the Bureau registered between 60 and 90 arms and badges per year. The number increased sharply in the mid-1980s, reaching a peak of 148 in the 1987-88 reporting year. It declined in the early 1990s, and returned to 1970s levels. (These figures do not include the registrations of defence force unit arms and insignia, of which the Bureau has registered more than 1000 since the 1960s.)
The illustrated blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
s (written descriptions in technical terms) of applications for registration are published in the South African Government Gazette. Blazons (but not illustrations) of arms registered at the Bureau and its predecessors up to the end of the year 2000 are available online through the National Archives website.
Naturally, the Bureau itself has a coat of arms. which were adopted in 1965. The blazon is Azure, three escutcheons Or, on a chief of the second the South African lion. In layman's language this means that the shield is blue, it displays three smaller golden shields, and across the top is a gold horizontal strip displaying the red lion that formed the crest of the old South African national coat of arms. The Bureau arms are depicted on the seal on each registration certificate and, in the 1960s and early 1970s, they were depicted in full colour at the head of the certificate too.
National Herald and staff
The National Herald (called State Herald until 2004) is a civil servant, and is the head of the Bureau of Heraldry, an ex officio member of the Heraldry Council, and a member of the National Archives' directorate. There have been four state/national heralds since the office was established in 1963:- Dr Coenraad BeyersCoenraad BeyersDr Coenraad Beyers was a South African historian, archivist, and herald.He joined the State Archives in 1927, and was Chief Archivist from 1944 until he retired in 1953. In 1956, he served on the official committee appointed to investigate the practical aspects of setting up an heraldic authority...
(1963-1964) - Norden HartmanNorden HartmanNorden Hartman was a South African archivist and herald.He joined the State Archives in 1948, and rose to the grade of senior archivist. He transferred to the Bureau of Heraldry when it was established in 1963, and was promoted to State Herald when Dr Coenraad Beyers retired in 1964...
(1964-1982) - Frederick BrownellFrederick BrownellFrederick Gordon Brownell OMSS SM MMM JCD is a South African herald, vexillologist, and genealogist.He joined the Bureau of Heraldry as Assistant State Herald in 1977, and was promoted to State Herald in 1982. He retired in 2002....
(1982-2002) - Themba MabasoThemba MabasoThembinkosi 'Themba' Mabaso, State Herald of South Africa, is director of that country's Bureau of Heraldry.Together with the Heraldry Council, his office forms part of the National Archives of South Africa, which is currently under the authority of the Minister of Arts & Culture, Pallo...
(2002- )
The Bureau has a small staff complement: the National Herald, the Assistant National Herald, a Chief Heraldic Artist, a few artists, an administrative assistant, and a cleaner.
The Bureau has had four homes since its inception. Since 1989 it has been housed in the National Archives building in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
.
Although the State Herald has been called the National Herald since 2004, the Heraldry Act has not yet been amended to reflect this change.
See also
- HeraldryHeraldryHeraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
- Heraldry Council (South Africa)Heraldry Council (South Africa)The Heraldry Council is part of the South African heraldic authority. It was established in Pretoria in June 1963, in terms of the Heraldry Act. It is the governing and policy-making body for the Bureau of Heraldry and consists of the National Herald ex officio as deputy chairman, and other...
- South African heraldrySouth African heraldrySouth African heraldry reaches back for more than 350 years, inheriting European heraldic traditions. Arms are borne by individuals, official bodies, local authorities, military units, and by a wide variety of organisations...
- Canadian Heraldic AuthorityCanadian Heraldic AuthorityThe Canadian Heraldic Authority is part of the Canadian honours system under the Queen of Canada, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General. The Authority is responsible for the creation and granting of new coats of arms , flags and badges for Canadian citizens, permanent residents and...
- College of ArmsCollege of ArmsThe College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
(London) - Court of the Lord LyonCourt of the Lord LyonThe Court of the Lord Lyon, also known as the Lyon Court, is a standing court of law which regulates heraldry in Scotland. Like the College of Arms in England it maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, as well as records of...
(Scotland) - Flemish Heraldic CouncilFlemish Heraldic CouncilThe Flemish Heraldic Council or Vlaamse Heraldische Raad advises the Flemish Government on all matters relating to heraldry. It currently operates as the fifth division of the Royal Commission of Monuments and Sites or Koninklijke Commissie voor Monumenten en Landschappen.The Council was created on...
- Office of the Chief Herald of IrelandOffice of the Chief Herald of IrelandThe Genealogical Office is an office of the Government of Ireland containing genealogical records. It includes the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland , the authority in the Republic of Ireland for heraldry. The Chief Herald authorises the granting of arms to Irish bodies and Irish people,...