page_title: College of Arms
section_title: Granting and proving descent of arms
hierarchical_section_title: College of Arms / Roles / Granting and proving descent of arms
caption_attribution_description: English: Grant of Arms for the Rt Rev Archibald Howard Cullen, as issued by the College of Arms in London under Sir George Rothe Bellew, who was Garter King of Arms from 1950 – 1961.
context_page_description: The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sovereign and are delegated authority to act on behalf of the Crown in all matters of heraldry, the granting of new coats of arms, genealogical research and the recording of pedigrees. The College is also the official body responsible for matters relating to the flying of flags on land, and it maintains the official registers of flags and other national symbols. Though a part of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, the College is self-financed, unsupported by any public funds.
  Founded by royal charter in 1484 by King Richard III, the College is one of the few remaining official heraldic authorities in Europe. Within the United Kingdom, there are two such authorities, the Court of the Lord Lyon in Scotland and the College for the rest of the United Kingdom. The College has had its home in the City of London since its foundation, and has been at its present location, on Queen Victoria Street, since 1555.
context_section_description: The granting of armorial bearings (coat of arms) within the United Kingdom is the sole prerogative of the British monarch. However, the monarch has delegated this power to two authorities; the Lord Lyon, with jurisdiction over Scotland and the College of Arms over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under the latter's jurisdiction, the right to arms is acquired exclusively either by proving descent in an unbroken male-line from someone registered as so entitled or by a new grant from the King of Arms. These are the most common way of gaining this right, however technically arms can also be gained: by a grant from the Crown, by prescription (meaning in use since time immemorial), by succeeding to an office or by marriage. The descent of arms follow strongly the Law of heraldic arms, which is a branch of English law, interpreted by civil lawyers in the Court of Chivalry. Sir Edward Coke in his Commentary upon Littleton (1628) wrote that "gentry and armes is the nature of gavelkinde, for they descend to all the sonnes." Arms in England, therefore descend to all of the male lines, and not just the most senior alone (unlike in Scotland).
  When a new grant of arms is to be made, it is granted through a Letters Patent. The Crown delegates all of this authority to the King of Arms, however before any letters can be issued they must have a warrant from the Earl Marshal agreeing to the granting of arms. This has been the case since 1673, when the authority of the Earl Marshal, which the heralds had challenged, was established by a royal declaration stating, among other things, that no patents of arms should be granted without his consent. This established the present system whereby royal authority to approve candidates for grants of arms is exercised by the Earl Marshal, and royal authority to grant the arms themselves is exercised by the Kings of Arms. Firstly a petition is submitted, called a memorial, to the Earl Marshal. This memorial will be drawn up for the petitioner by an officer of arms, if it is felt that such a petition would be accepted. Currently there are no set criteria for eligibility for a grant of arms, the College recommends that "awards or honours from the Crown, civil or military commissions, university degrees, professional qualifications, public and charitable services, and eminence or good standing in national or local life" will be taken into account.
  In the past this issue of eligibility have been a source of great conflict between the heralds, as such submissions are made on an officer for clients basis, which meant some 'unsuitability' was ignored in lieu of profit by past officers. Suitability rested on the phrase "eminent men", originally the test applied was one of wealth or social status, as any man entitled to bear a coat of arms was expected to be a gentleman. By 1530, the heralds applied a property qualification, requiring successful candidates for a grant of arms to have an income from land of £10 per annum, or movable wealth of £300. However this was not always the case, in 1616 Ralph Brooke, York Herald, tricked Garter King of Arms, William Segar, into granting a coat of arms to Gregory Brandon, a common hangman, for a fee of 22 shillings. When the king found out he had them both imprisoned at Marshalsea, they were freed a few days later.
  The fee for the grant of arms is due when the memorial is submitted, the amount being laid out in the Earl Marshal's Warrant. As of 1 January 2016 the fees for a personal grant of arms, including a crest is £5,875, a grant to a non-profit body is £12,375 and to a commercial company is £18,350. This grant however does not include a grant of a badge, supporters or a standard, their inclusion into the grant requires extra fees. The fees mainly go towards commissioning the artwork and calligraphy on the vellum Letters Patent, which must be done by hand and in a sense a work of art in itself, plus other administrative costs borne by the heralds and for the upkeep of the College.
  Once the Earl Marshal has approved the petition he will issue his Warrant to the King 
caption: A section of a modern grant of arms for the Rt. Rev Archibald Howard Cullen the 6th Bishop of Grahamstown. The grant was issued by the Garter King of Arms, Sir George Rothe Bellew in the 1950s.