Heraldry in South Africa by Frederick Brownell

"Heraldry in South Africa" by Frederick Brownell

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...Bureau of Heraldry of South Africa

Verbal consent for this excerpt was obtained from Mr. Brownell; however, ...

the consent of OPTIMA's editor is still pending as April 10, 2000.

The following excerpt was taken from OPTIMA, pg. 138ff, "Heraldry in South Africa" by Frederick Brownell, (former) State Herald ... :

Heraldry is in essence concerned with identity and identification...Its early popularity came because it supplied the people in an age of illiteracy with a colorful means for the immediate identification of local and national leaders...Heraldry is therefore not, as some people have supposed, idle amusement. It is essentially a practical science for the service of people.

In an often drab and monotonous world, heraldry for the past 800 years has provided a welcome splash of colour while fulfilling its primary function of identification...Its success lies in the fact that it has constantly adapted to changing circumstances, while ever reflecting the social habits and artistic canons of the age.

Indeed, there is more and better heraldry in use today than there has been in any period of history...Nor is heraldry confined to Europe; the need for it has spread throughout both the old and the new worlds...As a system of decoration and of identification which appeals to the best and deepest sentiments of human nature, heraldry is a science not only of the past, but also very much of the present and future.

In South Africa, too, as in many other countries, heraldry today is still very much a living thing....

In 1935, in an attempt to give some measure of protection to the names, uniforms and 'badges' of sporting clubs and educational institutions, the South African Parliament passed the 'Protection of Names, Uniforms and badges Act' (Act 23 of 1935).

Although this Act and those who administered it made no pretence of determining the heraldic merits of the 'badges' (under which heading certain Arms could also be registered), the Act nevertheless accorded a measure of legal protection to Arms so registered.

Another shortcoming of the 1935 legislation was that it made no provision for the registration of the Arms of private persons or of local authorities...As in the past, these still had to turn either to the College of Arms or to the Lord Lyon...After 1939 a measure of local protection was given to the Arms of civic authorities, when the Administrators of the four provinces of South Africa and of South West Africa were given authority to record and protect the Arms of municipalities within their own provinces or territory.

This meant that personal (family) Coats of Arms were still left without any form of local protection...This unhappy situation was quickly exploited by hawkers and spurious Coats of Arms abounded...This situation was further exacerbated by series of articles in popular magazines in which 'Arms', concocted for the occasion and published with genuine genealogical and historical information, were advertised to a gullible public.

At the time of South Africa's departure from the Commonwealth in 1961, control over heraldic representations in South Africa was clearly on an unsatisfactory footing...There were altogether six registering authorities - five for municipal Arms in the persons of the Administrators and one central authority for the registration of 'badges' of associations and institutions - none of whom was really competent to judge the heraldic merits of arms or badges submitted to them.

Some of the designs registered locally were excellent, but the standard of many of those registered at this time was appallingly low...Others were completely un-heraldic and should never have been registered at all.

South Africa's withdrawal from the Commonwealth to all intents and purposes also cut the traditional official links with the heralds in Britain and again left the country without direct access to any official heraldic authority, although in practice the advice of the heralds overseas had not been sought all that often.

In the hands of amateurs, no matter how enthusiastic they might be, the standard of a country's heraldry cannot be ensured...Effective professional control is essential while competent guidance and an efficient system of registration are required if standards are to be maintained.

Fortunately the implications of this unsatisfactory situation had already been foreseen by a committee of enquiry appointed in 1955 to look into heraldic matters in South Africa...After a comprehensive investigation of heraldic procedures and offices overseas, the committee presented its report to the government, recommending the establishment of South Africa's own heraldic authority in the form of a Bureau of Heraldry, headed by a State Herald, with a Heraldry Council as the national policy-making body.

This recommendation was based on the organisation of the heraldic establishment is Sweden...The recommendations, accepted by the government, were incorporated into the Heraldry Act (Act 18 of 1962), in terms of which the Bureau of Heraldry and the Heraldry Council came into being in June 1963...Most of the provisions of the Protection of Names, Uniforms and Badges Act, 1935, were incorporated into the new Act and registrations affected under the 1935 Act were also protected.

As a result, in addition to its primary functions of registering heraldic representations and maintaining heraldic standards, the Bureau found itself also registering such diverse items as school blazers, rugby jerseys, ties and other items of apparel of 'associations and institutions', provided they were distinctive in design and colour.

It should be mentioned in passing that some five years after the Bureau was set up, the Administrators relinquished their powers to record the Arms of civic authorities in the province, and the Bureau has since been the sole heraldic registering authority in South Africa.

South Africa, with its diverse population, does not consider itself to be tied to any particular heraldic tradition and as such the Bureau has been able to draw on what is best from any source, while at the same time blending both traditions and indigenous elements into a distinctive South African heraldic style....

This has resulted in the development of a vibrant indigenous South African heraldic tradition which has drawn favourable reaction from heraldic circles overseas...South African heraldry knows no boundaries of race, colour or creed - it is colourful but colour-blind!

Universally Arms have been granted over a wide social spectrum, from royalty and other leading personages, institutes, august societies and large civic authorities, on the one hand, to the man-in-the-street- and little rural schools and clubs on the other...Many people are under the mistaken impression that there is a 'snob' value attached to a modern grant of Arms...This is certainly not so...Although the art of armorial design today still embodies much of the glory of the Gothic Age, as a means of personal and group identity and identification it is as valid today as it was in the 12th century.

The fact that in the past year the Bureau in Pretoria has received over 150 applications for new grants of Arms indicates the depth of interest prevailing in this country...This places the South African Bureau among the top three official heraldic establishments world-wide...Indeed, it is now one of the busiest heraldic offices in the world.

Any person may apply to the State Herald in Pretoria for registration of a Coat of Arms and each application is considered on its heraldic merits.

If any proposed design submitted for registration does not clash with Arms already on record and is otherwise considered to be acceptable for registration, a blazon (or heraldic description) is drawn up in both official languages and published in the Government Gazette...This gives anyone the opportunity to object to the registration, should it be felt that the granting of the proposed Arms would infringe rights to which he is legally entitled.

If no objection is lodged within the stipulated period, confirmation of registration is published in the Government Gazette...The Bureau issues an illuminated certificate of registration, counter-signed by the Chairman of the Heraldry Council and by the State Herald, and is officially sealed...It bears an illustration in full colour of the heraldic representation registered, together with the blazon in the official language of the armiger's choice...At the same time an identical painting of the registered heraldic representation is prepared, blazoned and numbered, and is bound into the Bureau's Official register as a permanent record.

Although registration with the Bureau of Heraldry is not obligatory in South Africa, legal protection is afforded within the Republic to registered heraldic representations by the Heraldry Act, while a central register, against which heraldic representations can be checked, prevents duplication.

There is no more splendid form of practical decoration than heraldry...It is at once artistic and interesting; it affords a pleasure and a fascination which meaningless designs and stereotype patterns cannot render.

In its historic context it has been described as 'the picture book of history', for in the Middle Ages armigerous people were surrounded by heraldry from the cradle to the tomb...Indeed, mediaeval dress and heraldry alike were designed to tell at once who you were and what you were, and people were straightforward and honest about both...In these modern times when the public seems to have little time to read more than the headlines, as in the 12th century when few people could read at all, heraldry with its bold designs and bright colours painted on a shield, undoubtedly remains the most significant decorative shorthand for identification, both corporate and personal.

...Bureau of Heraldry of South Africa

HOW TO REGISTER YOUR COAT OF ARMS IN SOUTH AFRICA

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