armorial adj : of or relating to heraldry or heraldic arms; "armorial bearing"

English

Adjective

armorial

1. of, or relating to heraldry, or to heraldic arms

Noun

1. a book etc concerning heraldry

Derived terms

• armorial bearings
• armorial hall
• armorial ware

A Roll of Arms (or armorial) is a collection of coats of arms which may be recorded in a variety of ways; written (blazon), painted, drawn or carved. They are usually arranged as a row shields accompanied by the identity of the person bearing the arms.

Types of Roll

The heraldist Stephen Friar classifies Roll types as:

• Occasional.

Those rolls relating to a specific event such as an expedition, tournament or a siege.

• Institutional.

Rolls associated with foundations, orders of religion or chivalry possibly compiled over many years.

• Regional

It is almost peculiarly English to have regional or local rolls - County rolls of the 14th century.

• Illustrative

These are sometimes used to illustrate stories or chronicles.

• General

A combination of a variety of collections.

With the advent of the Internet;

• Online rolls

A number of heraldic, family, clan societies maintain rolls of their members.

Armorials

Written

• Johann Siebmacher (Begr.), Horst Appuhn (Hrsg.) Johann Siebmachers Wappenbuch von 1605, München : Orbis-Ed., 1999, ISBN 3-572-10050-X

• Armorial Gelre is a well known medieval roll of arms.

Online

• Peerage International Register of Arms, International Register of Armorial Bearings (Coats of Arms)
• Heraldic Registry, An American armorial that offers free registration of contemporary and historical heraldry
• [http://riag.es/''Registro Internacional de Armas Gentilicias-RIAG, Spain

References