College of Arms (England)

Last modified: 2026-10-17 by rob raeside
Keywords: college of arms | england | birds (4) |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

• Description of the flag

See also:

• United Kingdom
• English regions

Description of the flag

College of Arms - Argent a cross gules between four doves the dexter wing of each expanded and inverted Azure.
http://www.davidaspencer.com/072achievementsarms.html
Ned Smith, 19 October 2006

The flag can be seen at http://www.heraldicsculptor.com/college2.jpg where it looks like a banner of arms of the College's arms. On this pole is usually hoisted the banner of arms of the officer in waiting, on a rotation that cycles through the College's Kings of Arms, Heralds and Pursuivants. (This info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:College_of_arms_entrance.JPG, where the banner of arms of Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary, William George Hunt.)
António Martins-Tuválkin, 19 October 2006

image located by Esteban Rivera, 7 September 2026

The College of Arms was founded on March 2, 1484 in London and has since then created and maintained official registers of coats of arms and pedigrees. The heralds who make up the College are members of the Royal Household and act under Crown Authority. Central activities include the granting of new coats of arms; the registration of family trees; genealogical and heraldic research; advising central and local government, corporate bodies, and private individuals on all aspects of heraldry. The College is also the authority for matters relating to the flying of flags, and holds the only official registers of flags for the UK (England, Wales, Northern Ireland except Scotland) and much of the Commonwealth realms.

The College of Arms also has its own Coat of Arms and it is described as follows:

The doves in the arms of the College of Arms are always represented with the sinister wing closed, and dexter wing extended and inverted. The positions of the wings have given rise to much curious speculation. Arthur Charles Fox-Davies wrote in 1909, that the arms was clearly based on the attributed arms of King Edward the Confessor, which was composed of a cross patonce between five martlets, all or. John Brooke-Little on the other hand wrote in 1950 that: "These arms may have been derived from those used by John Wrythe who was Garter at the time of the foundation of the College of Arms in 1484."