Online Exhibitions - College of Arms

Online exhibitions posted by Dr Lynsey Darby, the predecessor to the current College of Arms Archivist Dr James Lloyd, give a good overview of some of the kinds of archival material held by the College. They include:


The Battle of Agincourt
	The Battle of Agincourt took place on 25th October 1415, one of a series of engagements between England and France in what would later be known as the Hundred Years' War. The English King Edward III in 1337 claimed the throne of France as his inheritance through his mother, sister of Charles IV, the last Capetian King of France.

The Battle of Waterloo and the Duke of Wellington
	The Battle of Waterloo, which took place on 18 June 1815, was the last major battle of the Napoleonic Wars and saw the final defeat of the Emperor Napoleon by the combined forces of the armies of the Seventh Coalition, led by the Duke of Wellington, and the Prussian Army, commanded by Gebhard von Blücher.

The Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill
	The year 2015 sees the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Sir Winston Churchill, K.G., O.M., C.H. Churchill received many great honours both domestically and internationally. Arguably one of the greatest followed his death on 24 January 1965: the grant of a State Funeral. This took place at St Paul's Cathedral, London, on 30 January 1965.

The Accession of George I
	August 2014 saw the 300th anniversary of the accession of King George I to the throne of Great Britain, marking the start of the rule of the Hanoverian dynasty.

The College's collection of pedigree rolls
	In the middle of 2013, a project was begun to locate, rehouse and list comprehensively the large collection of rolled material held at the College. Pedigree rolls make up the most significant proportion of this collection. These pedigrees (genealogies, or 'family trees') take a surprisingly wide variety of forms.

The Great Fire of London
	In September 1666, Derby House, the home of the College of Arms, burned down in the Fire of London. As the fire spread from Pudding Lane, sufficient warning was given to allow almost all the books and manuscripts to be rescued. These were taken, probably by boat, to Whitehall.

The Order of the British Empire and the Order of the Companions of Honour
	Two new British orders of chivalry were instituted 100 years ago this year, in June 1917: the Order of the British Empire, and the Order of the Companions of Honour.

Sir Henry Farnham Burke, Garter King of Arms
	This year marks the 100th anniversary of the appointment of Sir Henry Farnham Burke, KCVO, CB, FSA, as Garter King of Arms. Son of Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King of Arms, and grandson of John Burke, the founder of Burke’s Peerage.

Investiture of the Prince of Wales
	HRH Prince Charles was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester by Letters Patent dated 26 July 1958. Building on the ancient tradition of bestowing this title on the eldest son and heir apparent of the Sovereign, and following the precedent set by the future Edward VIII, who was formally recognised or invested as Prince of Wales at a ceremony at Caernarfon Castle in 1911, it was decided that Prince Charles should be formally invested in a ceremony there.

Other online exhibitions available on this website:

	Artefacts associated with the Battle of Flodden

	Crowns and Crests: Heraldry in the Round