Grant of arms

A grant of arms or a governmental issuance of arms is an instrument issued by a lawful authority, such as an officer of arms or State Herald, which confers on a person and his or her descendants the right to bear a particular coat of arms or armorial bearings. It is one of the ways in which a person may lawfully bear arms in a jurisdiction regulating heraldry, another being by birth, through inheritance.

Historically a grant of arms is distinguished from both a confirmation of arms and a private registration of arms. A grant of arms confers a new right, whereas a confirmation of arms confirms an existing right; and a private registration of arms is a record which does not purport to create or confirm any legal right. However a governmental registration of arms by an official government agency, (e.g., Bureau of Heraldry in South Africa) does create and confirm new legal rights.

A grant of arms or government registration of arms typically takes the form of letters patent, which provide self-contained proof, upon production of the letters patent, of the right conferred. For example, a grant or patent^[1] of arms from officers of the College of Arms in London, as well as related letters patent such as a grant of an augmentation, a crest, or supporters,^[2] will begin with the words "To all and singular to whom these presents shall come..." or variations thereof,^{[1] [3] [4]} thereby showing that the grant is addressed to anyone in the world to whom it may be presented; this applies equally to grants made to private individuals^{[2] [1] [3] [5] [6]} and to grants made to corporate bodies,^{[7] [8] [4] [9]} and also applies to grants made to entities in Australia or any other Commonwealth realm in which the College has heraldic jurisdiction.^{[10] [11] [12]}

It is a common misconception that arms or grants of arms are always associated with nobility. This is only the case in the United Kingdom, where a grant of arms by the College of Arms or Lord Lyon confirms the state of gentility, which is equivalent to Continental untitled nobility, and is thus de facto a patent of nobility.^[13] Continental grants of arms do not ennoble unless it is explicitly stated in the letters patent.

• Law of Arms
• King of Arms
• Officer of Arms

• G.D. Squibb, The High Court of Chivalry p. 184 (Oxford 1959).

• Heraldry
• Heraldry and law
• Heraldry stubs

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