October 2020 – Techniques of Digital Heraldry

Downloading “Scottish Nobility E2”

The same collection at the National Library of Ireland that holds “Irish Nobility E1” also includes a related volume indexed as “Scottish Nobility E2.”

This text was also in the collection of the Ulster King of Arms, despite the fact that Scotland was the domain of the Lord Lyon King of Arms — perhaps this was a local reference work for Ulster’s office containing the arms of their neighbors, whom might visit Ireland or be met while traveling elsewhere in the British Isles? Continue reading “Downloading “Scottish Nobility E2””

Achievements with Heraldic Tabards from “Irish Nobility E1”

The National Library of Ireland’s “Irish Nobility E1” manuscript was produced by and for the office of the Ulster King of Arms, the principal heraldic authority for all of Ireland under English rule, and records the armorial achievements of various barons and viscounts of Ireland.

The first section of the book seems to date from around 1585 or so, and contains a number of armorial achievements featuring a heraldic tabard as the central element rather than a shield.

This form of display is unusual enough that I thought it was worth posting these for easy reference. Reenactors seeking a less-martial form of armorial display might consider using these as inspiration. Continue reading “Achievements with Heraldic Tabards from “Irish Nobility E1””

Downloading “Irish Nobility E1”

A couple of weeks ago, Iago ab Adam shared a link to a lovely late-period collection of armorial illustrations, indexed by the National Library of Ireland as “Irish Nobility E1.”

This manuscript was produced by and for the office of the Ulster King of Arms, the principal heraldic authority for all of Ireland under English rule, and records the armorial achievements of various barons and viscounts of Ireland; the first 30 pages or so seem to date from around 1585 or so, while the rest of the book is in a different style, and appears to mostly date from around 1685.

The book was scanned and posted on the web site of the National Library of Ireland, using a “click to pan and zoom” interface, but with a bit of coding I was able to extract the files for offline viewing. Continue reading “Downloading “Irish Nobility E1””