About Armoria
SINCE Armoria[1] first appeared on the Internet in July 2000 it has grown by leaps and bounds, putting forward a colourful image of heraldry in South Africa.
Its beginnings were small: a handful of pages that this webmaster had already prepared for International Civic Arms, which formed the nucleus of Armoria civica, a few school coats of arms laid the foundation of Armoria academica, and a couple of articles on family coats of arms that had been published in the Algoa Sun – these formed the basis of Armoria familia.
Not many pieces appeared in the Sun, and I concentrated on building up the sections on civic arms, academic arms and Armoria patrić, covering the armorial devices of South Africa (those granted in 1910 and those adopted in 2000), its provinces (the four that existed from 1910 to ’94 and the nine since then), the four “independent” Bantustan states and the colonies and Boer republics that preceded the Union. Armoria ecclesiastica also made its modest appearance.
Early in 2002 a section on armorial themes – particularly reflecting South African heraldry – made its appearance.
But in mid-2002, the installation of page counters (reflecting the number of visitors) revealed that most visitors were interested in family coats of arms. So Armoria familia was reconstructed, developing a series on how family arms work (as opposed to simply discussing the arms of particular families, which will continue to receive attention).
What also became clear from the queries received was that people wanted to know basic things about heraldry – not only how family arms work, but how to compose a coat of arms, whether for one’s own family or for corporate purposes.
This now receives attention in An ABC of Heraldry. The ABC began with a set of articles on the colours of heraldry, and now includes a discussion of armorial shield shapes. Further articles will be added shortly.
There’s more to be done. In mid-2004 a new section, Armoria corporativa, opened, while another, Armoria militaria, should be ready soon – but even before this, there is a readily accessible set of frequently asked questions, or FAQ. Further new departments in the planning will deal with heraldic flags and heraldic boo-boos. But everything has to be done one step at a time . . .
