The Coat of Arms (vol. 8) II

The second part of CoA volume 8 has been issued, with several items of interest to the historian of medieval heraldry. Paul Fox examines relationships between early users of heraldry across western Europe and argues that participation in the Crusades was the common factor that prompted and hastened the spread of armorial display. Michael Hicks, professor of medieval history at Winchester University, recounts the peculiarly vehement and ultimately unsuccessful campaign that Thomas Courtenay, Earl of Devon (died 1458), fought to assert his formal and legal precedence over other English earls. Nigel Ramsay of University College London reviews David Simpkin’s The English Aristocracy at War, a “thoughtful and well-considered” account of the social make-up of English armies in the reigns of Edward I and Edward II. A round-up of recently declared medieval and early-modern artefacts from England and Wales includes an example from Shropshire of a widely attested pattern of harness pendant, consisting of a shield with a winged insect – perhaps an instance of the badge of the Audley family. Of post-medieval date, but of great interest, is a silver hawking vervel showing the arms of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and brother-in-law of Henry VIII, discovered in Norfolk in December 2012; reported on the BBC earlier this year, the artefact is now published formally for the first time.

Articles:

• Crusading families and the spread of heraldry. By Paul A Fox.
• The precedence of the Earldom of Devon, 1335-1485. By Michael Hicks.
• The Maryland name and arms acts: heraldic law in the United States. By Joseph McMillan.

Review article:

• Modish monsters. By Laurent Ferri.

Book review:

• Simpkin, The English Aristocracy at War. Reviewed by Nigel Ramsay.

Recent items of interest:

• Artefacts reported under the Treasure Act and the Portable Antiquities Scheme
• Conferences, lectures, websites and podcasts.

To subscribe to CoA, visit the website www.the-coat-of-arms.co.uk.