The
Association's mission is promotion and education in the fields of the
art and science of heraldry. This vision was the core driving principle
of the Association's foundation. The idea was to create an
international organization, existing only in cyberspace, composed of a
diverse assembly of professional and non-professional genealogists,
heraldists, historians, and graphic artists to serve the Association's
mission.Although people and positions change, the Association continues to grow and evolve. The founding principles remain intact, as a result of contributions by volunteers from among its membership acting in various capacities. Members contribute articles on the subject of heraldry, refine the Association's articles and bylaws, and service arms design requests by members of the public. Members continue to contribute towards the roll of arms which reflects the incredible work of the Association's heralds and heraldic artists, past and present, from across the world.
The Association's mission
The Association's primary mission is to locate, translate, design and/or emblazon arms at no charge to the requestor or "client". The Association executes the requests through a variety of programs, references and Association members who volunteer their services.
The Association encourages those who accept arms designed by the Association to register or petition for a grant of arms through an official heraldic authority in order to control the proliferation of "assumed" arms.
The Association maintains this website designed to educate, assist and inform those interested in all aspects of heraldry.
The Association endeavours to include all armorial bearings designed and created by the Association in its online coats of arms or the membership roll of arms (Fellows, Associate Fellows and Members) if a member of the Association.
The Association maintains a forum at IAAH Message Board. We also monitor an Internet Message Board or m-board whereon members and the general public can post their questions, research and/or musings.
Our declaration
The International Association of Amateur Heralds (IAAH) declares:
THAT the coats of arms appearing on the Association's website, designed on behalf of the "client's" request for arms are, for the most part, correct in terms of the rules of heraldry.
THAT said arms may be assumed by the client (subject to the rules of cadency or differencing employed in some countries) only by those individuals who can demonstrate patrilineal descent from the armiger, and NOT simply based on a shared surname.
THAT individuals who are not able to claim historic arms, still have a natural interest in, and the right to be informed about, the coats of arms that have been used by others sharing their surname.
THAT individuals who have a desire for personal arms should be assisted in the design of unique arms and their registration with an official heraldic authority, or, in countries where it is not illegal to do so, to simply assume unique arms for their own use.
Additional services
The Association stands ready to help you with heraldic research or to design and emblazon a coat of arms you'd like to acquire and/or which you've had or which you'd like to have registered with an official heraldic authority. Any armorial bearing the Association helps you design will follow the established rules of heraldry and will be designed free of charge.
The work to be conducted by the offer of free services to members of the public will be limited to a traditional armorial achievement consisting of a shield, mantling, helm, crest and motto only. For any additional items some of the IAAH members are available to produce additional items on a fee-for-service basis.
Some research resources are available on this site or are linked from it. IAAH members may be able to help you directly using their own libraries. For the Association's collection of arms which it has helped to design see the Coats of Arms section of this site. As with all material posted on the Internet copyright protection applies to all images on this web-site.