Quote Originally Posted by Mike_Oettle View Post
While foreign honours are a hot button issue for Americans, particularly, I see things slightly differently from Joe McMillan.
I do see a grant of arms as an honour of sorts – although I am not sure whether arms that are registered, rather than granted, should be viewed in the same light.
(I am currently making an application to Pretoria for registration of my arms.)
But a coat of arms is certainly not a title of nobility.
There is no reason to deny a US citizen arms, whether granted in London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Ottawa or on the European Continent.
Republican registrations (state or private) should not be an issue either.
What I do find distasteful is a trend (among a minority in the US) to purchase dubious titles from self-proclaimed vendors, and then display nobiliary accoutrements with their arms.
This sort of self-aggrandizement is illegal in Scotland, but is nigh impossible to control anywhere else in the world.
Regards,
Mike
Grants of arms are not so much "grants" by a sovereign as they are "requests" from a petitioner. Lord Lyon considers a grant of arms to be a grant of certain nobility: see Innes of Learny. In this instance, with respect to the US Constitution, I think that Colin Powell, who recieved his grant from LL while still serving as Secretary of State, is the only modern example of one who may have crossed that line. As for Irish Grants to sitting or past presidents, those "grants" are in no way noble or of any such considered honor: they are a matter of genealogical record only, and for that matter there has been a real stir with respect to validity of Irish grants for some time now. I see them as a matter of fun and interest for those who have a spare $5000 or so. Other than teh "nobilty clause" from Lord Lyon, I think you're right: arms are for everyone.

As for these "title" merchants; I agree with you. It's a sad state actually and all we can do is keep the general public informed about such nonsense.