Differencing Arms 3

 Happy Twelfth Night. Be sure to have all your Christmas decorations down tonight!

Now, when I was a member of the Far Isles Medieval Society, I was permitted two personas.

My primary persona was an ecclesiastic and, when I had served the society for many years, it was this persona that was ennobled and became a bishop.

Thus Thomas de Velmont became Bishop of The Freemark, a diocese that had not previously existed.

My other persona, Igor Ross, happened to be King of Arms, so I was in the happy position of deciding what the arms for the new diocese

The arms of the Freemark were as follows

Vert on inescution argent an open fetterlock sable.

And looked like this

I decided to difference these for the diocese.

Now, just by chance, Vert and purpure ( green and purple) were not originally used in English heraldry. They were both introduced from French heraldry.

Purple is also the colour that bishops are required to wear.

I decided that the Cathedral for the Freemark should be dedicated to St Peter, because this would give me crossed keys.

The blazon I settled on was:

Vert on an inescution argent an open fetterlock sable in chief purpure two keys in saltir or wards in chief.

The fields related to each other (both being French), the field of the chief also related to bishops and the keys also referenced the open fetterlock.

I was quite pleased with this one on many levels.

It looks like this

Until next time

Adieu