We are very pleased to announce that we have been able to arrange another exclusive visit to the College of Arms with The Somerset Herald, Mark Scott MA (Oxford), Supported by William Hunt TD BA FCA. Mark was appointed on 12th April 2024 having previously held the Office of Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms.
Mark is the 32nd holder of the office, which was created by King Henry VII at the time of his Coronation in October 1485, and whose badge, approved by Queen Elizabeth II in 1959, is a Portcullis Or royally crowned, the Tudor version of the Beaufort badge.
William served as Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary at the College of Arms in London from 1999 to 2017 and is currently a Research Assistant to John Petrie, the current Windsor Herald. William was heavily involved in the design of our Crest as we progressed from being a Guild to a full Worshipful Company.
There is a strict limit on the size of a group visiting the College of 20 people. As such the event is limited to two tickets per Member. The cost of a ticket is £75 Inc VAT which includes the tour, wine and buffet supper.
Tickets are strictly limited to two per Member and Members who have attended a recent visit to the College are not eligible to attend this visit. Tickets will go on sale via the website events page at 9am on Monday 28th April 2025. Please book via the website as the Clerk will not have any additional tickets for this event. Tickets are likely to be booked extremely quickly as this is a very popular event.
The format of the visit will be as follows; the arrival time for the tour is 6.00pm for a 6.15pm start.
Mark will welcome the group in the Earl Marshal’s Court. William will then initially speak about the history of heraldry and the role of the heralds, a little about the architecture of the building and how the Heralds run their practices.
The group then retires to a meeting room where the visitors are provided with a glass of wine, or soft drink, to allow the group to sit down while they talk about the architecture of the building.
The group will spend a spend a good hour in the record room being shown a selection of records dating back to the fourteenth century by Mark which will include the original documentation of the Company Crest which William will explain the creation of.
The group will then retire to the meeting room for another glass of wine (or two) with a buffet spread including hot dishes, cold meats and fish, pasta and salad, followed by cheese, fruit and a mini-sweet.
The talk is generally finished around 8.15pm. The departure time is after 9pm and the building needs to be vacated by 9.30pm.
Access Statement: The College of Arms is an old building and the access is via steps but once in the building the rooms for the visit are on all the same level. The toilets are however up several flights of stairs. If you have concerns about access, please contact the visit coordinator Junior warden, Andrew Knights on [email protected].
Dress code is Smart Casual. Access will only be given to those on the pre-validated attendee list. Please bring Government issued Photo ID.
**to help with event planning please can you confirm any other dietary requirements when booking.