I was very pleased to work on this achievement for a Reverend Lord as I’d not created anything specific to Ecclesiastical Heraldry before and was fascinated to learn.

The distinctive pilgrim’s hat – a “galero” – used has a cord each side with a single tassel, the number of tassels and the black colour denote the rank of Roman Catholic priest. A cardinal would have a red galero with a total of thirty tassels according to the schedule decided upon by the College of Arms in 1967 – though at one point in the years before this it was up to seventy-two!

An interesting compartment for this coat of arms also – I had not come across a stone-paved compartment before.