Professional Heraldry

Many professional institutes and associations are armigerous. A few, which are branches of British institutes, bear the arms of their parent bodies (and have, in some cases, registered them), but most of the arms appear to be original South African designs.

Institute arms usually consist of a shield, crest, and motto, though a few have supporters too. Designs frequently allude to the organisations' fields of activity, e.g. bezants (gold coins) and/or quill pens for those in the financial and administrative sectors.

The following is a selection of arms.

Accounting and Administration

The South African branch of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators originally bore (and registered) the arms of the parent British institute. It now bears a simplified version, which omits the chief and supporters: Ermine, on a pale engrailed Azure between two keys, wards downwards and outwards, a quill pen Or (BoH 1973).

The arms of the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants (BoH 1980) also have quill pens, together with gold coins: Argent, two quills chevronwise inverted points conjoined; on a chief invected both Gules four bezants. Those of the Cape Society of Chartered Accountants (BoH 1975), which was later incorporated into the SAICA, alluded to the chequered cloth once used to count money, as well as to the anchor of Good Hope: Chequy of nine Azure and Argent, on a pile embowed reversed Or an anchor Gules fouled proper, on a chief Gules three bezants.

Banking

The portcullis, as a symbol of security, features in several arms in the banking sector, including those of the Institute of Bankers of SA: Or, a portcullis Gules, on a chief embattled Azure between two bezants an anchor Argent cabled Sable (BoH 1967). The Building Societies Institute of SA, however, chose a house-key as the main charge on its arms: Per pale Argent and Azure, a double-warded key erect and a chief gably of three all counterchanged (BoH 1982).

Education
See under Academic Heraldry

Engineering
The arms of the SA Institute of Civil Engineers display a bridge, and three gold rings alluding to its Cape Town origins: Azure, a one-arched bridge Or, on a chief Gules three annulets Or and in base three barrulets wavy Argent (BoH 1966).

Law

The arms of the Law Society of the Cape of Good Hope are Argent, a lion rampant Gules; on a chief embattled Azure an escallop between two annulets Or (BoH 1985). The lion and annulets were no doubt derived from the Cape provincial arms; blue and white are the traditional Cape colours.

Local Government
The arms of the Institute of Town Clerks (BoH 1977) employed the powdered wig once worn by town clerks as the principal charge: Gules, a town clerk's wig Argent; on a chief embattled Or two quills in saltire proper. Those of the SA Association of Municipal Employees were Gules, three quill pens erect Argent; on a chief embattled Or an anvil Gules between two proteas slipped and leaved proper (DEAS 1962).

Management

The arms of the Southern Africa Institute of Management Services are Or, an annulet therewithin a pallet barbed to chief and conjoined surmounted by a triangle the whole within and conjoined to a square all in umbra; a chief checky Or and Azure (BoH 1994).

Medicine
See under Medical Heraldry

Personnel Management
The very modernistic arms of the SA Board for Personnel Practice (BoH 1984) are Per pale Or and Gules, a bar couped enhanced conjoined to three pallets couped and barbed to base counterchanged.

Property

The arms of the Institute of Estate Agents of SA are: Per saltire Or and Gules, in chief a protea flower slipped and leaved proper, dexter a gavel head to chief and sinister a key ward to chief both Or, and in base a triple-towered castle proper (1939, DoI 1950). Those of the SA Institute of Real Estate Economists (BoH 1976) introduced the gabled line of partition into heraldry: Per fess enarched Argent and checky Argent and Gules; a chief gabled Gules.

Science and Technology
The arms of the SA Acoustics Institute (BoH 1978) adapt a scientific phenomenon into an effective heraldic charge: Per pale Azure and Argent, a sine wave counterchanged.

References/Sources/Links

South African Heraldry Website © Arthur Radburn