William Herschel’s Application for a Coat of Arms

Abstract

In 1816, William Herschel was appointed a knight of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order. In 1818, he applied for a coat of arms. This was because all Guelphic knights were asked to supply for display in Hanover a rectangular copper plate with their arms in coloured enamel. But this project came to nothing, and Herschel did not pursue his application. His son John was granted arms in 1838 when appointed baronet, and it is possible that the design of John’s arms was based on one of the two 1818 sketches supplied to his father.