Norsk Slektshistorisk Tidsskrift, bind XLVII, hefte 1

Norsk Slektshistorisk Tidsskrift, bind XLVII (47), hefte 1, kom i posten forrige uke, og dermed kan Norsk Slektshistorisk Tidsskrift skilte med to utgaver av tidsskriftet i 2021. Herværende utgave inneholder 3 artikler:

• Cecilie Simon: Om Peder Nielssøn Lund, fogd over det rosenkrantzke gods sønnafjells – og litt om oberstløytnant Peder Olssøn Brun, s. 3–44.
• Anders Bjønnes: Seglstampen fra Sørum - et tillegg, s. 47–53.
• Johan Marius Setsaas: Bokmelding: Reformasjon uten folk: det katolske Norge i før- og etterreformatorisk tid, s. 55–60.

Hovedartikkelen er altså om fogd Peder Nielssøn Lund (d. 1666) og oberstløytnant Peder Olssøn Brun (d. 1679) og er Cecilie Simons debut i NST. I del 1 argumenterer forfatteren for at det var Peder Nielssøn Lund som var gift med en datter (fornavn ikke kjent) av Laurits Gram og ikke som tidligere antatt Peder Olssøn Brun. Men to av Lunds døtre samt en datterdatter ble gift med sønner av Brun, og dermed er det en stor felles etterslekt etter disse. Forfatteren gir en god oversikt over Lunds 9 kjente barn. I del 2 gjennomgår forfatteren nye funn om Peder Olssøn Bruns familie og gir en kort oversikt over hans liv, hans kone og hans 10 kjente barn.

Anders Bjønnes gir som artikkelnavnet antyder et tillegg til artikkelen Et gjenfunnet norsk stormannsegl fra Sørum? som han publiserte i NST bind 46, hefte 3. Etter innspill fra middelalderhistorikeren Geirr I. Leistad argumenterer Bjønnes for at det er Gjardar Smidssons segl («et avflådd og utbrettet skinn av en ørn og fjær med vinger») som vi finner halvert i sørumstampens ene halvdel. Forfatteren diskuterer hvordan segleieren Guttorm Eiriksson kan være beslektet med Sørum (Sudrheim)-ætta, og artikkelen inkluderer to oversiktstavler.

Redaktør Johan Marius Setsaas' bokmelding er en anmeldelse av Henning Laugeruds bok Reformasjon uten folk. Det katolske Norge i før- og etterreformatorisk tid, Institutt for sammenlignende kulturforskning, Serie B. Skrifter, 172, Oslo: St. Olavs forlag, 2018, ISBN 978-82-7024-351-8.

Som tidligere nevnt: NST kommer ut med to hefter i året, mens ett bind inneholder 4 hefter. Man opererer altså med en toårssyklus. Herværende hefte er som nevnt innledningsvis nr. 1 i hefte XLVII (47). 

Short English summary: This article covers issue 1, vol. XLVII (47), of Norsk Slektshistorisk Tidsskrift, the bi-annual periodical of the Norwegian Genealogical Society.

Norsk Slektshistorisk Tidsskrift, bind XLVI, hefte 3

I romjulen 2020 fikk jeg Norsk Slektshistorisk Tidsskrift (NST), bind XLVI, hefte 3, i posten, og det bare rundt 3 uker etter forrige utgave. Det betyr at Norsk Slektshistorisk Forening i 2020 kom ut med 3 utgaver av tidsskriftet. Det er fortsatt et etterslep på utgivelser, men jeg vet faktisk ikke om etterslepet representerer 1, 2 eller 3 hefter. Problemet med etterslepet startet en god stund før jeg kom inn i styret i 2009, og det var fortsatt ikke løst da jeg gikk ut av styret i 2015. I mellomtiden har to nye redaktører tatt over, Are S. Gustavsen og Johan Marius Setsaas. Forhåpentligvis klarere redaktørene å få ut ytterligere 3 hefter i 2021, men det vet jeg i grunnen lite om. Min rolle i redaksjonen består kun av korrekturlesing og jeg vet sjelden når tidsskriftet er planlagt utgitt.

Etterslep eller ei, det er alltid en glede i foreningen når en ny utgave kommer i posten, og det er sjelden noe å si på innholdet. Hefte 3 kan skilte med følgende artikler:

• Jon Nygaard: Ibsens slekt fra Bergen, s. 159–188.
• Atle Steinar Langekiehl: Strålsund- og Lundeslekten på Kråkerøy, s. 191–229.
• Anders Bjønnes: Et gjenfunnet norsk stormannsegl fra Sørum?, s. 231–236.

Dette er det tredje bidraget som Jon Nygaard har gitt til genealogien om dikteren Henrik Ibsen og hans slekt.  Han skrev i 2013 «... af stort est du kommen». Henrik Ibsen og Skien, Acta Ibseniana 8-2013, som ble anmeldt av undertegnede i Genealogen 1/2014, s. 62–63. Hans neste artikkel, «Ibsens slekt på Kongsberg», ble publisert i NST, bind 44, s. 195–227. 

Langekiehl presenterer to jordeiende slekter på 1600-tallet – Strålsund og Lunde – og bruker som sentrale kilder lensregnskapenes opplysninger om gårdens oppsittere og landsskyldforhold, jordebøker og tingbøker.

Anders Bjønnes skriver en interessant artikkel om en seglstamp som ble funnet på et jorde på gården Søndre Sørum i 2016. Bjønnes skriver med utgangspunkt i det inngraverte navnet og det heraldiske innholdet (delt loddrett med nedvendt vinge til venstre og halv rose omgitt av en bølget bord til høyre) at stampen fra Sørum kan ha tilhørt ridderen og sysselmannen i Gudbrandsdalen, Guttorm Eiriksson (d. ca. 1349), men utelukker ikke at stampen kan ha tilhørt en annen, men ikke kjent mann med samme navn, men som nødvendigvis må ha tilhørt samme slektskrets.

For ordens skyld: NST kommer ut med to hefter i året, mens ett bind inneholder 4 hefter. Man opererer altså med en toårssyklus. Herværende hefte er som nevnt innledningsvis nr. 3 i hefte XLVI (46). 

Short English summary: This article covers issue 3, vol. XLVI, of Norsk Slektshistorisk Tidsskrift, the bi-annual periodical of the Norwegian Genealogical Society.

Royal June Summary

June 2018 is history. It has been a month full of royal events – among others a christening, a birth and several deaths. Normally I would have written blog articles about most of these events, if not all, but I just didn't find the time. What follows is a short summary of the most important events as I see them.

8 June: The christening of Princess Adrienne of Sweden, daughter of Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill, took place at Drottningholm Palace Chapel in the presence of King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Oscar, Prince Carl Philip. Princess Sofia, Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel, Princess Madeleine, Christopher O'Neill, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler, Princess Birgitta, Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld, Baroness Christina Louise De Geer and Baron Hans De Geer, Hélène Silfverschiöld and Fredrik Dieterle, Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson and Tord Magnuson, Gustaf Magnuson and Vicky Magnuson, Dagmar von Arbin, Marianne Bernadotte, Countess of Wisborg, Bertil Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg and Jill Bernadotte, Countess of Wisborg.

Princess Estelle was named in the guest list that was released, but had apparently got sick and was therefore absent.

From the Queen's family: Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath, Walther L. Sommerlath and Ingrid Sommerlath, Patrick Sommerlath, Leopold Lundén Sommerlath, Anaïs Sommerlath, Chloé Sommerlath and Maline Sommerlath. From the O'Neill family: Eva Maria O'Neill, Annalisa O'Neill, Karen O'Neill, Tatjana d'Abo and Henry d'Abo, Anouska d'Abo, Countess Natascha Abensperg und Traun and Countess Milana Abensperg und Traun

From Germany HH Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a first cousin of the king. In addition representatives of the official Sweden, court and staff as well as friends of Princess Madeleine and her husband were also present. Sponsors of Princess Adrienne were Anouska d'Abo, Coralie Charriol Paul, Nader Panahpour, Baron Gustav Thott, Charlotte Kreuger Cederlund andn Natalie Werner.

Archbishop Antje Jackelén officiated, assisted by Bishop and Chief Court Chaplain Johan Dalman and Court Chaplain and Rector of the Royal Court Parish Michael Bjerkhagen. Following the christening ceremony the guests were invited to a reception at Drottningholm Palace.

The arms of Princess Adrienne, Duchess of Blekinge: The four quarters of the arms show the lesser coat of arms of Sweden (field 1 and 4), the arms of Folkunga (field 2) and in field 3 the arms of Blekinge. The inescutcheon shows the arms of the House of Bernadotte. In addition the badge of the Order of the Seraphim.

9 June: Prince Georg-Constantin of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach died in a riding accident near Apethorpe Palace in Northamptonshire, 41 years old. Georg-Constantin was the only son of Prince Wilhelm, a first cousin of the head of the family, Prince Michael. Georg-Constantin was survived by his parents, his wife Olivia, née Page and sister Désirée, Countess von und zu Hoensbroech. The late prince was the designated heir to the headship and his death means that the house will eventually die out in the male line.

11 June would have been Prince Henrik's 84th birthday. In his memory Queen Margrethe founded a medal which was given to members of the royal family, members of the court and staff and others who played a role in connection with Prince Henrik's illness, death and funeral. Prince Henrik's Memorial Medal is in silver and with a crown. Obverse: Queen Margrethe's profile faced right and the inscription «MARGARETA II – REGINA DANIÆ». Reverse: Prince Henrik's crowned monogram and the inscription «11.6.1934 – 13.2.2018». The medal is carried in a red cross ribbon with a wide middle stripe in white between two small stripes in gold. Go here for photos of the medal.

17 June: Prince Norodom Ranariddh of Cambodia was seriously injuried while his wife Ouk Phalla was killed in a road accident in Preah Sihanouk province's Prey Nub district in Cambodia. Former Prime Minister Prince Ranariddh (b. 1944) is the half-brother of King Norodom Sihamoni (b. 1953) and son of Norodom Sihanouk (1922–2012). Ranariddh married Ouk Phalla, his second wife, in 2010. The cremation of Ouk Phalla took place on 20 June.

18 June: Zara and Mike Tindall became parents to a daughter, who was born at the Maternity Unit of the Stroud General Hospital in Glouchestershire. According to the press release, «The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal, Captain Mark Phillips and Mike’s parents, Mr Philip and Mrs Linda Tindall, have been informed and are delighted with the news.» Zara Tindall is the daughter of HRH The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) and Mark Phillips. Zara and Mike's first daughter, Mia Grace, was born in 2014. The baby girl, who is the fourth grandchild of The Princess Royal and the seventh great-grandchild of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was later named Lena Elizabeth.

19 June: HH Princess Elisabeth of Denmark, the eldest daughter of Hereditary Prince Knud (1900–1976) and Hereditary Princess Caroline-Mathilde (1912–1995), died at 6.15 p.m. after a long illness, surrounded by her closest family, 83 years old. Princess Elisabeth, who for 45 years worked for the Danish Ministry of foreign affairs, was a first cousin of Queen Margrethe of Denmark and a second cousin of King Harald of Norway. Princess Elisabeth never married, but lived with filmmaker and director Claus Hermansen (1919–1997) for many years. Her younger brothers were Prince Ingolf (later Count of Rosenborg), b. 1940, and Prince Christian (later Count of Rosenborg) (1942–2013). They grew up at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby outside Copenhagen. Princess Elisabeth moved back to the palace in 2015. It has not been explicitly stated whether she died at home or in a local hospital.

The funeral service took place at Lyngby Church, where also her christening and confirmation took place, on 25 June. Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes were present, in addition to Count Ingolf and Countess Sussie of Rosenborg and Princess Elisabeth's niceses Josephine, Camilla and Feodora af Rosenborg (daughters of the late Count Christian of Rosenborg). See photos here. The urn with the ashes of the princess will be interred at Lyngby Cemetery next to the grave of Claus Hermansen.

20 June: It was announced that the christening of Prince Louis of Cambridge will take place on Monday 9 July 2018 in The Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London. Prince Louis will be christened by The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby.

25 June: Prince Friedrich-Karl of Waldeck and Pyrmont died, 85 years old. Prince Friedrich-Karl, a grandson of the last reigning prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Friedrich (1865–1893–1918–1946), was married to Ingeborg von Biela and had 3 daughters and 8 grandchildren.

Coat of arms of HRH The Duchess of Sussex

Buckingham Palace announced today the coat of arms of HRH The Duchess of Sussex, formerly Meghan Markle, wife since Saturday 19 May 2018 of HRH The Duke of Sussex (Prince Harry).

The press release said in full:

A Coat of Arms has been created for The Duchess of Sussex. The design of the Arms was agreed and approved by Her Majesty The Queen and Mr. Thomas Woodcock (Garter King of Arms and Senior Herald in England), who is based at the College of Arms in London.

Her Royal Highness worked closely with the College of Arms throughout the design process to create a Coat of Arms that was both personal and representative.

The blue background of the shield represents the Pacific Ocean off the California coast, while the two golden rays across the shield are symbolic of the sunshine of The Duchess's home state. The three quills represent communication and the power of words.

Beneath the shield on the grass sits a collection of golden poppies, California's state flower, and wintersweet, which grows at Kensington Palace.
It is customary for Supporters of the shield to be assigned to Members of the Royal Family, and for wives of Members of the Royal Family to have one of their husband’s Supporters and one relating to themselves. The Supporter relating to The Duchess of Sussex is a songbird with wings elevated as if flying and an open beak, which with the quill represents the power of communication.

A Coronet has also been assigned to The Duchess of Sussex. It is the Coronet laid down by a Royal Warrant of 1917 for the sons and daughters of the Heir Apparent. It is composed of two crosses patée, four fleurs-de-lys and two strawberry leaves.

The arms of a married woman are shown with those of her husband and the technical term is that they are impaled, meaning placed side by side in the same shield.

Mr. Thomas Woodcock, Garter King of Arms said: "The Duchess of Sussex took a great interest in the design. Good heraldic design is nearly always simple and the Arms of The Duchess of Sussex stand well beside the historic beauty of the quartered British Royal Arms. Heraldry as a means of identification has flourished in Europe for almost nine hundred years and is associated with both individual people and great corporate bodies such as Cities, Universities and for instance the Livery Companies in the City of London."

The heraldic artist is, cf. the signature,  Robert John Parsons. The College of Arms will most certainly give the blazon (description) of the arms later on.

Arms of Prince Gabriel of Sweden

The National Archives of Sweden published today the arms of Prince Gabriel of Sweden, whose christening will take place on 1 December.

The arms were presented at the meeting of the Heraldic Committee of the National Archives on 24 October 2017. The four quarters of the arms show the lesser coat of arms of Sweden (field 1 and 4), the arms of Folkunga (field 2) and in field 3 the arms of Dalarna. As previously mentioned, Prince Gabriel was also given the title of Duke of Dalarna at the Council of State held at Stockholm Palace on 4 September 2017. The inescutcheon shows the arms of the House of Bernadotte.The arms are then crowned by the Swedish prince crown. Prince Gabriel will receive the Order of the Seraphim in connection with the christening, which explains why the arms are encircled (in lack of the correct heraldic term) by the collar and badge of the said order. The arms are drawn by the heraldic artist Henrik Dahlström, the Swedish National Archives.

The arms of Dalarna, taken from the website of the National Archives:

Blazon: "Azure, two Dalecarlian Arrows Or in saltire point upwards pointed Argent and in chief a Crown of the first". Source: Wikipedia.

The monogram consists of the initial G and a prince crown above and is drawn by the heraldic artist Vladimir A Sagerlund.

Julie Payette installed as Canada's new Governor General

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada. Photo credit: Sgt Johanie Maheu, Rideau Hall © OSGG-BSGG, 2017.

Julie Payette was today installed as Canada's 29th Governor General in a ceremony which took place inside the Senate Chamber on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The ceremony started at 10.55 a.m. local time. According to the press release, the ceremony was to be followed by military honours and the inspection of a guard of honour outside of Parliament (12.15 p.m.). Ms. Payette will then lay flowers at the National War Memorial (1.45 p.m.), before arriving at Rideau Hall, the official residence and workplace of the governor general in Ottawa (1.55 p.m.). The day will conclude with an evening reception at the Canadian Museum of History (7 p.m.).

Payette replaced David Johnston, who was installed as Governor General on 1 October 2010. Johnston bid farewell at a ceremony last Thursday. His term was originally meant to expire in 2015, but was extended with two years. Payette, b. 1963, is a businesswoman and a former astronaut and engineer. She has been married twice and has one son.

In connection with Payette's installation, her coat of arms was unveiled.

© The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General. Copy of the version at gg.ca.

Arms: Per pale Azure and Sable a wing and in the canton the Royal Crown Argent.

Crest: A musical stave bearing the first notes of the second movement of Alessandro Marcello’s Oboe Concerto in D minor Sable; Motto: PER ASPERA AD ASTRA, meaning “Through hardship to the stars”.

Supporters: Two lynx Sable embellished Argent each wearing a collar set with laurel leaves Or and mullets Argent, and standing on the planet Earth Azure, its atmosphere Argent, charged with the Greek letter sigma (Σ) Argent.

More information about the coat of arms can be found at the website of the Governor General's Office.

The national coat-of-arms of Canada. Photo taken inside Parliament Hill in 2008.

 Parliament Hill, Ottawa.

 Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General of Canada.

Well, just to prove that I have been there!

Last five photos: © 2008 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth.

Von Munthe af Morgenstierne graves, Oslo, Norway (Tombstone Tuesday)

 © 2011 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth.

 © 2011 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth. 

© 2016 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth. 

Bredo Munthe til Bekkeskov (1701–1757) was ennobled in 1755 with the name von Munthe af Morgenstierne. From him descends two Danish and one Norwegian lines. The second last edition of Danmarks Adels Aarbog, in which the family is included, divides the family into two lines, to which the children of Bredo's son Otto Christopher von Munthe af Morgenstierne (1735–1809) make three branches, while the descendants of Bredo's son Troels (1745–1810) make the fourth branch.

The privileges belonging to the noblity in Norway were abolished in 1821, but most families, including the von Munthe af Morgenstierne family, continued to live here, and many members have made a name for themselves in for instance diplomacy and academia.

The top photo shows one of the von Munthe af Morgenstierne graves at Our Saviour's Cemetery in Oslo, graves no. 01.061.02.024 and 025, which are leased together. The headstone includes among others Otto's great-grandson (of the first branch) Carl Johan Maximilian (1844–1912), who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and his wife Anna Dorothea, née Stub (1850–1936), who originally came from Bergen, Norway. Carl Johan Maximilian was the son of Christian Fredrik Jacob (1806–1886) in his first marriage to Princess Anastasia Sergiewna Soltikov (1810–1853). 

The second photo is a close-up of the family's coat-of-arms.

The third photo shows one of the von Munthe af Morgenstierne (2nd branch) graves at Vestre gravlund (Western cemetery) in Oslo. Buried in grave (no. 20.322.00.112) are among others Ambassador Wilhelm Thorleif (1887–1963), who I mentioned in a blog article last year, and his brother Georg Valentin (1892–1978) who was a professor of linguistics at the University of Oslo. He was the father of Eva von Munthe af Morgenstierne (1921–2017), who in 1948 married Erik Finn Lorentzen (1921–2010). One of Erik's brothers, Erling Lorentzen, b. 1923, was married to Princess Ragnhild of Norway (1930–2012). The funeral service for Eva, who died on 22 January 2017, took place yesterday, 30 January 2017, at Vestre gravlund, gamle kapell (Western Cemetery, Old Chapel).

Updated on Monday 5 June 2017 at 22.30 (mising word inserted in last paragraph).

Grave of the 1st and 2nd Baron Mountevans, Our Saviour's Cemetery, Oslo, Norway

Edward Ratcliffe Garth Russell Evans, 1st Baron Mountevans (1881–1957) and his son Richard Andvord Evans, 2nd Baron Mountevans and their spouses are buried at Vår Frelsers gravlund (Our Saviour's Cemetery), Oslo, Norway, plot numbers 01.054.004.009 and 010.

The first Lord Mountevans was married to Elsa Andvord (1890–1963), daughter of Sevald Theodor Richard Andvord (1839–1913) and Sofie Cathinca Andvord, née Jacobsen (1849-1935).

One of Elsa's brothers was Richard Andvord (1886–1965), who was aide-de-camp to King Haakon VII from 1927 to 1930 and later Chamberlain (from 1949) at the Royal Court and head of the Royal Stables from 1945 until 1960

More details about the Lords Mountevans can be found at Cracroft's Peerage.

Updated on Thursday 7 July 2016 at 00.10 (typo corrected), last time Thursday 7 July 2016 at 07.50 (minor mistake).

Christening of Prince Oscar of Sweden

Photo: Hans Garlöw/Kungahuset.se. In the middle Crown Princess Victoria with Prince Oscar in her arms, Prince Daniel and Princess Estelle. To the left the sponsors Hans Åström, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. To the right Princess Madeleine carrying Princess Leonore and beside her the last of the five sponsors, Oscar Magnuson. 

The christening of Prince Oscar of Sweden, who was born on 2 March this year, took place at the Palace Church in Stockholm today. Sponsors of the little prince were Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Oscar Magnuson (first cousin of Crown Princess Victoria) and Hans Åström (first cousin of Prince Daniel).

Archbishop Antje Jackelén, assisted by Bishop and Chief Court Chaplain Johan Dalman and Court Chaplain and Rector of the Royal Court Parish Michael Bjerkhagen officiated the ceremony.

The program of the christening ceremony can be viewed here.

Among the guests at the church ceremony and reception were:

The Swedish Royal Family

• King Carl Gustaf
• Queen Silvia
• Crown Princess Victoria
• Prince Daniel
• Princess Estelle
• Prince Carl Philip
• Princess Sofia
• Princess Madeleine
• Christopher O'Neill
• Princess Leonore
• Prince Nicolas

HM The King's family

• Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler
• Baroness Christina Louise De Geer and Baron Hans De Geer
• Princess Christina Mrs. Magnuson and Tord Magnuson
• Gustaf Magnuson and Vicky Magnuson
• Oscar Magnuson and Emma Magnuson
• Victor Magnuson and Frida Bergström
• Countess Marianne Bernadotte af Wisborg
• Count Bertil Bernadotte af Wisborg amd Countess Jill Bernadotte af Wisborg
• Dagmar von Arbin

HM The Queen's family

• Ralf de Toledo Sommerlath and Charlotte de Toledo Sommerlath
• Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath and Bettina Aussems
• Walther L. Sommerlath
• Patrick Sommerlath and Maline Sommerlath
• Leopold Lundén Sommerlath
• Chloé Sommerlath
• Anaïs Sommerlath

Other foreign royal guests

• Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
• Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

In addition Prince Daniel's parents Olle and Ewa Westling, his siblings and their families and other family members, as well as representatives of Riksdagen (the Parliament), the leaders of the polical parties, the Government and the church, other authorities, including the governors of Stockholm, Skåne and Västra Götaland and finally representatives of the corps diplomatique. For a full guest list, go here.

The arms of Prince Oscar of Sweden. (The image is taken from the Swedish National Archives' press photo section, where the photos and images are free of use.)

The arms and monogram of Prince Oscar were also published in connection with the christening. The four quarters of the arms show the lesser coat of arms of Sweden (field 1 and 4), the arms of Folkunga (field 2) and in field 3 the arms of Skåne (Scania) (Prince Oscar is also Duke of Skåne), while the inescutcheon shows the arms of the House of Bernadotte. The arms are crowned by the princes crown. The arms are drawn by the heraldic artist Henrik Dahlström, the Swedish National Archives. The monogram consists of the initial O and a prince crown above.

Arms of the Duvivier family, Belgium

When I visited Brussels in October last year, I came over a few litographies of coats of arms in a second-hand bookstore. I decided to buy three of them, which shows the arms of the Belgian Duvivier family and two of its members. The litographies were made around 1860 and cost 20 Euro each.

Arms of Lieutenant General Vincent Marie Duviver (1774–1851).

Arms of Vincent's younger brother Lieutenant General Ignace Louis Duvivier (1777–1853).

I don't know much about the said persons, but there is a Wikipedia article about Ignace Duvivier in French and Dutch. The article includes a photo of a memorial which I believe I saw during my visit to Mons (Bergen) in June 2000. A photo of the Duvivier arms can be viewed here.

Not sure what I am going to do with the litographies, but they are quite nice. Maybe I should frame them and put them on the wall?

The 31st International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences

Are you interested in genealogy and/or heraldry? Why don't you come to Oslo between 13th and 17 of August this year, where the 31st International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences takes place?

The theme of the congress is "Influence on Genealogy and Heraldry of Major Events in the History of a Nation", a theme chosen because of the two major jubilees which are marked in 2014 - the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution and Oslo's 700th anniversary as the capital of Oslo. Whether Oslo really could be defined as a capital 700 years ago or not has with good reasons been a subject of discussion, but the anniversary is nevertheless being marked, although not in the same style as the 17th of May anniversary.

Anyway, there are many interesting topics being presented during the congress, including themes covering royalty and nobility. The timing and venue for each presentation has now been decided, and these can be seen on the Congress website – Program.

Under Presenters you can see the names of the speakers and title of the presentations, and clicking further on the individual names takes you to a synopsis of the talk. In addition to general registration, it is possible to register for individual days for talks of particular interest – contact the Congress at post@congress2014.no for details.

The organizers behind the congress is the Norwegian Genealogical Society (Norsk Slektshistorisk Forening) and the Norwegian Heraldry Society (Norsk Heraldisk Forening).

The blazon of the emblem is as follows: Shield: Azure a Tree eradicated Argent. Supporter: Issuant from behind the Shield Saint Hallvard (Oslo’s patron saint) Azure with a Millstone resting in Dexter Hand and holding three Arrows in Sinister Hand, all Argent. (Source: Slektshistoriewiki - The Norwegian Genealogy Wiki).

The 31st International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences Oslo 2014 is under the distinguished patronage of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway.

Hope to see as many of you in Oslo in August this year!

Christening of HRH Princess Leonore of Sweden

The christening of Princess Leonore of Sweden, the daughter of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Chris O'Neill, took place at the Royal Chapel of Drottningholm Palace outside Stockholm today, 8 June 2014. The christening coincided both with Pentecost as well as the first wedding anniversary of Princess Madeleine and Mr. O'Neill.

Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland was born at New York City, USA on 20 February 2014, and is fifth in line of succession to the throne of Sweden.

With such a great weather I preferred to stay outdoors rather than watching the televised ceremony, so I am not able to give a personal review of today's events, but here are the main facts.

The ceremony was officiated by Archbishop Anders Wejryd assisted by Chief Court Chaplain of the Royal Court and Bishop Emeritus Lars-Göran Lönnermark and Vicar of the Royal Court, Court Chaplain, Michael Bjerkhagen. The latter two also officiated at the wedding of Princess Leonore's parents, Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill, on 8 June 2012.

Sponsors
Princess Leonore's six sponsors were: 

• Crown Princess Victoria
• Louise Gottlieb (friend of Princess Madeleine)
• Patrick Sommerlath (first cousin of Princess Madeleine)
• Tatjana d’Abo (sister of Chris O'Neill)
• Count Ernst Abensperg und Traun (brother-in-law of Chris O'Neill and Princess Madeleine)
• Miss Alice Bamford (childhood friend of Chris O'Neill)

Guest list
After the christening ceremony there was a reception for all the 160 people who attended the ceremony, followed by a private lunch hosted by the King and Queen for about 100 guests. The following guest list was published at the official website (I haven't always followed the same order of names):

The Royal Family

• King Carl XVI Gustaf
• Queen Silvia
• Crown Princess Victoria
• Prince Daniel
• Princess Estelle
• Prince Carl Philip
• Princess Madeleine
• Christopher O'Neill

HM The King's family

• Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler 
• Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld and Baron  Carl Silfverschiöld
• Baroness Christina Louise De Geer and Baron Hans De Geer
• Hélène Silfverschiöld and Fredrik Dieterle
• Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson and Tord Magnuson 
• Gustaf Magnuson and Vicky Magnuson
• Countess Marianne Bernadotte of Wisborg
• Countess Gunnila Bernadotte of Wisborg

HM The Queen's family

• Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath and Bettina Aussems
• Walther L. Sommerlath and Ingrid Sommerlath
• Patrick Sommerlath and Maline Sommerlath
• Leopold Lundén Sommerlath
• Anaïs Sommerlath
• Chloé Sommerlath

Mr. Chris O'Neill's family

• Eva Maria O'Neill
• Annalisa O'Neill
• Karen O'Neill
• Tatjana d'Abo and Henry d'Abo
• Anouska d'Abo
• Jasper d'Abo
• Countess Natascha Abensperg und Traun and Count Ernst Abensperg und Traun
• Countess Milana Abensperg und Traun
• Countess Chiara Abensperg und Traun
• Count Louis Cajetan Abensperg und Traun

Germany

• Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Riksdagen (the Parliament)

• Speaker Per Westerberg and Ylwa Westerberg

The Government

• Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
• Deputy prime minister and Minister for education Jan Björklund and Anette Brifalk Björklund
• Minister of Justice Beatrice Ask

Party leaders

• Chairman of the Social Democrats Stefan Löfven

Corps diplomatique

• Martin Rivera Gómez, Ambassador of El Salvador
• Mark F. Brzezinski, Ambassador of the USA 
• Paul Charles Johnston, Ambassador of the United Kingdom
• Anne K. Lund, Ambassador of Norway
• Kirsten Malling Biering, Ambassador of Denmark
• Harry Helenius, Ambassador of Finland

Other officials

• Fredrik Wersäll, President of Svea Court of Appeal
• Archbishop Anders Wejryd and Kajsa Wejryd
• General Sverker Göranson, Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces
• Governor Cecilia Schelin Seidegård, Gotland county

Personal friends

• Sofia Hellqvist (girl-friend of Prince Carl Philip)
• Louise Gottlieb and Ludvig Blomqvist
• Nathalie Werner and Dag Werner
• Katarina von Horn and Robert von Horn
• Charlotte Kreuger Cederlund and Christoffer Cederlund
• Countess Louise Cronstedt and Count Jacob Cronstedt
• Lovisa de Geer and Niklas Bolle
• Ellen Dinkelspiel and Jan Dinkelspiel
• Marco Wajselfisz and Heike Wajselfisz
• Cedric Notz and Andrea Engsäll
• Alice Bamford
• Sofi Fahrman and Nick Zijlstra
• Fredrik Gottlieb and Carola Gottlieb
• Lena Biörck Kaplan 

Arms and monogram
The arms and monogram of Princess Leonore were also published in connection with the christening. The four quarters of the arms show the lesser coat of arms of Sweden (field 1 and 4), the arms of Folkunga (field 2) and in field 3 the arms of Gotland (Princess Leonore is also Duchess of Gotland), while the inescutcheon shows the arms of the House of Bernadotte. The arms are crowned by the princess crown. The monogram consists of the initial L and a princess crown above. The heraldic artist Henrik Dahlström has designed the arms, while the monogram has been designed by Vladimir A. Sagerlund. Both were approved by the king. Sagerlund also designed the arms and monogram of Princess Estelle.

It was also announced that King Carl Gustaf had bestowed upon Princess Leonore the Royal Order of the Seraphim in connection with the christening.

All the press releases connected to the christening can be read here. 

Updated on 9 June 2014 at 13.20 (names of heraldic artists corrected), last time on 1 July 2020 at 22.10 (had one place written «Countess of Gotland» when I obviously meant «Duchess of Gotland», as also written otherwise in the article).

Closest family and ancestry of the Eidsvoll Men

Norsk Slektshistorisk Forening's (The Norwegian Genealogical Society's) contribution to the celebration of the bicentenary of the Norwegian Constitution was launched at the National Archives in Oslo on Saturday 26 April 2014. The book is called "Eidsvollsmennene - Hvem var de?" ("The Eidsvoll Men - Who were they?"), and covers the closest family and ancestry of the 112 men who were elected to the Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll and passed the Constitution of Norway in May 1814.

To be more exact, in the book you will find genealogical details on the Eidsvoll Men's spouses, children, siblings as well as their ancestry back to their great-grandparents, in addition to a short biography, their portrait (if found) and their seal. It has not been possible to find all the details on all the Eidsvoll Men, but for most of them. The book gives the current research status. Hopefully it will some time in the future be possible to find more information, and hopefully the book can be a useful starting point for future articles and research about various aspects of the Eidsvoll Men. Among the contributors to the genealogy are well-established historians and/or genealogists like Lars Løberg, Knut Bryn, Hans Cappelen, Elin Galtung Lihaug and Torkel Fagerli, to mention a few. The head editor is Anders Bjønnes, while the other members of the editorial commitee are Håvard Blom and Svein Becken. The same men were also main responsible for the book Segltegninger fra hyllingene i Norge 1591 og 1610 ("Drawings of Norwegian Seals from 1591 and 1610") which was published in 2010. Yours sincerely has contributed to the chapter about Arnoldus von Westen Sylow Koren (1764-1854) of Bergen, later Ullensvang.

In additon to the genealogy the reader can find a short introduction to the events in 1814 written by the historian Håkon Andreas Evju, an article about the use of seals in Norway (by Anders Bjønnes), another article about what the seals on the original Constitution of 17 May 1814 can show us (by Hans Cappelen) and a description of each seal (by Anders Bjønnes and Hans Cappelen together). The book is richly illustrated and also has a personal name and place name index. The book is meant to reach out to a wider audience of people interested in the genealogy of the Eidsvoll Men and the history of 1814. The book, which has 269 pages (including the list of illustrations and the presentations of the contributors to the book) in addition to the index (pages 276 to 320), would be too expensive to produce if also the notes (the research material) should be included. The research material will be made available through the Norwegian Genealogical Society.

The book (ISBN 978-82-998428-2-2) costs NOK 495,- + P & P and can be ordered from the Norwegian Genealogical Society by e-mail (kontor [at] genealogi.no) and soon also directly from the website (the online shop is just around the corner).

See also more information about the book (in Norwegian) here.

Heraldry in Amsterdam (Heraldry, Part I)

Last weekend I visited Amsterdam, which is a wonderful city one could return to over and over again. This was my second visit, the first took place as far back as in 1989. I took some photos of the canals, but that is not very original to post in a blog article, so I thought I should do something different this time. While I am far from an expert on the field of heraldry, I have always been interested in the topic, and when traveling I often take photos of coats of arms in various shapes when I come over them. So I thought I should show some of the photos I took during my visit. During a boat trip on the canals I noticed many coats of arms on different buildings, but they were too distant to photograph, and I didn't have the time or energy to follow the canal route on foot later on. As I have already said, I have to visit Amsterdam again another time, so maybe there will be more heraldry from the Dutch capital in my blog later on?

In addition to the arms on different buildings in Amsterdam, I also came over a box of cards with coats of arms in antiquarian shop, the Antiquariaat A. Kok & Zn. in Oude Hoogstraat. The families in question are not necessarily from Amsterdam - some of them might not be Dutch for all I know - but I found the cards there!

I plan to publish more heraldry blog articles in the future, hence "Heraldry, Part I" in parenthesis.

Arms of Amsterdam. The photo is taken from my hotel room (Radisson Blu). The street where the arms can be viewed was not Rusland, though, but a side street.

Also the arms of Amsterdam. Found at the Central Station.

I visited the Rijksmuseum during my stay in Amsterdam. I don't have more details on this one, though.

The arms of the Dutch East India Company and of the Town of Batavia (Jeronimus Becx) in the Rijksmuseum.

Stained glass with heraldry in the Rijksmuseum.

Våpenbrevet No. 89

 The latest issue of Våpenbrevet (No. 89, vol. 39, 2013), the newsletter of Norsk Heraldisk Forening (The Norwegian Heraldry Society), arrived in my mailbox today. The main article focuses on the proposal to replace the present arms of the Church of Norway (a cross laid over two St. Olav's axes, see below) with a logo (emblem), possibly inspired by the rose window of the Nidaros Cathedral's west front, as suggested by Professor Knut Lundby at the University of Oslo (see below).

The Theological Committee of the Church of Norway, presided by Stephanie Dietrich, refers to the St. Olav's axe as a "murder weapon" and symbolizes violence and harassment/injustice. The Norwegian Heraldry Society, represented by its chairman  Tom S. Vadholm, reminds the readers that the axe symbolizes St. Olav's death at Stiklestad and his death is regarded as a marthyr's death. He opposes the idea of replacing an old, Norwegian tradition with "a newfangled logo".

An article by Vadholm covering the same topic can be read at the Norwegian Heraldry Society's website (in Norwegian only).

In the latest issue of Våpenbrevet one can also read the minutes of the society's annual meeting, which took place in May 2013, as well as articles on the comital family of Guicciardini, the heraldry exhibition at Galleri Vera in Drøbak in March 2013, where the artist Einar Evar showed his works, and the 7th Heraldic Conference in Trondheim (24-26 May 2013).

Våpenbrevet No. 88

I recently recveived the latest issue of Våpenbrevet (no. 88, vol. 39, 2013), the newsletter of Norsk Heraldisk Forening (the Norwegian Heraldry Society), and as usual the newsletter can offer many interesting articles. Heraldry is certainly not my field of expertise, so my membership gives new insight.

Interestingly enough the editor settled on Archbishop Bruno Bernard Heim (1911-2003) and his work as the main topic for the issue, which was cleverly timed considering Pope Benedict XVI's renunciation on 28 February 2013. Heim was a prominent armorist of ecclesiastical heraldry, and was responsible of designing the coat of arms of Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul I and Pope John Paul II. Våpenbrevet's front page shows the arms of Heim, who was titular Archbishop of Xanthus.

Another interesting article in the newsletter is the society's chairman Tom Vadholm's article Felles konger Av Norge og Sverige. Politikk, problemer og spesielle heraldiske forhold uttrykt i våpenmerkene ("Kings of both Norway and Sweden - Political facts and problems expressed in their coats-of-arms"*), which was based on the lecture he held at the XXXth International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences, which took place in Maastricht in the Netherlands in 2012. The next congress is to take place in Oslo, Norway in 2014.

*The English translation is based on the lecture title according to the program.

Updated on Tuesday 2 July 2013 at 19:50 (typo corrected).

The coat of arms of the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg

The coat of arms of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg was published by Grand Ducal decree 31 October 2012 in Mémorial, the Legal Gazette of Luxembourg (No. A 236, 9 November 2012).

The proposal to the new arms was given by the Heraldic State Commission (Commission héraldique de l’Etat) on 17 July 2012, with authority in act 23 June 1972 concerning national emblems.

Christening of HRH Princess Estelle of Sweden

The christening of HRH Princess Estelle, the daughter of HRH Crown Princess Victoria and HRH Prince Daniel of Sweden, took place at the Palace Church in Stockholm on Tuesday 22 May 2012.

As has happened too often lately, other commitments made it impossible for me to write anything about the christening in advance or yesterday after the ceremony had taken place. On Monday I attended an extended committee meeting in connection with the preparations for the 31th International Congress for Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences, which will take place in Oslo in August 2014 (the 30th Congress takes place in Maastrict, the Netherlands in September 2012). And yesterday evening I attended the annual meeting of the Norwegian Genealogical Society. In other words, no time for blog writing. And as the ceremony took place in the middle of a work day, I didn't get the chance to watch any of it either.

But from what I have read and all the photos I have seen (there are at present 463 photos published at the official website's christening page, besides a film), the christening ceremony seems to have been a grand affair. The facts: The christening was officiated by Archbishop Anders Wejryd, assisted by Chaplain to The King and Bishop Emeritus Lars-Göran Lönnermark and Dean Åke Bonnier of the Cathedral Parish of Stockholm. Princess Estelle's sponsors were the Prince of Orange (Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands), Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Ms. Anna Westling Söderström (Prince Daniel's sister).

The guest list, which can be viewed in full here, was long and impressive enough. It included, besides the Crown Princess couple and the main person: 

Sweden

• HM King Carl Gustaf  
• HM Queen Silvia  
• HRH Prince Carl Philip  
• HRH Princess Madeleine

HM The King's Family

• Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler  
• HRH Princess Birgitta of Hohenzollern (née Princess of Sweden)  
• Désirée von Bohlen und Halbach, née Princess of Hohenzollern (daughter of Princess Birgitta) and her husband Eckbert von Bohlen und Halbach 
• Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld 
• Baron Carl Silfverschiöld and Baroness Maria Silfverschiöld (son and daughter-in-law of the former) 
• Baroness Christina Louise De Geer and Baron Hans De Geer (daughter and son-in-law of Princess Désirée) 
• Baron Ian De Geer (grandchild of Princess Desirée) 
• Baroness Hélène Silfverschiöld and her partner Fredrik Diterle (the former the youngest daughter of Princess Désirée) 
• Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson and Tord Magnuson 
• Gustaf Magnuson and Vicky Andrén (son of Princess Christina; his partner) 
• Oscar Magnuson and Emma Magnuson (son of Princess Christina; his wife) 
• Victor Magnuson and Frida Bergström (son of Princess Christina; his partner) 
• Countess Marianne Bernadotte af Wisborg (widow of Count Sigvard Bernadotte af Wisborg, born Prince of Sweden) 
• Countess Gunnila Bernadotte af Wisborg (widow of Count Carl Johan Bernadotte af Wisborg, born Prince of Sweden) 
• Count Bertil Bernadotte af Wisborg and Countess Jill Bernadotte af Wisborg (the former a grandson of Prince Oscar Bernadotte, born Prince of Sweden) 
• Dagmar von Arbin (a granddaughter of Prince Oscar Bernadotte)

Belgium

• HRH Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant and HRH Princess Mathilde

Denmark

• HM Queen Margrethe II and HRH Prince Henrik 
• HRH Crown Prince Frederik and HRH Crown Princess Mary

Finland

• HE President Sauli Niinistö and his wife Jenni Haukio

Iceland

• Dorrit Moussaieff (wife of President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson)

Luxembourg

• HRH Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and his fiancée Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy

The Netherlands

• HRH The Prince of Orange (Willem-Alexander) and HRH Princess Máxima

Norway

• HRH Crown Prince Haakon (HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit had an engagement in the USA) 
• Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn

In addition numerous members of the families of Queen Silvia and Prince Daniel besides representatives of the official Sweden. Not included in the official guest list, but very much present and well covered by the media and the royalty watchers, were Prince Carl Philip's partner Sofia Hellqvist and Princess Madeleine's partner Chris O'Neill.

Interestingly enough it appeared that King Carl Gustaf had bestowed upon Princess Estelle the Royal Order of the Seraphim.  The arms and monogram of Princess Estelle (see images above) were also published. The four quarters of the arms show the lesser coat of arms of Sweden (field 1 and 4), the arms of Folkunga (field 2) and in field 3 the arms of Östergötland (Princess Estelle is Duchess of Östergötland), while the inescutcheon shows the arms of the House of Bernadotte. The arms are crowned by the princess crown. The monogram consists of the initial E and a princess crown above. The heraldic artist Vladimir A. Sagerlund has designed both the arms and the monogram, which were approved by the king.

New personal flags for the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge for use in Canada

In connection with the ongoing visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Canada, two new royal flags created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority and approved by HM Queen Elizabeth II, were unveiled.

The Governor General of Canada, Rt.Hon. David Johnston was pleased with the unveiling, and gave the following statement at the official website:

These new flags created for The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge are magnificent expressions of our constitutional monarchy and heritage. [...] As we prepare to welcome Their Royal Highnesses to experience this marvelous country, I am sure that many Canadians will take great interest in these new emblems. As head of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, I am delighted with the work of our Canadian heralds in preparing these designs.

According to the information provided by the Office of the Governor General, the two new flags are based on HM The Queen's personal flag for use in Canada (image 3), which uses the Royal Arms of Canada as its basis. Since the flag was adopted in 1962, Her Majesty has been the only member to have a flag for use in Canada.

According to the fact sheet on the personal flags presented this week, the designs were - as already stated - developed by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, "working with the households of Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge". The personal heraldic flags are used during travelling in Canada.

The new flag of the Prince of Wales (image 1) is described as follows: "The flag bears a blue roundel within a wreath of golden maple leaves for Canada. The centre features the badge commonly known as The Prince of Wales's feathers, used by the heir apparent to the Sovereign. Near the top of the flag is the traditional heraldic mark of an eldest male child, the three-point white label."

The new flag of the Duke of Cambridge (image 2): "The flag bears a blue roundel within a wreath of golden maple leaves for Canada, and of shells, a symbol borrowed from his coat of arms. The centre features his Cypher, composed of the letter "W" with a coronet above it that indicates he is the child of the heir apparent to the Sovereign. Near the top of the flag is the personal three-point white label charged with a red shell, taken from his coat of arms."

The flag of HM The Queen (image 3): "The flag bears a blue roundel within a wreath of roses in gold. The centre features her Cypher, composed of the letter 'E' with the Royal Crown above it, also in gold."

All the flags use the Royal Arms of Canada, in banner form, as their basis.