Matthew James Taylor
| Matthew James Taylor | |
|---|---|
| GreiiN:230 | |
 Emblazoned by Philip Tibbets | |
| Assumed | 2021 |
| Country of Origin | Scotland |
| Tradition | Scottish heraldry |
| Issuing Authority | Court of Lord Lyon (2021) |
| Aliases | Matthew (Sco/UK)#0159 @semperadiuvans @semperadiuvans |
- Escutcheon
- Argent a saltire engrailed sable, between in chief an open book proper and in base a heart gules.
- Crest
- A demi wolf proper holding a cross crosslet fitchee in sinister bend gules
- Coronet
- A wreath of liveries
- Helm
- Above the shield is placed an helm befitting his degree
- Mantling
- Sable doubled argent
- Motto
- In an Escrol over the crest "Ex Cruce Vita"
Grant of Arms
The grant of arms is pending the presentation of the Letters Patent to the armiger.
Symbolism
Following Scottish heraldic custom, the arms have to mirror those of the Taylor "stem" design. The stem would be "argent between two hearts in chief and base a saltire sable". As such, the significance of the arms is found in the deviation from this stem pattern. The engrailed line of the saltire is a reference to the arms of His Eminence The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Thomas Wolsey, a 16th Century English Cardinal whose arms are used by The Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral Church of Christ in Oxford of the Foundation of King Henry the Eighth, commonly called Christ Church or Aedes Christi, the alma mater of the armiger. The connection to the arms of Wolsey is that, whilst the arms of the armiger contain a saltire engrailed sable upon an argent field, the arms of Wolsey contain a cross argent upon a sable field.
The substitution of the stem arms inclusion of a heart gules in chief with an open book proper is the most substantial deviation from the stem design, authorised by Lord Lyon as an alternative to "filling" the remaining spaces to the sinister and dexter of the saltire. The choice of a book for such a charge rests upon various intended messages. The book standing upon its own may represent the pursuit of knowledge which was driving factor in the youth of the armiger, the love of literature and the habit of reading which is the clearest similarity in life and habit between the armiger and his father or the pursuit of a life in accordance with the Holy Bible. In pairing with the heart, one may see the balance between truth and compassion in one's relation with others, the balance between intellect and emotion in managing one's thoughts or the conformity of the self to objective truth.
The crest is a reflection of that used by Clan Tailyour, which presently lacks a Clan Chief, upon a wreath sable and argent a human hand proper bearing a Latin cross gules. The shift from a human hand to a demi wolf is the most significant difference between the two crests. This was at the request of the armiger who finds wolves to be the most noble of beasts and whose social structures, particularly in the contrast between the common misconception of the Alpha/Beta structure and the reality of a family-based hierarchy, provide an example for meditation for one's place in society, particularly in combat and competition, the traditional domains of heraldry. The adjustment from a Latin cross to a cross crosslet fitchee in sinister bend was by the suggestion of the Lord Lyon, who therein intended to convey that the wolf stood mere moments away from plunging the cross into the earth.
The motto "ex cruce vita" is a simple reflection of that of Clan Tailyour, "in cruce salus". Both are affirmations of a crucicentric Christian faith.
Badge
| Badge of Matthew James Taylor | |
|---|---|
 Emblazoned by Phillip Tibbets |
Blazon: Within a circlet argent bearing the motto sable "EX CRUCE VITA", the crest of the armiger being "on a wreath of liveries is set for a crest a demi wolf proper holding a cross crosslet fitchee in sinister bend gules" displayed with all metals displayed as argent and all colours as sable.
