The Accedens of Armory (1562), by the London draper Gerard Legh, is a treatise on the rules, design, and interpretation of Elizabethan heraldry. For Legh, heraldry is the visual representation of âgentilnesâ, and his book often digresses to explore topics such as the legendary origins of coats of arms and heralds, the heraldic display of women, the history of the Nine Worthies, or the regulation of clothing at the funerals of armigerous men. This edition explores not only the development of the printed text, but also Leghâs life, his sources and literary context, and the influence of the Accedens on heraldic practice.
Richard J. Moll, Ph.D. (1999), University of Toronto, is a professor of English literature at the University of Western Ontario. His research explores chivalric culture and textual studies. His publications include studies and editions of Arthurian literature and numerous late-medieval heraldic texts.
This book will be especially relevant to academics of late-medieval and early-modern chivalric culture. Heraldry enthusiasts will also find the book interesting.