The College of Arms was founded in 1484 and has since then created and maintained official registers of coats of arms and pedigrees. The heralds who make up the College are members of the Royal Household and act under Crown Authority. Central activities include: the granting of new coats of arms; the registration of family trees; genealogical and heraldic research; advising central and local government, corporate bodies, and private individuals on all aspects of heraldry. The College is also the authority for matters relating to the flying of flags, and holds the only official registers of flags for the UK and much of the Commonwealth. In addition to the official records created by the College, the archive also holds some seven thousand other manuscript volumes, and a similar number of unbound manuscripts, which have been deposited at the College or acquired by it over the centuries. These collections include working papers derived from the heraldic and genealogical practices of past heralds. Other significant holdings include the Arundel Manuscripts, primarily medieval chronicles and histories, and a large collection of manuscript pedigrees in roll form, dating from the medieval period onwards. Online exhibitions on this website give a useful overview of some of the College's holdings. The College maintains a large library of printed books.