Heraldry is the practice of devising, granting, displaying, describing

Transcription

Heraldry is the practice of devising, granting, displaying, describing, and recording coats of arms and heraldic
badges. Officers of arms (Kings of Arms, Heralds and Pursuviants) practice heraldry and also rule on questions
of rank or protocol.
The origins of heraldry stretch back into ancient times. Warriors often decorated their
shields with patterns and mythological motifs. Army units of the Roman Empire were
identified by the distinctive markings on their shields (see left). These were not heraldic in
the medieval sense, as they were associated with military units, not individuals or families.
Truly heraldic devices seem to have been first used in Carolingian times. Seals and banners
confirm that they were being used in the Flemish area of Europe during the reign of
Charlemagne (768–814 AD).
The emergence of heraldry as we know it today was linked to the need to distinguish
articipants quickly and easily in combat. Distinguishing devices were used on surcoats
("coats of arms"), shields, and caparisoned horses, and it would have been natural for
knights to use the same devices as those already used on their banners and seals. A formal
system of rules developed into ever more complex forms of heraldry to ensure that each knight's arms were
unique (at least within the same jurisdiction).
The system of blazoning arms that is used in English-speaking countries today was developed by the officers of
arms in the Middle Ages. This includes a stylised description of the escutcheon (shield), the crest, and, if present,
supporters, mottoes, and other insignia. The language is an anglicised version of Norman French and does not
always match modern heraldic French: for example the colour green is called Vert in heraldic English, but
sinople in heraldic French.
Although heraldry is nearly 900 years old, it is still in use. Many cities and towns in Europe and around the
world make use of arms. Personal heraldry, both legally protected and lawfully assumed, has continued to be
used around the world.
Certain heraldic rules apply, the most important of which is the Rule of Tincture. This prohibits certain colour
combinations, as described below. Understanding these rules is a key to the art of heraldry. Rules and
terminology differ from country to country. Several national styles had developed by the end of the Middle
Ages, but some aspects carry over internationally.
The Arms of Luxembourg
The Arms of Canada
Shield and Lozenge
Escutcheon
In heraldry, an escutcheon, or scutcheon, is the shield displayed in a coat of arms. The
escutcheon shape is based on the Medieval shields that were used by knights in combat. The
shape varied from region to region and over time.
The shield is used in heraldry not only for men but corporate bodies: city corporations,
universities and schools, companies, churches and for various official offices.
As women did not go to war, they did not bear a shield. Instead, their arms were shown on a
lozenge — a rhombus standing on one of its acute corners or a cartouche. This continues in
much of the world, though some heraldic authorities, notably Scotland, uses ovals for
women's arms. In England, Scotland and Ireland, women may, in certain circumstances,
display their arms on a shield. In Canada, the restriction against women's bearing arms on a
shield has been abrogated. Noncombatant clergy also have used the lozenge and the cartouche
or an oval for their armorial display.
The Arms of
Robert Courtney JP
Or between three torteaux a chevron
conjoined to a bordure sable
charged with eight fusils Or.
The Arms of
Mrs Robert Courtney
Or between three torteaux a chevron conjoined
to a bordure sable
Arms reproduced by kind permission of Robert Charles Hearson Courtney JP, and Geoff
Kingman-Sugars of the International Association of Amateur Heralds
The following are the points of the shield used in blazons to describe where a charge should
be drawn:
1 - Dexter Chief
2 - Middle Chief
3 - Sinister Chief
4 - Dexter Base
5 - Middle Base
6 - Sinister Base
7 - Honour Point
8- Fess Point
9 - Nombril Point
Inescutcheon
An inescutcheon is a smaller shield that is shown within or superimposed over the main
shield. This may be used for heraldic style, in pretence (to bear another's arms over one's
own), to bear one's own personal arms over the territorial arms of one's domains, as an
augmentation of honour, or as a simple charge.
Inescutcheons may also be used to bear another's arms in "pretence", In English Heraldry the
husband of a heraldic heiress - a woman without any brothers - may place her father's arms in
an escutcheon of pretence in the centre of his own shield as a claim ("pretence") to be the
head of his wife's family. In the next generation the arms would then be quartered. (Normally
the arms of the wife would be impaled with those of the husband a convention known as
Baron and Femme).
In similar fashion, one may bear one's own arms inescutcheon en
surtout over the territorial arms of his/her domains, such as in the
arms of the Danish Royal Family, the greater coat of arms of
Sweden, or the arms of the Commonwealth of England 1649-1660.
On the right are the arms of George IV His arms, when King,
were: Quarterly, I and IV Gules three lions passant guardant in
pale Or (for England); II Or a lion rampant within a tressure florycounter-flory Gules (for Scotland); III Azure a harp Or stringed
Argent (for Ireland); overall an inescutcheon tierced in pairle reversed (for Hanover), I Gules
two lions passant guardant Or (for Brunswick), II Or a semy of hearts Gules a lion rampant
Azure (for Lüneburg), III Gules a horse courant Argent (for Westfalen), the whole
inescutcheon surmounted by a crown.
Inescutcheons also appear in personal and civic armory as simple common charges, such as in
the arms of Portugal or the Swedish Collegium of Arms which bears the three crowns of
Sweden, each upon its own escutcheon within the field of the main shield
The arms of Uganda on a traditional Ugandan shield
Arms of the Earl Spencer
(artwork courtesy of Wikipedia)
The arms of Lady Diana Spencer - before her marriage to Prince Charles - displayed on a
Lozenge
A new coat of arms was granted to Kate Middleton's father shortly before her marriage to
Prince William in 2011. Up until her marriage both Kate and her sister were entitled to bear a
version of the arms shown below, the lozenge shows that the arms belong to a woman and the
blue ribbon indicates that she was then unmarried. The formal "blazon" is Per pale Azure and
Gules a Chevron Or cotised Argent between three Acorns slipped and leaved Or.
Per Pale means that the Shield is divided vertically with one half blue (Azure) and the other
half red (Gules). A Chevron Or means the gold chevron across the centre of the Shield. There
are cotises either side of the chevron which are white (Argent). Slipped means "with a stalk"
so the final part of the blazon means three acorns with gold stalks and leaves.
This curved octagon is a lozenge adapted to provide an area in which it is easier to arrange the
charges
The original arms of Baroness Thatcher: Per chevron, Azure and Gules. A double key in
chief between two lions combatant; a tower with portcullis in base, all Or.. Crest. A Baron's
coronet. Motto:.Cherish Freedom. Supporters: Dexter: An admiral of the British Navy.
Sinister: Sir Isaac Newton, both proper.
The Arms of the State of Alabama in the USA incorporating the emblems of the five
governments that have held power over Alabama. In the first quarter (pre-Revolutionary)
France, in the second the arms of castile and Leon representing Spain, in the third the United
Kingdom, and in the fourth the Confederacy with an inescutcheon representing the United
States. The shield is supported by bald eagles. The crest is a ship, like the ones used by the
French colonists who settled near present-day Mobile. The motto, written on a yellow ribbon
at the bottom, reads, "Audemus jura nostra defendere." - " We Dare To Defend Our Rights"
Tincture
Tinctures are the colours and patterns used in heraldry. In heraldic terms they are divided into
standard "colours", "metals", and "furs". The Petra Sancta method was created in 1638 to
render colors in black and white images of coats of arms: tinctures are indicated by a hatching
convention as shown below, where the dexter half of the shield is coloured and the sinister
half hatched to denote the same colour.
Gules
(red)
Azure
(blue)
Vert
(green)
Purpure
(purple)
Sable
(black)
Two "metals" are also used:Or and Argent.
A new colour, Bleu-celeste, was introduced in the twentieth century
Or
(gold)
Argent
(silver)
Bleu-celeste
(sky-blue)
Furs: Certain patterns called "furs" appear in coats of arms. They are defined as tinctures, not
patterns. The two common furs are ermine and vair. Ermine represents the winter coat of the
stoat, which is white with a black tail. Vair represents a kind of squirrel with a blue-gray back
and white belly. Sewn together, it forms a
pattern of alternating blue and white shapes.
Ermine
Ermines
Erminois
Pean
Vair
Countervair
Potent
Counterpotent
Vair and Potent are common: Countervair and Counterpotent relatively rare.
A number of other colours, called stains are used, but are much less common, notably,
Sanguine (blood-red)
Murrey (mulberry)
Tenné (burnt-orange)
These are only occasionally found, typically for special purposes - for example many air
forces use Bleu-celeste (sky blue).
Heraldic charges can be displayed in their natural colours. The depiction
of charges in their natural colours or "proper" are also regarded as
tinctures. Many natural items such as plants and animals are described as
proper in this case. A mermaid proper will therefore have a flesh
coloured upper body and scaly lower body - as on the left.
Proper charges are very frequent as crests and supporters.
The Rule of Tincture
Heraldry is essentially a system of identification, so the most
important convention of heraldry is the rule of tincture. To
provide for contrast and visibility, metals must never be
placed on metals, and colours must never be placed on
colours.
Where a charge overlies a partition of the field, the rule does
not apply. In fact it does not apply in many specific cases
(arms divided per pale, impaled arms, brisures). Nor does the
rule apply to furs.
tincture
There are also special exceptions to the rule
of tinctures - generally for powerful individuals who wish to emphasize that
ordinary worldly rules do not apply to them - usually using the two "metals"
- for example the arms of the medieval kingdom of Jerusalem, consisting of
gold crosses on a silver background (left) or the arms of the office of Roman
Catholic pope (above). Arms attributed to Satan also break the rule of
by having green frogs on a red background.
Example of a simple blazon, just one word "Ermine",
the arms of Brittany
(reproduced here by courtesy of Wikipedia)
Arms of the King of Jerusalem -gold on silver - breaking the Rule of Tinctures
The King of Jerusalem wearing his coat of arms
Winstanton, vel Wistaston
Ermine, three escallopes Argent
An example illustrating that
the rule of Tincture does not apply to furs
(Armorial Bearings in The Cheshire Visitations
exemplified by Martin S. J. Goldstraw
and reproduced here with his kind permission).
Divisions of the Field
The simplest possible arms consist of a plain field. One example are the
arms of Termes family in the Languedoc, whose arms were plain red - in
heraldic language the full blazon is "Gules". As there are clearly a limited
number of possibilities for such arms, many include charges to
"difference" them.
Another way of creating more variations is to vary the field. The field can be divided into
more than one tincture. Many coats of arms consist simply of a division of the field into two
contrasting tinctures. These are considered divisions of a shield, so the rule of tincture does
not apply. For example, a shield divided Azure and Gules would be perfectly acceptable.
party per pale
party per fess
quarterly
party per bend sinister
party per bend
per saltire
tierced per pall
tierced per pall reversed
tierced per pale
party per chevron
gyrony of 8
gyrony of 12
A line of partition may be straight or it may be varied. The variations of partition lines can be
wavy, indented, embattled, engrailed, nebuly, or other forms.
per fess embattled
per fess nebuly
per fess engrailed
per fess potenty
per fess dovetailed
per fess invected
per fess wavy
per fess indented
Arms of Jean Lovell de Tichmersh
Barry nebuly of six Gules and Or
The Arms of William de Ferrers,
Earl of Derby , Count of Ferrers
Vairy Or and Gules
Arms of the Swiss Canton of Soleure
The Arms of the Swiss Canton of Friburg
The Arms of Malta
The Arms of Robert de Vere,Earl of Oxford
Quarterly Or and Gules
in the first quarter a mullet Argent
Variations of the field
The field of a shield, or less often a charge or crest, is sometimes made up of a pattern of
colours, or variation. A pattern of horizontal (barwise) stripes, for example, is called barry,
while a pattern of Vertical (palewise) stripes is called paly. A pattern of diagonal stripes may
be called bendy or bendy sinister, depending on the direction of the stripes. In each case, there
are always an even number of stripes, half of one colour and half of the other. (cf palets, bars
and bendlets)
Other variations include chevrony, gyronny and chequy.
paly of 6
paly of 8
Barry of 4
Barry of 8
Barry of 10
chequy
lozengy
fusilly
bendy of 6
fretty
Goutty (Semé of Gouttes)
Semé of roses
Semé of fleur de lys
Semé of fleur de lys
Most small charges can be depicted as semé, e.g. semé of roses, semé of estoiles, and so forth.
In English heraldry, several types of small charges have special terms to refer to their state as
semé:
semé of cross-crosslets: crusily
semé of fleurs-de-lis: semé-de-lis
semé of bezants: bezanté
semé of plates: platé
semé of billets: billeté
semé of annulets: annulletty
semé of sparks: étincellé;
semé of guttae: gouttée.
semé of torteaux (roundels gules): tortelly
In European heraldry fields are sometimes blazoned as Papelonny, which represents fish
scales. The term may be written Papelonne, Papilone, or Pampillettée.
Gules
Papelonny d'Argent
Papelonny
Sable and Argent
Papelonny reversed
Gules and Argent
Other rare variations of the field include
•
•
•
•
A field "masoned" shows a pattern like that of a brick wall. This can be "proper" or of a
named tincture. The tincture of the stones is named first, then that of the cracks between
the stones: a wall of red bricks with white mortar is thus gules masoned argent.
A field Plumeté is covered in a pattern representing feathers.
A field tapissé of wheat is entirely covered by an interlocking stylised pattern looking like a
wheat field
A Honeycomb field consisting of hexagons.
Or Masoned Gules
Plumeté
the lower part of the field
is tapissé of wheat
Variations of the field are sometimes combined to produce patterns of barry-bendy, palybendy, lozengy and fusilly Semés, or patterns of repeated charges, are also considered
variations of the field.
Barry-Bendy
Paly-Bendy
The Rule of tincture applies to all semés and variations of the field.
Diapering (covering areas of flat colour with a tracery design when
depicting arms) is not considered a variation of the field; it is not specified
in blazon, being a decision of the individual artist. A coat depicted with
diapering is considered the same as a coat drawn from the same blazon but
depicted without diapering. (Although there are Scottish examples where
the diapering is included in the blazon)
William de Bishopstone
Bendy of six Or and Sable
(reproduced here by courtesy of Brian Timms)
The Arms of Monaco: Fusily Argent and Gules
supported by two armed and bearded monks
The Arms of Saxe
Theobald de Verdun
Or fretty Gules
Piers de Coudray
Gules billetty Or
Roger la Zouche
Gules bezanty
Hugh de Escot
Sable semy of escallops Or
John de Lillebon
Per pale Argent and Sable a chevron counterchanged
Ordinaries & Subordinaries
In the early days of heraldry, very simple bold rectilinear shapes were painted on shields.
These could be easily recognized at a long distance and could be easily remembered. They
therefore served the main purpose of heraldry—identification. As more complicated shields
came into use, these bold shapes were set apart in a separate class as the "honourable
ordinaries."
Some heraldic writers distinguish between "honourable ordinaries" and "sub-ordinaries".
While some authors hold that only nine charges are "honourable" ordinaries, exactly which
ones fit into this category is a subject of constant disagreement. The remainder are often
termed "sub-ordinaries", and narrower or smaller versions of the ordinaries are called
diminutives.
One herald says: "The first Honourable Ordinary is the cross," the second is the chief, the
third is the pale, the fourth is the bend, the fifth is the fess, the sixth is the inescutcheon, the
seventh is the chevron, the eighth is the saltire, and the ninth is the bar, while stating that
"some writers" prefer the bordure as the ninth ordinary.
cross
chief
pale
bend
bend sinister
fess
inescutcheon
saltire
chevron
bordure
They act as charges and are always written first in blazon. Unless otherwise specified they
extend to the edges of the field. Other ordinaries are shown below
Most of the ordinaries have corresponding diminutives, narrower versions, most often
mentioned when two or more appear in parallel. In English heraldry they have different names
such as pallets, bars, bendlets, and chevronels.
Argent
two pallets Gules
Argent
four pallets Gules
Argent
a bendlet Gules
Argent
two bars Gules
Argent
three bars Gules
Argent
two bendlets Gules
Gules
two bars Argent
Gules
three bars Argent
Argent
three bendlets Gules
Argent
three chevronels Gules
Gules
three bendlets Argent
Argent
four bendlets Gules
French blazon makes no such distinction between these diminutives and the ordinaries when
borne singly. Unless otherwise specified an ordinary is drawn with straight lines, but each
may be indented, embattled, wavy, engrailed, or otherwise have their lines varied.
An easy mistake is to confuse arms featuring pallets, bars or bendlets with (respectively) paly,
Barry and bendy arms. The former always have an odd number of stripes and the latter an
even number. The former are stripes of one colour on top of a field of another colour. The
later are alternating coloured stripes.
Argent
two bars Gules
Barry of 4
Argent and Gules
Argent
four pallets Gules
paly of 8
Argent and Gules
Argent
three bendlets Gules
bendy of 6
Argent and Gules
"Azure, a bend Or"
Arms over which the families of Scrope and Grosvenor fought a famous legal battle which
established that arms must be unique within a jurisdiction
The Arms of Rossillon
The Arms of Savoie
Arms of John de Mohun
Arms of Neville
Arms of Ralf Stafford
Arms of Fenton Of That Ilk
Arms of Vavassor
The Arms of Cardinal Richelieu
Subordinaries
There is a separate class of charges called sub-ordinaries which are of a geometrical shape
subordinate to the ordinary.
pall
Pall Reversed
flaunches
a quarter
a canton
a pile
a 5 point label
a lozenge
a pile reversed
a gyron
A rustre
ente en pointe
An orle
a tressure
a double tressure
a fillet pile
a fillet pile reversed
The quarter is a rectangle occupying the top left quarter of the field, as seen by the viewer.
The canton is a square occupying the left third of the chief (sometimes reckoned to be a
diminutive of the quarter).
The bordure is a border touching the edge of the field. The orle may be considered an inner
bordure: a reasonably wide band away from the edge of the shield, it is always shown
following the shape of the shield, without touching the edges. The tressure is a narrower
version of the orle, rarely seen except in the double tressure flory and counter-flory, an
element of the royal coat of arms of Scotland and of many other Scots coats.
The fret originally consisted of three bendlets interlaced with three bendlets sinister; Other
depictions form the outer bendlets into a mascle through which the two remaining bendlets
are woven.
Flaunches, flanches or flasks are regions on the sides of the field, bounded by a pair of
circular arcs whose centres are beyond the sides of the shield.
A label is a horizontal strap, with a number of pendants (called points) suspended from it; the
default is three, but any number may be specified. The label is nearly always a mark of
cadency in British and French heraldry, but is occasionally found as a regular charge.
"Or, a lion rampant within a double tressure flory counter-flory Gules" - the blazon of the
arms of Scotland.
The coat of Arms of the village of
Rennes-le-Château in France
Azur a bordure Or
Roger Pichard
Argent three lozenges Sable
Charges
A charge is any object or figure placed on a heraldic shield or on any other object of an
armorial composition. Any object found in nature or technology may appear as a heraldic
charge in armory. Charges can be animals, objects, or geometric shapes.
Apart from the ordinaries, the most frequent charges are the cross—with its hundreds of
variations—and the lion and eagle. Other common animals are stags, wild boar, martlets, and
fish. Dragons, bats, unicorns, griffins, and more exotic monsters appear as charges and as
supporters.
Animals are found in various stereotyped positions or 'attitudes'. Quadrupeds can often be
found rampant—standing on the left hind foot. Another frequent position is passant, or
walking, like the lions of the coat of arms of England. Eagles are almost always shown with
their wings spread, or displayed.
In English heraldry the crescent, mullet, martlet, annulet, fleur-de-lis, and rose may be added
to a shield to distinguish cadet branches of a family from the senior line. These cadency marks
are usually shown smaller than normal charges, but it still does not follow that a shield
containing such a charge belongs to a cadet branch. All of these charges occur frequently in
basic undifferenced coats of arms.
The term charge can also be used as a verb; for example, if an escutcheon bears three lions,
then it is said to be charged with three lions; similarly, a crest or even a charge itself may be
"charged", such as a pair of eagle wings charged with trefoils (e.g. Coat of arms of
Brandenburg).
So-called mobile charges are not tied to the size and shape of the shield, and so may be placed
in any part of the field, although whenever a charge appears alone, it is placed with sufficient
position and size to occupy the entire field. Common mobile charges include human figures,
human parts, animals, animal parts, mythical creatures (or "monsters"), plants and floral
designs, inanimate objects and other devices. The heraldic animals need not exactly resemble
the actual creatures.
The escutcheon is a small shield. If borne singly in the centre of the main
shield, it is called an inescutcheon, and is usually employed to combine
multiple coats. It is customarily the same shape as the shield it is on,
though shields of specific shapes are rarely specified in the
blazon.
The lozenge is a rhombus generally resembling the diamonds of playingcards. A more acute lozenge is called a fusil. A lozenge voided (i.e. with a
lozenge-shaped hole) is a mascle; a lozenge pierced (i.e. with a round hole) is
a rustre.
The billet is a rectangle, usually at least twice as tall as it is wide; it may
represent a block of wood or a sheet of paper. Billets appear in the shield
of the house of Nassau, which was modified to become that of the
kingdom of the Netherlands.
The roundel is a solid circle, frequently of gold, though it can be of any
colour. Roundels have their own special names depending on the colour, as shown below.
three bezants
three plates
three hurts
three torteaux
three pellets
three pommes
three golpes
three fountains
A fountain is a roundel Barry wavy Argent and Azure.
An annulet is a roundel voided (literally. a little ring).
The arms on the right are those of Courville-sur-Eure
with ten annulets.
Several other simple charges occur with comparable
frequency. These include the mullet or star, crescent and
cross.
The mullet (or mollet) is a star of (usually five) straight rays, and may have originated as a
representation of the rowel or revel of a spur (although "spur-revels" also appear under that
name). Mullets frequently appear pierced. If unpierced, it is sometimes called a "star" in
Scottish heraldry, and stars also appear in English and continental heraldry under that name
(often with six points).
Five mullets of six points Or
pierced of the field
a rustre
3 mascles
A star with (usually six) wavy rays is called an estoile (from etoile, the
French word for "star").
The crescent, a symbol of the Moon, normally appears with its horns
upward; if its horns are to Dexter it represents a waxing moon (increscent),
and with horns to sinister it represents a waning moon (decrescent).
One of the most frequently found charges in heraldry, if not the most, is the cross, which has
developed into, some say, 400 varieties. When the cross does not reach the edges of the field,
it becomes a mobile charge. The plain Greek cross (with equal limbs) and Latin cross (with
the lower limb extended) are sometimes seen, but more often the tip of each limb is developed
into some ornamental shape. The most commonly found crosses in heraldry are shown below.
greek cross
cross-moline
cross-patonce
cross-flory
cross pommee
cross-crosslet
cross-potent
saltire
cross voided
cross fourchee
cross pattee
maltese cross
cross bottony
In English heraldry the crescent, mullet, martlet, annulet, fleur-de-lis and rose may be added
to a shield to distinguish cadet branches of a family from the senior line. It does not follow,
however, that a shield containing such a charge belongs to a cadet branch. All of these
charges occur frequently in basic (undifferenced) coats of arms.
Humans, deities, angels and demons occur more often as crests and supporters than on the
shield. When humans do appear on the shield, they almost always appear affronté (facing
forward), rather than toward the left like beasts. The largest group of human charges consists
of saints, often as the patron of a town. Knights, bishops, monks and nuns, kings and queens
also occur frequently. .
Greco-Roman mythological figures typically appear in an allegorical or canting role. Angels
very frequently appear.
Parts of human bodies occur more often than the whole,
particularly heads, stylized hearts, hands, torso and
armored limbs. A famous heraldic hand is the Red Hand
of Ulster, alluding to an ancient myth. According to one
version, the kingdom of Ulster had at one time no
rightful heir. Because of this it was agreed that a boat race
should take place and that "whosoever's hand is the first to
touch the shore of Ulster, so shall he be made the king". One candidate so
desired Ulster that, upon seeing that he was losing the race, he cut off his hand and threw it to
the shore — thus winning the kingship. The hand is most likely red to represent the fact that it
would have been covered in blood. According to some versions of the story, the king who cut
off his hand belonged to the Uí Néill clan, which apparently explains its association with them
- the red hand is the ancient arms of the O'Neil and appears as an escutcheon on the arms of
Ulster.
Plants are common in heraldry and figure among the earliest charges. Trees also appear in
heraldry; the most frequent tree by far is the oak (drawn with large leaves and acorns),
followed by the pine. Apples and bunches of grapes occur very frequently, other fruits less so.
The most famous heraldic flower (particularly in French heraldry) is the fleur-de-lis, which is
often stated to be a stylised lily, though despite the name there is considerable debate on this.
The "natural" lily, somewhat stylised, also occurs, as (together with the fleur-de-lis) in the
arms of Eton College. The rose is perhaps even more widely seen in English heraldry than the
fleur-de-lis. Its heraldic form is derived from the "wild" type with only five petals. The thistle
frequently appears as a symbol of Scotland.
The trefoil, quatrefoil and cinquefoil are abstract forms resembling flowers or leaves. The
trefoil is always shown slipped (i.e. with a stem), unless blazoned otherwise. The cinquefoil is
sometimes blazoned fraise (strawberry flower), most notably when canting for Fraser. The
trillium flower occurs occasionally in a Canadian context, and the protea flower constantly
appears in South Africa, since it is the national flower symbol, the South African cricket team
sometimes being called the Proteas.
Wheat occurs in the form of "garbs" or sheaves and in fields , though less often as ears- all of
which are shown unwhiskered. Ears of rye are depicted exactly as wheat, except the ears
droop down and is probably best shown as whiskered. Barley, maize and oats also occur.
Few inanimate objects in heraldry carry a special significance distinct from
that of the object itself, but among such objects are the escarbuncle, the
fasces, and the key. The escarbuncle developed from the radiating iron
bands used to strengthen a round shield, eventually becoming a heraldic
charge.
The fasces (not to be confused with the French term for a bar or fess) is
emblematic of the Roman magisterial office and has often been granted to
mayors. Keys (taking a form similar to a "skeleton key") are emblematic of
Saint Peter and, by extension, the papacy, and thus frequently appear in
ecclesiastical heraldry.
The sun "in his splendour" is a disc with twelve or more
wavy rays, or alternating wavy and straight rays, as shown
on the left. It appears in the arms of Brady (also shown
left): . "Sable, in the sinister base a Dexter hand couped at
the wrist proper pointing with index finger to the sun in
splendour in Dexter chief Or".
The moon "in
her plenitude" (full) sometimes appears, distinguished from a
roundel Argent by having a face; but crescents occur much more frequently. Estoiles are stars
with six wavy rays, while stars (when they occur under that name) normally have five straight
rays, being the same as the mullet. Clouds often occur, though more frequently for people or
animals to stand on or issue from than as isolated charges. The raindrop as such is unknown,
though a drop of fluid (goutte) is known. These occasionally appear as a charge, but more
frequently constitute a field semé (known as goutté).
The oldest geological charge is the mount, typically a green hilltop rising from the lower edge
of the field, providing a place for a beast, building or tree to stand.. Natural mountains and
boulders are not unknown, though ranges of mountains are differently shown. An example is
the arms of Edinburgh, portraying Edinburgh Castle atop Castle Rock. Volcanos are shown,
almost without exception, as erupting, and the eruption is generally stylised. In the 18th
century, landscapes began to appear in armoury, often depicting the sites of battles. For
example, Admiral Lord Nelson received a chief of augmentation containing a landscape
alluding to the Battle of the Nile.
The most frequent building in heraldry is the tower, a tapering cylinder of masonry topped
with battlements, usually having a door and a few windows. The canting arms of the Kingdom
of Castile are Gules, a tower triple-towered Or (i.e. three small towers standing atop a larger
one). A castle is generally shown as two towers joined by a wall, though sometimes as a wall
with two towers; the doorway is sometimes blazoned to be shown secured by a portcullis. The
portcullis was used as a canting badge by the Tudors ("two-doors"), and has since come to
represent the British Parliament.
As an ordinary chess-rook would be indistinguishable from a tower; the
heraldic chess rook, instead of battlements, has two outward-splayed
"horns".
Civic and ecclesiastical armory sometimes shows a church or a whole town,
and cities, towns and Scots burghs often bear a mural crown (a crown in the
form of a wall with battlements or turrets) in place of a crown over the
shield. Ships of various types often appear; the most frequent being the ancient galley often
called, from the Gaelic, a lymphad. Also frequent are anchors and oars.
The maunch is a medieval lappeted sleeve, some highly stylized, and looking quite unlike a
sleeve and more like a fancifully-written letter M; in French blazon it is said to be called
manche mal taillée ("a sleeve badly cut") though modern French blazons seem to be quite
happy with plain manche. Spurs also occur, sometimes "winged", but more frequently
occurring is the spur-rowel or spur-revel, which is said to more often termed a "mullet of five
points pierced" by English heralds.
Crowns and coronets of various kinds are constantly seen. The ecclesiastical hat and bishop's
mitre are nearly ubiquitous in ecclesiastical heraldry. The sword is sometimes a symbol of
authority, as in the royal arms of the Netherlands, but may also allude to Saint Paul, as the
patron of a town (e.g. London) or dedicatee of a church. Other weapons occur more often in
modern than in earlier heraldry. The mace also appears as a weapon, the war mace, in addition
to its appearance as a symbol of authority, plain mace. The globus cruciger, also variously
called an orb, a royal orb, or a mound (from French monde, Latin mundus, the world) is a ball
or globe surmounted by a cross, which is part of the regalia of an emperor or king, and is the
emblem of sovereign authority and majesty.
Books constantly occur, most frequently in the arms of colleges and universities, though the
Gospel and Bible are sometimes distinguished. Books if open may be inscribed with words.
Oxford
University
Cambridge
University
Yale
University
Birmingham University
Words and phrases are otherwise rare, except in Spanish and Portuguese armory. Letters of
the various alphabets are also relatively rare. Arms of merchants in Poland and eastern
Germany are often based on house marks, abstract symbols resembling
runes.
Musical instruments commonly seen are the harp (as in the coat of arms of
Ireland), bell and trumpet. The drum, almost without exception, is of the
field drum type.
Animals, especially lions and eagles, feature prominently as heraldic charges.
Many important differences exist between an animal's natural form and the stylized form
given to it in heraldic displays. Many of these differences are apparent in the conventional
attitudes (positions) into which heraldic animals are contorted; additionally, various parts of
an animal (claws, horns, tongue, etc.) may be differently coloured, each with its own
terminology.
Most animals are broadly classified, according to their
natural form, into beasts, birds, sea creatures and others,
and the attitudes that apply to them may be grouped
accordingly. Beasts, particularly lions, most often appear
in the rampant position; while birds, particularly the
eagle, most often appear displayed. While the lion, regarded
as the king of beasts, is by far the most frequently occurring beast in heraldry, the eagle,
equally regarded as the king of birds, is overwhelmingly the most frequently occurring bird,
and the rivalry between these two is often noted to parallel with the political rivalry between
the powers they came to represent in medieval Europe.
Other beasts frequently seen include wolf, bear, boar,
horse, bull or ox, stag. The tiger (unless blazoned as a
Bengal tiger) is a fanciful beast with a wolf-like body, a
mane and a pointed snout. Dogs of various types, and
occasionally of specific breeds, occur more often as
crests or supporters than as charges. The unicorn resembles
a horse with a single horn, but its hooves are usually cloven like those of a deer. The griffin
combines the head (but with ears), chest, wings and forelegs of the eagle with the hindquarters
and legs of a lion. The male griffin lacks wings and his body is scattered with spikes.
The bird most frequently found in coat armory, by far, is the eagle in its various forms,
including the ubiquitous eagle displayed, eagles in other poses (such as statant or rising), the
demi-eagle (an eagle displayed, shown only above the waist), the double-headed eagle of
imperial fame, and a few other forms . Eagles and their wings also feature prominently as
crests. The double eagle gained its fame in the arms of the Byzantine, Holy Roman, Austrian,
and Russian empires.
The martlet, a stylized swallow without feet, is a mark of cadency in English heraldry, but
also appears as a simple charge in undifferenced arms.
The category of sea creatures may be seen to include
various fish, a highly stylized "dolphin", and various
fanciful creatures, sea monsters, which are shown as halffish and half-beast, as well as mermaids and the like. The
"sea lion" and "sea horse", for example, do not appear as
natural sea lions and seahorses, but rather as half-lion halffish and half-horse half-fish, respectively. Fish of various
species often appear in canting arms, e.g.: pike, also called
luce, for Pike or Lucy; dolphin (a conventional kind of fish
rather than the natural mammal) for the Dauphin de Viennois.
The
escallop
(scallop shell) became popular as a token of pilgrimage to the shrine of Santiago de
Compostela. The sea-lion and sea-horse, like the mermaid, combine the foreparts of a
mammal with the tail of a fish, and a dorsal fin in place of the mane. (When the natural
seahorse is meant, it is blazoned as a hippocampus.) The sea-dog and sea-wolf are quadrupeds
but with scales, webbed feet, and often a flat tail
resembling that of the beaver.
Reptiles and invertebrates occurring in heraldry include
serpents, lizards, salamanders and others, but the most
frequently occurring of these are various forms of
dragons. The "dragon", thus termed, is a large monstrous
reptile with, often, a forked or barbed tongue, membraned
wings like a bat's, and four legs. The wyvern and lindworm are dragons with only two legs.
The salamander is typically shown as a simple lizard surrounded by flames.
Animals' heads are also very frequent charges, as are the paw or leg (gamb) of the lion, the
wing (often paired) of the eagle, and the antlers (attire) of the stag. Sometimes only the top
half of a beast is shown; for example, the demi-lion is among the most common forms
occurring in heraldic crests.
Heads may appear cabossed (also caboshed or
caboched): with the head cleanly separated from the neck
so that only the face shows. On the arms on the left are
three bulls' heads cabossed.
Alternatively they may be erased: with the neck showing
a ragged edge as if forcibly torn from the body. The arms on the right feature three griffons';
heads erased.
Finally heads may me couped, with the neck cleanly separated from the
body so that the whole head and neck are present. The arms on the right
feature three boars' heads couped.
While cabossed heads are shown facing forward (affronté), heads that are
couped or erased face Dexter unless otherwise specified for differencing.
Heads of horned beasts are often shown cabossed to display the horns, but instances can be
found in any of these circumstances.
Attitude
In heraldry, an attitude is the position in which an animal, fictional beast, mythical creature,
human or human-like being is emblazoned as a charge, supporter or crest.
The attitude, or position, of the creature's body is usually explicitly stated in English blazon.
When such description is omitted, a lion can be assumed to be rampant, a herbivore passant.
By default, the charge faces Dexter (left as seen by the viewer); this would be forward on a
shield worn on the left arm. In German heraldry, animate charges in the Dexter half of a
composite display are usually turned to face the centre.
Certain features of an animal are often of a contrasting tincture. The charge is then said to be
armed (claws and horns and tusks), langued (tongue), pizzled (penis), attired (antlers or very
occasionally horns), unguled (hooves), crined (horse's mane or human hair) of a specified
tincture.
Many attitudes apply only to predatory beasts and are exemplified by the beast most
frequently found in heraldry — the lion. Some other terms apply only to docile animals, such
as the doe. Other attitudes describe the positions of birds, mostly exemplified by the bird most
frequently found in heraldry — the eagle. Birds are often further described by the exact
position of their wings.
The term naiant (swimming), is usually reserved for fish but may also apply to swans, ducks
or geese.
One attitude, segreant, is reserved for mythical winged quadrupeds known
as griffins. It denotes an attitude which for other beasts is denoted by the
term rampant.
Additionally, there are positions applying to direction, to indicate variations
from the presumed position of any charge. Animals and animal-like
creatures are presumed to be shown in profile, facing Dexter (the viewer's
left), and humans and human-like beings are presumed to be shown affronté (facing the
viewer), unless otherwise specified in the blazon.
To sinister or contourné is said of an animal or being that is turned to face the viewer's right.
Guardant indicates an animal with its head turned to face the viewer.
Regardant indicates an animal with its head turned backward, as if looking over its shoulder.
Many attitudes commonly met with in heraldic rolls apply specifically to predatory beasts,
while others may be better suited to the docile animals.
Also worth note is that a lion or other beast may additionally be described in terms of the
position of its head, differently coloured parts (such as teeth, claws, tongue, etc.), or by the
shape or position of its tail. A beast may be "armed" (horns, teeth and claws) or "langued"
(tongue) of a tincture, while a stag may be "attired" (antlers) or "unguled" (hooves) of a
tincture. A lion (or other beast) coward carries the tail between its hind legs. The tail also may
be forked (queue fourchée) or doubled (double-queued).
A beast rampant (Old French: "rearing up") is depicted in profile standing erect with forepaws
raised. The position of the hind legs varies according to local custom: the lion may stand on
both hind legs, braced wide apart, or on only one, with the other also raised to strike; the word
rampant is sometimes omitted, especially in early blazon, as this is the most usual position of
a carnivorous quadruped. Rampant is the most frequent attitude of quadrupeds, and as
supporters they are rarely seen in any other attitude.
lion rampant
lion rampant guardant
lion rampant regardant
lion coward
lion tail fourche
lion tail saltire
A beast courant (also at speed or in full chase) is running, depicted at full
stride with all four legs in the air, as on the right.
A beast salient (Latin: saliens, "leaping" or springing) is leaping, with both
hind legs together on the ground and both forelegs together in the air, as
shown on the left.. This is a very rare position for a lion, but is also used of
other heraldic beasts. The stag and other docile animals in this position are
often termed springing. Certain smaller animals are sometimes blazoned as
saltant rather than salient.
A beast passant (Old French: "striding") walks toward the viewer's left, with the right forepaw
raised and all others on the ground. A "Lion of England" denotes a lion passant guardant Or,
used as an augmentation. For stags and other deer-like beasts of chase, the term trippant is
used instead of passant. Interestingly, French heralds have long held that any lion in a walking
position must necessarily be a "leopard" which accounts for the three lions of England being
referred to as the leopards of England although this is not the practice of English heralds.
Lion passant
lion passant guardant
lion passant regardant
A beast statant (Old French: "standing") is "standing" (in
profile toward Dexter), all four feet on the ground, usually
with the forepaws together. This posture is more frequent in
crests than in charges on shields - see for example the UK's
Royal crest on the right.
In certain animals, such as bears, this is sometimes said to
refer to an upright, bipedal position (this position usually
referred to as statant erect). While statant is used in reference
to predatory beasts, the more docile animals when in this position are sometimes blazoned at
bay, though this term hardly, if ever, appears in any reliable source. Stags statant guardant are
said to be at gaze.
Lion statant
lion statant guardant
lion statant regardant
A beast sejant or sejeant (Middle French: sejant, "sitting") sits
on his haunches, with both forepaws on the ground.. A beast
sejant erect is seated on its haunches, but with its body erect
and both forepaws raised in the "rampant" position (this is
sometimes termed "sejant-rampant").
The royal arms of Scotland feature an unusual lion sejant erect
and affronte as shown on the right. The crest is blazoned as
"Upon the Royal helm the crown of Scotland Proper, thereon a lion sejant affronté Gules
armed and langued Azure, Royally crowned Proper holding in his Dexter paw a sword and in
his sinister a sceptre, both Proper"
lion sejant
lion sejant erect
A beast couchant (Old French: "lying down") is lying down, but with the head raised. Lodged
is the term for this position when applied to the 'docile' animals and most commonly of stags
which are not necessarily to be thought of as 'docile' even if herbivorous. A beast dormant
(Old French: "sleeping") is lying down with its eyes closed and head lowered, resting upon
the forepaws, as if asleep.
Lion couchant
lion dormant
Some attitudes describe the positioning of birds. Birds, without an attitude
specifically blazoned, is by default shown as close - ie at rest with wings
against the body.
A bird displayed is shown affronté with its head turned to Dexter and
wings spread to the sides to fill the area of the field. The symbolic use of
eagles in this position was well established even before the development
of heraldry, going back to Charlemagne. Wings displayed are spread to the
sides to fill the area of the field. The eagle is so often found displayed in early heraldry that
some people claim that this position came to be presumed of the eagle unless some other
attitude is specified in the blazon. The arms of Germany shown on the right feature an eagle
displayed.
Wings addorsed are raised as if about to take flight, so that only the top of the bird's right
wing shows behind the fully displayed left wing. Wings elevated are raised with the wing tips
pointing upward. Wings inverted are raised with the wing tips pointing downward.
A bird rising or rousant faces Dexter with its head upturned and wings raised, as if about to
take flight. A bird rising may have its wings described as either displayed or addorsed, and the
wings may be further described as elevated or inverted.
A bird trussed, close, or perched is at rest with its wings folded - though trussed is much more
rarely found than the other terms, of which 'close' is by far the most common.
One peculiar attitude among birds, reserved only to the pelican, is the
pelican in her piety (i.e. wings raised, piercing her own breast to feed
her chicks in the nest). This symbol carries a religious meaning, and
became so popular in heraldry that pelicans rarely exist in heraldry in
any other position. A distinction is observed, between a pelican
"vulning herself" (alone, piercing her breast) and "in her piety"
(surrounded by and feeding her chicks).
Several terms refer to the particular position of the wings, rather than
the attitude of the bird itself. A bird in nearly any attitude, except trussed, may have wings
displayed, addorsed, elevated or inverted.
Few attitudes are reserved to the rarer classes of creatures, but these include segreant, a term
which can only apply to winged quadrupeds; naiant and hauriant, terms applying principally
to fish; glissant and nowed, terms applying to serpents. Serpents also sometimes appear in a
circular form, biting their own tail, but this symbol, called an Ouroboros, was imported readymade into heraldry, and so it has no term of attitude to describe it, being blazoned as 'disposed
circleways' or something similar.
Creatures combatant are shown in profile facing each other in the rampant or segreant
position, always paired and never appearing singly. Nearly any creature can be rendered
combatant, although this term is usually applied to predatory beasts and mythical creatures;
herbivorous animals in such a position are usually, but not always, blazoned as respectant.
Creatures or objects addorsed or endorsed are shown facing away from each other. As with
combatant, charges addorsed can only appear in pairs. One also frequently finds keys
addorsed (placed in parallel, wards facing outward).
An animal or creature naiant is swimming. This term is
typically applied to fish (when shown in a horizontal
position), but may also apply to other sea creatures and,
occasionally, water fowl (i.e. swans, ducks or geese). A
dolphin blazoned as naiant is always shown as embowed,
unlike any other sea creature or monster, even though the
blazon may not specify this.
A fish, dolphin, or other sea creature hauriant is in a Vertical position with
its head up. On the right are the arms of the Dauphin of France.
A serpent glissant is gliding along horizontally in a waved or wavy way.
Serpents, and the tails of other beasts and monsters, may be nowed or
knotted — often in a figure 8 knot.
The Arms of England with the three lions of England
The Arms of Dudley
The Arms of Thomas de Beauchamp
Baldwin Wake
Two bars Gules in chief three torteaux
The Arms of Grey de Rotherfield
Arms of the Corporation of Dudley, featuring a salamander in the base
Arms of Daubeney
Arms of Renaud de Cobham
Arms of de la Torre
Medieval attributed arms of the King of Morocco
Azure, three chess rooks Or
(Click for more on Chess Rooks)
Arms of Earl Mountbatten of Burma: Quarterly: first and fourth, Azure, a lion rampant double
queued Barry of ten Argent and Gules, armed and langued of the last, crowned or, within a
bordure compony of the second and third; second and third, Argent, two pallets Sable charged
on the honour point with an escutcheon of the arms of the late Princess Alice (namely, the
Royal Arms differenced with a label of three points Argent, the centre point charged with a
rose Gules barbed Vert, and each of the other points with an ermine spot Sable). Crests –
First, out of a coronet or, two horns Barry of ten, Argent and Gules, issuing from each three
linden leaves Vert, and from the outer side of each horn four branches barwise, having three
like leaves pendant therefrom of the last (Hesse); second, out of a coronet or, a plume of four
ostrich feathers alternately Argent and Sable (Battenberg). Supporters – On either side a lion
double queued and crowned all or.
Arms of the Duke of Argyll:
Educational establishments often use the arms of their founders. These are the arms of
Cardinal Wolsey and of Christ Church College Oxford which he founded (this version is used
by the college - though it is not clear why the hat is black and not red)
Banner of the arms of Cardinal Wolsey as Archbishop of York. His arms on the sinister
(viewer's right) impale those of his office.
Detail from Sampson Strong's portrait of Cardinal Wolsey at Christ Church (1526).
Arms of the Isle of Mann: Arms: Gules a Triskele Argent garnished and spurred Or And for
the Crest ensigning the Shield of Arms An Imperial Crown proper and for the Supporters
Dexter a Peregrine Falcon and sinister a Raven both proper together with this Motto
Quocunque Jeceris Stabit. The motto "Quocunque Jeceris Stabit", translates literally
as "whichever way you throw me, I will stand"
The arms of Sir Isaac Newton: Sable, two shinbones in saltire Argent (the Dexter surmounted
of the sinister)
The Arms of the Duke of Edinburgh. Escutcheon: Quarterly: first, the arms of Denmark,
consisting of three blue lions passant and nine red hearts on a yellow field; second, the arms
of Greece, a white cross on a blue field; third, the arms of the Mountbatten family, two
Vertical black stripes on a white field; and fourth, the arms of the City of Edinburgh, a black
and red castle. Supporters: The sinister Hercules from the Greek royal coat of arms; the
Dexter a golden lion (a traditional British symbol) wearing a ducal coronet and gorged
(collared) with a naval crown.
The Cross of Toulouse :
Arms of the medieval Counts of Toulouse
French arms before 1376
(France ancienne)
French arms after 1376
(France moderne)
Arms of Roger de Clifford
Checky Or and Azure a fess Gules
The Arms Lucy (Lucy is an old name for a pike, so the arms show three "Lucies"
The Arms of Dacre
Arms used by Richard I
Arms of Longespee
The Arms of Courville-sur-Eure
The Arms of Washington
The Arms of the Archbishop of Canterbury
The arms of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
The Arms of Joao II of Portugal
Mouldsworth of Wincham
Argent, on a bend Sable three pheons of the first.
Blazon
In heraldry, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from
which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. A coat of arms is primarily defined
not by a picture but rather by the wording of its blazon ( flags are in modern usage are more
precisely defined using geometrical specifications). Other objects, such as badges, banners,
and seals may be described in a blazon.
The word Blazon also refers to the specialized language in which a blazon is written, and, as a
verb, to the act of writing such a description.
Because heraldry developed at a time when English clerks wrote in French, many terms in
English heraldry are of French origin, as is the practice of placing most adjectives after nouns
rather than before.
The blazon of armorial bearings follows a rigid formula. It begins by describing the field
(background). In a majority of cases this is a single tincture; e.g. Azure (blue). If the field is
complex, the variation is described, followed by the tinctures used; e.g. Chequy Gules and
Argent (checkered red and white). If the shield is divided, the division is described, followed
by the tinctures of the subfields, beginning with the Dexter end (viewer's left) of the chief
(upper) edge; e.g. Party per pale Argent and Vert (left half silver, right half green), or
Quarterly Argent and Gules (clockwise from top left: white, red, white, red).
Next the principal charge or charges are named, with their tinctures; e.g. a bend Or.
The principal charge is followed by any other charges placed around or on it. If a charge be a
bird or beast, its attitude is described, followed by the animal's tincture, followed by anything
that may be differently coloured; e.g. An eagle displayed Gules, armed and wings charged
with trefoils Or.
Any accessories present, such as crown or coronet, helmet, torse, mantling, crest, motto,
supporters and compartment, are then described in turn, using the same terminology and
syntax.
A composite shield is blazoned one panel at a time, proceeding by rows from chief (top) to
base, and within each row from Dexter (the right side of the bearer holding the shield) to
sinister; in other words, from the viewer's left to right. A divided shield is blazoned "party per
[line of division]" in English heraldry or "parted per [line of division]" in Scottish heraldry,
though the word "party" or "parted" is often omitted (e.g. "Per pale Argent and Vert, a tree
eradicated counterchanged").
The term "counterchanged" is applied to a charge that
straddles a line of division when it is tinctured of the same
tinctures as the divided field, but reversed, as in the example
on the right (party per pale Sable and Or a bend
counterchanged)
In Victorian times the name of a tincture was often replaced
by "of the first", "of the second" etc. to avoid repetition of
tincture names; these terms refer to the order in which the
tinctures were first mentioned. This practice was never that
easy to follow. It is less common now, but occasionally still
seen.
The shape of the shield is almost always immaterial.
The visual depiction of a coat of arms or flag has considerable latitude in design as a blazon
specifies only the essentially distinctive elements.
Some blazons contain puns on the family name, not always obvious because the punning
word may not now be widely used. For example the name Newton has been represented by a
"new tun" ie a new barrel (see below). Again bendlets on the arms might suggest the name
Bently (see right).
The arms of Camilla, Princess of Wales, and Duchess of Cornwall (the title she more usually
uses). The arms of Major Shand, used in the sinister (right hand side of the shield when
viewed from the front; the right hand side is the Dexter and considered superior to sinister)
half of the Duchess' shield, are blazoned: Azure (armorial tincture blue) a Boar's Head erased
behind the ears Argent (armorial metal silver) armed and langued (describing the tongue of a
creature) Or (armorial metal gold) on a Chief (a broad horizontal band covering the
uppermost portion of the shield) engrailed (decorate or mark the edge of with small curves)
Argent between two Mullets (star with 5-points) Gules (armorial tincture red) a Cross crosslet
(a plain cross with each of its four limbs also terminating in a cross) fitchy (pointed at the
foot) Sable (armorial tincture black). The sinister supporter is blazoned with a Boar Azure
armed and unguled (describing the hooves of an animal) Or langued Gules and gorged
(encircled around the throat) with a Coronet composed of crosses formy and fleurs-de-lys
(armorial charge in the form of a stylized lily) attached thereto a Chain reflexed (curved
backwards) over the back and ending in a ring all Or.
The arms of Sir Paul McCartney: Escutcheon: Or between two Flaunches fracted fesswise two
Roundels Sable over all six Guitar Strings palewise throughout counterchanged.
(Reproduced here by courtesy of Wikipedia)
Helms, Crests, Torses (Wreaths), Coronets and Mantling
Helm
In heraldic achievements, the helmet or helm is situated above the shield and bears the torse
and crest. The style of helmet displayed varies according to rank and social status, and these
styles developed over time, in step with the development of actual military helmets.
Open-visored or barred helmets are typically reserved to the highest ranks of nobility, while
untitled nobility and burghers typically assume closed helms. While these classifications
remained relatively constant, the specific forms of all these helmets varied and evolved over
time. The evolution of these heraldic helmets followed the evolution of combat techniques
and tourneying in the Middle Ages.
The practice of indicating rank through the display of barred or open-face helmets did not
appear until around 1615, long after the practice of heraldry had been established.
In some traditions, especially German and Nordic heraldry, two or three helmets (and
sometimes more) may be used in a single achievement of arms, each representing a fief to
which the bearer has a right. For this reason, the helmets and crests in German and Nordic
arms are considered to be essential to the coat of arms and are never separated from it.
As jousting with lances was supplanted by tourneying with maces, the object being to knock
the opponent's crest off his helmet, the fully enclosed helmet gave way to helmets with
enlarged visual openings with only a few bars to protect the face.
The direction a helmet faces and the number of bars on the grille have been ascribed special
significance in later manuals, but this is not a period practice. A king's helmet, a golden
helmet shown affronté with the visor raised, crowned with a royal crown, became adopted by
the kings of Prussia. In ecclesiastical heraldry, bishops and other clergy use a mitre or other
rank-appropriate ecclesiastical hat in place of a helmet.
Historically the helmet was not specifically granted in an achievement of arms, but was
naturally assumed by appropriate rank as a matter of "inherent right", so a helmet with torse
and mantling would not be misplaced even above a shield which had no crest to place above
it.
When multiple crests need to be depicted, practice in English
heraldry is to draw the crests above a single helmet, each being
separated from it. The example on the right is an exception.
In German heraldry, where multiple crests appear frequently after
the 16th century, each crest is always treated as inseparable from
its own helmet and turned in agreement with the helmet.
In continental Europe, multiple helmets were usually turned
inward, with the centre helm (if an odd number) turned affrontê,
while in Scandinavian heraldry the helmets were usually turned
outward.
The Crest
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet
rather like the crest on a bird's head.
The earliest heraldic crests were apparently painted on metal
fans, and repeated the coat of arms painted on the shield, a
practice which was later discontinued. Later they were
sculpted of leather and other materials.
Originally, the crest was often continued into the mantling, but
today the crest normally stands within a wreath of cloth, called
a torse, in the principal tinctures of the shield (the liveries).
Various kinds of coronet may take the place of the torse,
though in some circumstances the coronet sits atop a torse, and
is either defined as all or part of a crest.
The most frequent crest-coronet is a simplified form of a ducal
coronet, with four leaves rather than eight. Towns often have a
mural crown, i.e. a coronet in the form of embattled stone walls.
Objects frequently borne as crests include animals, especially lions, normally showing only
the fore half; human figures, likewise often from the waist up; hands or arms holding
weapons; bird's wings. In Germany and nearby countries, the crest often repeats the liveries in
the form of a tall hat, a fan of plumes in alternating tinctures, or a pair of curving horns.
Some armigers used their crest as a personal badge, leading to the erroneous use of the word
"crest" to describe a shield or full coat of arms. Such badges are often used by members of
Scottish clans. These Scottish crest badges can be used where clan members, who are not
armigerous, wear a badge consisting of a clan chief's crest and motto/slogan encircled by a
belt and buckle. These crest badges are often erroneously called "clan crests". Even though
clan members may purchase and wear such badges, the crest and motto/slogan remain the
heraldic property of the clan chief.
Today, the crests of new Knights of the Garter and Bath are carved from lime wood by the
Orders' official sculptor, These carved insignia are displayed above the knights' assigned choir
stalls in the Orders' respective chapels: St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle (Garter) and the
Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey (Bath).
In most heraldic traditions, a woman does not display a crest, though this tradition is being
relaxed in some heraldic jurisdictions, and the stall plate of Lady Marion Fraser in the Thistle
Chapel in St Giles, Edinburgh, shows her coat on a lozenge but with helmet, crest, and motto.
German heraldry has examples of shields with numerous crests, as this arms of SaxeAltenburg featuring a total of seven crests. Some thaler coins display as many as fifteen.
Crests are occasionally humorous. On the left is the crest of
Beet
of
Chester
A lion's gamb erect grasping a dragon's head erased proper.
exemplified by Martin S. J. Goldstraw and reproduced
here with his kind permission).
Clergy now refrain from displaying a helm or crest in their
heraldic achievements. Members of the clergy may display
appropriate head wear. This often takes the form of a
bishop's mitre or a small crowned, wide brimmed hat (a
galero) with the colours and tassels denoting rank; or, in
the case of Papal arms an elaborate triple crown known as
the papal tiara.
There is a widespread misconception, due in part to
Victorian stationers' marketing of engraved letterheads, that a crest and a coat of arms belong
to everyone with the same family name; but usage by persons not descended from the original
grantee constitutes usurpation. Bogus "family crests"
continue to be sold to the gullible by heraldic bucket
shops.
Torses & Coronets
The crest is usually found on a
wreath of twisted cloth and
sometimes within a coronet. It
normally has six twists of material with the metal and
colour alternating from Dexter to sinister and with the
metal first.
Crest-coronets are generally simpler than coronets of rank, but several specialized forms exist;
for example, in Canada, descendants of the United Empire Loyalists are entitled to use a
Loyalist military coronet (for descendants of members of Loyalist regiments) or Loyalist civil
coronet (for others).
If the armiger has the title of baron, hereditary knight, or higher, he may display a coronet of
rank above the shield. In the United Kingdom, this is shown between the shield and helmet,
though it is often above the crest in Continental heraldry.
Other crowns include ancient crowns, mural crowns for walled
cities and naval crowns for Naval institutions (shown right).
Another addition that can be made to a coat of arms is the
insignia of a baronet or of an order of knighthood. This is usually
represented by a collar or similar band surrounding the shield.
When the arms of a knight and his wife are shown in one achievement, the insignia of
knighthood surround the husband's arms only, and the wife's arms are customarily surrounded
by an ornamental garland of leaves for visual balance.
Mantling
Mantling or lambrequin is drapery tied to the helmet above the
shield. It forms a backdrop for the shield. It is a depiction of
the protective cloth covering (often of linen) worn by
knights from their helmets to stave off the elements, and,
secondarily, to decrease the effects
of
sword-blows
against the helmet in battle, from which it is usually
shown tattered or cut to shreds as if damaged in combat,
though the edges of most are
simply decorated at the
emblazoner's discretion.
It is sometimes shown as an intact drape, principally in those
cases where a clergyman uses a helmet and mantling (to
symbolise that the clergyman has not been involved in
combat, although this is usually the artist's discretion). More
often clergymen do not use the helm, torse and mantling
though if they inherit their arms they will be inherited by their heir. (Helm, torse and mantling
are usually included in new grants of arms to clergymen because their descendants might use
them even if the grantee does not)
Typically in British heraldry, the outer
surface of the mantling is of the principal
colour in the shield and the inner surface is
of the principal metal, though there are
exceptions, with occasional tinctures
differing from these, for example just one
colour, or three or four colours, or two furs.
Peers in the United Kingdom use red and
ermine standard colourings regardless of
rank or the colourings of their arms (though in practice, some prefer to use their own
colours).
The arms of the United Kingdom and those of Emperor Akihito of Japan are both or, lined
ermine, such a mantling often being held to be limited to sovereigns.
In the early days of the development of the crest, before the torse (wreath), crest coronets and
chapeaux were developed, the crest often "continued into the mantling" if this was feasible
(the clothes worn by a demi- human figure, or the fur of the animal, for instance, allowing or
encouraging this). This still holds true frequently in Germany.
There are rare examples where the mantling is blazoned to compliment the armiger's coat of
arms, mimicking the ordinaries and charges on the escutcheon. When charges occur, they are
usually displayed as semy.
Arms of HM Queen Elizabeth II - the monarch has a unique gold helm and crown, and gold
and ermine mantling
Arms of the Corporation of Manchester, England
Arms of the Duke of Montrose - without helm and mantling
Hurlton of Picton - with multiple crests
Arms: Quarterly - 1 & 4 Argent, a cross of four ermine spots ( the heads meeting in the
centre) Sable. 2 Argent, two bends engrailed Sable, the lower one couped at the upper end
[Wagstaff] 3 Argent, a chevron between three cross-bows Sable [Hurlston]
1. Crest: A goat's head erased Argent, attired Or, charged on the neck with a cross of ermine
spots, as in the arms.
2. Crest: A cross-bow erect proper, the stock Or.
3. Crest: An Ermine passant
The Arms of Gera in Germany showing how the earliest heraldic crests would have looked
In early arms the crest often continued into the mantling as in this elegant modern example of
the arms of Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick.
The swan feathers of the swan's neck continue into the manteling giving a pleasing unity to
the achievement.
(Image reproduced by courtesy of Andrew Jamieson)
The Arms of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge with the Arms of Cambridge University in
Chief
The Torse and Mantling are remnants of the Middle Eastern head dress (keffiyeh) adopted by
crusaders in the Holy Land, at the very birth of Heraldry. This cloth headgear prevented their
helms and armour heating up in the sunlight. The cloth is held in place by a rope circlet
known as an agal (the equivalent of the torse). Below are a couple of modern keffiyeh
wearers, Lawrence of Arabia and Yasser Arafat
The arms of the Baron of Prestoungrange. These Scottish arms are shown on a red and ermine
canopy.
Canopies are usually associated with continental royalty and senior nobility who use a canopy
instead of mantling.
(Reproduced here by courtesy of Andrew Jamieson)
Mottoes
An armorial motto is a phrase or collection of words intended to describe the motivation or
intention of the armigerous person or corporation. This can form a pun on the family name as
in Thomas Nevile's motto "Ne vile velis."
Mottoes are generally changed at will and do not make up an integral part of the armorial
achievement.
Mottoes can typically be found on a scroll under the shield. In Scottish heraldry where the
motto is granted as part of the blazon, it is usually shown on a scroll above the crest, and may
not be changed at will. A motto may be in any language.
Supporters
Supporters are figures placed on either side
of the shield and generally depicted
holding it up. These figures may be animal
or human, real or imaginary. In rare cases
plants or inanimate objects.
Supporters can have local significance,
such as the fisherman and the tin miner
granted to Cornwall County Council, or an
historical link, such as the lion of England
and unicorn of Scotland on the two
variations of the Coat of Arms of the
United Kingdom.
There is usually one supporter on each side
of the shield, though there are some examples of single supporters placed behind the shield,
and the arms of Congo provide an extremely unusual example of supporters issuing from
behind the shield.
While such single supporters are generally eagles (City of Perth, Scotland) with one or two
heads, there are other examples, including the cathedra in the case of some Canadian
cathedrals. At the other extreme and even rarer the Scottish family Dundas of that Ilk, had
three supporters; two conventional red lions and the whole supported by a salamander. The
coat of arms of Iceland even has four supporters.
Animal supporters are by default as close to
rampant as possible if the nature of the supporter
allows it (this does not need to be mentioned in the
blazon), though there are some blazoned
exceptions. An example of whales 'non-rampant' is
the arms of the
Dutch municipality
of Zaanstad.
In some traditions,
supporters
have
acquired strict guidelines for use. In the United Kingdom,
supporters are typically an example of special royal favour,
granted at the behest of the sovereign. Hereditary supporters
are normally limited to hereditary peers, certain members of
the Royal Family, chiefs of Scottish clans, and Scottish feudal
barons whose baronies predate 1587.
Non-hereditary supporters are granted to life
peers, Knights and Ladies of the Order of the
Garter and Order of the Thistle, and Knights
and Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the
Bath, Order of St Michael and St George,
Royal Victorian Order, and Order of the
British Empire. Knights banneret were also
granted nonhereditary supporters, but no such
knight has been created since the time of
Charles I. Supporters may also be granted to
corporations which have a Royal charter.
In Canada, Companions of the Order of
Canada, people granted the style "the Right Honourable", and corporations are granted the use
of supporters on their coats of arms. Further, on his retirement from office as Chief Herald,
Robert Watt was granted supporters as an honour.
Knights Grand Companion and Principal Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit are
granted the use of heraldic supporters.
On the European continent, there are often fewer restrictions on the use of supporters.
Supporters and arms of the King of Morocco
The arms of Carmarthenshire
The Arms of Canada
The arms of the Kingdom of Spain with the Pillars of Hercules as supporters
Hatchments
A hatchment is a distinctive rendering of a dead person's arms, represented on a lozenge (not
lozenge shaped arms, but arms painted within a lozenge shaped frame). This feature is enough
to indicate that the rendering is a funeral hatchment, but there are often other clues. The crest
may be replaced by a skull and the motto by the word "Resurgam" (I shall arise).
The background is black or in some cases black and white - in some countries the pattern of
black and white conveys information about whether the man is dead, or the woman is dead, or
both are dead, which can get complicated when there have been remarriages..
Sometimes symbols of time, such as a sand-timer or arrows, may be shown on the
background.
Hatchments have now largely fallen into disuse, but many hatchments from former times
remain in parish churches, especially in England.
Hatchments were usually placed over the entrance of the armiger's residence, at the level of
the first floor (=US second floor), and remained there for from between 40 days and twelve
months, after which they were removed to the local parish church.
The practice developed in the early 17th century from the older custom of carrying an heraldic
shield before the coffin of the deceased, then leaving it for display in the church. In medieval
times, helmets and shields were sometimes deposited in churches and a few examples may
still be seen in English parish churches.
At the universities of Oxford and Cambridge it was usual to hang the hatchment of a deceased
head of a house over the entrance to his lodge or residence. There is a fine collection of such
hatchments at All Souls College in Oxford - the Wardens' arms each being impaled with the
arms of the college.
Colours and military or naval emblems are sometimes placed behind the arms of military or
naval officers.
Click on the following link for more on hatchments in different countries >>>
A Saltmarsh hatchment.
The family motto is replaced by the word Resurgam ("I shal rise again" - an affirmation of
Christian belief.
The black and white background conveys additional information - the whitebackground to the
sinister side of the arms tells us that the armiger's wife survived him.
Another Saltmarsh Hatchment.
This hatchment is a little different - there is no crest, torse or lambrequin - just some
decoration and a cherub. The arms represented on a lozenge, so we can assume that these the
arms of the first wife.
Marshalling
To marshal two or more coats of arms is to combine them in one shield, to express
inheritance, claims to property, or the occupation of an office. This can be done in a number
of ways.
Dimidiation
Dimidiation combines the Dexter half of one coat with the sinister half of another. This
method was not satisfactory for a number of reasons - it can create ambiguity between, for
example, a bend and a chevron since they are identical in one half of the shield. Another
problem is the creation of odd combinations - as for example in the arms of Great Yarmouth
shown on the right.
Impalement
Using impalement the field is divided per pale and one whole coat of arms is placed in each
half. Impalement replaced the earlier dimidiation. By convention certain borders are
dimidiated even when impalement is used - see for example the arms of Isabella of Scotland
shown on the right, where the Scottish double tressure is dimidiated.
In German heraldry, animate charges in combined coats usually turn to face the centre of the
composition.
Quartering
A more versatile method is quartering, division of the field by both Vertical and horizontal
lines. This practice originated in Spain after the 13th century.
As the name implies, the usual number of divisions is four, but the principle has been
extended to very large numbers of "quarters".
Quarters are numbered from the Dexter chief (the corner nearest to the right shoulder of a
man standing behind the shield), proceeding across the top row, and then across the next row
and so on.
When three coats are quartered, the first is repeated as the fourth; when only two coats are
quartered, the second is also repeated as the third.
The quarters of a personal coat of arms correspond to the ancestors from whom the bearer has
inherited arms, normally in the same sequence as if the pedigree were laid out with the
father's father's ... father on the extreme left and the mother's mother's ... mother on the
extreme right.
The Scottish and Spanish traditions resist allowing more than four quarters, preferring to
subdivide one or more "grand quarters" into sub-quarters as needed.
Inescutcheon
A fourth mode of marshalling is with an inescutcheon or escutcheon, a small shield placed in
front of the main shield.
The Prince of Wales bears the quartered arms of Wales in
escutcheon on his own quartered arms, as shown on the
left.
In Britain this is most often an "escutcheon of pretence"
indicating, in the arms of a married couple, that the wife is
an heraldic heiress (that is, she inherits a coat of arms
because she has no brothers).
In continental Europe an inescutcheon (sometimes called
a "heart shield") usually carries the ancestral arms of a
monarch or noble whose domains are represented by the
quarters of the main shield.
On the right are the Royal Arms of the UK
1816-1837. Over the basic arms is an
escutcheon of pretence representing the
Kingdom of Hanover (This escutcheon was
dropped on the accession of Queen Victoria
because, under Salic Law, she did not inherit
the Kingdom of Hanover.
The dimidiated arms of Great Yarmouth
Impaled arms of Isabella of Scotland
(impaling Brittany and Scotland)
The Quartered arms of Trotter, with separate crests facing inwards, each crest with its own
mantling.
The quarters are Trotter of Kettleshiel and Brown of Horton Manor
(reproduced here by courtesy of Andrew Jamieson)
The quartered Arms of the United Kingdom. Quarter 1: England; Quarter 2:Scotland ; Quarter
3: Ireland; Quarter 4: England again
Differencing and Cadency
Cadency is any systematic way of distinguishing similar coats of arms belonging to members
of the same family. Cadency is necessary in heraldic systems in which a given design may be
owned by only one person at once. Because heraldic designs may be inherited, the arms of
members of a family will usually be similar to the arms used by its oldest surviving member
(called the "plain coat"). They are formed by adding marks called brisures, similar to charges
but smaller. Brisures are generally exempt from the rule of tincture.
In heraldry's early period, uniqueness of arms was obtained by a wide variety of devices,
including change of tincture and addition of an ordinary. Systematic cadency schemes were
later developed in England and Scotland. While in England they are voluntary (and not
always observed), in Scotland they are enforced through the process of matriculation.
The English system of cadency involves the addition of these brisures to the plain coat:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
for the first son, a label of three points (a horizontal strip with three
tags hanging down)—this label is removed on the death of the
father, and the son inherits the plain coat;
for the second son, a crescent (the points upward, as is
conventional in heraldry);
for the third son, a mullet (a five-pointed star);
for the fourth son, a martlet (a kind of bird);
for the fifth son, an annulet (a ring);
for the sixth son, a fleur-de-lys;
for the seventh son, a rose;
for the eighth son, a cross moline;
for the ninth son, a double quatrefoil.
Daughters have no special brisures, and use their father's arms on a lozenge. This is because
English heraldry has no requirement that women's arms be unique.
In England, arms are generally the property of their owner from birth - subject to the use of
the appropriate mark of cadency. In other words, it is not necessary to wait for the death of the
previous generation before arms are inherited.
The eldest son of an eldest son uses a label of five points. Other
grandchildren combine the brisure of their father with the relevant
brisure of their own, which would in a short number of generations
lead to confusion (because it allows an uncle and nephew to have
the same cadency mark) and complexity (because of an
accumulation of cadency marks to show, for example, the fifth son
of a third son of a second son). However, in practice cadency marks
are not much used in England and, even when they are, it is rare to
see more than one or, at most, two of them on a coat of arms.
Although textbooks on heraldry agree on the English system of cadency set out above, most
heraldic examples ignore cadency marks altogether. Oswald Barron, in an influential article
on Heraldry in the 1911 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, noted:
"Now and again we see a second son obeying the book-rules and putting a crescent in his
shield or a third son displaying a molet, but long before our own times the practice was
disregarded, and the most remote kinsman of a gentle house displayed the "whole coat" of the
head of his family."
Cadency marks have rarely been insisted upon by the College of Arms.
Arms of the Eldest Son of
Arms of the second son of
Robert Courtney
Robert Courtney
note the blue label in the chief note the gold crescent in the
of the shield
centre of the shield
Arms of the third son
of Robert Courtney
note the gold mullet in the
centre of the shield
Arms reproduced by kind permission of Robert Charles Hearson Courtney JP, and Geoff
Kingman-Sugars of the International Association of Amateur Heralds
Branches of the same family often retain common features, the oldest branch retaining the
simplest form. For example the modern arms of Courtney retain the essential features of the
arms of Courtenay, Counts of Boulogne
The arms of the Count of Boulogne
Or three torteaux
These arms now belong to
Hugh Rupert Courtenay,
18th Earl of Devon
The Arms of
Robert Courtney JP
Or between three torteaux a chevron
conjoined to a bordure sable
Courtney arms reproduced by kind permision of Robert Charles Hearson Courtney JP, and
Geoff Kingman-Sugars of the International Association of Amateur Heralds
Scotland
The system is very different in Scotland, where every male user of a coat of arms must have a
personal variation, appropriate to that person's position in their family, approved (or
"matriculated") by the Lord Lyon (the heraldic authority for Scotland). This means that in
Scotland no two men can ever simultaneously bear the same arms, even by accident, if they
have submitted their position to the Scottish heraldic authorities (which, in practice, in
Scotland as in England, not all do). To this extent, the law of arms is stricter in Scotland than
in England.
Scotland, like England, uses the label of three points for the eldest son and a label of five
points for the eldest son of the eldest son, and allows the label to be removed as the bearer of
the plain coat dies and the eldest son succeeds. In Scotland (unlike England) the label may be
borne by the next male heir to the plain coat even if this is not the son of the bearer of the
plain coat (for example, if it is his nephew).
For cadets other than immediate heirs, Scottish cadency uses a complex and versatile system,
applying different kinds of changes in each generation. First, a bordure is added in a different
tincture for each brother. In subsequent generations the bordure may be divided in two
tinctures; the edge of the bordure, or of an ordinary in the base coat, may be changed from
straight to indented, engrailed or invected; small charges may be added. These variations
allow the family tree to be expressed clearly and unambiguously. Illustrated below is a system
advocated by Mr Stodart and known as the Stodart system.
Because of the Scottish clan system, only one bearer of any given surname may bear plain
arms. Other armigerous persons of the same family have arms derived from the same plain
coat, though (if kinship cannot be established they must be differenced in a way other than the
cadency system mentioned above).
Canada
Canadian cadency generally follows the English system. However, women bear their arms on
a shield. Since a coat of arms must be unique regardless of the bearer's gender, Canada has
developed a series of brisures for daughters. These brisures are unique to Canada
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for the first daughter, a heart;
for the second daughter, an ermine spot;
for the third daughter, a snowflake;
for the fourth daughter, a fir twig;
for the fifth daughter, a chess rook
for the sixth daughter, an escallop (scallop shell);
for the seventh daughter, a harp;
for the eighth daughter, a buckle;
for the ninth daughter, a clavichord.
Royal Cadency
There are no actual "rules" for members of the Royal Family, because they are theoretically
decided ad hoc by the sovereign. In practice, however, a number of traditions have developed.
At birth, members of the Royal Family have no arms. At some point during their lives,
generally at the age of eighteen, they may be granted arms of their own. These will always be
the arms of dominion of the Sovereign with a label Argent for difference; the label may have
three or five points.
Since this is in theory a new grant, the label is applied not only to the shield but also to the
crest and the supporters to ensure uniqueness. Though de facto in English heraldry the crest is
uncharged (although it is supposed to be in theory), as it would accumulate more and more
cadency marks with each generation, the marks eventually becoming indistinguishable, the
crests of the Royal Family are always shown as charged.
Brisures used in cadency (shown in red) used for sons in the English system. In practice the
brissures are much smaller.
The Arms of Saltmarsh - with a red label for the eldest son
The gyrony Arms of one of the Campbell septs.
The Arms of Campbell of Lawers
The Arms of Campbell of Inverneil
Arms of the Duke of Argyll
(a cadet branch of the Campbell clan)
The Arms of Charles, Prince of Wales, the arms of the sovereign in right of the United
Kingdom with the arms of Wales as an escutcheon, and with a label for difference
The Arms of Prince William of Wales
with a silver three-point label
(including a red shell from the
arms of his mother's family)
Arms of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Augmentations of Honour
An augmentation is a modification or addition to a coat of arms, typically given by a monarch
as a mark of favour, or a reward or recognition for some meritorious act.
The best known is that awarded to Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk to commemorate
his role at the battle of Flodden Field: He was awarded a an amended form of the arms of
Scotland with an arrow through the lion's mouth, as shown below.
The Arms
of Scotland
The"Howard
Augmentation"
Arms the 2nd
Duke of
Norfolk
Arms of the present Duke of
Norfolk
.Because the First Duke of Marlborough left no surviving son, the title was allowed to pass to
his eldest daughter in 1722 and then (in 1733) to the son of his next daughter, who had
married Charles Spencer, Third Earl of Sunderland. The Fifth Duke (1766-1840), who had
been born a Spencer, was authorised in 1817 to take and use the additional name of Churchill,
in order to perpetuate the name of his illustrious great-great-grandfather. At the same time he
was empowered by Royal Licence to quarter the arms of Churchill with his paternal coat of
Spencer.
The Duke of Marlborough also
has an Augmentation of
honour. In 1705, in recognition
of his victory over the French
and Bavarians at Blenheim the
previous year, the First Duke
had been granted the Manor of
Woodstock,
which
was
transferred to him from the
Crown by Act of Parliament.
The magnificent palace we
know as Blenheim Palace was
built there.. When the Fifth
Duke's arms were quartered in
1817, a further augmentation
of honour was added to his
achievement.
This
incorporated the bearings on
the standard of the Manor of
Woodstock and was borne on a
shield, displayed over all in the
centre chief point, as follows:
Argent a Cross of St George
surmounted
by
an
Inescutcheon Azure, charged
with three Fleurs-de-Lys Or.
(This inescutcheon represents
the royal arms of France.)
The quartered arms, incorporating two augmentations of honour, have been the arms of all
subsequent Dukes of Marlborough - together with both crests. Subsequently, the Seventh and
Ninth Dukes, as Knights of the Order of the Garter, were able to encircle their arms with the
Garter (as could the First, Third and Fourth Dukes of Marlborough before them.
Admiral Nelson started off with a
simple coat of arms which acquired
two separate augmentations of
honour which rather destroyed its
simple elegance.
The Lane coat of arms was per fesse or and Azure, a chevron Gules between three mullets
counterchanged. In recognition of the courage and services of Jane Lane, after the battle of
Worcester in 1651, King Charles II granted an augmentation to the Lane coat of arms.
The augmentation was a canton with three lions, as shown on the right
The Duke of Wellington was given an augmentation of the Flag of the United Kingdom in the
form of a shield.
Blazon: Quarterly, I and IV Gules, a cross Argent, in each quarter five plates; II and III, Or,
a lion rampant Gules. For augmentation, an inescutcheon charged with the crosses of St.
George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick combined, being the union badge of the United Kingdom.
It is from the time of the Fifth Duke of Marlborough that the familiar design of Churchill
quartering Spencer originates. It would be normal in these circumstances for the paternal arms
(Spencer) to take precedence over the maternal (Churchill), but because the Marlborough
dukedom was senior to the Sunderland earldom, the procedure was reversed in this case.
Canting Arms
Arms often make more or less obvious references to the name of the family to which they
belong. Canting arms (armes parlantes in French) are common.
In medieval times, arms were a form of visual identification in a world of limited literacy, and
it was perfectly natural for someone to use as his emblem a device which recalled his name.
The arms of Newton of Pownall
Vert, a tun in fess Or
This is a rebus (a visual pun): New Tun › Newton
Bentley
Arms: Argent, three bendlets Sable.
A less obvious example.
An old name for the fish now called a pike was a "lucy",
The arms of the de Lucy family featured three lucies
The Arms of Bowes-Lyon - featuring bows and lions.
These arms are used by the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, who is also inter alia Viscount
Lyon and Baron Bowes
The rule of tincture is not breached by placing golden bows on an ermine field.
Guy VIII, Count of Vienne, had a dolphin on his coat of arms and was nicknamed le Dauphin.
The title of Dauphin de Viennois descended in his family (the Le Vieux Princes of Ivetot) until
1349, when Humbert II sold his seigneurie, the Dauphiné, to King Philippe VI on condition
that the heir of France assumed the title of le Dauphin. Le Dauphin's arms were France
quartered with the the Dauphiné
The Arms of Shakespeare
The Arms of Castile and León
featuring castles and lions
The Development of Heraldry
Systems of distinctive identifying devices have existed since early times and are sometimes
classified as proto-heraldry. An essential feature of true heraldry as we now know it is that
these identifying devices are inherited. Successive generations use identical, or at least
similar, devices.
Heraldic devices seem to have been first used in Carolingian times. Seals and banners confirm
that they were being used in the Flemish area of Europe during the reign of Charlemagne
(768–814 AD). Their use continued over successive generations and slowly spread more
widely.
The emergence of heraldry as we know it today was linked to the need to distinguish
participants quickly and easily in combat. Distinguishing devices were used on surcoats
("coats of arms"), shields, and caparisoned horses, and it would have been natural for knights
to use the same devices as those already used on their banners and seals.
The Bayeux Tapestry captures modern heraldry in development in the eleventh century.
Heraldry is shown in use on the Norman side - the side more closely linked to the old
Carolingian empire. Significantly, the tapestry shows only the Flemish contingent of
William’s army using hereditary heraldic devices. The arms of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne,
are already recognisable as the modern arms of Courtnay.
English heraldry can be found in the account in a contemporary chronicle of Henry I of
England, on the occasion of his knighting his son-in-law Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, in
1127. He placed to hang around his neck a shield painted with golden lions. The funerary
enamel of Geoffrey (died 1151), dressed in blue and gold and bearing his blue shield
emblazoned with gold lions, is the first recorded depiction of a coat of arms and those gold
lions still appear on the British royal achievement of arms. The tomb of Geoffrey V, Count of
Anjou (died 1151) is the first recorded example of hereditary armoury in Europe. The same
shield shown here is found on the tomb effigy of his grandson, William Longespée, 3rd Earl
of Salisbury.
By the middle of the 12th century, coats of arms were being inherited by the children of
armigers (persons entitled to use a coat of arms) across Europe. Between 1135 and 1155, seals
representing the generalized figure of the owner attest to the general adoption of heraldic
devices in England, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. By the end of the century, heraldry
appears as the sole device on seals.
Family arms occasionally changed over the centuries, perhaps because of inaccurate copying
or misunderstood blasons. On the right are two versions of the arms of Hayes of Litley. The
lion's heads were gold in 1424 but silver by 1505. In the example below the arms are clearly
intended to be the same, but the later blazon results in a more pleasing achievement.
Wright of Bickley
Barry of six Azure and Argent, in chief three leopards'
faces of the last.
Wright of Bickley
The Visitations of 1580 describes these arms as:
Argent, two bars Azure, on a chief of the second three
leopards' faces of the first
In England, the practice of using marks of cadency arose to distinguish one son from another;
it was institutionalized and standardized by John Writhe in the early 15th century.
In the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, heraldry became a highly developed discipline,
regulated by professional officers of arms. As its use in jousting became obsolete, coats of
arms remained popular for visually identifying a person in other ways — impressed in sealing
wax on documents, carved on family tombs, and flown as a banner on country homes. The
first work of heraldic jurisprudence, De Insigniis et Armis, was written in the 1350s by
Bartolus de Saxoferrato, a professor of law at the University of Padua.
Different branches of the same family might use the same basic arms but with different
colours. These arms belong to different branches of the Deincourt family.
From the beginning of heraldry, coats of arms have been executed in a wide variety of media,
including on paper, painted wood, embroidery, enamel, stonework and stained glass. For the
purpose of quick identification in all of these, heraldry distinguishes only seven basic colours
and makes no fine distinctions in the precise size or placement of charges on the field. Coats
of arms and their accessories are described in a concise jargon called blazon. This technical
description of a coat of arms is the standard that is adhered to no matter what artistic
interpretations may be made in a particular depiction of the arms.
As changes in military technology and tactics made plate armour obsolete, heraldry became
detached from its original function. This brought about the development of "paper heraldry"
under the Tudors. Designs and shields became more elaborate at the expense of clarity.
During the 19th century, especially in Germany, many coats of arms were designed to depict a
natural landscape, including several charges tinctured "proper" (i.e. the way they appear in
nature). This form has been termed "Landscape heraldry". The 20th century's taste for stark
iconic emblems made the simple styles of early heraldry fashionable again.
Knights bearing shields as depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry
Eustace II, Count of Boulogne
holding his banner in 1066
with three circles placed 2 and 1
(from the Bayeux Tapestry)
The arms of the Count of Boulogne
These arms now belong to
Hugh Rupert Courtenay,
18th Earl of Devon
The Royal Arms with two Yales as supporters, suggesting the arms are those of Henry VII
(whose mother was Lady Margaret Beaufort, whose family used them as supporters)
Hayes of Litley
Arms: Sable, a chevron Argent between three leopards' faces Or (Harl 1424)
Hayes of Litley
Arms: Sable, a chevron Argent between three leopards' faces Argent (Harl 1505)
National Heraldry Styles
The emergence of heraldry occurred across western Europe almost simultaneously in the
various countries. Originally, heraldic style was very similar from country to country. Over
time, there developed distinct differences between the heraldic traditions of different
countries. The four broad heraldic styles are German-Nordic, Gallo-British, Latin, and
Eastern. In general there are characteristics shared by each of the four main groups.
German-Nordic Heraldry
Coats of arms in Germany, the Scandinavian countries, Estonia, Latvia, Czech lands and
northern Switzerland generally change very little over time. Marks of difference are very rare
in this tradition as are heraldic furs. One of the most striking characteristics of German-Nordic
heraldry is the treatment of the crest. Often, the same design is repeated in the shield and the
crest. The use of multiple crests is also common. The crest is rarely used separately as in
British heraldry, but can sometimes serve as a mark of difference between different branches
of a family. Torse is optional.
Gallo-British Heraldry
French and British heraldry are broadly similar - and described in detail above.
Latin Heraldry
The heraldry of southern France, Portugal, Spain, and Italy is characterized by a lack of crests
and uniquely-shaped shields.
Portuguese and Spanish heraldry occasionally introduce words to the shield of arms, a
practice disallowed in non-Latin countries heraldry as unspeakably vulgar.
Latin heraldry is known for extensive use of quartering, because of armorial inheritance via
the male and the female lines. Moreover, Italian heraldry is dominated by the Roman Catholic
Church, featuring many shields and achievements, most bearing some reference to the
Church.
Eastern European heraldry
Eastern European heraldry is in the traditions developed in Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia,
Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, and Russia. Eastern coats of arms are characterized by a
pronounced, territorial, clan system — often, entire villages or military groups were granted
the same coat of arms irrespective of family relationships. In Poland, nearly six hundred
unrelated families are known to bear the same Jastrzębiec coat of arms.
Marks of cadency are almost unknown, and shields are generally very simple, with only one
charge. Many heraldic shields derive from ancient house marks. At the least, fifteen per cent
of all Hungarian personal arms bear a severed Turk's head, referring to their wars against the
Ottoman Empire.
The arms of von Ellrodt showing three crests the outer ones tuned inwards
(painting courtesy of Neil Bromley )
The Arms of Rome - The use of letters in Latin heraldry is regarded as acceptable, but would
be regarded as a ghastly faux pas elsewhere.
Rolls of Arms
A roll of arms (or armorial) is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of
painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the
arms.
A roll may also consist of blazons (verbal descriptions) rather than illustrations.
They typically fall into one of the following classes:
•
•
•
•
relating to a specific event such as an expedition, tournament or a siege - these can and
often do cover a number of jurisdictions
associated with foundations, orders of religion or chivalry possibly compiled over many
years.
collecting the arms of residents of a region; a practice peculiar to the English county rolls of
the 14th century.
used to illustrate narratives or chronicles- these can and sometimes do cover a number of
jurisdictions
Rolls may also be a combination such collections.
A number of modern societies maintain rolls of their members on line, and some individuals
have posted rolls on line.
Extract from a Tudor Roll of arms,
attributed to Sir Thomas Wriothesley
Modern Heraldry
Heraldry flourishes in the modern world; institutions, companies,
and private persons continue using coats of arms as their pictorial
identification. The arms shown on the left are those of British
Airways.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the English Kings of Arms,
Scotland's Lord Lyon King of Arms, and the Chief Herald of
Ireland continue making grants of arms. There are heraldic
authorities in Canada, South Africa, Spain, and Sweden that grant
or register coats of
arms. In South Africa, the right to armorial bearings is also
determined by Roman Dutch law, inherited from the 17th century Netherlands.
Military heraldry continues developing, incorporating blazons unknown in the
medieval world. Nations, provinces, states, counties, cities, etc. continue
building upon the traditions of civic heraldry. The Roman Catholic Church,
the Church of England, and other Churches maintain the tradition of
ecclesiastical heraldry for their high-rank prelates, religious orders,
universities, and schools.
The arms of Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to
understanding atomic structure
Heraldic Authorities
Heraltic authority ultimately resides with the crown, but most monarchs delegate powers to
officers of arms. An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with
authority to perform one or more of the following functions:
•
•
•
to control and initiate armorial matters
to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state
to conserve and interpret heraldic and genealogical records.
Traditionally, officers of arms are of three ranks: kings of arms, heralds of arms, and
pursuivants of arms. Officers of arms whose appointments are of a permanent nature are
known as officers of arms in ordinary; those whose appointments are of a temporary or
occasional nature are known as officers of arms extraordinary.
The medieval practice of appointing heralds or pursuivants to the establishment of a noble
household is still common in European countries, particularly those in which there is no
official heraldic control or authority. Such appointments are also still made in Scotland, where
four private officers of arms exist.
England and Wales. In England, the authority of the thirteen officers of arms in ordinary
who form the corporation of the Kings, Heralds, and Pursuivants of Arms extends throughout
the Commonwealth, with the exception of Scotland, Canada and South Africa. Officers of
arms in ordinary who form the College of Arms in England are members of the royal
household and receive a nominal salary. Heralds receive yearly salaries from the Crown Garter King of Arms £49.07, the two provincial Kings of Arms £20.25, the six heralds
£17.80, and the four pursuivants £13.95. These salaries were fixed at higher levels by James I
but reduced by William IV in the 1830s.
Scotland. In Scotland, the Lord Lyon King of Arms, and the Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the
Records control matters armorial within a strict legal framework not enjoyed by their fellow
officers of arms in London, and the court which is a part of Scotland's criminal jurisdiction
has its own prosecutor, the court's Procurator Fiscal, who is however not an officer of arms.
Lord Lyon and the Lyon Clerk are appointed by the crown, and, with the Crown's authority,
Lyon appoints the other Scottish officers. The officers of arms in Scotland are also members
of the royal household.
Kings of Arms
King of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king
of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings.
In England, the authority to grant a coat of arms is subject to the formal approval of the Earl
Marshal in the form of a warrant. In jurisdictions such as the Republic of Ireland the authority
to grant armorial bearings has been delegated to a chief herald that serves the same purpose as
the traditional king of arms. Canada also has a chief herald, though this officer grants arms on
the authority of the Governor General as the Queen's representative through the Herald
Chancellor's direct remit. Scotland's only king of arms, the Lord Lyon, exercises the royal
prerogative by direct delegation from the Crown and like the Chief Herald of Ireland and the
old Ulster King of Arms needs no warrant from any other office bearer. In the Kingdom of
Spain, the power to certify coats of arms has been given to the Cronistas de Armas
(Chroniclers of Arms).
English and Scottish kings of arms are the only officers of arms to have a distinctive coronet
of office, used for ceremonial purposes such as at coronations. At the coronation of Queen
Elizabeth II, the kings of arms used a coronet trimmed with sixteen acanthus leaves
alternating in height, and inscribed with the words Miserere mei Deus secundum magnum
misericordiam tuam (Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy great mercy; psalm 51).
When this coronet is shown in pictorial representations, only nine leaves and the first three
words are shown. Recently, a new crown has been made for the Lord Lyon, modelled on the
Scottish Royal crown among the Honours of Scotland. This crown has removable arches (like
one of the late Queen Mother's crowns) which will be removed at coronations to avoid any
hint of lèse majesté.
Heralds
Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to convey messages or
proclamations - in this sense being the predecessors of the modern diplomats. In the Hundred
Years' War, French heralds challenged King Henry V to fight. During the Battle of Agincourt,
the English and the French herald, Montjoie, watched the battle together from a nearby hill;
both agreed that the English were the victors, and Montjoie provided King Henry V, who thus
earned the right to name the battle, with the name of the nearby castle.
Like other officers of arms, a herald would often wear a surcoat, called a tabard, decorated
with the coat of arms of his master. It was possibly due to their role in managing the
tournaments of the Late Middle Ages that heralds came to be associated with the regulation of
the knights' coats of arms. This science of heraldry became increasingly important and further
regulated over the years, and in several countries around the world it is still overseen by
heralds. Thus the primary job of a herald today is to be an expert in coats of arms. In the
United Kingdom heralds are still called upon at times to read proclamations publicly; for
which they still wear tabards emblazoned with the royal coat of arms.
There are active official heralds today in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the
Republic of Ireland, Canada, and the Republic of South Africa. In England and Scotland most
heralds are full-time employees of the sovereign and are called "Heralds of Arms in
Ordinary". Temporary appointments can be made of "Heralds of Arms Extraordinary". These
are often appointed for a specific major state occasions, such as a coronation. In addition, the
Canadian Heraldic Authority has created the position of "Herald of Arms Emeritus", with
which to honor long-serving or distinguished heraldists. In Scotland, some Clan Chiefs, the
heads of great noble houses, still appoint private officers of arms to handle cases of heraldic
or genealogical importance of clan members, although these are usually pursuivants.
Pursuivants
A Pursuivant pursuivant of arms, is a junior officer of arms. Most pursuivants are attached to
official heraldic authorities, such as the College of Arms in London or the Court of the Lord
Lyon in Edinburgh. In the mediaeval era, many great nobles employed their own officers of
arms. Today, there still exist some private pursuivants that are not employed by a government
authority. In Scotland, for example, several pursuivants of arms have been appointed by Clan
Chiefs. These pursuivants of arms look after matters of heraldic and genealogical importance
for clan members.
Click for more on Officers of Arms
Thomas Hawley, Clarenceux King of Arms as depicted in the initial letter of a grant of arms
to John Fennar in 1556.
the Arms of Lord Lyon, King of Arms
King of Arms in Tabard
The Most Noble Edward William Fitzalan Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk, Premier Duke and
Earl of England, Baron Beaumont, Baron Howard of Glossop, Earl Marshal, and Hereditary
Marshal of England. One of the great Officers of State in England, responsible for the
organization of state ceremonies (though not 'royal' occasions such as weddings), hereditary
judge in the Court of Chivalry, and ultimately responsible to the Sovereign for all matters
relating to heraldry, honor, precedence, etc. The Earl Marshal has jurisdiction over the
officers of arms, but is not a member of the corporate body of the College of Arms.
The Earl Marshal displays behind his shield two gold batons saltirewise, the ends enameled
black with the royal arms at the top, and those of the Earl Marshal at the lower end. These
batons represent the virga or marshal's rod, a symbol of office dating from the Norman period.
Attributed Coats of Arms
The medieval mind did not seem to countenance a time when things had been different. For
medieval people the world had always been much the same as it was then. So it is that
medieval art invariably shows biblical characters in medieval dress, living in medieval houses
and carrying on medieval trades. (Paradoxically, a great deal of what we know about
medieval life comes from medieval representations of biblical events).
Soon after the invention of heraldry, people
were assuming that notable people from the
past had born arms. So it was that the early
kings of England were accorded a coat of arms
shown on the left, and still borne today by
University
College,
Oxford
on
the
(questionable) grounds that the college had
been founded by King Alfred the Great in 872.
It can also be seen as the arms of westminster
abbey and embedded in the arms of the city of
Westminster and elsewhere (for example St Margaret of Scotland who hailed from a royal
house of England)
In the Arthurian legends, each knight of the Round Table is often
accompanied by a heraldic description of a coat of arms. Although
these arms could be arbitrary, some characters were traditionally
associated with one coat or a few different coats. King Arthur was
assigned many different arms, but from the 13th century, he was
most commonly given three gold crowns on an Azure field - arms
later used for the Lordship of Ireland.
Attributed arms of the King of Armenia
No. 1301 from the
Wijnbergen Armorial (1265 - 1270)
Gules a lion rampant gardant crowned a patriarchal
cross issuant Or.
Attributed arms of the King of
Morocco
No. 1284 from the
Azure three chess rooks Or.
Attributed arms of the King of Africa
No. 1286 from the
Azure crusilly three hearts Or
Attributed arms of the King of Africa
No. 1288 from the
Azure three leopards passant gardant
Or.
Attributed arms of the King of Tunis
No. 1287 from the
Argent a lion rampant azure armed and crowned Or.
Attributed arms of the King of the
East
No. 1309 from the
Gules a patriarchal cross Or.
The Arms of the City of Westminster. At the top centre of the shield is a cross surrounded by
martlets the attributed arms of King Edward the Confessor, the first English King to live in
Westminster.
The Attributed Arms of Saint Benedict
Medieval officers of arms attributed coats of arms to all notable historic persons. They even
attributed arms to Jesus along with a banner and an improbable crest featuring items from his
supposed "passion".
(Hyghalmen Roll, Circa 1450).
The attributed arms of the Holy Trinity
The attributed arms of Satan,
based on "three unclean spirits like frogs"
of Book of Revelation 16:13
Green frogs on a red background contravene the
heraldic Rule of Tincture - presumably deliberately
Assumed Arms & Bogus Arms
In jurisdictions where heraldic practice is governed by law there is a distinction between arms
that have been formally granted and arms that are simply adopted by the user. In the past
using adopted or "bogus" arms could invite legal action, and the heralds used to carry out
visitations around the country to identify and destroy these bogus arms. In practice proof of
continued use over a number of generations would qualify the users and the heralds would
regularise the usage. Today only Scotland enforces the use of arms in a rigorous manner.
In some jurisdictions there are no rules about using coats of arms. In these jurisdictions people
are free to adopt coats of arms. Although there are no rules it is still considered extremely
poor form to use another person's arms, or to use symbols of authority which are unwarranted,
such as insignia of office.
Even in jurisdictions where there are no formal rules for citizens, such as the USA, France
and Australia, it is still useful, if perhaps a little artificial, to distinguish between "real arms"
and "bogus arms". Real arms are registered with a competent authority who can at least
ensure uniqueness and good heraldic practice.
Bogus arms can be difficult to spot, but more often they stand out as
uninformed fantasy. They might break the rule of tincture or some other
heraldic convention, or feature some item that the owner is not entitled to,
such as supporters or an imperial crown an imperial eagle. Many have red,
blue, yellow and green quarters sparated by a thin cross. Common charges
are lions rampant, unicorns, fleurs-de-lys and letters of the alphabet. Lions
are often placed symetrically. Supporters rarely stand on a "compartment" as they do on
genuine arms. Thin crosses, bars or other ordinararies often divide the field.
There are firms that sell people coats of arms which they wrongly claim to belong to all
members of a family with a particular surname, and will even produce quartered arms for
couples getting married based on the arms falsely attributed to their two surnames.
Here are a few examples of
bogus arms - note that most of
the giveaway features are not
heraldically impossible - just so
unlikely that, especially in
combination, you can be sure
they are bogus:
A joke: these are the supposed arms of Hogwarts
school, a clever parody of the bogus arms adopted by
many schools, with a thin cross separating four quarters
of four different colours, one with a charge (the bird)
drawn partly outside the shield. The inescutcheon is a
different shape from the shield - and features a letter.
(The motto incidentally translates as "never tickle a
sleeping dragon")
Giveaways: fleur-de-lys as a crest. Two
sets of mantling - one red, one gold and
silver. Symetrical lions. Top left (Dexter)
lion has a red tongue and claws on a red
background. Pile of modern books looks
odd - in heraldry one styalised book is
enough.
Giveaways: Broken rule of tincture:
red on black. Mantling independent of
the torse and helm. No visor on the
helm. Pre-medieval charge - the Viking
ship. Poor execution of the design.
Motto is not a motto - just the Greek
letters Alpha-Kappi-Psi
Spectacular Giveaways: another fleur-de-lys
crest. No helm but still has mantling. An
imperial crown. More fleurs-de-lys. Unusual
partition. Initials BC for Bell Charles. Name
instead of motto.
Giveaways: Cross of Jerusalem features on
sufficiently few arms (eg claimants to the medieval
Kingdom) that it stands out. Lion placed over the
bend looks odd. Ermine too realistic, it is usually
styalised. Unicorns. Even a discrete fleur-de-lys
attached to the helm
This a very convincing coat of arms - even the
helms facing each other are plausible. The
"ancient" crowns are common enough to be real,
and it's not too much of a coincidence that both
of the quartered arms have them. The MacEwen
arms seem to be missing their chief, but only
people familiar with the arms would know that.
Apart from that, these quartered arms could
conceivable belong to someone - the eldest son
of a deceased father who was the owner of the
MacEwen arms and a mother who was the
heiress of the owner of the MacKay arms.
These arms are not the arms of any old Mr
MacEwen who happens to marry any old Miss
MacKay - and in Scotland it would be illegal to
pretend that they are.
Beware - features that indicate bogus arms in one jurisdiction might not in another. A red
charge on a black ground in Scotland would be very suspicious, but the same arms in
Germany would not be.
Giveaways: purports to be a family coat of arms. Red mantling, and red in the torse, but the
main shield colours are black and gold. Unicorn supporters - in fact any supporters for people
who are not noble or from very old families - are always suspicious. These supporters stand
on thin air. The helm belongs to a monarch. The field features a single shield as a charge
rather than an inescutcheon, and the motto is that of the British monarch.
Giveaways: the thin cross. Flags (almost as bad a giveaway as letters). Symmetrical charges
in the lower quarters.
Giveaways: lots of gold on silver. Red manteling does not match the main colours of the
shield. Monarch's helm, but not a monarch's crown. Royal supporters (unicorn & historic
yale). Cross of Jerusalem, well known but rare outside a few select arms - here it suggests a
claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Charge on the helm. Motto from Oxford University
Giveaways: An abbot's arms, but the hat is disproportionately large. The thin cross separating
the four different quarters. The three stripes in the second quarter look odd, as does the Celtic
cross in the third, and there is a letter in the fourth quarter. Crozier does not match the rank
indicated by the hat.
For some reason tailors are particularly prone to creating bogus arms. This one is presumably
a sort of joke as there cannot be a genuine intention to pass this off as a genuine acheivement
of arms.
Giveaways: fleur-de-lys crest. Two sets of mantling - one red. An imperial eagle. Name
instead of motto.
Abatements
A pleasant fiction in heraldry is that just as their are augmentations of honour, there are also
abatements of dishonour. According to heraldic writers there are seven dishonourable
ordinaries as shown below. Sadly we know of no case where these abatements have been
imposed on armigers (though there are a few cases where particular arms have been changed
to reflect some dishonour)
Point Dexter, tenne: Point champain,
Point-in-point, tenne:
for boasting of a tenne: for killing an
for committing an
valiant act not really adversary although
act of cowardice.
performed.
asked for quarter.
Gusset Dexter, Gusset sinister, tenne:
tenne: for
for being an habitual
committing adultery.
drunkard
Delf, tenne: for
challenging an
adversary then
revoking the
challenge.
Inescutcheon reversed,
tenne: for taking advantage
of a maiden against her will
or fleeing from the King's
Banner in battle.
There are traces of real historical abatements. One was the entire reversal of the escutcheon
in the ceremony of degradation following an attainder for high treason - after which the arms
would cease to exist altogether.
A rare example of an apparently genuine historical abatement is mentioned by Sir George
Mackenzie (aluding to Aymery of Pavia, a Lombard, governor of Calais in 1349, who bore
Azure four mullets Or.): "And Edward the Third of England ordained two of six stars which a
gentleman had in his arms to be effaced, because he had sold a seaport of which he was made
governor."
In Scots Heraldry, Innes of Learney mentions abatements in marital situations: "The law of
arms provides for abating the arms of an adulterer by two gussets sanguine, and where the
bearing of arms is necessary this, and one gusset (they will be close-gussets) for nonadulterous divorcees, are, at least in Patents, applied in the case of divorcees." cf the gusset
dexter shown above.
The French seem to have had the concept too. In French heraldry the term, diffamé is the term
used to denote an animal whose tail is cut off. Literally, it means "deprived or its reputation"
(fama=reputation in Latin) cf defamed in English. It is also said of arms which have been
altered, either by the removal of a charge, the addition of a dishonorable charge, or the
tweaking of an existing charge to signify loss of honor. An example is that of Jean d'Avesnes
who insulted his mother, Marguerite Countess of Flanders in the presence of king Louis IX.
He is supposed to have seen the lion in his arms diffamée, and made morné (ie with teeth and
claws removed).
Some writers refer to other supposed marks of dishonour, including broken chevrons, and
beasts turned towards the sinister, which are supposed by some heraldic writers to have been
given as abatements. A lion with its tail between its hind legs is termed "couard" (coward),
and has also been cited as a mark of infamy.
In the popular imagination a bend sinister is a dishonourable element on a coat of arms,
denoting illegitimacy. This is wrong - possibly a distorted version of the fact that a baton
sinister (not a bend sinister) denotes illegitimacy on British Royal Arms - without any
suggestion of dishonour.
Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton, was the 2nd illegitimate son of King Charles II by
Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland. Born in 1663, Henry was created Baron Sudbury,
Viscount Ipswich, and Earl of Euston in 1672 and Duke of Grafton in 1675, just before his
12th birthday. You can see his arms with a baton sinister on the right.
Arms of the Duke of Grafton : Quarterly: 1st and 4th, France and England, quarterly; 2nd,
Scotland; 3rd, Ireland; over all a baton in bend sinister compony of six, Argent and Azure.
Crest: On a chapeau, Gules turned up ermine, a lion statant guardant, or, crowned with a ducal
coronet, Azure, and gorged with a collar, countercompony, Argent and Azure. Supporters:
Dexter, a lion, guardant, or, crowned with a ducal coronet, Azure, and gorged with a collar,
countercompony, Argent and Azure; Sinister, a greyhound Argent, gorged as in the Dexter
This Coat of Arms is the Royal Arms of Charles II debruised by a baton sinister showing that
the 1st Duke was related by blood to the Sovereign but unable to succeed to the Throne
because of being born out of wedlock.
During Charles II's exile under the Cromwell Protectorate, Charles lived in France and
fathered several illegitimate children. Many of them were raised to the Peerage as Dukes, of
which four remain today (Buccleuch, Richmond, Grafton, and St. Albans), and all of whom
use the Baton Sinister or Bordure Compony to signify their relation to Charles II.
Arms of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal

Heraldry is the practice of devising, granting, displaying, describing

Transcription

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