Encyclopedia
Heraldry is the practice of designing, displaying, describing and recording
coats of arms and
badges, as well as the formal ceremonies and laws that regulate the use and inheritance of arms. The origins of heraldry lie in the need to distinguish participants in
battles or
jousts, whose faces were hidden by iron, and later steel,
helmets.
In English the word "crest" is commonly used to refer to a coat-of-arms. However, in heraldry, a crest is just one component of a complete
achievement of arms. The crest sits on top of a
helmet, which itself sits on the main and most recognizable part of the arms, the shield or
escutcheon. Other elements may include
supporters holding up the shield and a motto beneath. Crests can in fact be used on their own ; but where the shield alone is used it should never be called a "crest".
Origins and history
The knights in the
Bayeux Tapestry from the late eleventh century carry no coats of arms, yet by the mid twelfth century personal badges were being used widely by nobility. By the early 13th Century, coats of arms were inherited, and their judicial regulation thus became important. The practice of using marks of
cadency arose, to distinguish one son from another, and was institutionalized and standardized by the fifteenth century.
In the late
Middle Ages and
Renaissance, heraldry became a highly developed discipline, regulated by professional
heralds. As its use in jousts became obsolete , arms remained popular for visually identifying a person in other ways — impressed in
sealing wax on official documents, carved on a family tomb, and so forth. The first work of heraldic jurisprudence,
De Insigniis et Armiis was written by a professor of law at the
University of Padua, Bartolo of Sassoferrato, in the 1350s.
- "Bartolo's book became popular in legal circles, but most heralds and knights did not speak the Latinate jargon in which De Insigniis et Armiis was written. Because of this linguistic divide, the field of heraldic law bifurcated. One was vernacular, and includes the works of Honoré Bonet and Christine de Pisan. The other remained in Latin, and, in Wales and England, is represented by the works of De Bado Aureo and Upton. This Latin continuation of heraldic legal thought spawned, in England, other vernacular heraldic texts, which are the direct antecedents of Tudor and modern studies of heraldry"
Throughout the existence of heraldry, coats of arms have been executed in a wide variety of media, including on paper , painted wood,
embroidery, enamel, stonework,
stained glass and, later, computerised media. For this reason, and because its original function was quick recognition in the chaotic conditions of battle, heraldry for the most part distinguishes only six tinctures and makes no fine distinctions in the precise size or placement of charges on the field, or the number of a lion's claws. Coats of arms and their accessories are described in a concise jargon called
blazon, which for the most part ignores details that are conventional, and in nearly all cases details of varying artistic depictions, which tend to be small and not to help quick visual distinction. It should be noted that the property interest, if any is recognised, in the coat-of-arms inheres in the blazon and not in the particular depiction of the arms, or emblazon.
It is sometimes said that each element of a coat of arms has a conventional meaning, that white stands for honour, blue for loyalty and red for courage, and so on. While the original bearer of a coat may well have had some symbolism in mind, there is no reason to expect consistency from one to the next. In general it is impossible to say what a given coat of arms "means", unless, as is often the case, it incorporates a pun on the bearer's name.
The development of portable
firearms made
plate armor nearly useless, and heraldry, detached from its original function, gradually became more elaborate at the expense of clarity, both in content and in presentation . The 20th century's taste for stark iconic emblems made the simple styles of early heraldry fashionable again.
Rights, wrongs, and myths
In many instances heraldic arms are mistakenly displayed or sold based on surname alone, or otherwise utilized without respect for the tradition of the country of origin of the arms. On the other hand, the rules of heraldry evidently changed with time, and the rules are sometimes overblown or exaggerated with respect to how arms are inherited or displayed. Arms clearly started as an early trademark of an individual.
Generally, arms have passed by inheritance: each coat of arms is borne by all of the original bearer's legitimate descendants in the male line, but often with
modifications to maintain uniqueness. There often were exceptions for the senior heir who inherits the unaltered coat following the death of the incumbent heir. In some countries such differences are not required; the status of the founding armiger passes to all male descendants equally. In most cases, these rules evolved throughout the middle ages.
There has unfortunately arisen a misconception, encouraged by unscrupulous stationers in the 19th century, that a coat of arms belongs equally to everyone with the same surname, whether or not descended from any rightful bearer. "Family crests" continue to be sold to the gullible by heraldic bucket shops; their customers in effect become impostors, and at least in Scotland they risk legal prosecution.
A crest may be used within a belt and buckle by a member of a family or clan, the belt and buckle signifying that this is not the user's own crest but that the user has a familial allegiance to the armigerous owner.
Shield and lozenge
Traditionally, as women did not go to
war, they would not have a shield. Instead, their coats-of-arms would be shown on a
lozenge . This continues to hold true with some exceptions, such as a queen or empress, being a man from a theoretical legal viewpoint, may have her arms on a shield, and there have been some other exceptions. In Canada the restriction against women bearing arms on a shield has been eliminated. A parallel usage for noncombatant
clergymen could be found sometimes on the
European continent, with the occasional placement of arms on a cartouche . For more detail on the use of the lozenge by women in the British heraldic tradition, see the separate article on the
lozenge.
In general the shape of shield employed is viewed as irrelevant. Very rarely and almost invariably in non-European contexts, such as the
arms of Nunavut, the former Republic of
Bophuthatswana some Algerian civic heraldry of French colonial origin, and the arms of
Cuba, specific shapes of shield are specified in the blazon . There are also some cases in which the blazon forces or would tend to force the shield to be either a "heater" or a similar shape.
In rare instances the shield may be blazoned as being displayed on a
cartouche, the tincture of which is then specified.
Tinctures
Main article: TinctureThe first rule of heraldry is the
rule of tincture: metal must never be placed upon metal, nor colour upon colour, for the sake of contrast; except where this cannot be avoided, as in the case of a charge overlying a partition of the field. Like any rule, this admits some exceptions, the most famous being the arms chosen by
Godfrey of Bouillon when he was made
king of Jerusalem, featuring five gold crosses potent on a silver field — a design that might have been modelled after the Arab technique of
Damascus steel.
The names used in English blazon for the tinctures come mainly from French:
A number of other colours are occasionally found, typically for special purposes. These are discussed in the main article on tinctures.
Besides the solid tinctures, certain patterns called
furs function as tinctures. The two common furs are ermine and vair, each of which has several rarer variants.
- Ermine represents the winter coat of the stoat, which is white with a black tail; the heraldic fur is white with a pattern of black spots, representing a number of skins sewn together.
- Vair and Potent represent a kind of squirrel with a blue-gray back and white belly; sewn together it forms a pattern of alternating blue and white shapes.
Proper: Charges such as plants and animals may also be depicted in their natural colours, in which case they are described as
proper. Proper charges are much more frequent as crests and supporters than on the shield. Proper is understood to be a tincture, though its appearance is contextual.
Divisions of the field
Main article: Divisions of the fieldThe field of a
shield in heraldry can be divided into more than one tincture, as can the various charges. Many coats of arms consist simply of a division of the field into two contrasting tinctures, by a single line or several parallel lines, vertical, horizontal or diagonal, or some combination. Since these are considered divisions of a shield the tincture rules can be ignored. A shield divided azure and gules, for instance, would be accepted. This is especially true of a shield that is tierced. Arms that are tierced fesswise sable, vert and gules are fine because the shield is considered to have been divided into three rather than having a fess on two background colours. The line or lines of partition may be straight,
wavy,
indented ,
embattled ,
engrailed or
invected , among other shapes.
Charges
Main article: ChargeAny object found in nature or technology may appear as a charge in armory, and probably has at least once — albeit more or less stylized. Charges can be animals, objects or geometric constructs . Apart from simple stripes — some of which probably originated as bands that reinforced the shield and were painted a contrasting color — the most frequent charges are the
cross and the
king of beasts.
Other common animals are
fish,
martlets,
eagles,
griffins,
boars and
stags.
Dragons,
unicorns and more exotic monsters appear rarely as charges but more often as
supporters. Possibly the rarest animal in heraldry is the
iguanodon supporter of the borough of
Maidstone in
Kent.
Animals are found in various stereotyped positions.
Quadrupeds are most often
rampant, standing on the left hind foot , arranged to fill the field and to emphasize distinctive features such as claws and tail. The next most frequent position is walking , like the three lions of the
kings of England. Eagles are nearly always shown with their wings spread .
Human figures are relatively rare as charges, but appear quite often as supporters. Human heads, hands and
hearts occur more often as charges. Very many coats of arms in the
Balkans show a mutilated
Turk, alluding to a long history of warfare. "
Moor's" heads appear in the arms of
Sardinia and
Corsica.
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 coats of arms.
Ordinaries
Main article: OrdinaryOrdinaries resemble partitions, but are customarily treated like charges; for example, when painted they often cast shadows on the field. Unless otherwise specified they extend to the edges of the field. They include:
- cross;
- fess: a horizontal stripe;
- pale: a vertical stripe;
- bend: a diagonal stripe, beginning at the bearer's upper right, i.e. the viewer's upper left ;
- chief: the upper portion of the field;
- chevron
- The general shape of a V character, or a triangular shape pointing up or mo...
: an angled stripe with the point upwards, possibly representing the rafters of a house; - saltire: a diagonal cross;
- bordure: the edge of the field.
Each of the above ordinaries is commonly said to take up one-third of the field in theory, though in practice they are usually made somewhat narrower.
Less widespread are the
flaunches,
pall and
pile . The quarter, i.e. an upper quadrant of the field, occurs rarely as an ordinary, but its diminished version the canton is frequently found, usually as a mark of distinction ; it theoretically occupies the first third of the chief.
Ordinaries may appear in parallel series, in which case English blazon gives them a different name:
pallets,
bars ,
bendlets,
chevronels. French blazon makes no such distinction:
une fasce, deux fasces.
Unless otherwise specified an ordinary is drawn with straight lines, but each may be
indented ,
embattled ,
wavy,
engrailed or
invected , among rarer variants.
Marshalling
Two or more coats of arms are often combined in one shield; such combination, called
marshalling may express inheritance from different families, a sovereign's assertion of various claims, or the occupation of an office by a specific person for the time being. The principal modes of marshalling are:
- by impalement: the shield is divided into right and left halves;
- by quartering: the shield is divided into quadrants;
- with an inescutcheon: a smaller shield appears in front of the main shield.
When more than four coats are to be marshalled, the principle of quartering may be extended to two rows of three and even further; a few lineages have accumulated hundreds of quarters, though such a number is usually displayed only in documentary contexts. Some traditions have a strong resistance to allowing more than four quarters, and resort instead to subquartering.
Impaled or quartered shield are read by rows, beginning at the dexter chief – the top right corner of the shield as seen by its holder . The first coat normally represents the highest title claimed, or the paternal inheritance.
Around the shield
The shield is the core of a composition called the
achievement, which may be quite elaborate.
Helm and crest
All coats of arms may be displayed with a
helm or helmet, which sits over the shield and carries the
crest. The form of the helmet may vary with the rank of the armiger.
The
crest stands atop the helm, usually on a torse of twisted cloth in the two principal colours of the coat of arms, sometimes within a coronet . Often but not exclusively an animal, crests were used to identify a knight at the joust and were, therefore, at first, a sign of the superior rank expected of participants in medieval tournaments. Since Tudor times, however, crests have been granted with all English coats of arms. A woman does not display a crest . The crest rests on the helm, as it would have done in real life, or it may be illustrated directly above the shield without a helm. Crests are often shown alone on stationery and the like; the torse or crest-coronet must be included in such display.
The helm if present is practically always, in present times, adorned with a
mantling or
lambrequin , originally a cloth worn as partial protection against heating by sunlight. Typically its outer surface is of the principal colour and the inner of the principal metal of the shield , but in the case of royalty and nobility it is often of gold or scarlet on the outside and ermine inside . The mantling is conventionally depicted with a ragged edge, as if damaged in combat.
Clergy, like women, and for the same reason , would often refrain from displaying a helm or crest. Higher clergy, such as bishops or abbots, may display appropriate headwear above the shield, similar to the display by peers of their coronets. Lower clergy often use clerical hats with tassells appropriate to their seniority: this practice began in the Roman Catholic church but was subsequently adopted by some Anglican clergy. The Chief Herald of Ireland has granted Father William Richardson the crest
A dexter hand couped at the wrist Gules holding a crown of thorns Proper, but this is often shown beside the shield, the only item above the shield being the historical tasselled hat of a priest.
However, the helm and shield were used by various priests and can be found in heraldic records and on tombstones. There are many examples, but one can be noted for one Rev. Ralph Drake-Brockman of
Beachborough Manor. His arms were approved by parliament, so it seems that traditions of priests not using the helm and shield were not so iron-clad. Furthermore, the myth that only knights were permitted the use of helm and shield on their arms is also challenged by this example. The landed gentry squires of this country manor were apparently permitted the use of helm and shield despite not having the knight title. .
Motto
An armorial motto is a phrase or collection of words intended to describe the motivation or intention of the armigerous person or corporation, sometimes also forming a pun as in the Neville motto
Ne vile velis . It is often claimed by members of a family as well. A motto is a usual component in an achievement of arms, typically on a scroll under the shield, or else above the crest as in Scots heraldry. A motto may be in any language;
Latin is the most frequent.
Supporters and other additions
An armiger may be entitled, depending upon their rank, to several other items:
- Peers of the realm, senior members of British orders of knighthood and some corporate bodies have supporters on either side of the shield. Often these can have local significance or a historical link .
- If the bearer has the title of baron or higher , he or she may display a coronet of rank above the shield, usually below the helm in British heraldry, often above the crest in Continental heraldry.
- Some orders of knighthood are denoted by a collar or similar band surrounding the shield.
- Certain offices of state are denoted by a staff, sceptre or sword, typically shown crossed in saltire behind the shield; the keys of Saint Peter are shown behind the Pope's personal arms, and some bishops have their crozier .
National styles
It is often possible to guess the country of origin of a coat of arms. Four broad styles are readily distinguished, which we may conveniently call German, Gallo-British, Mediterranean and Eastern :
- Chevrons
- The general shape of a V character, or a triangular shape pointing up or mo...
and five-pointed stars are popular in France and Britain, rare elsewhere. - Saltires are most popular in Spain and Scotland.
- A plain field with a charged chief is a typically Scottish composition.
- A shield divided into two dissimilar coats, one above the other, is probably Italian.
- A shield with a checkerboard of tiny coats, with a single coat on a smaller shield in the center, almost certainly belongs to a high-ranking German noble.
- Bordures and to a lesser extent orles are much used in Spain and Portugal as a place for charges – almost a form of marshalling.
- A large number of Hungarian arms consist of some animal standing on a green hill against a blue sky.
- Trees are most often seen in Mediterranean arms.
- A purely geometric coat of arms is relatively unlikely to be Mediterranean .
- Crests are often not displayed at all in French and Mediterranean armory, but are very important in Germany. A shield with three or more crested helms is usually German. Certain types of crests, too, are typically German, such as a pair of horns or a tall hat in the tinctures of the shield.
Modern heraldry
Heraldry continues to flourish today. Institutions, companies, and members of the public may obtain officially recognized coats of arms from governmental heraldic authorities. This typically has the force of a registered trademark. The first recorded corporate coat of arms was granted to the
Drapers' Company of the
City of London in 1438 . However, many users of modern "heraldic" designs do not register with heraldic authorities, and some designers do not follow the rules of heraldic design at all.
In Scotland the control of heraldry is fully legal and the
Lord Lyon King of Arms retains powers which he does not hesitate to use. His office has no equivalent in England, is pre-heraldic and is closer to that of the Earl Marshal than that of
Garter Principal King of Arms.
Other active heraldic authorities include:
Cronista Rey de Armas .
the Chief Herald of Ireland;
the
Canadian Heraldic Authority; and
the Bureau of Heraldry .
Some people who have interests in heraldry as a hobby participate in the
Society for Creative Anachronism and other such medieval revivals, or in
micronationalism. Many more people see heraldry as a part of their national, and even personal, heritage, as well as a manifestation of civic and national pride.
Suggested reading
General
- Fox-Davies, A.C. The Art of Heraldry: an Encyclopedia of Armory.
- Friar, Stephen & John Ferguson. Basic Heraldry. New York: Norton, 1993.
- Parker, James. A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry. New ed. Oxford: James Parker & Co., 1894 .
- Woodcock, Thomas & John Martin Robinson. The Oxford Guide to Heraldry. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
United Kingdom
- Bedingfeld, Henry & Peter Gwynn-Jones. Heraldry. Secaucus, NJ: Chartwell Books, 1993.
- Boutell, Charles. Boutell’s Heraldry. New York: Frederick Warner, 1983. Revised by J. P. Brooke-Little from the 1891 edition. Boutell's Manual of Heraldry was first published in 1863.
- Burke, John Bernard. The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales; Comprising a Registry of Armorial Bearings from the Earliest to the Present Time. London: Burke’s Peerage, 1884 . Reprint of the last edition.
- Copinger, A. Heraldry simplified.
- Dennys, Rodney. The Heraldic Imagination. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1975. Artistic aspects of heraldry.
- Elvin, Charles N. Elvin’s Handbook of Mottoes. 2d ed. Revised with Supplement and Index by R. Pinches. London: Heraldry Today, 1971. Originally published in 1860.
- Fairbairn, James. Fairbairn’s Crests of the Families of Great Britain & Ireland. 2v. Revised ed. New York: Heraldic Publishing Co., 1911 . Originally published 1800.
- Gayre of Gayre and Nigg. The Nature of Arms.
- Hasler, Charles. The Royal Arms, Its Graphic and Decorative Development. London: Jupiter Books, 1980. Artistic aspects and commercial treatments.
- Humphery-Smith, Cecil. Ed Kennedy's Book of Arms, Canterbury, Achievements Ltd, 1967;
- Humphery-Smith,Cecil. 3rd edition and revision of The Right Road for the Study of Heraldry. London: The Heraldry Society, 1968;
- Humphery-Smith, Cecil. Ed and Augmented General Armory Two, London, Tabard Press, 1973;
- Humphery-Smith, Cecil. Anglo-Norman Armory. Canterbury: Family History, 1973.
- Humphery-Smith, Cecil. Anglo Norman Armory Two- an illustrated ordinary of 13th century armorials - Canterbury, Famil History, 1984;
- Humphery-Smith, Cecil. Armigerous Ancestors - A catalogue of sources for the study of the Visitations of the Heralds in the 16th and 17th centuries with referenced lists of names - Canterbury, Family History Books, 1997;
- Humphery-Smith, Cecil. Froissart's Roll of Arms; A Roll of Arms ,from Family History, 1994/6
- Humphery-Smith, Cecil. A Tudor Armorial, in Tribute to an Armorist, from The Coat of Arms, *Franklyn, Julian. Shield and Crest: An Account of the Art and Science of Heraldry. 3d ed. London: Macgibbon & Kee, 1967. Textbook for the author's two-year course in heraldry at the City Literary Institute in London.
- Friar, Stephen. Heraldry for the Local Historian and Genealogist. Phoenix Mill, Gloucs., UK: Sutton Publishing, 1997
- Mackinnon of Dunakin, Charles. Observer's Book of Heraldry. Frederick Warne & Co., 1966.
- Moncrieffe, Ian and Don Pottinger. Simple Heraldry. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1953.
- Palliser, Bury . Historic Devices, Badges, and War-Cries. London: Sampson Low, 1870 .
- Paul, James Balfour. An Ordinary of Arms Contained in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland. 2d ed. Edinburgh: W. Green & Sons, 1903.
- Pinches, J. H. & R. V. The Royal Heraldry of England. London: Heraldry Today, 1974.
- Wagner, Sir Anthony R. Heralds of England: A History of the Office and College of Arms. London: HMSO, 1967.
- Wagner, Sir Anthony R. Historic Heraldry of Britain. London: Oxford University Press, 1939 . College of Arms exhibit at the New York World's Fair of 1939.
- Thomas Woodcock & John Martin Robinson. Heraldry in Historic Houses of Great Britain. New York: Abrams, for the National Trust, 2000.
Mainland European
- Le Févre, Jean. A European Armorial: An Armorial of Knights of the Golden Fleece and 15th Century Europe. London: Heraldry Today, 1971.
- Louda, Jirí and Michael Maclagan. Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe. New York: Clarkson Potter, 1981. Reprinted as Lines of Succession .
- Pinches, J. H. European Nobility and Heraldry: A Comparative Study of the Titles of Nobility and their Heraldic Exterior Ornaments for each Country, with Historical Notes. Ramsbury, Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1994.
- Rietstap, Johannes B. Armorial General. 2v. The Hague: M. Nijhoff, 1904-26 .
- Rolland, V. & H. V. Supplement to Rietstap’s Armorial General. 2d ed. 9v. London: Heraldry Today, 1969.
- Rolland, V. & H. V. Illustrations to the Armorial General. 6v. The Hague: M. Nijhoff, 1903-26.
- Siebmacher, Johann. J. Siebmacher’s Grosses und Allgemeines Wappenbuch . . . Vermehrten Auglage. 137v. . Nürnberg: Von Bauer & Raspe, 1890-1901.
- Volborth, Carl-Alexander von. Heraldry: Customs, Rules and Styles. London: Blandford Press, 1981.
See also
External links
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- part of the Encyclopædia Romana
- a complete transcript of the first edition of this work
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- Serbian e-zine for promotion of heraldry
- Generally accepted symbolism of heraldic charges, tinctures, and ordinaries.
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