Creating Coats Of Arms: History And Design

Coats of arms are a fascinating tradition that dates back to the 12th century, when they were used by medieval kings, princes, knights and other power-holders to identify themselves in battle and tournaments. The colourful decorations adorning shields and clothing were not just chosen for aesthetic purposes, but were carefully designed to represent the identity and status of the bearer. Over time, the use of coats of arms expanded beyond the nobility, with priests, towns, commoners and even peasants adopting their own heraldic designs. Today, coats of arms continue to be used by individuals, families, and various institutions, serving as a link to the past and a symbol of heritage and pride.

Coats of arms are unique to the armiger (e.g. an individual, family, state, organisation, school or corporation)

Coats of arms are unique to the armiger, meaning they are specific to an individual, family, state, organisation, school or corporation. They are not granted to families, but to individuals and can be inherited. In England and Scotland, only the person who was granted the coat of arms could use it as it was, though it could be passed down through the generations.

In the 17th to 19th centuries, coats of arms were embellished to record personal or family history, often ignoring the traditions of heraldry's origins. Arms were designed for organisations and institutions like schools, universities, guilds, churches, fraternal societies and even modern corporations. These designs were used to symbolise the meanings of their mottoes or to hint at their histories.

The design of a coat of arms is unique to the armiger and must be distinct from all previous arms on record. The design process begins once a petition for a grant of arms has been approved. The Kings of Arms have full discretion over the design of the armorial bearings they grant, but the wishes of the applicant are taken into account as much as possible. The officer of arms will discuss the allusions and references the applicant would like included in the design.

In the UK, there are still laws governing the use of coats of arms that must be followed by anyone in the world who wishes to use them. The College of Arms in the UK can make new grants of arms, even today.

They are passed down from fathers to sons, and sometimes to wives and daughters

Coats of arms are passed down from fathers to sons, and sometimes to wives and daughters. In the heraldic traditions of England and Scotland, coats of arms are passed down from fathers to sons, and in the absence of male heirs, they can be passed down to the eldest daughter. Wives and daughters can also bear coats of arms, but these are modified to indicate their relation to the current holder of the arms. For example, they may feature a colour change or the addition of a distinguishing charge.

In the past, coats of arms were passed down to the eldest son, with younger sons and daughters using variations of the main emblem. These variations included specific symbols, or cadency marks, to indicate birth order, illegitimacy, and adoption.

In the present day, coats of arms are still passed down through male lines, with the same rules applying to wives and daughters. However, there is no longer a strict requirement for the eldest son to be the sole inheritor of the undifferenced arms. Instead, any male descendant of the original bearer can bear the ancestral arms, as long as they have some difference, such as a colour change or the addition of a distinguishing charge.

The shield is the heart of the system

Coats of arms, those colourful trappings of medieval chivalry, are still very much part of our modern world. A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement. The shield is the heart of the system.

The word escutcheon is derived from Old North French escuchon, meaning 'shield'. Escutcheon shapes are derived from actual shields that were used by knights in combat and thus are varied and developed by region and by era. The earliest depictions of proto-heraldic shields in the second half of the 12th century still have the shape of the Norman kite shield used throughout the 11th and 12th centuries. By about the 1230s, shields used by heavy cavalry had become shorter and more triangular, now called heater shields. The transition to the heater was essentially complete by 1250.

The shield, or escutcheon, is the field. This is divided into chief and base (top and bottom), sinister and dexter (left and right, from the viewpoint of the bearer of the shield, so that sinister is on the right of one facing the shield). Combinations of these terms, together with pale (the centre vertical third) and fess (the centre horizontal third), create a grid of nine points to locate the charges, or designs, placed upon the shield. The centre of the pale in chief is the honour point, the centre of the pale in base is the nombril point, and the exact centre of the shield is the fess point.

The ensemble of shield, helmet, crest, wreath, mantling and motto, when shown together, are known as the full achievement. However, it is very common to find only the shield, or just crest and wreath, or crest, wreath and motto, displayed alone. No family can have a crest unless it also has a shield.

The crest sits on top of a helmet

The crest is a three-dimensional object that sits on top of a helmet, which in turn sits above the shield. The crest is nearly always shown resting on a horizontal wreath made of two differently coloured skeins of silk twisted together. The crest is a key identifier of the person wearing the coat of arms, and it is a requirement for a family to have a shield before they can have a crest.

The helmet is an important part of the full achievement of arms, which also includes the warrior's mantling, wreath, and crest. The mantling is a cloth worn to protect the neck from the sun, and it is usually slashed to suggest that the wearer has seen battle. The wreath secures the mantling and crest to the helmet.

The crest is not to be confused with the whole coat of arms or any heraldic device. It is a specific part of the full achievement of arms. The crest is also distinct from the motto, which is displayed either below the shield or above the crest.

The coat of arms is accompanied by a warrior's helmet and the mantling, which protects the neck from the sun

Coats of arms are a heraldic visual design that came into general use among European nobility in the 12th century. They are traditionally unique to the armiger, which can be an individual, family, state, organisation, school, or corporation. The coat of arms is borne upon a shield, which is considered the central and essential component.

The coat of arms is often accompanied by a warrior's helmet. The style of helmet varies according to rank and social status, with open-visored or barred helmets typically reserved for the highest ranks of nobility, while closed helms are for lesser nobility and burghers. The helmet of a king, for example, is of gold, placed full face on, with the bars of the helmet down but the visor raised. The helmet of a knight is of steel, with the visor up and without bars or grills. In ecclesiastical heraldry, bishops and other clergy use a mitre or another rank-appropriate ecclesiastical hat in place of a helmet.

The coat of arms may also include mantling, which is a cloth that hangs from the helmet to shade the neck and head from the sun. It also served to snare or deflect sword cuts. The mantling is shown much ripped and slashed, as any self-respecting knight would have seen much action. The colours of the mantling are usually the primary colour and metal of the shield. The mantling is not a part of the official blazon, and the colours and special effects can be changed according to the herald's or artist's preference.

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