Irene Preston's Historical Writing
THE
BASICS OF HERALDRY
Heraldry is the science of armorial bearings, a pictorial language of
the various coats of arms worn by powerful families in the past. Of
course many families still have their coat of arms displayed in their
country homes.
In the early centuries men fought with a spear and shield often
displaying a symbol on it for courage and recognition in the field of
battle. These symbols became very ornate and were used at tournaments
particularly after 1066. This was the age of the gallant knight and
chivalry, when armour was in use. The king would hold tournaments that
allowed the knights to show off their skill and they would dress in
their own colours which showed their family symbol. The king appointed a
herald to organise the tournaments and take word to the many castles in
the surrounding countryside. Those wishing to enter the tournament would
send their squires to the herald giving his lord's name and armorial
bearings. As the heralds became experts in their knowledge of the
various colours and bearings of individual contestants the king
appointed a chief herald who was given the title of Premiere Duke, Earl
Marshal of England. This title is still in use today and is the
hereditary title of the Dukes of Norfolk.
Henry the V founded The College of Arms in the 15th century but the
first charter was granted by Richard the III in 1484. The College of
Arms has a vast collection of heraldic material dating from 1264 which
is stored on rolls of vellum. The college has been situated in Queen
Victoria Street, London since 1555. The original house burnt down in the
Great Fire of 1666, fortunately the records were saved. The work of the
college consists of heraldry, genealogy and succession to titles. It
also deals with the many ceremonial occasions, for which they wear
tabards with the royal arms displayed on the front, back and sleeves.
THE SHIELD is the most important item as it bears all the family symbols
used for many generations and would have been given pride of place in
the Great Hall of the relevant family. The early shields used in battle
were based on geometrical shapes, colours and an emblem such as a bear,
lion or a dragon for Wales. The shield is usually divided into 2 halves
called dexter, right and sinister, left. When the bearer married, his
wife's family emblems were added to the sinister side. This is called
marshalling. As children were born they were able to bear their father's
arms but with a slight difference to distinguish the bearer. In heraldry
it is aptly called marks of difference.
The surface of the shield is called the field and the several devices
portrayed are called charges. To describe the field is to blazon it and
to design and paint it is to emblazon it.
THE HELM is a short word for helmet and there are different helms for
the status of the bearer such as king, duke and earl etc. During the
crusades the knights copied the Saracens use of a small cloth flowing
from their helm to protect their neck from the sun. After many battles
the
cloth was reduced to tatters which the knights wore with pride as proof
of
their power in battle. In heraldry this tattered cloth became known as
the
mantling and is emblazoned in very ornate swirls of two colours.
THE WREATH OR TORSE is a twisted or plaited scarf in the same
colours and probable originated as the token of a lady during
tournaments. It is used to hide the fixing of the crest.
THE CREST takes the form of a large display of the armorial bearings
of the wearer, it is made of painted wood or leather and is only used in
tournaments. They were often rather grand and fearsome such as a large
red bull's head with horns. A smaller crest may have been used in battle
such as plumes of ostrich feathers or small animal devices as a means of
identification.
THE CHAPEAU OR CAP is reserved for royalty or members of high
rank. It is red with a turned-up lining of ermine, and is placed over
the
helm on which the crest stands. It is symbolic of especial dignity as
only
royalty may wear ermine.
SUPPORTERS is the obvious title of the animals or figures placed each
side of the shield. The animals are often lions, dragons, unicorns and
other mythical beasts, human figures are also represented.
BADGES have long been used as a symbol of bearings for the household
servants and retainers as a means of recognition. Tabards, livery and
household goods would boldly display a small portion of the arms such as
a bear with a ragged staff, the symbol of the Earls of Warwick. The
lesser
retainers such as the soldiers wore just the ragged staff and the symbol
is
still used by Warwickshire County Council. Another badge is the
portcullis belonging to the Beaufort family and later used with the
Tudor
Rose as Margaret Beaufort was the mother of King Henry VII. The
portcullis has been retained as part of the emblem of Westminster Bank.
Dating from the ancient City of Westminster and Abbey. The white hart
is the badge of King Richard II, the only son of the Black Prince and
grandson of Edward the III. Many public houses are called the White
Hart.
THE SURCOAT is the name given to the long garment worn by the
knights and was eventually shortened to knee-length. It would display
his
‘Coat of Arms.’ The whole regalia is called an achievement.
TRAPPINGS or saddlecloths were used to cover the horses during the
tournaments and were also embroidered with the knight's arms together
with banners and flags. In battle the trappings were padded to protect
the horse from wounds.
Knights were not permitted to injure their opponents during jousting, as
the king needed all his brave knights for battles. To score a hit they
had to knock the crest off the helm.
In 1344 at an especially magnificent tournament held at Windsor, King
Edward III took an oath to establish an Order of Knights of the Round
Table as in King Arthur's day. Many knights took the same oath and a
building was begun but it was not until 1348 that the Order of Chivalry
was established. The Order of the Garter was to be a fellowship of 26
Knights. It didn't stop brutal war but strengthened the bonds of honour
amongst the nobility to the king. The garter was made of blue velvet
bearing the motto, ‘Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense’ written in gold, meaning
Evil Be To Him Who Thinks Evil. The garter was hung on an enamel collar
with a figure of St. George slaying the dragon hanging from it, and a
silver star with the red cross of St. George in the centre. The Garter
takes the form of a belt surrounding the shield.
The Duke of Burgundy also founded an order called The Order of the
Golden Fleece (La Toison d'Or) which takes the form of a fleece hanging
from a gold chain symbolising the Lamb of God. It was founded in 1429 to
celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal.
Edward III had many sons and his heir was also called Edward, Prince of
Wales, who spent most of his life in the Holy Land on crusades and was
known as the Black Prince. He died a year before his father so his only
son, Richard, became heir to Edward III. When the Prince of Wales died
his black shield bearing 3 white ostrich feathers was placed in
Westminster Abbey. It was called his shield of peace and he has ever
since been remembered as the Black Prince and his 3 white feathers the
symbol of the Prince of Wales.
John O Gaunt was the third son of Edward III and became the Duke of
Lancaster after his father-in-law's death. When Edward III died and
Richard II came to the throne John O Gaunt supported him as he was
Richard's uncle. John never wanted the English throne but later his son
Henry Bolingbroke laid claim to the throne and deposed Richard and
became Henry IV in 1399. This was the beginning of the feud between the
houses of Lancaster and York, and resulted in the Wars of the Roses. In
1467 Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville and a tournament was held at
the smooth field which later became known as Smithfield. Edward IV used
a rose in the centre of a sun known as a Rose en Soleil.
CADENCE or mark of difference is used on the shield to denote a junior
member of the family. This takes the form of a white label along the top
of the shield used by the heir. Different marks are added to the white
label for other members of the family.
MARSHALLING AND QUARTERING is the practice of combining 2 or more coats
of arms on 1 shield, used chiefly to denote marriage or to represent
other families through heiresses. Quartering is a further sub¬division
used after the 14th century.
There are thousands of designs that can be used to emblazon a shield.
Geometric shapes, colours, animals, flowers, trees and inanimate
objects. The Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem was founded
in the 11th century when the Knights of Europe banded together to make
the route to Jerusalem safe for pilgrims. They took vows of celibacy and
considered themselves Holy Knights of Christianity. They were trained in
medicine as well as battle and were considered great healers and became
known as Knights Hospitallers. They had their headquarters on Malta,
from which their white 8-pointed star takes its name. The order still
exists and its members may suspend the badge on a ribbon from their
shield. It is also used on the flag of the St. John's Ambulance Brigade.
CANTING or punning is used frequently when designing the shield. Sir
Roger Trumpington, who died in 1289, used trumpets as part of his
armorial bearings.
The Bowes family had 3 bows bent and strung upright across the centre,
coloured red on a field of ermine. One branch married into the Lyon
family hence the use of bows and a lion. The Queen Mother was a member
of the Bowes-Lyon family.
Sir Hugh Calveley used a calf as a charge on his shield he also fought
alongside the Black Prince and died in 1393.
Sir James Oakley used acorns, the Appleby's an apple, the possibilities
are
endless.
Sometimes awards of distinction are given to loyal servers. One such
award was given to Sir James Douglas in the 14th century when he carried
the heart of Robert the Bruce to the crusades. From that day their coat
of arms bears a large blood-red heart known as the Heart of the Bruce.