About Heraldry — Château Armscroix

It is All About Heraldry

The information below on heraldry is meant to give you a brief overview of the basics of Heraldry and is not meant to provide in-depth knowledge on any aspect of the subject. There are some great courses, websites, and books out there. After reading this, you might want to check out the links at the bottom or head over to my heraldic resources page to find lots of fun information.

Now let’s get started....

Brief History of Heraldry

… A Brief History of Armorial Bearings, and just what exactly they are will be uploaded soon.
We are just making sure that the draft is accurate and correct and we have missed anything impotent….

What is a Blazon?

You will see throughout this page the word blazon is mentioned a number of times and might not be familiar with the term. A blazon is a formal description of an armorial bearing [coat of arms], flag, or similar emblem from which an informed reader is able to reconstruct the image. The word is derived from the French word blazon meaning shield and can be found in English text by the 14th century. Within heraldry, the artist who completes the rendition has the artistic license and latitude to create the image in any style, technique, and visualization, however, they must reproduce the specific elements in the correct locations within the armorial bearings based on the official blazon. Armorial bearings are therefore defined, not by the picture which appears on the Grant of Arms document, but rather the wording within the text of the document known as the blazon. The language in blazonry has its own vocabulary, grammar, and syntax, which helps to describe the objects, their colour, and location within an armorial bearing. Because heraldry developed at a time when English clerks wrote in Anglo-Norman French, many terms in English heraldry are of French origin. This is to say the blazon is a combination of both English and French in a standard format, with poor punctuation as you will see throughout the rest of the page.

Parts of Armorial Bearings

Armorial bearings are a combination of a number of different elements, each having its own distinctive purpose and representing real objects that were once part of a knight’s equipment. Each part has the ability to tell a different part of the armiger’s life and family history. The parts which make up an achievement of arms are as follows:

Crest:

The crest appears at the top of an armorial achievement above the helmet and wreath and comes from the Latin word crista meaning tuff or plume. It was once restricted to those of “tournament ranks” but in more modern era most armorial bearings include a crest. Its origin comes from the 12th and 13th centuries as metal fans worn by knights, primarily decorative but served to also deflect a blow of an opponent’s weapon to the helmet. In the 14th century, they were starting to take the form of three-dimensional figures and transpired into ornate wood or wire-frame sculptures wrapped in cloth, leather, or paper, during the period of the Great Tournaments. In the 16th century, crests were no longer used by knights, and the practice to detach the Crest and Torte as its own device, displaying it on various objects became fashionable. In the modern era of heraldry, a crest is one of the elements within an armorial achievement which is used to help represent the personal story or history of the armiger and tell their personal story and history. In some cases, they can be traditionally used by members of the same family who are related to show the lineage or can be a unique creation that is important to the person for which the arms represent. Normally, crests face the same way as the helmet, but this is not always the case depending on the complexity of the crest. In Germanic heraldry, one might find a number of crests depicted above a shield representing the feudal “inherited right” that one has, and it is uncommon to find them separated from the shield. In the English tradition [Canada as well] armigers may have more than one crest and choose to have one upon the helmet and the other floating above the achievement [normal practice for an heiress of two arms or granted as augmentation]. Crests are part of the official blazon in the Grant of Arms document.

Shield:

*Arms of Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada*

The most essential part of an armorial achievement is the shield. Without it there can be no full heraldic display, with the exception of ladies who can opt for a lozenge instead of a shield. The shield may be found in many different shapes, with some being very elaborate looking such as a Bouched (Germanic style 15th century) or Cardiodid (18th century) but are commonly found in the classic heater shape (13th/14th century). The shield was an essential element of a knight’s weaponry which protected them on the battlefield in addition to helping to identify the knight beneath the heavy armor.

Motto:

Often found below the shield on a banner, with the exception of Scottish heraldry where it appears above, and Spanish heraldry where it is displayed in the bordure of the shield. The motto originally is said to be that of the battle cry of the medieval era. They are short inspirational phrase or proverb that has significance to the armiger and can appear in any language. In Canada, mottos are part of the official blazon of the document, and there is not a requirement to have a motto granted if the armiger does not wish. English heraldry does not grant mottos with armorial bearings and they may be adopted and changed as desired.

Wreath:

Sometimes also referred to as a Torse, it rests between the crest and the helmet of an armorial achievement. It is normally twisted cloth and usually consists of the two main colours of the arms. It is not part of the official blazon of arms but adds a decorative element to tie the mantling to the Arms.

Helmet:

Situated above the shield, and represents, as you can expect, a knight’s helmet. Armorial bearing depictions during the 13th century did not include helmets at all, however, they have evolved over the ages, most notably during the 14th to 15th centuries, in their shape and design. In the Canadian tradition of heraldry, helmets do not play a significant role in the status of the armiger, and a wide range of helmets are used including a number of “Great helms” and more unconventional helmets [such as the astronaut helmet used in Her Excellency, Julie Payette’s arms], or a parka hood. Additionally, some armigers prefer to not have a helmet depicted in their letters patent. This is not however a universal practice. The use of helmets to denote the rank of the armiger started to appear in some European countries around 1615. In these countries, the direction a helmet faces, amount of bars, colour of the trim, or position of the visor alludes to the rank and status of the armiger. Historically, they were not specifically granted in an achievement of arms but assumed as a matter of “inherited right”, and do not appear in the blazon of arms granted in Canada. In German and Scandinavian heraldry, two or more helmets may appear atop a shield, each representing a particular holding of land the armiger has the right to. They will appear turned inward in German depictions and turned outward in Scandinavian.

*Galero of a Canon of the Catholic Church*

Clergy are entitled to use galero instead of helmets with tassels appearing on both sides noting their rank within the Church. The colour of the galero and tassels represent their rank, and in some cases, you will also see the use of a miter instead of a galero.

Finally, in civil heraldry, the helmet is normally replaced with the Mural crown representing walls or towers.

Mantle:

The flowing cloth which appears on each side of the armorial achievement is referred to as mantling. It is symbolically attached to the wreath [Torse] and consists of the same two primary colors as the arms. The mantling represents the cloth that would have protected the knight’s metal armor, and neck from the heat of the sun, and would have been torn or cut during a great battle. It is not normally part of the official blazon of arms, and the design of the mantling can vary by the artist’s preference on look and complexity.

Additional Elements of Armorial Bearings

Supporters Compartments:

These appear on some grants of arms and are figures which appear on either side of the shield and are depicted as if they are holding it upright. Supporters were not part of early medieval heraldry and first appeared toward the end of the 15th century as merely a decorative and artistic object to make the armorial bearings look more dramatic. In modern heraldry, supporters denote a special royal favour. Limited armigers can obtain supporters. The English tradition reserves this to hereditary peers, members of the Royal Family, life peers, and knights and ladies of various Royal Orders. In Canada, holders of particular state offices, people granted the style the Right Honourable, recipients of the highest grade of the Order of Canada, Order of Military Merit, and Royal Victorian Order are permitted to be granted, supporters. In addition, institutions and municipal arms are granted with supporters. Supporters are normally positioned upon a compartment which is a mound of landscape and can be decorated with emblems that are important to the armiger. Supporters and compartments are part of the official blazon in the grant of armorial bearings and limited to the armiger and not their descendants.

Corporates Arms
Royal Heraldry Society of Canada

Personal Arms (with supporters)
Mr. Derwin Mak, OStJ

Note: His supporters are self-assumed for personal use and not granted by an authority.
Artist: Mr. Quentin Peacock

Motto Annulet:

370px-Order_of_Canada_circlet_(heraldry).svg.png

Appears as a mark of distinction on armorial bearings of those who have been awarded any grade of the Order of Canada, Order of Military Merit, Order of Police Merit, and Royal Victorian Order and depicts the motto of the order. They are not blazoned as part of the armorial bearings.

Annulet of the Order of Canada

Insignia:

Orders and decorations which have been granted to the armiger by the Crown or State may be pendant and displayed from the bottom of the shield. In some cases of being awarded the highest level of a State order, the collar may appear around the edge of the shield in a circle with the pendant displayed at the bottom. This is also the case of some livery collars such as the Collar of Esses of the Garter King of Arms. In much of Europe, this is restricted to Orders and Decorations only, however, Canada also permits medals issued within the Canadian Honours System to appear pendant from the shield. Insignias are not blazoned as part of the armorial bearings.

Coronet:

If the armiger has a recognized title within the jurisdiction of the granting authority, they may display a cornet of their rank above the helmet. In Canada, the Loyalist Coronet Civil/Military may be used by anyone who has sufficient providence that they are an Empire Loyalist.

Badge:

Is a personal device that can be granted to an armiger, and does not appear as part of the armorial bearings but as a separate device. Their origin is that of a personal emblem [also called livery badge] worn by retainers or family and affixed to the property of an armigerous person. Badges can be associated with a particular person, such as the porcupine of Louis XII, a particular office like the badge of the Chief Herald of Canada, or to an entire dynasty like the Tudor Rose badge of the House of Tudor. They give the armiger a further opportunity to display symbols and objects that are important to them and represent their story in life.

Banner:

A banner of arms is normally a square flag, bearing the entire Coat of Arms [shield] of the armiger. They are an alternative way of displaying one’s arms and are derived from the days when knights rode onto the battlefield and were used as a rallying point during the great battles. It would be much easier on a battlefield to see the banner of a knight than to see his shield. In both English and Scottish heraldry, the size of a banner is regulated depending on rank and status. Members of certain Orders of Chivalry customarily have their banner displayed in the Order’s chapel within their stall. Banners are an element that can be blazoned in a grant of armorial bearing, however, it is not always included, as anyone who is granted arms is able to display a banner of their shield.

Standard:

A long tapered flag, normally 4’ tapered down to 2’ and rounded at the fly edge. They started to appear in the middle of the 14th century and were in general use by high-ranking individuals. They were adopted for the special purpose of displaying an amiger’’s heraldic badge, livery colours, and sometimes motto. In the English tradition, they are larger than any other flag and the size varies upon the rank of the armiger. An example of a Royal standard was the Oriflamme of the King of France. Standards are part of the official blazon in the grant of arms document if the armiger requests one be granted.

Heraldry Colours [Tincture]

The most basic rule of heraldic design (Rule No. 1) is the rule of tincture, which states metal should not be put on metal, nor colour on colour (Humphrey Llwyd 1568). Colours within an armorial achievement are called tinctures, and the basic scheme and rules applied to tinctures date back to the 12th century. They are broken up into metals, colours, furs and stains. In many cases the proper name of the tincture within blazonry is the French term and are as follows:

Five COLOURS which make up the heraldic pallet:

There are two METALS within the contest of heraldic colours:

Or – Various shades of yellow, or metallic gold are used to depict this colour.

Argent – Sometimes depicted in metallic or light grey but normally appears as white on a heraldic achievement — **Argent** – Sometimes depicted in metallic or light grey but normally appears as white on a heraldic achievement

The use of heraldic FURS alongside the metals and colours dates to the beginning of the art and was commonly used to line the cloaks and robes of the nobility.

Ermine – Representing the white winter fur of stoats, with black tail (Ermines is the colour reverse of white spots on black field) — **Ermine** – Representing the white winter fur of stoats, with black tail (***Ermines*** is the colour reverse of white spots on black field)

Vair – Representing squirrel tails in blue and white — **Vair** – Representing squirrel tails in blue and white

Pean - Gold ermine spots on a black background (Erminois the reverse) — **Pean** - Gold ermine spots on a black background (**Erminois** the reverse)

Potent – Represented by a T-shaped image in a repeating pattern — **Potent** – Represented by a T-shaped image in a repeating pattern

Plumeté – Representing feathers

papelonné – Representing scales

Kürsch – Found in German heraldry, representing brown hair

STAINS make up the last category of tincture in heraldry. These were termed "stains" by some of the more influential heraldic writers and supposed to represent some sort of dishonor on the part of the bearer, but in fact, there is no evidence that they were ever so employed, and they probably originated as mere variations of existing colours. Nevertheless, they have seen very limited use within heraldry.

There are several other tinctures that have appeared periodically in continental heraldry of which three have been used in Canadian heraldry.

Blue-Celeste – which is a sky blue colour intended to be lighter than Azure and can be seen in various armorial bearings granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority ( Richard Heath Rohmer, Grant Sept 29, 1992)

Copper – which has been used as a metal in heraldic blazonry in approximately six grants of armorial bearings of the Canadian Heraldic Authority (example The city of Whitehorse, Grant Nov 15, 2002)

Buff – similar in colour to a light brown or flesh colour and have been recorded by the Canadian Heraldic Authority so far in one grant of a badge to the Correctional Service of Canada, Granted Oct 15, 2009

What we have not talked about!

There are a number of other aspects in the development of armorial bearings and the designing of arms that we have not touched on. The subject is too vast to be able to provide all aspects here on such things as:

Divining the field

How to break the shield up into different sections with different colours, furs, or metals.

Lines of division

Applied to the division of the field, ordinaries, and sub-ordinaries to provide patterns.

Ordinaries & Sub-ordinaries

These are geometrical shapes that are overlaid on the shield to further divide the field.

Charges

Objects or figures of any kind that are placed on a shield or on another object which appears on a shield.

I strongly recommend reading The Complete Guide to Heraldry by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies (1909). This book is a staple as education material for all those who have started their journey into learning more about the science of heraldry and a constant reference guide for those who are advancing their knowledge beyond the basics.

Where to learn more

If you have read this far, then I must have piqued your interest in heraldry and maybe you want to learn some more of the basics of heraldry and advance into a more in-depth knowledge of the science of Heraldry. I might be biased, but it really is fascinating! My first recommendation would be to check out the heraldic resource page on this website. It has some great links to other sites where you can find some very in-depth information as well as a list of books which I have divided into two categories “Basic & Fundamental” and “Building on the Basics” for those looking to advance even further. I would also suggest checking out the Canadian Heraldic Authority website where there is information on the Granting of Arms process in Canada.

If you have done that and you still are yearning for more information, I would next recommend that you look at registering for the level 1 proficiency course offered by the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. They have a three-level course curriculum, which starts with the basics, moves to more advanced, and finishes off with a designation as a Licentiate. It is self-study, and I can attest to it being a lot of fun while educational. The Heraldry Society [in the UK] offers a three-level course in Heraldry, that may be of interest. They also have a few publications which you can download. In addition, the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies offers formalized courses in heraldry. Lots of educational material and courses are out there if you know where to look!

Next, I would strongly recommend that you also look at joining a Heraldry Society so that you can converse, meet like-minded people which will help you to learn. My resources page lists a number of Heraldry Societies, and I would of course recommend the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada and its Branches as a great place to start. By gathering at their various events, reading their regular publications, and meeting people who have the same interest as you do in heraldry, you will be surprised how much you can learn in a short amount of time, and get those questions that you might have, answered.

Finally, I make the offer if you want to reach out to me directly via email and we can talk about heraldry. I can answer your questions and, if nothing else, point you in the right direction to a way ahead in advancing your knowledge or maybe petitioning for your own armorial bearings.