HERALDRY 



2776 



HERALDRY 



.ERALDRY. It is always interesting 

 to read, in the old romances, of the coats of 

 arms borne by the noble knights. One may not 

 know what a "lion passant on a field or" really 

 means, but it is nevertheless fascinating. It 

 seems a subject far removed from science, and 

 yet there is a science of coats of arms, or, as 

 they are more technically called, armorial bear- 

 ings. This science is heraldry, which in many 

 countries is in charge of a special body of men. 

 In England, for example, there is the Heralds' 

 College, without whose authority no family 

 may adopt a new coat of arms or assume one 

 which their ancestors bore. 



What Coats of Arms Mean. It used to be 

 the chief pride of a warrior to keep his shield 

 burnished like a mirror, for it was just a plain 

 surface of metal with never a mark save those 

 which had been made upon it by the spears of 

 enemies. But when the Crusades began, in 

 which knights from all over Europe took part, 

 it was found confusing to have no distinguish- 

 ing mark. The armor was all alike, the shields 

 differed little from each other, and the visored 

 helmet concealed the face. Gradually, there- 

 fore, there grew up the custom of emblazoning 

 upon the shining surface of the shield some de- 

 vice by which the owner might be known. 

 The choice of such a device was influenced by 

 many considerations. Many knights chose the 

 lion, a symbol of bravery, or the leopard, em- 

 blem of watchfulness and cunning; others the 

 stag, with its proudly-held head; the eagle, the 

 swan or the peacock. Plants, too, were made 

 use of perhaps some flower which grew about 

 the ancestral manor, or some herb which was 

 a favorite family remedy. That these coats of 

 arms should become hereditary was to be ex- 

 pected, for naturally the second generation felt 

 pride in the devices which their fathers had 

 honorably worn. 



All of this, however, was most informal, each 

 man simply choosing what he pleased; and the 

 result was that there were frequent duplica- 

 tions, and confusion was constant on the field 

 of battle. Under the royal direction, therefore, 



officers called heralds were empowered to su- 

 pervise all coats of arms, so no one's rights 

 might be infringed upon. As customs and man- 

 ners of dress changed, the coat of arms was no 

 longer blazoned on the shield or embroidered 

 on the outer coat, but it continued to have its 

 place, and many an old family of England 

 whose coat of arms has come down through the 

 centuries is prouder of that than of its mate- 

 rial possessions. 



Some Interesting Examples. Heraldry is by 

 no means a simple science. It demands an ex- 

 tensive knowledge and the ability to recognize 

 the slightest shades of distinction. Here it is 

 not possible to treat the subject fully, but some 

 of the simpler terms, which are frequently met 

 with in reading,. may well be made clear. 



First, there is the escutcheon, as it is called. 

 This is the background for all armorial bear- 

 ings, and is shield-shaped, to denote its origin. 

 The term is frequently used figuratively, to 

 signify the honor of the family, and a "blot on 

 the escutcheon" refers to any disgrace incurred 

 by a member. 



The second point to be noted is the color of 

 the field, or, as it is technically called, the tinc- 

 ture. There are two metals, gold and silver, 

 known by their French names of or and argent, 

 and there are five colors, red, blue, black, green, 

 and purple, called respectively gules, azure, sa- 

 ble, vert and purpure. 



The figure or device inscribed on an escutch- 

 eon is known as a charge, and charges are of 

 infinite variety. Some are mere designs in 

 straight lines, but the most interesting are con- 

 ventionalized pictures of natural or fabulous 

 animals. Most popular of all is the lion, which 

 is shown in a number of positions. Since ref- 

 erences to these are scattered casually through 

 literature, it will be worth while to explain a 

 few of the terms. 



A lion rampant stands erect on his hind legs 

 and claws the air with his fore feet. A lion 

 passant is shown in walking position, looking 

 straight ahead. Couchant, he is on the ground, 

 with his head raised; dormant, he is asleep; 



