A History of Arms

Throughout history, it has been common for chieftains and warlords to adopt a representative symbol that distinguishes them from others. Medieval heraldry is believed to have originated around the times of the Crusades in Western Europe, later used widely by Knights in the Tournaments. The coat of arms was so named as they were commonly worn painted upon their armor or embroidered on their surcoat. Although not originally a device of heredity, they were made such by King Richard I during his crusades through Palestine. Coats of Arms were often used by nobility and royalty, and eventually became synonymous with gentle or noble bloodline.

In 1483, Richard III incorporated the College of Arms to regulate the useage of Heraldic devices and symbols. There were two classes of heraldry; that which was public and of kingdoms, provinces and other government bodies, and that which was private, and of family possession, and no arms were considered legal unless registered in the College of Arms. Coats of Arms are inherited through the male bloodline of a given family (ie; from father to father to father), and the son's mark may be added to the coat in line of passing.

Heraldic Art and Design

Though not all Arms will carry all of the following features, the Coat of Arms usually consists of these aspects:

• The Shield (Escutcheon)- an essential part of the coat displaying the arms of the owner
• The Helmet - placed at the top of the shield, notes rank of the bearer. A steel tilting helm is for esquires and gentlemen, a raised visor denotes a knight, and a gold helm denotes a sovereign
• The Crest - positioned above the helmet, bound by a wreath and matching the colors of the shield
• The Mantling - a cape hung from the helmet, often furling along the sides of the shield, usually colored with the tincture of the shield, and lined with the shield's metal
• The Motto - appearing as a scroll beneath the shield (not an essential part of the design, and may be changed by the owner at any time)
• The Supporters - standing at the sides of the shield, and
• The Compartment - the platforms upon which the supporters stand

Colors

The colors used on the escutcheon are noted by way of tincture by metal, or by fur. The colors are described in Old French, as the tinctures of Gules (red), Azure (blue), Sable (black), Vert (green), and Purpure (purple), and as the metals of Argent (white) and Or (gold). The base rules of placing these colors are that a tincture may not be placed on a tincture, and a metal may not be placed on a metal. These colors carry little long-standing symbolic meaning save for what was originally intended by the owner. The furs are most commonly that of Ermine (of a white and black color) and that of Vair (carrying a blueish gray color).

"Partitioning the Field"

The shield is sectioned a number of ways, be they horizontal striped, vertically striped, diagonally striped, quartered, chevroned, crossed, split in half vertically, horizontally or diagonally, and other ways. The lines of partition between the fields also can vary between straight lines, waved, indented, arched, dovetailed, invected, and even divided in combinations of these.

Charges

Finally, the charge is an object displayed on the shield, such as an animal (such as a deer, lion, boar, serpent, tiger, or eagle), mythical figure (such as a dragon, unicorn, griffin, manticore, or wyvern), or inanimate objects such as weapons (a sword, a mace, a bow, an axe), plants (such as the fleur-de-lis, a conventionalized depiction of the Lilies of France), religious symbols (most prominent in Medieval Europe being the cross), or other objects like keys, scales, a tome, and so forth.

Modern Granting of Arms

Many people in modern times are displaying interest in tracing back their family line to discover whether or not they have the right to bear arms. If a direct male line of descent can be traced to an ancestor with registered Arms, that person is entitled to those arms (additionally, individuals who's life or work has been proven a benefit to the community can be granted Arms, without requirement of noble ancestry. Arms may also be granted to leading corporate bodies and proffessional associations). Bear in mind, however, that not all persons with a given surname are entitled to those arms unless a direct line can be established. For example, I might trace my own genealogy through the generations to a specific Montanaro, oh, say Ted Montanaro, who was granted arms for his lifelong endeavors in refrigerator repair during the Italian Rennaissance. I may assume his Arms (and imagine what THAT one looks like!) only if I am related as a son of a son of a son, etc., and not simply because his name is Montanaro. Many claims of fraud have been discovered by persons paying sums of money to researchers, only to be given Arms that are not rightfully theirs. So be cautious when selecting a researcher.

All materials at this site ( mountainfreehold.org/arts/mmp/ ) are Copyright © 1997 - 2007 Kevin Montanaro unless otherwise noted. Use of any materials contained herein are subject to stated terms or written permission. Address any questions to Dante D'Artaqua. You know the address.

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This is the recognized Web Page for the Shire of Mountain Freehold of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. This page was last updated on Thursday, February 28, 2008. The maintainer of this page is Alaxandar an Chobhlaigh mac Lochloinn, ( alaxandr@mountainfreehold.org ). This page is not a corporate publication of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., and does not delineate SCA policies. In cases of conflict with printed versions of material presented on this page or its links, the dispute will be decided in favor of the printed version.