The Manual of Heraldry Part 1

The Manual of Heraldry.

by Anonymous.

CHAPTER I.

ORIGIN OF COATS OF ARMS.

Heraldry is the science which teaches how to blazon or describe in proper terms armorial bearings and their accessories.

Many volumes have been written on the origin of Heraldry and even on the antiquity of separate charges contained in an escutcheon: it would be filling the pages of an elementary work on Heraldry to little purpose to enter upon an inquiry as to the exact period of the introduction of an art that has existed in some degree in all countries whose inhabitants have emerged from barbarism to civilization. In all ages men have made use of figures of living creatures, trees, flowers, and inanimate objects, as symbolical signs to distinguish themselves in war, or denote the bravery and courage of their chief or nation.

The allegorical designs emblazoned on the standards, shields, and armour of the Greeks and Romans--the White Horse of the Saxons, the Raven of the Danes, and the Lion of the Normans, may all be termed heraldic devices; but according to the opinions of Camden, Spelman, and other high authorities, hereditary arms of families were first introduced at the commencement of the twelfth century. When numerous armies engaged in the expeditions to the Holy Land, consisting of the troops of twenty different nations, they were obliged to adopt some ensign or mark in order to marshal the va.s.sals under the banners of the various leaders. The regulation of the symbols whereby the Sovereigns and Lords of Europe should be distinguished, all of whom were ardent in maintaining the honour of the several nations to which they belonged, was a matter of great nicety, and it was properly entrusted to the Heralds who invented signs of honour which could not be construed into offence, and made general regulations for their display on the banners and shields of the chiefs of the different nations. The ornaments and regulations were sanctioned by the sovereigns engaged in the Crusade, and hence the origin of the present system of Heraldry, which prevails with trifling variations in every kingdom of Europe.

The pa.s.sion for military fame which prevailed at this period led to the introduction of mock battles, called Tournaments. Here the Knights appeared with the Heraldic honours conferred upon them for deeds of prowess in actual battle. All were emulous of such distinctions. The subordinate followers appeared with the distinctive arms of their Lord, with the addition of some mark denoting inferiority. These marks of honour at first were merely pieces of stuff of various colours cut into strips and sewn on the surcoat or garment worn over armour, to protect it from the effect of exposure to the atmosphere. These strips were disposed in various ways, and gave the idea of the chief, bend, chevron, &c. Figures of animals and other objects were gradually introduced; and as none could legally claim or use those honourable distinctions unless they were granted by the Kings of Arms, those Heraldic sovereigns formed a code of laws for the regulation of t.i.tles and insignia of honour, which the Sovereigns and Knights of Europe have bound themselves to protect; and those rules const.i.tute the science of Heraldry which forms the subject of the following pages.

CHAP. II.

VARIOUS SORTS OF ARMS.

Arms are not only granted to individuals and families, but also to cities, corporate bodies, and learned societies. They may therefore be cla.s.sed as follows:--

Arms of DOMINION, PRETENSION, CONCESSION. COMMUNITY, PATRONAGE, FAMILY. ALLIANCE, AND SUCCESSION.

_Arms of Dominion or Sovereignty_ are properly the arms of the kings or sovereigns of the territories they govern, which are also regarded as the arms of the State. Thus the Lions of England and the Russian Eagle are the arms of the Kings of England and the Emperors of Russia, and cannot properly be altered by a change of dynasty.

_Arms of Pretension_ are those of kingdoms, provinces, or territories to which a prince or lord has some claim, and which he adds to his own, though the kingdoms or territories are governed by a foreign king or lord: thus the Kings of England for many ages quartered the arms of France in their escutcheon as the descendants of Edward III., who claimed that kingdom, in right of his mother, a French princess.

_Arms of Concession_ are arms granted by sovereigns as the reward of virtue, valour, or extraordinary service. All arms granted to subjects were originally conceded by the Sovereign.

_Arms of Community_ are those of bishoprics, cities, universities, academies, societies, and corporate bodies.

_Arms of Patronage_ are such as governors of provinces, lords of manors, &c., add to their family arms as a token of their superiority, right, and jurisdiction.

_Arms of Family_, or paternal arms, are such as are hereditary and belong to one particular family, which none others have a right to a.s.sume, nor can they do so without rendering themselves guilty of a breach of the laws of honour punishable by the Earl Marshal and the Kings at Arms. The a.s.sumption of arms has however become so common that little notice is taken of it at the present time.

_Arms of Alliance_ are those gained by marriage.

_Arms of Succession_ are such as are taken up by those who inherit certain estates by bequest, entail, or donation.

SHIELDS, TINCTURES, FURS, &c.

The _Shield_ contains the field or ground whereon are represented the charges or figures that form a coat of arms. These were painted on the shield before they were placed on banners, standards, and coat armour; and wherever they appear at the present time they are painted on a plane or superficies resembling a shield.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Escutcheon]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Lozenge]

Shields in Heraldic language are called Escutcheons or Scutcheons, from the Latin word _scutum_. The forms of the shield or field upon which arms are emblazoned are varied according to the taste of the painter. The Norman pointed shield is generally used in Heraldic paintings in ecclesiastical buildings: the escutcheons of maiden ladies and widows are painted on a lozenge-shaped shield. Armorists distinguish several points in the escutcheon in order to determine exactly the position of the bearings or charges. They are denoted in the annexed diagram, by the first nine letters of the alphabet ranged in the following manner:

[Ill.u.s.tration]

|-----------------| | A B C | A, the dexter chief.

| | B, the precise middle chief.

| D | C, the sinister chief.

| | D, the honour point.

| E | E, the fess point.

| | F, the nombril point.

| F | G, the dexter base.

| | H, the precise middle base.

| G H I | I, the sinister base.

The dexter side of the escutcheon answers to the left hand, and the sinister side to the right hand of the person that looks at it.

TINCTURES.

By the term _Tincture_ is meant that variable hue which is given to shields and their bearings; they are divided into colours and furs.

The colours or metals used in emblazoning arms are--

yellow, white, red, blue, black, green, purple, orange, murrey.

These colours are denoted in engravings by various lines or dots, as follows:

[Ill.u.s.tration: OR]

OR, which signifies _gold_, and in colour yellow, is expressed by dots.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ARGENT]

ARGENT signifies _silver_ or _white_: it is left quite plain.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GULES]

GULES signifies _red_: it is expressed by lines drawn from the chief to the base of the shield.

[Ill.u.s.tration: AZURE]