HOW EARLY COATS OF ARMS WERE
GRANTED
The Redpath Motto Reads
"Good REDE is the PATH to success"
Since the early 13th century, Coats of Arms and Heraldry have been a source of great fascination as well as a subject of true historical importance. It is easy to understand why more than half a million Coats of Arms recorded by individuals with their respective family names are still being researched and studied after more than seven centuries.
How the term "Coat of Arms" evolved makes an interesting story. Because wars were almost a continual occurrence during the Middle Ages, more and more armor was added to a knight's battle uniform until the medieval warrior was finally protected from head to toe. The metal suit of armor always included a helmet to protect the head, thus it was virtually impossible to tell one knight from another. In order to prevent any mishaps on the battlefield, such as one friend injuring another, a means of identification was necessary. A colorful solution first came as knights painted patterns on their battle shields. These patterns were eventually woven into cloth surcoats that were worn over the suit of armor. In fact, many a horse was also seen prancing around in a fancy cloth surcoat with its master's Coat of Arms ablaze on the side.
This colorful identification was certainly displayed with great pride. As more designs were created, it became necessary to register or copyright these designs, to prevent two knights from using the same insignia. Records were kept that gave each knight exclusive rights to his arms. In many cases, records were then compiled listing the family name and an exact description of its Coat of Arms. These are called "armorials" or "blazons". The word "heraldry" is associated with Coats of Arms due to the role of the "herald" in recording the blazons, and comes from a common practice at a medieval sporting event. Tournaments (or jousting contests) were popular during the days of knighthood, and as each soldier was presented at a tournament, a herald sounded the trumpet and then announced the knight's achievements and described his Arms. The heralds would then record the Arms as a way of ensuring that a family maintained its protective rights to have and use its individual Arms.
Heraldry and History
Coats of Arms are intertwined with heraldry and history. Heraldry offers a fascinating study of medieval lifestyles where we can surmise much regarding our forefathers. Historically, different creatures of nature denoted certain characteristics, and various inanimate shapes implied certain traits, historical factors or aspirations. For example, the chevron symbolized protection and has often been placed on Arms to tell others that its bearer achieved some notable feat. A symbol (or chaise) placed on a Coat of Arms, usually provided clues to a person's being. Some Arms are an artistic interpretation of a person's name, e.g. many of the Fisher Arms include dolphins or fish. Many Arms reveal a person's occupation. Others tell about less tangible characteristics, such as the early bearer’s hopes, wishes and aspirations. For example, hope is shown by a wheat garb or sheaf, and joy by garlands of flowers or a red rose. Crosses and religious symbols often meant the person felt a closeness to his god, or could have symbolized that the knight was a veteran of one of history's bloodiest series of battles - The Crusades. Heraldic research is full of proud warriors boasting their war records via their Coats of Arms.
The first Arms were quite simple, consisting only of the shield. The design was set off with a horizontal or vertical band, star or half-moon; however, the renderings became more complex during later times. Immediately above the shield is the helmet, the style of which depends on the country and the status of the early bearer. The wreath, or torce, is mounted on top of the helmet The crest wasn't included on the Coat of Arms until the 13th century. The crest was the emblem that survived when the banner was destroyed and the shield shattered, as a rallying symbol of the knight's courage. It was painted on leather, sometimes, thin metal or even wood, and was attached to the helmet, so that allies could easily pick out whom was who. The lambrequin or mantling, now represented in strips, was once cloth that hung down from the helmet to cover the back of the neck. It meant that the bearer had been to battle. The mantling in most instances is of secondary importance to the shield and crest. Standardized mantlings are often used to illustrate different Coats of Arms. The ornate mantling illustrated with your shield was designed to be used with any particular Coat of Arms.
Some families have also passed down mottos through the ages. They may have begun as war cries or were a variation of a family name. They might express piety, hope or determination, or commemorate a deed or past occasion. The historical tradition of Coats of Arms became more complicated as the designs became more complex. By 1419, Henry V of England found it necessary to impose rigid legal regulations over the use of Coats of Arms because court battles were becoming quite numerous.
The King forbade anyone to take on Arms unless by right of the ancestry or as a gift from the Crown. Later Henry VIII even sent the heralds (now Royal Authenticators of Arms) into the shires on what were called "visitations". Unbelievable as it may seem to us today, these "visitations" were held once every generation for almost two centuries for the sole reason of officially verifying, listing or denying Arms in use. It is interesting to note that the language most commonly used by the heralds was Norman-French, the court language of the time. For instance, the blazon written in the Norman-French language, "D`azur a une fortune, posse sur une boule d`or," can be translated as follows, "Blue with the figure of fortune standing on a gold ball". Interestingly you'll find that even the most complex blazon is normally only one sentence long.
Under the most heraldic rules, only first sons of first Sons of the recipient of a Coat of Arms are permitted to bear their ancestor's Arms. Younger sons may use a version of their father's Arms, but the rules of heraldry say that they must be changed ("differenced") somewhat If the bearer of a Coat of Arms (called an "Armiger") dies without male heirs, his daughter may combine her father's Arms with her husband's Arms. This process is called "impaling". Although these principles seem very archaic, stiff and formal today, they do give us an idea of the rich, protective tradition, which surrounded heraldry through the ages.
There are over one million surnames in use throughout the world today. However, less than 75,000 of these names can be associated with a Coat of Arms. An early Coat of Arms granted to a person with your surname is pictured and described on the following page. You may or may not be related by blood to this early namesake. No genealogical relationship to you or your family is intended, or implied. You may wish to adopt this crest for your own use today, or, it is possible to have your own Coat of Arms designed and registered depending on the country in which you reside.
The Symbols and Meanings of Heraldry
You can easily learn the different terms of heraldry and the parts of the Coats of Arms. A complete Coat of Arms consists of a shield, crest and motto (if one exists). The shield, or escutcheon, is the main element. The crest (usually an animal) rests on top of the shield. The motto may be in any language, but is usually Latin, French or English.
For many Coats of Arms, the researcher will find a helmet, or supporters, or both have been added to the shield. Many Coats of Arms include accessories such as the mantling and wreath. The mantling was originally used to protect the knight from the direct rays of the sun and to protect his helmet from rust and stains. The wreath symbolizes the device used to cover the point where the crest was attached to the knight's helmet. It is important to note that the word "blazon" is the correct technical description for a Coat of Arms.
The right side of the shield (from the knight's viewpoint) is called the Dexter side, and the left is the sinister side. The term "tincture" is the name given to the colors used in a Coat of Arms. The tinctures represent two metals, seven colors and various furs.
The Field
The blazon of the Coat of Arms gives the tincture to the field first. For shields that have more than one tincture, partition lines in various forms are depicted. Each type of line has its own heraldic term. When a straight line divides the shield horizontally the shield is said to be blazoned "per fess"; vertically, "per pale"; diagonally from Dexter to sinister, "per bend"; and diagonally from sinister to Dexter, "per bend sinister". The lines which are not simple or straight have special names, such as wavy, indented, or raguly. A shield may be "quartered", or divided into four equal parts. Some shields have bands of color called ordinaries that have special meanings be-cause of common usage.
The Charge
The blazon gives the description of the charge next. Almost anything that can be symbolized in color or form can be a charge. Charges include representations of animals, people, monsters, divine beings, natural and manmade objects. Often charges are one word that simplifies the task of describing them. For instance, a lion standing on one hind leg with the front paws raised is called "rampant". An eagle looking over its right shoulder and with its talons and wings outstretched is called "displayed".
The charges on the field you will most likely see are the lion, the rose and the lily are the most widely used designs. Then there are the ordinaries: the honorable ordinaries and the sub- ordinaries. These are geometrical figures used as the charges on the field. The seven honorable ordinaries are the bend, the chevron, the chief, the cross, the fess, the pale and the saltire. The fourteen sub-ordinaries are the annulet, the billet, the bordure, the canton, the flaunch, the fret, the gyron, the inescutcheon, the label, the lozenge, the one, the pile, the roundel and the trcssure. The partition lines are used to separate the field and to border the honorable ordinaries and the sub-ordinaries. The eight basic styles are indented, inverted, engrailed, wavy, nebuly, embattled, raguly and dove-tailed. The ordinaries and partitions were added onto the shield to strengthen it. These were painted to enrich the decoration on the field and eventually became a traditional component of the shield and of the charges.
The Colors and Furs
You'll find that even the hues used in heraldry represent a clue about the bearer. The tinctures used are divided into metals, colors and furs. The metals used are gold and silver. Gold (or yellow) denotes generosity, valor or perseverance. Silver (or white) represents serenity and nobility. The colors are red, green black, blue and purple. Red represents fortitude and creative power. Green means hope, vitality and plenty, while black is for repentance on vengeance. Blue and purple represent loyalty and splendor.
The furs most commonly used are Ermine and Vair. Ermine represents dignity and nobility whilst Vair, a high mark of dignity. Rarely used are the colors reddish-purple and orange-tawny, both said to be marks of disgrace due to "abatement of honor". Because designs were so important on the battlefield, so was the display of colors. The important rule to remember here is that metal is always displayed on color and color always on metal. For example, blue on gold, not blue on green, as it would lose its clarity or distinctiveness of design.
Tinctures Used In Heraldry
The tinctures used in heraldry are divided into metals, colors and furs. These are indicated in black and white drawings by a system of lines or dots that was introduced in the 17th Century by the Italian Herald Silvestre de Petra-Sancta.
THE COLOURS
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Red-Gules depicted by perpendicular lines, represents fortitude and creative power. |
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Blue-Azure depicted by horizontal lines, represents loyalty and splendour. |
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Purple-Purpure depicted by lines from top left corner to the right lower corner, represents loyalty and splendour. |
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Black-Sable depicted by crossed lines, represents repentance or vengeance. |
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Green-Vert depicted by lines from the right-hand upper corner to the lower part, represents hope, vitality and plenty. |
THE METALS
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Gold-Or depicted by dots or points denotes generosity, valour and perseverance. |
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Silver-Argent or White depicted by a white space, represents serenity and nobility. |
THE FURS
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Ermine-Erm depicted by a white field with black spots, represents dignity and nobility. |
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Vair-composed originally of fur pieces but now silver and blue flower shapes in contrasting rows, represents a high mark of dignity. |
Ordinaries, Partitions and Charges
Most frequently used on Coats of Arms
The Ridpath Coat of Arms
The original description of the Arms is : "AR. A Chev. Engr. Betw. Three Boars' Heads Erased GU"
When translated : "Silver; a Red Engailed Chevron between three Red Boars' Heads, Jagged."
Boar: this word implies the wild boar, and occurs perhaps more frequently in Scottish than in English coats of arms. It was called with the old heralds' sanglier. A young wild boar is termed a Grice, and is borne by families of that name. The term Marcassin is also used for young wild boar, and this should be represented with tail hanging down, instead of twisted. The term Hog and Porc are also employed.
The boar, besides being represented in the various ways common to other animals, e.g. passant, rampant, statant, etc., may be represented enraged. It may also be represented crined, tusked, cleyed, membered, unguled, armed, bristled.
More frequently the heads (fr. hure) were borne than the whole animal, and are represented as lying lengthways, unless expressed otherwise. The snout (fr. boutoi) is in some French arms of a different tincture. It should be stated whether the heads are couped or erased.
Erased, eraced, or erazed(fr. arrache): violently torn off, leaving a jagged edge. This term is chiefly applied to the heads and limbs of animals. When applied to birds' legs the expression a-la-quise, i.e. a la cuisse, is often added to signify that the upper part of the leg is shewn. A head erased close signifies that it is torn off without any part of the neck remaining attached to it.
Statement found in "The Family of Swinton by Capt George S. C. Swinton" on page 7 -
"I shall begin with the ancient families in the Shire of Berwick. Of the Surnames of Gordon, Nisbet, Swinton, Ridpath, and Dunce, so named by their Baronies. Which lie contiguous in that shire. From which their different Surnames were taken and who all carry three Boars' Heads of Tinetures. By which it seems that the Tradition is probably that they were originally of one Stock and Genes, and afterwards became the heads of families of different Surname."
Q. Do coats of arms belong to surnames?
A. No. There is no such thing as a 'coat of arms for a surname'. Many people of the same surname will often be entitled to completely different coats of arms, and many of that surname will be entitled to no coat of arms. Coats of arms belong to individuals. For any person to have a right to a coat of arms they must either have had it granted to them or be descended in the legitimate male line from a person to whom arms were granted or confirmed in the past.
And so, where does this leave us?
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