HERALDRY
SIGNS OF
THE TIMES
Coats of arms appear everywhere from government
buildings to ketchup bottles, but what do they mean and
where do they come from? Nancy Alsop investigates
F
or any keen explorer of the British Isles, there
is one meaningful type of symbol whose
recurrence is all-pervasive. They are seen –
often prominently, sometimes discretely –
displayed up and down the kingdom, from Oxbridge
colleges to the Houses of Parliament; grand homes of the
landed gentry to ancient business and societies; religious
groups to whole countries themselves. These symbols are
coats of arms.
For those able to decipher the symbolism, heraldry –
the art of creating coats of arms – immediately conveys
information, the armoury displayed communicating
heraldic achievement, rank and pedigree at a moment’s
glance. All of this would make these heraldic designs an
interesting yet anachronistic relic of the medieval world,
were it not for the fact that the beauty of them assured
their survival past the point when entering battle entailed
the wearing of armour. Instead these intricate and
often proudly upheld emblems have been handed
down through the centuries, known as “the shorthand
of history”.Whilst coats of arms endure as a kind of status symbol,
usually bestowed upon the oldest families or used by
august institutions, their origins lie in the profoundly
practical. For on the brutal medieval battleground, there
was little room for anything else, and the wearing of
armour presented one very real problem: through heavy
metal, it was difficult to discern exactly who one’s
commanders were on the field, necessitating a new
symbolic language. Most particularly, recognition by the
king was imperative; courage in combat would bolster not
just a knight’s credibility, but his entire family’s for
generations to come. Once a heraldic accolade was
bestowed, it would be passed down the generations from
father to son.
Besides helping knights to identify one another in the
bloody fray, heraldic devices also had another function: to
assist in records of ownership. At a time when literacy
was far from universal, a roll of arms – a list maintained
by a royal herald – detailed who owned what and
consigned it to a coat of arms.
The concept of the coat of arms emerged around 900
years ago. Although some designs that may today be
considered heraldic appeared in the 11th century (the
Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Battle of Hastings in
1066, shows a number of shields decorated with heraldic
symbols) and precursors had existed in ancient Egypt and
Mesopotamia, it is accepted that the 12th century gave
birth to modern heraldry.
And since this is Britain, where we favour detail and
complexity when it comes to tradition, the rules of
heraldry are needlessly complicated. As such, it was
up to the heralds of arms, messengers to monarchs andThe most familiar national heraldic
symbol is the Royal Coat of Arms,
which is used by The Queen³ MARCIN ROGOZINSKI/ALAMY/WPA POOL/GET T Y/WPA POOLThis image:
The Royal Coat of
Arms at the House
of Commons
Right: A view
of the Quire in
St George’s Chapel
at Windsor Castle