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”.Whilstcoatsof armsendureasa kindof statussymbol,
usuallybestowedupontheoldestfamiliesorusedby
augustinstitutions,theiroriginsliein theprofoundly
practical.Foronthebrutalmedievalbattleground,there
waslittleroomforanythingelse,andthewearingof
armourpresentedoneveryrealproblem:throughheavy
metal,it wasdifficultto discernexactlywhoone’s
commanderswereonthefield,necessitatinga new
symboliclanguage.Mostparticularly,recognitionbythe
kingwasimperative;couragein combatwouldbolsternot
justa knight’scredibility,buthisentirefamily’sfor
generationsto come.Oncea heraldicaccoladewas
bestowed,it wouldbepasseddownthegenerationsfrom
fatherto son.
Besideshelpingknightsto identifyoneanotherin the
bloodyfray,heraldicdevicesalsohadanotherfunction:to
assistin recordsof ownership.Ata timewhenliteracy
wasfarfromuniversal,a rollof arms– a listmaintained
bya royalherald– detailedwhoownedwhatand
consignedit to a coatof arms.
Theconceptof thecoatof armsemergedaround 900
yearsago.Althoughsomedesignsthatmaytodaybe
consideredheraldicappearedin the11thcentury(the
BayeuxTapestry,whichdepictstheBattleof Hastingsin
1066,showsa numberof shieldsdecoratedwithheraldic
symbols)andprecursorshadexistedin ancientEgyptand
Mesopotamia,it is acceptedthatthe12thcenturygave
birthto modernheraldry.
Andsincethisis Britain,wherewefavourdetailand
complexitywhenit comesto tradition,therulesof
heraldryareneedlesslycomplicated.Assuch,it was
upto theheraldsof arms,messengersto monarchsandThe 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