Heraldic Coats of Arms & Seals

Nature of Source

Introduction
Heraldry is the study and design of armorial bearings through coats of arms (also known as shields or escutcheons) and heraldic seals belonging to an individual, family, organisation or corporation. For genealogists, heraldry offers a rich source of information and a fascinating insight into a family’s heritage, lineage and social status. Genealogical information is contained on coats of arms (shields or escutcheons) and heraldic seals of the armigerous (those entitled to bear arms).

Historical Development
Coats of arms originated as a practical means to identify knights in battle on medieval battlefields and were later displayed during jousting tournaments. As military use declined they evolved into a status symbol for the wealthy and well-connected. In modern times coats of arms are mostly confined to ceremonial use.

Regulation of Arms
The widespread use and popularity of coats of arms began during the reign of Henry III of England. During this they had also become inheritable which necessitated the need for tighter regulations governing the use of coats of arms. The Court of the Lord Lyon in Scotland was founded in 1318, while the College of Arms in England was established in 1484. Both institutions played crucial roles in establishing rules and regulations regarding the lawful use and display of coats of arms, inheritance issues and overseeing their official registration.

Professionals known as Heralds or Herald of Arms travelled the country validating those that claimed the right to bear arms. These investigations known as Heraldic Visitations produced a body of detailed pedigrees compiled from a variety of sources.

Components of an Achievement

Heraldic Achievements
A full display of armorial bearings is known as a Heraldic Achievement and includes the crest, helmet, mantling, shield, supporters, compartment/ground and motto. It is important to note that the crest forms only one component of the Achievement and should not be described as the coat of arms or shield. Additionally, organisations and corporations may also bear arms. In Scottish heraldry, the motto is positioned at the top of the shield, while in English heraldry, it is displayed beneath the shield.

Positions on the Shield (Escutcheon)

1. Dexter Chief (upper right)
2. Middle Chief
3. Sinister Chief (upper left)
4. Dexter Base (lower right)
5. Middle Base
6. Sinister Base (lower left)
7. Honour Point
8. Fess Point
9. Nombril Point

Notice that Dexter (right) appears to be on the left. It is important to note the terms ‘dexter’ and ‘sinister’ are from the perspective of the person holding the shield. The Chief, Base and Fess occupy a third each of the field.

Layout of Shield
The shield’s layout follows precise heraldic traditions and terminology and is composed of:

• Firstly: A field of colours (tinctures), metals (like gold and silver) or furs (like ermine).
• Secondly: A geometric division called an ordinary such as a cross, pale, fess, chevron, saltire.
• Thirdly: various charges like animals or shapes and additional elements like the chief or bordure.

The process of describing a coat of arms in this formal heraldic language is called blazoning, following a specific order to ensure clarity. To do so, first describe the field i.e. the colour, then the ordinary i.e. the geometrical division and lastly the charges. Drawing a coat of arms from a description or blazon is known a tricking. A basic rule of shield design is no metal on a metal, no colour on a colour.

The traditional colours include:

• Gules (red)
• Azure (blue)
• Vert (green)
• Sable (black)
• Purpure (purple)
• Or (gold/yellow)
• Argent (silver/white)

A simple blazon might read
Or, a saltire Sable and on a chief Gules three cushions of the first

Heraldic Seals
Heraldic seals were historically used to seal documents such as charters by members of an armigerous family. These seals, which featured the bearer’s coat of arms and name, are valuable for identifying individuals in medieval records.

Inheritance and Differentiation
In England, coats of arms are inherited through the male line with the heir or heirs to the arms having to prove direct decent from the armiger (the person who has the legal right to bear a coat of arms). To prevent confusion amongst a multitude of descendants using the same arms, a system of cadency or brisures marks was developed. The arms are therefore altered (differenced) by marks of cadency to show each son’s position of precedence. The eldest son charges his arms with a temporary mark of cadency known as a label of three points. The eldest son may bear a label of three points, the second son a crescent, and the third a mullet. Such modifications can usually be made without approval from heraldic authorities such as the College of Arms. Although, significant changes to arms might still require approval from the heraldic authority. In Scotland, coats of arms are considered incorporeal heritable property which means they can only belong to one person at a time.

Marshalling of Arms
Marshalling is a heraldic practice used to combine multiple coats of arms into a single shield. Arms are combined or altered from different families, particularly in the context of marriage.
For example:

• If a heraldic heiress (a woman with no brothers) marries an armigerous man, her family’s arms are represented as an escutcheon of pretence (a small shield) placed in the centre of the husband’s arms. This signifies the wife’s noble lineage while maintaining the husband’s primary coat of arms.
• Their son’s shield represents his mother’s family shield in the form of quartering (the son’s shield is divided into four quarters) with each quarter representing the arms of one of the grandparents.
• Additional quarterings may be added if multiple heraldic heiresses are introduced into the family. Therefore, each new heiress can add additional quarters which can create a complex and potentially cluttered shield design. In Scottish heraldry, the eldest daughter of an armigerous father becomes the sole heraldic heiress.
• For non-heiress armigerous women, the marital coat should bear her arms impaled with those of her husband, split down the middle between the husband’s and wife’s arms.

If the wife is not a heraldic heiress but comes from an armigerous family, the arms are combined differently. In this case, the marital coat of arms is impaled, meaning the shield is split down the middle, with one side displaying the husband’s arms and the other side displaying the wife’s arms.

It is important to approach marshalling with some caution as it is often inaccurately applied and sources like Burke’s The General Armory may contain significant errors and inaccuracies. First published in 1842, the reference work is a comprehensive registry of armorial bearings for England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, compiled by Sir Bernard Burke.

Legal Ownership of Arms
A coat of arms is unique, belonging to the original grantee and passes only to the legitimate male-line heirs. It does not refer to a general surname or an entire family at large. This unique ownership structure allows for tracing legitimate male line heirs and family lineage across generations. This unique ownership provides a method of preserving genealogies

See also
Heraldic Coats of Arms & Seals (Scotland)
Heraldic Visitations
Inquisitions Post Mortem
Pedigrees and Family Histories

Where Found

College of Arms
The College of Arms is the official heraldic authority for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of the Commonwealth including Australia and New Zealand. The organisation holds a vast manuscript archive of heraldic and genealogical material gathered and preserved over centuries. The College maintains registers of coats of arms, pedigrees, genealogies, Royal Licences, changes of name and flags.

Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland
The Office is responsible for the granting and confirming of arms and official heraldic achievements to individuals and corporate bodies in Ireland and operates as part of the National Library of Ireland. The collections held in the Manuscripts Reading Room include: Grants of Arms, a collection of Registered Pedigrees, Funeral Entries and Visitations. Also available are various guides and publications that detail the history and practices of heraldry in Ireland.

The Heraldry Society
The Society is an educational charity dedicated to promoting interest and knowledge in heraldry, armory, chivalry, genealogy, and related subjects. The Society maintains a library that is currently divided between Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies in Canterbury, Kent and the Society of Antiquaries in London. The library houses a vast collection of books, journals and reference materials related to heraldry and genealogy. The Society maintains an extensive image library with over 10,000 digital images related to heraldry which are free to use. The website includes a selection of articles from the society’s publications covering a variety of topics related to heraldry. The society also offers a heraldry course leading to a diploma.

Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies
Library collections include: Printed family histories and pedigrees; Harleian Society and other Visitation Series; Peerage and Gentry directories; Heraldic dictionaries and armorials. The Institute also part houses the Heraldry Society’s library.

Harleian Society
The Harleian Society is a registered charity established in 1869 and incorporated in 1902. Its primary focus is on manuscripts relating to genealogy, family history and heraldry. It is particularly known for publishing detailed editions of the Heralds’ Visitations from the College of Arms of English and Welsh counties. The Society also publishes volumes of parish registers, primarily focusing on London parishes, Marriage Licenses, County Pedigrees, Grants of Arms and Chancery Proceedings.

Society of Genealogists
The library holds a vast range of publications and resources related to heraldry including Peerage and Gentry directories, Biographical dictionaries, Printed editions of Visitation pedigrees, Harleian Society publications, Heraldic Dictionaries and Heraldry Reference Books.

Period Covered

1125 – Onwards

Genealogical Value

• Family names and relationships.
• Family lineage through generations.
• Direct male line ancestry.
• Marriages between armigerous families.
• Officially registered pedigrees.

Further References

General Heraldry Books

• Adolph, Anthony. Tracing Your Aristocratic Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword Books, 2013
• Boutell, Charles & Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles. The Handbook to English Heraldry: Reeves & Turner, 1914
• Boutell, Charles & Brooke-Little, J.P. Boutell’s Heraldry: Warne Publishers, 1978
• Brooke-Little, J. P. An Heraldic Alphabet: Robson Books, 1997 (Available online at the Internet Archive)
• Elvin, Charles Norton. A Dictionary of Heraldry: Heraldry Today, 1969 (1889) (Online edition available from the Internet Archive)
• Fearn, Jacqueline. Discovering Heraldry: Shire Publications, 2006
• Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles. The Art of Heraldry: an Encyclopedia of Armory: Bloomsbury Books, 1986 (1904)
• Fox-Davies, Arthur, Charles. A Complete Guide to Heraldry: Skyhorse Publishing, 2007 (1909) (Available online at the Internet Archive)
• Franklyn, Julian, and John Tanner. An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Heraldry: Pergamon Press, 1970
• Friar, Stephen. A New Dictionary of Heraldry: A & C Black, 1987
• Friar, Stephen. Heraldry for the Local Historian and Genealogist: Sutton, 1996
• Friar, Stephen & Ferguson, John. Basic Heraldry: A & C Black, 1999
• Friar, Stephen. Companion to Heraldry: Sutton Publishing, 2004
• Friar, Stephen. The Sutton Companion to Heraldry: The History Press, 2004
• Moncreiffe, Iain & Pottinger, Don. Simple Heraldry: Cheerfully Illustrated: Bartholomew & Son, 1979
• Oliver, Stefan. Introduction to Heraldry: Apple Press, 1986
• Oliver, Stefan & Croton, Guy. Heraldry: Understanding Signs and Symbols: Park Lane Books, 2013
• Pastoureau, Michel & Garvie, Francisca. Heraldry: Its Origins and Meaning: Thames & Hudson, 1997
• Raymond, Stuart. My Ancestor was a Gentleman: Society of Genealogists, 2013
• Siddons, Michael Powell. A Dictionary of Mottoes in England and Wales: Harleian Society, 2014
• Slater, Stephen. The Complete Book of Heraldry: Lorenz Books, 2002
• Slater, Stephen. The History and Meaning of Heraldry: Southwater, 2004
• Slater, Stephen. The Story and Language of Heraldry: The Development of Coats of Arms and Heraldic Symbols, with 575 Illustrations: Southwater, 2013
• Slater, Stephen. The Illustrated Book Of Heraldry: An International History of Heraldry and Its Contemporary Uses: Lorenz Books, 2013
• St John Hope, W.H. An Introduction to Heraldry: David & Charles, 2001
• Woodcock, T & Robinson, J.M. The Oxford Guide to Heraldry: Oxford University Press, 1988

Publications that match an individual to a coat of arms, listing families in alphabetical order with descriptions (blazons) of the arms they used (armorials)

• Burke, Bernard. The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales: Heritage Books, 2009, (1884) (Available online at the Internet Archive)
• Burke, John. A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire, vol 1: Henry Colburn, 1832 (Available to download from the Internet Archive)
• Burke, John. A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire, vol 2: Henry Colburn, 1832
• Burke, John A General And Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland, and Scotland: Extinct, Dormant, and in Abeyance: H. Colburn and R. Bentley, 1831 (Available to download from the Internet Archive)
• Burke’s Family Index: Burke’s Peerage, 1976 (Listing of all families that appeared in Burke’s publications between 1826 and 1976)
• Fairbairn, James. Fairbairn’s Book of Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1993 (1800) (Volume I and II available from the Internet Archive)
• Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles. Armorial Families 1890-1929: David & Charles, 1905 (Some volumes are available at the Internet Archive, a database version is available online at ancestry and the CD at S & N Genealogy Supplies)
• Humphrey-Smith, Cecil. Anglo-Norman Armory: Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, 1986
• Humphrey-Smith, General Armory Two: Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, 1974 (Includes A W Morant’s additions and corrections to Burke’s)

Indexes of arms by design (ordinaries) with the names of families to whom they have been attributed

• Fairbairn, James. Fairbairn’s Book of Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1993 (1800) (Volume I and II available from the Internet Archive)
• Foster, Joseph. The Dictionary of Heraldry, Feudal Coats of Arms and Pedigrees, Bracken Books, 1989 (1902) (Includes arms from heraldic rolls)
• Garter’s Ordinaries (Collection of manuscript volumes held at the College of Arms arranged by the design of the crest or arms)
• Papworth, John. Ordinary of British Armorials: Heraldry Today, 1874
• Woodcock, Thomas (eds). The Dictionary of British Arms, (Vol.1 & Vol.2) Heraldry Today, 1996 (Concentrates on pre-visitation arms recorded prior to 1530)

Compilation of pedigrees

• Barrow, Geoffrey B. The Genealogist’s Guide: Research Publishing Co., 1977 (Whereabouts of printed pedigrees extracted from various sources containing post-1903 pedigrees and some missed by Marshall)
• Marshall, George. The Genealogist’s Guide: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1981 (1879) (Whereabouts of printed pedigrees extracted from various sources pre-1903. Browsable images of printed edition available at www.ancestry.co.uk)
• O’Hart, John. Irish Pedigrees: The Origin of the Irish Nation: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1989 (1892) (Available from the Internet Archive)
• Squibb, George Drewry. Visitation Pedigrees and the Genealogist: Phillimore, 1964 (Whereabouts of printed pedigrees)
• Thomson, Theodore Radford. Catalogue of British Family Histories: Society of Genealogists, 1980 (Whereabouts of printed pedigrees, 1975-1980)
• Whitmore, John Beach. A Genealogical Guide: Walford Brothers, 1953 (Whereabouts of printed pedigrees extracted from various sources containing some missed by Marshall and others post-1903)

Websites

Burke’s Peerage
The website is dedicated to the genealogy of historical families especially those within the British aristocracy and nobility. It offers guides to the Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Landed Gentry families of the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations. The website offers a search function for various publications including Burke’s Peerage (first published in 1826), Burke’s Landed Gentry Scotland, and Burke’s Landed Gentry Ireland. Also included is a glossary of heraldry.
Achievements
Heraldry Research Services. The company specialises in establishing family coats of arms, identifying heraldic artefacts, registering your coat of arms and creating heraldic artwork.
College of Arms
The site offers a variety of resources covering different aspects of heraldry and genealogy including the laws governing arms, the process for granting arms, guidelines for designing coats of arms and information Court of Chivalry which adjudicates disputes relating to coats of arms.
The Heraldry Society
The society aims to promote interest and knowledge in heraldry, armory, chivalry, genealogy and offers detailed information and numerous resources. The site provides an extensive list of links to various organisations, archives and collections that focus on heraldic studies and genealogical research. The society as an extensive library and archives.
Medieval Genealogy
Heraldry and Genealogy. The website provides an overview of how heraldry can be used in researching medieval English ancestry with sections on the laws and language of heraldry and the terminology used in heraldry.
Heraldry of the World
The site is devoted to civic heraldry, i.e. coats of arms of cities, states, municipalities, countries etc. It also includes ecclesiastical, educational, corporate, military and institutional heraldry.

Heraldry Guides
Society of Genealogists Guide
The Right to Arms.
University of Notre Dame
Heraldic Dictionary and Guide. This dictionary has been created with the goal of aiding people new to the field of heraldry in understanding written descriptions of armorials.
English Heritage
Our Guide To Heraldry. This guide will help you get to grips with the basics and give you the facts you need to design your very own piece of heraldry or coat of arms.
ThoughtCo
Intro to Heraldry. A Primer for Genealogists, by Kimberly Powell.
College of Arms
The Law of Arms. The site offers detailed guidelines and resources that explain the customs and usages of heraldry including Arms of Women and Heraldic Heiress.
The Heraldry Society
Quartering, by J. P. Brooke-Little. Coat of Arms no 17, January 1954.
The Heraldry Society
Differencing in England, France and Scotland, by Ian de Minvielle-Devaux. Coat of Arms no 147, Autumn 1989.
Cambridge University
Heraldic and Genealogical Society. What is heraldry and why might it interest me?
SCA Heraldry
The Law of Arms in Mediaeval England, by Dom Pedro de Alcazar.
Civic Heraldry
England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The site aims to collect together in one place information about the coats of arms of local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland both current and obsolete.
ScotClans
All About Scottish Heraldry. Comprehensive guide to Scottish heraldry with sections on Rules of Heraldry, Heraldic Law and Achieving a Coat of Arms.

Articles
Family Tree Magazine
Coat of Arms: Can Your Family Claim One? Comprehensive guide to understanding heraldry.
Ancestral Findings
The Real Truth Behind Coats of Arms and Family Crests.
Legacy Tree Genealogists
Does My Family Have a Coat of Arms? Eight Tips for Your Heraldic Research.
Legacy Tree Genealogists
How To Find Your Family Coat of Arms: United Kingdom and The Commonwealth.

Shield Components
Fleur-de-lis Designs
Heraldry and the Parts of a Coat of Arms. The site explains the key components of a coat of arms, formally known as an achievement or armorial achievement. Further sections include Popular Ways to Divide Shields, Basic Guidelines and Symbolism.
SCA Heraldry
Parts of a Heraldic Achievement.
Coat of Arms Maker
What Are the Parts of a Coat of Arms? This article explains and shows the parts of a coat of arms, the common term for heraldic achievements.
International Heraldry & Heralds
The site offers information about the practice, history and components of heraldry including explanations of heraldic terminology, the origins and development of heraldry and examples of coat of arms from various countries and historical periods.
Heraldry.ws
The blog explores the art and history behind coats of arms and family crests.

Glossary and Symbolism
Heraldsnet
A glossary of terms used in Heraldry, by James Parker. First published in 1894.
Bentley & Skinner
Glossary Of Heraldic Terms.
The Clan Buchanan
Glossary of Heraldic Terms. This Glossary contains those Heraldic Terms found in Buchanan Heraldry.
Book of Traceable Heraldic Art
A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry. The site offers a compilation of armorial illustrations with 6,290 illustrations grouped under 1,212 headings as well as 310 supplemental images.
Heraldry & Crests
Heraldic Symbolism. Discover the fascinating history behind Heraldry Symbols as well as the secret meaning of the colours used on the shield.
The Collector
Heraldic Symbols & Colors: A Brief Overview. Heraldry is not just pretty designs and random colors. There is a deep significance to the heraldic designs that were used.
Fleur-de-lis Designs
Symbolism Of Heraldic Colors, Furs, Lines & Ordinaries.
Armorial Gold Heraldry Services
The site provides a vast collection of heraldic art and resources. The site offers the largest library of high-quality heraldry clip-art images available online, featuring over 16,000 vector art images and tens of thousands of pre-made coats of arms from various cultures around the world. The website includes a section dedicated to the history of heraldry.

Shield Design
DrawShield
The website offers tools and resources for creating heraldic shields, learning blazonry and studying heraldry as well as tools for creating heraldic shields. Users can enter a blazon to generate a shield, build a shield from parts or explore a tutorial for an introduction to the art of blazonry.
Fleur-de-lis Designs
Create your custom coat of arms, crest, or logo, today.
Heraldicon
Use the website to describe a coat of arms and let the rendering figure out the rest. After that it can be themed, the shield can be changed, it can be used for impalement in other coats of arms and charges can be swapped for other variants of a different style.
Coat of Arms Maker
CoaMaker is an online heraldry design tool that helps you create custom coats of arms. It provides hundreds of high-definition symbols that you can use as templates for creating your custom artwork without effort.
Armoria
Armoria is a free tool that procedurally generates customisable heraldry images.

Online Databases

Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
The database aims to provide structured information relating to all the recorded inhabitants of England from the late sixth to the late eleventh century. It is based on a systematic examination of the available written sources for the period. Sources include chronicles, saints’ lives, charters, inscriptions and coins.
Burke’s Peerage
The website is dedicated to the genealogy of historical families especially those within the British aristocracy and nobility. The website offers a name search function for various Burke’s publications including Burke’s Peerage (first published in 1826), Burke’s Landed Gentry Scotland, and Burke’s Landed Gentry Ireland. . Entries include the Coat of Arms plus the image where available.
Cambridge University
Heraldic & Genealogical Society. Database of Genealogy and Heraldry. Search genealogical and heraldic entries for royalty, landed gentry and titled aristocracy although anyone is eligible to be included in the database if they are either armigerous or related to an armiger collaterally or by descent.
Ancestry
UK, Heraldic Card Index, 1150-1850. This collection captures hundreds of thousands of index cards created by the Society of Antiquaries for the purpose of connecting coats of arms to family names between 1150 and 1850. The Society of Antiquaries not only recorded descriptions of the coat of arms, but also brief genealogical information for the individual the coat of arms was assigned to.
Findmypast
Britain, Histories & Reference Guides. Explore more than 65 volumes about genealogy, heraldry, palaeography, geography, and more. Publications include: Aveling’s Heraldry Ancient & Modern, including Boutell’s Heraldry, published 1892, Fox-Davies’ Complete Guide to Heraldry, published 1909 and Fox-Davies’ Heraldry Explained.
Findmypast
Britain, Knights Of The Realm & Commonwealth Index. The Knights of the Realm index records the details of over 35,000 individuals who were awarded an order of chivalry by a British monarch. The index was created by Colin J Parry over a 40 year period.
British History Online
The Court of Chivalry 1634-1640. Abstracts, calendars and transcript of the surviving material relating to 738 cases heard in the Court of Chivalry. The court dealt with a wide variety of topics including heralds visitations and grants of arms.
The Peerage
A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe. The place index and surname index contains information on European royal families and on the British Peerage, compiled by Darryl Lundy.

CD Roms

S & N Genealogy Supplies
Complete guide to Heraldry & The Art of Heraldry; Burke’s Landed Gentry, 1914; Fox Davies Armorial Families; Neve’s Pedigrees of the Knights.
Genealogical
DVD publications include British and American Coats of Arms and other heraldic related items including Burke’s The General Armory, Fairbairn’s Book of Crest and An Ordinary of Scottish Arms by Sir James Balfour Paul.
GenFair
Browse tens of thousands of family history products from hundreds of suppliers. The largest range of products covering the British Isles. Various titles are available dealing with coats of arms and grants of arms.