Coats of Arms: An Introduction to The Science and Art of Heraldry

By Marc Fountain

With full-color pages accessible to readers of any age, this how and why quick-start guide explains knighthood and nobility and royalty, what Coats of Arms mean, how to create your own, and how to assemble those of your ancestors. Heraldry is the art and profession of creating designs within shield-shaped outlines meant to identify important individuals and their descendants, as well as organizations (towns, schools, corporations) and nations. These designs often come surrounded by additional symbols such as helms, crowns or crests. Although few of us bear actual shields in the modern world, many today print their ancestors' armorial symbols onto paper, engrave them into jewelry or tableware, and carve them into wood and stone. Readers will learn about:

• Symbols of Identity - where Heraldry came from, and how it can still empower people today
• Within the Shield - the symbols which identify a person or family or organization
• Beyond the Shield - the symbols which identify social rank (gentry, knight, noble, royal) Ancestry - where last names came from, and where you come into the story

"Coats of Arms is a thorough and comprehensive guide for anyone fascinated by heraldry. You'll learn how to differentiate a duke from a marquis, a firstborn son from a second, and the meaning behind every symbol on a shield. A treasure to refer to time and time again. I know I'll be referring back to it when I get back to genealogy and looking at my own medieval ancestors' Coats of Arms."
--Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of King Arthur's Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition
"History can be boring beyond belief if it is a mere list of names and dates. Or it can be immensely fascinating. Coats of Arms: An Introduction to the Science and Art of Heraldry will bring past times and even present customs to life through the study of symbols of many kinds, many though not all relating to badges of nobility. Any student of history, and of cultural differences, will benefit from looking at the many beautiful illustrations, all of which are keys for entry into ways of thinking and living. It is a good day when I learn something new, so I really enjoyed editing this book for the publisher."
--Bob Rich, PhD and author of Sleeper, Awake!
"One of the most difficult requirements for teachers of history and English is to find ways to assess students with special needs. Coats of Arms offers a uniquely creative means to enhance the study of Medieval Times; most students, with or without disability, will enjoy learning patterns, colors and shapes that relate to their personal history. Creating one's own coat of arms using methods centuries old will help students relate to the past while tying together strands of history still used in the present. A secondary bonus is the intriguing vocabulary presented in this book, with new meanings for 'hatching' and 'field' as examples."
--Carolyn Bouldin, reading comprehension specialist and teacher of secondary English
From Modern History Press

• Language: English
• Publisher: Modern History Press
• Release date: Oct 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781615996971

Book preview

Coats of Arms: An Introduction to the Science and Art of Heraldry

Copyright © 2022 by Marc Fountain. All Rights Reserved.

Cover design by Doug West (ZAQ Designs).

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Inquiries should be addressed to Modern History Press at the address below. Depictions of armorial bearings, shields, symbols, logos, and other graphic devices in this book are in no way attempts to infringe on existing ownership. They appear here solely for education as examples of history and graphic design.

ISBN 978-1-61599-695-7 paperback

ISBN 978-1-61599-696-4 hardcover

ISBN 978-1-61599-697-1 eBook

Distributed by Ingram Book Group (USA/CAN/AU)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Fountain, Marc, 1965- author, illustrator.

Title: Coats of arms : an introduction to the science and art of heraldry / written and Illustrated by Marc Fountain.

Description: Ann Arbor, MI: Modern History Press, [2022] | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: Secret codes of knighthood, nobility and royalty are revealed in this full color introductory guide accessible to readers of every age. Discover how to create your own coat of arms and illustrate those of your ancestors. Empowering resource for expressing who you are in art, history, social studies, and genealogy-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022039325 (print) | LCCN 2022039326 (ebook) | ISBN 9781615996957 (paperback) | ISBN 9781615996964 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781615996971 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Heraldry.

Classification: LCC CR21 .F68 2022 (print) | LCC CR21 (ebook) | DDC 929.6--dc23/eng/20220817

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022039325

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022039326

Contents

Symbols of Identity

European Feudalism

Chevalier, Caballero, Cavalry Officer, Knight

Flags Versus Heraldry

Shield Shapes

Trademarks Versus Heraldry

Contrast

Colors–Tinctures and Metals and Furs

Colors–Hatching

Within the Shield

Divisions

Ordinaries–Large Geometric Shapes

Edges

Charges

Charges–Weapons & Tools

Charges–Suns, Stars, Moons, Planets

Charges–Plants

Charges–Animals

Charges–Small Geometric Shapes

Charges–Letters & Symbols

Initials, Ciphers, Monograms

Beyond the Shield

Entitlement as Obligation

Helms

Royal Crowns and Noble Coronets

Circlets, Torses, Crest Coronets, Mural Coronets

Crests

Mantling

Practicality Versus Fantasy

Mottos, Compartments, Supporters

Badges

Flags–Banners, Pennons, Standards

Ancestry

Family Surnames

Marshalling–European Style

Family Trees

Marshalling–US Style

Place Names and Heraldry

Tribal Identity

Differences for Cadency

Genealogy

Legacy

Discussion Questions

Bibliography

About the Author

Index

Symbols of Identity

For at least sixty thousand years, our ancestors have created symbols. Some of the earliest were made by holding a hand against a rock wall and spraying powdered rock of a contrasting color over the area. The message behind such a symbol might have been, I was here. Or maybe, This place belongs to me. Or perhaps, I belong to this place. Eventually, more symbols appeared, with more messages: "We are this family, or this tribe, or this land, or this way of thinking." Symbols painted on walls weren’t very portable, though. When members of that family or tribe went far afield, how could they symbolize their identity?

They could paint temporary patterns on their skin.

They could needle permanent patterns into their skin.

They could weave a pattern into fabric, then sew that fabric into clothing.

They could work symbols into jewelry, to be worn openly or kept hidden until needed for identification.

They could carve symbols into their weapons or paint symbols onto their shields.

Symbols on weapons tended to be small and intimate, visible mainly to the weapon’s owner and (for a few seconds, anyway) to those on the receiving end. A weapon which outlived its first owner sometimes acquired a name of its own. Yet even a weapon as