Heraldry: History, Purpose, Beauty, and Legacy. like the Roman shield and was mostly associated with military units. In the Medieval Period, it

Transcription

1 Treloar 1 Scott A. Treloar Professor Mompoint HUM 2211, November 2012 Heraldry: History, Purpose, Beauty, and Legacy. Heraldry, in ancient times, often consisted of decorative markings on military weaponry like the Roman shield and was mostly associated with military units. In the Medieval Period, it became connected with countries, families, and individual people. In the Middle Ages, heraldry emerged not only as an identification on the battlefield, but rose to a beautiful form of art used in one s coat of arms. These arms display their own unique designs, colors, and symbols; each coat of arms conveys its own distinct meaning. This paper will explore its history, purpose, beauty, and legacy. In his book, A Complete Guide to Heraldry, Arthur Charles Fox-Davies defines heraldry as, that science of which the rules and the laws governs the use, display, meaning, and knowledge of the pictured signs and emblems appertaining to shield, helmet, or banner (10). Fox-Davies traces the origins of heraldry, coats of arms, and insignia to many early civilizations. These early insignia began as symbols more than as a reference to heraldry or pedigree. They are found in the ancient writings of the Greeks, Romans, and Israelites and seen in the hieroglyphs of the Assyrians, Egyptians, and even Native Americans. From the symbolic eagle of Caesar, to the Lion of Judah of Israel, to the totems of the early North American cultures, we

2 Treloar 2 find such symbolism evident (10). The Greek and Roman poets, Aeschylus and Virgil and the historians Herodotus and Tacitus make mention of insignia on shields, flags, and ships. We most often think of heraldry, in reference to the medieval period of history after the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 C.E., primarily in continental Europe and Great Britain. The history of heraldry focused on the feudal nobility of Europe, began in the early Crusades. According to Robert Gayre, the use of heraldry in the European armies occurred during the Third Crusade, around 1189 C.E. (9). There were three main reasons for this phenomena. The first being that a tribe or state and its religion made use of devices of significance to the group as a whole (1). Ministers, monks, and knights wore heraldic devices on their surcoats, identifying them as servants of the early Christian Church. Heraldic symbols such as a cross, a Trinitarian symbol, flowers, and other Biblical symbols adorned their surcoats, shields, and banners. Additionally, leading warriors used them on their shields or clothing, their flags and their ships (Gayre 1). Most men were illiterate in the Middle Ages, so heraldry was used to distinguish the armies. Kings and nobles recruited soldiers from among their vassals, knights, and freemen. Since these fighting men wore armor and helmets that covered their faces, other devices needed to be employed to identify them. Surcoats, or a coat of arms, were emblazoned with their heraldic design and worn over their armor. Horses wore horse trappers (blankets), adorned with coats of arms. Ship sails and banners or flags carried into battle also bore arms (Spurrier, 11-12).

3 Treloar 3 Furthermore, there was a need for legal transactions being completed by a seal which was entirely personal, and so could bind the parties to the transaction (Gayre 1). This became more necessary during the Crusades, as men gathered together from all over parts of Europe, to fight. To conduct necessary business while away from the manor, a nobleman would need to issue orders by affixing his signature or seal to a document for it to be official and legal. A coat of arms or heraldic seal could accomplish this legally. This also led to an ethnological factor in the use of arms. Society was stratified due to the multiple invasions and conquering of Western and Southern Europe by the Celts, Saxons, Latins, Hellenes, Germanics, Normans, and other Aryan peoples that had led to the feudal caste system that dominated Medieval Europe (Gayre 2-3). A clear distinction between the ruling classes, nobles and freeman, those who were soldiers that became land owners, the land being payment for their military service, and the lower classes, commoners and serfs, who were bound by tenure to serve their protectors, was needed. Pedigree would eventually need to be established to delineate between the classes and heraldry became the vehicle used to accomplish this. Wise points out that, Coats of arms were at first used only by kings and princes, then by their great nobles. By the mid-13th century arms were being used extensively by the lesser nobility, knights and those who later came to be styled gentlemen, and, as mentioned above, in some countries the use of arms spread to merchants and townspeople, and even to the peasantry. Anyone who wished to have a coat of arms just invented one, though often it would be based on the arms of his overlord (5).

4 Treloar 4 This assumption of arms would eventually lead to duplication and confusion. This brought about the need for heralds. Heralds, from where we get our term heraldry, were those who extolled the deeds of the knights and nobles who competed in tournaments (Wise, et al 5-6). By the early 14 th century, there were two schools of thought concerning heraldry. One thought was that arms could be assumed by any man regardless of status or title. The second was that they must be the exclusive right of nobility in order for heraldry to function properly. Disputes over who had the right to bear a particular coat of arms when there were duplicates arose. How one was to determine the legality of that right eventually led, in England and Wales, to the decree of the king, Henry V. He established a new office called the Garter Principal King of Arms of Englishmen, whose job was to issue Patents of Arms. King Richard III would establish by Royal Charter, the College of Arms, also known as the Heralds college, and remains the legal authority for the controlling and establishing of rightful arms in the United Kingdom (Wise, et al 7-8). Not only do we see the history and purpose of heraldry but we now see its beauty. There is a definite science to heraldry. The achievement as the entire emblem is formally called includes the coat of arms and other elements (Clark, 65). There are distinct elements to the achievement, starting with the most important element, the shield or escutcheon, which consists of a field (the area within the shield) and it s charges (the figures, symbols, or devices used in, or on, any element of the coat of arms), the helmet, the crest, the

5 Treloar 5 torse (wreath or twist), the badge, and the mantling. Sometimes an achievement will have additional elements like a motto, a listed surname, and supporters (Metzig, 14-21). The shield has a field which contains various tinctures (colors, metals, and furs used in heraldry), charges (objects and symbols), and shapes in its design. The metals used are or (gold), which is yellow and argent (silver), which is white, and are grouped with the five acceptable hues employed in various shades consisting of gules (red), azure (blue), vert (green), sable (black), and purpure (purple). Colors are never to be placed upon color, nor is metal to be placed upon metal. And some colors and metals are used to denote certain office or nobility like purpure representing royalty and clergy. Tinctures also include furs made of ermine or vair, fur taken from the bellies of small animals, like squirrels, and usually are patterned on fields of blue and white (Metzig, 22-23). Also there are lines on the shield, which partition them into two or more parts which can be plain or ornamental. Dividing the shield into parts is called party and the patterns that are created are known as ordinaries. The ordinaries contain the charges, or symbols, that decorate the shield. Some of the terms used to reference these ordinaries are chevron, barry, bendy, dancetty, and paly wavy. They can become quite complex in their design. Additional charges added to the ordinaries create more patterns. For example, roundels are round circles on the ordinary. These classes of additional ordinaries are called subordinaries. Other subordinaries include bordure (borders around the outside of the shield), orle (borders within the shield), lozenges and fusils (diamond and narrow diamond patterns), and others. Additional charges that can be found on the field include animals such as lions, deer, monsters like griffins

6 Treloar 6 and dragons, birds, fish, and reptiles, flowers and trees, and man-made objects like towers and castles. To the side of the shield a coat of arms might contain supporters, which are beasts, people, or other objects that support the shield on either side (Spurrier, 24-69). Above the shield, resting upon it is the helm that usually depicts the craftsmanship of the period in which the arms were created and sometimes represents a specific class of gentleman, knights and warriors, depending upon the helmet style and whether it has a visor or not (Spurrier, 50). They are not required in a coat of arms and some do not have them. Above the helm is the torse, which is a wreath or a twist, which sits upon the helm and fastens the mantle to it. The mantling is a decorative fabric covering, which protected the helm and its wearer from the elements (Spurrier, 53). The crest from the Latin crista which means cockscomb is the device that sits atop the helm and is secured by a joint in the helm that is concealed by the torse and mantling (Spurrier, 26). Finally, some arms have a badge, which is a symbol that sits above the crest and is considered a charge. A badge could be of various shapes and of various characters like the sun, a white rose or red rose, scales, or even swords. One of the most famous badges were the red rose of John, Duke of Lancaster, and the white rose of Edmund, Duke of York, giving name to the famous, War of the Roses. Badges also served as a decorative emblem to one s property or household goods (Metzig, 21). Additional elements can be the motto scroll which can be above the crest or below the shield, where the surname of the family might be affixed. Neither are required elements of the achievement.

7 Treloar 7 The diagram below in Figure 1.1 describes the key elements of the achievement. Figure 1.1 Coat of Arms diagram. Just like the calligraphy of ancient civilizations of China and Persia, there is an art to heraldry, not only in the way it is displayed but also in the way it is spoken. As Peter Spurrier points out in, The Heraldic Art Sourcebook, the artist has to have a firm grasp of proportion to ensure that he has an understanding of balance and color: The ancient rolls of arms in the College of Arms and the British Museum show that the first or second generation of artists knew how to dispose their charges liberally across the shield without wasting space or overcrowding. The colouring, though subdued after hundreds of years, still shows a sensitive approach to the spectrum of raw tinctures available from vegetable and mineral pigments (32). In addition to the production of the achievement, there is the action of describing it.

8 Treloar 8 When a knight was announced at a tournament, a trumpet was sounded and his coat of arms would be called out. This is called blazoning. The language of blazon was created to describe arms precisely, clearly, and in brevity so that everyone hearing the herald could understand and no mistake was made as to who was being announced at the tournament (Wise, et al 14-15). Wise lists the detailed order of description: The Field (1) Describe the tincture of the field. (2) If the field is divided into two or more tinctures, describe the line or lines which divide it, followed by the tinctures: Quarterly, or and gules, the arms of Sir Geoffrey de Say (baron 1313) and his son Geoffrey at the siege of Calais in (3) If the partition lines are not straight, describe them: Per pale indented argent and gules, the banner of Simon de Montfort. (4) If the field is seme with small charges this must also be mentioned: Azure billet, a fess dancetty or, the arms of Sir John D Eyncourt. The Principal Charge (1) Describe the principal charge on the field and its tincture. (2) If the charge is an Ordinary and it has irregular lines, describe the lines engrailed, nebuly, etc. (3) If the charge is placed in the centre of the field and faces the dexter, no further description is necessary, otherwise the position (in chief, in fess, in base) and whether affronte (showing full face) or contourne (facing sinister) must be stated. Other Charges If there are any secondary charges these must be mentioned in order of importance, stating position on the shield and the tinctures used: Or, a cross gules between sixteen eaglets azure, the arms of the lords of Montmorency.

9 Treloar 9 Charges upon Charges Describe any charges placed upon an Ordinary, upon a principal charge, or upon a secondary charge. Differences Describe any charges used for differencing or cadency, such as the bordure, label, canton, crescent, mullet, etc. Overall Charges When an Ordinary is placed across a coat of arms it is preceded by the word surtout or overall, i.e. overall a bend azure. Quartering If a shield is quartered this fact is stated before all the above categories, and mention is made at the end of this list only because quartering, except for royal alliances, was comparatively rare in the period with which we are concerned. Quarters are numbered 1 to 4 thus: top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right, as viewed. If the 4 th quarter is a repeat of the 1 st, and the 3 rd as repeat of the 2 nd, as in the arms of England circa , this is blazoned as Quarterly 1 st and 4 th France modern; 2 nd and 3 rd England. The normal reading and writing rules of working from left to right and top to bottom apply in heraldry, so that per pale gules and or means the left side is red, and per fess argent and azure means the top half is argent. Gyronny commences with the top lefthanded segment and the number of gyrons is stated: Gyronny of 8, or and sable, the arms of the Campbell family. If a tincture is used more than once in a coat it is usual not to repeat its name but refer to is as of the first or of the second, depending when it first occurred in the blazon. For example, in the Luterell arms the colour of martlets and bend is only mentioned once: Azure, a bend between 6 martlets or between 6 martlets of the second. When a charge is repeated the number of such charges must be stated and their arrangement on the shield described. Thus nine roundels, 3, 3, 3. It is not necessary to blazon six roundels 3, 2, 1, as this is the standard arrangement for such a number of charges.

10 Treloar 10 Correct punctuation is not vital and many authorities disagree over the way blazon should be punctuated, but it helps to remember that there should always be a comma after each tincture except where alternate colours are used, as in barry of 6, argent and azure (de Grey). The natural colouring of animals, birds, plants, etc., is always referred to as proper, but if they vary from their natural colours then the tinctures must be named. Birds and beasts having claws, beaks and teeth in a different tincture to that of their bodies are blazoned Armed. If their tongues protrude they are Langued. Animals such as the bull and unicorn, which also have horns and hooves, are blazoned Armed and Hoofed, but stags and deer are Attired, not Armed. Birds without claws are blazoned Beaked and membered. There are many more such complications, but the majority arose after the period which we are dealing, when arms had become complex and heraldry was mainly decorative (15-16).

11 Treloar 11 An example of this can be seen in my family s coat of arms in illustration 1.2 below: Treloar Blazon Argent, a chevron sable with three quartrefoils or and dexter chief gules escallop.

12 Treloar 12 With heraldry, blazon can become quite complex and it takes practice to become proficient in its use, just like calligraphy. Finally, there is the legacy of heraldry. It is in this spirit, I wish to take a personal look at my own coat of arms. I have lived in Cornwall from the age of 4, so I have always been aware of the artistic heritage that the county has. I feel very proud to be able to connect to this. ~John Dyer The Treloar family has its own heraldic heritage and rich symbolism as seen in figure 1.2. Each of the elements in my family coat of arms holds significant meaning and links me to my heritage. Like the famed Welsh poet, John Dyer, my family also hails from Cornwall, England. The earliest existence of my family in actual records in Cornwall goes currently goes back to 1297C.E. I have always wanted to know more about my ancestral roots as I firmly believe that our existence upon this earth is not an accident or act of random chance but is one of design and purpose. I have learned that there is quite a bit of religious significance to my coat of arms. For example, the three or (gold) quatrefoils represent the Holy Trinity, indicating a reverence for Christian doctrine. The quatrefoils themselves are four leaved plants and were placed on churches to signify the gospel preached within its walls. The gold of the quatrefoils represents excellence, achievement, and valor. The chevron represents a gable and was granted to those who built churches. The sable color of the chevron represents a humble color indicating often those deeply religious. The gules escallop located chief on the dexter signifies military service, perhaps naval command, with the gules (red) signifying nobility, boldness, and ferocity. Finally,

13 Treloar 13 the argent (silver) base of the field represents purity and chastity in addition to peace and serenity (Swyrich Corporation, 8-12). When I consider the things that matter most to me, I find this coat of arms appropriately fit for the name I bear. I am a deeply committed Christian and have been actively involved in the ministry of the Gospel. I come from a family that has served the United States Navy and are academically accomplished and respected in society. As the poet has said, I feel proud, as him, to be able to connect with my Cornish heritage. Heraldry has historically been more than just mere insignia on the shields and sails of an army and navy. It has served the purposes of identification but also of commerce, pedigree and inheritance, law, and identity. Its art is ordered, brilliant, and beautiful. And to the one who finds a connection with its past, it just might reveal a legacy that will help them in laying out a purpose to their future.

14 Treloar 14 Works Cited Clark, Hugh. An Introduction to Heraldry. 15 th Edition. London: Henry Washbourne & Co., PDF file. Dyer, John. Brainyquote.com, Web. 05 Nov Fox- Davies, Arthur Charles. A Complete Guide to Heraldry. Read Books, Ltd., Nook ebook. Gayre, Lt. Col. Robert of Gayre and Nigg. Nature of Arms, The. Edinborough: Olive and Boyd, Ltd., Print. Metzig, William. Heraldry for the Designer. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, Print. Spurrier, Peter. Heraldic Art Source Book, The. London: Blandford, Print. Swyrich Corporation. The Most Distinguished Surname Treloar. houseofnames.com Web. Purchased 25 Nov PDF download. Wise, Terrance, Richard Hook, and William Walker. Medieval Heraldry. London: Osprey, 1980.Print.

15 Treloar 15 Images 1.1 Heraldry and the parts of a coat of arms. Fleur-de-lis Designs. Heraldry and the parts of a coat of arms. fleurdelis.com. Web. 25 Nov Image. 1.2 Treloar Blazon Argent, a chevron sable with three quartrefoils or and dexter chief gules escallop. Swyrich Corporation. The Most Distinguished Surname Treloar. houseofnames.com Web. Purchased 25 Nov PDF download. Page 6