England Heraldry

Introduction
Heraldry is the design, use, regulation, and recording of coats of arms and related emblems. Originally, coats of arms were "assumed", or designed and adopted by the persons using them. Eventually, the Crown reserved to itself the right to grant coats of arms to individuals, not families.

A person entitled to bear arms is an armiger. An armiger’s legitimate male descendants can inherit the right to use his coat of arms. The eldest son inherited his father's arms directly and younger sons inherited them with marks added to difference them. Most English did not have a coat of arms.

The Crown awards the right to use coat of arms to a person who performs a heroic deed, makes a notable achievement, or holds a prominent position. Such grants are recorded by representatives of the Crown called King’s heralds, who house their records at:

College of Arms Queen Victoria Street London EC4V 4BT England Internet: http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/

The college is a corporation of 13 members:


 * Three Kings of Arms – Garter Principal, Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster
 * Six Heralds – Lancaster, Chester, York, Richmond, Windsor and Somerset
 * Four Pursuivants – Rouge Croix, Bluemantle, Portcullis and Rouge Dragon

The College has a vast collection of historical books and documents as well as their own records of descent and grants of arms (Wagner 1952, Dickinson). The collection includes English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish works as well as much from North America, having been the recipient of the literary estates of many eminent genealogists. The library is a private one not open to the public but the officers of arms will search the records for a (large) fee. However, many of their books are available elsewhere and are on film through the FamilySearch Library, and the College is actively publishing their own records through the Harleian Society.

Achievements of Arms
An achievement of arms usually contains elements of the following: shield, crest, mantling or lambrequin, helm &amp; torse, motto, supporters, compartment, badges, and banners. The shield usually has the arms of the bearer, and many times this is mistakenly called the "crest". The crest appears on top of the helm or helmet and bears a symbol the represents the wearer, such as an animal, horns, a design, and so on.

The mantling was a silken cloth that was fastened to the top of the helmet, and was of two colors. The upper surface was normally the principal color of the arms and the underside was the color of the principal metal. The torse - which was shown as twists of cloth, hid the attachment to the helm. Usually the torse was of the same colors as the mantling.

The coat that was worn was called a surcoat, and the arms of the wearer were represented on this. Helmets or helms had various presentations depending upon the rank of the wearer. To complete the achievement of arms, there would be supporters on each side of the shield which could be a person or nearly any animal or figure - these would usually be reserved for the nobility.

The supporters stood upon the compartment, which could be nearly anything. The motto represented a war cry or other important slogan, and is usually found near the base of the compartment. The final item of the achievement may contain an inscription on the compartment or shield.

Once granted, the arms adorned the knight's horsecloth, blanket, banner and any thing else of value. One of the most important reasons for many of the items above was to be able to identify friend or foe at a distance.

Herald's Visitations
In the 16th and 17th centuries, heralds visited all parts of England to discover who was using coats of arms and the title of Gentleman, Esquire, or Knight. They asked for proof of the right to use such coats of arms or titles. These proofs often included documentation of male descent from the original grantee. Heraldic visitations are records of these visits (see England Nobility). Most visitations focus on the male heir's descendants, but often include descents of siblings. Information in Visitations can be very useful in tracing ancestors once a connection to a landed family is verified.

The website Some Notes on English Medieval Genealogy maintains an extensive lists of digitised visitations.

The Armigerous Ancestors Database at the Achievements website is a surname index to herald's visitations compiled by Cecil Humphery-Smith. It is also available in book form at the FamilySearch Library:. Table 1. Years of Visitations in Each English County

*Visitation in print.

+Visitation not in print and manuscript not in British Museum.

Reference Sources
Heralds developed terms to describe the records they kept. To understand a coat of arms, you need to understand the terms used by the heralds. Many books define heraldic terms. Look in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

ENGLAND - HERALDRY

GREAT BRITAIN - HERALDRY

One such book is:


 * Lynch-Robinson, Sir Christopher, and Adrian Lynch-Robinson. Intelligible Heraldry. Baltimore, Maryland: Heraldic Book Company, 1967. (FS Library 942 D24Ly. BYU Harold B Lee Library book CR 21 .L9 1967) This is a good basic explanation of heraldic symbols and heraldry.

There are two kinds of books that describe a coat of arms. "Armorials" are alphabetical lists of names with a description, or "blazon," of the arms. "Ordinaries" are similar books that describe coats of arms and arrange them according to design. Some minor armigers are not included in either type of book. The following books are of particular interest:


 * Burke, Sir John Bernard. The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, Comprising a Registry of Armorial Bearings from the Earliest to the Present Time. Second Edition. 1884 reprint. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. . Online at: Ancestry ($). This book lists names alphabetically and contains a blazon and a brief explanation, a glossary, and a few black and white sample coats of arms.
 * Humphery-Smith, Cecil R. General Armory Two. London, England: Tabard Press, Ltd., 1973. (FS Library 942 D24hg. BYU Harold B Lee Library book CR 1619 .H86 1974) This book contains additions and corrections to the Burke book listed previously.
 * Papworth, John W. Ordinary of British Armorials. Reprint. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1965. (FS Library 942 D6p; film 1559395 item 3.) This ordinary is arranged by design and gives the names of those who use each design.

The FamilySearch Library has many books on heraldry, including armorials and ordinaries. They are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

ENGLAND - HERALDRY

Also, families who bore heraldic arms are often subjects of books or articles. (See England Genealogy and England Nobility).

Resources

 * Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies
 * The Heraldry Society
 * The Harleian Society. The official objects of the Society are "the transcribing, printing and publishing of the heraldic visitations of counties, parish registers or any manuscripts relating to genealogy, family history and heraldry".
 * Regulation of Heraldry in England
 * Civic Heraldry of England &amp; Wales - towns and counties
 * Heraldry and Coats of Arms Resources and help pages on RootsChat Heraldry and Coats of Arms Resources and help pages. (Free).
 * The Visitations of Bedfordshire: Annis Domini 1566, 1582, and 1634 - free
 * 1894 Thom's Directory Great Britain & Ireland 1894 at MyHeritage — images, ($)