Arms are not only granted to individuals and families, but also to cities, corporate bodies, and learned societies. They may therefore be classed as follows:

Arms of DOMINION, PRETENSION, CONCESSION. COMMUNITY, PATRONAGE, FAMILY. ALLIANCE, AND SUCCESSION.

Arms of Dominion or Sovereignty – are properly the arms of the kings or sovereigns of the [...]]]> Ancestry.com Free Trial

Arms are not only granted to individuals and families, but also to cities, corporate bodies, and learned societies. They may therefore be classed as follows:

Arms of DOMINION, PRETENSION, CONCESSION. COMMUNITY, PATRONAGE, FAMILY. ALLIANCE, AND SUCCESSION.

Arms of Dominion or Sovereignty – are properly the arms of the kings or sovereigns of the territories they govern, which are also regarded as the arms of the State. Thus the Lions of England and the Russian
Eagle are the arms of the Kings of England and the Emperors of Russia, and cannot properly be altered by a change of dynasty.

Arms of Pretension – are those of kingdoms, provinces, or territories to which a prince or lord has some claim, and which he adds to his own, though the kingdoms or territories are governed by a foreign king
or lord: thus the Kings of England for many ages quartered the arms of France in their escutcheon as the descendants of Edward III., who claimed that kingdom, in right of his mother, a French princess.

Arms of Concession – are arms granted by sovereigns as the reward of virtue, valor, or extraordinary service. All arms granted to subjects were originally conceded by the Sovereign.

Arms of Community – are those of bishoprics, cities, universities, academies, societies, and corporate bodies.

Arms of Patronage – are such as governors of provinces, lords of manors, &c., add to their family arms as a token of their superiority, right, and jurisdiction.

Arms of Family, or paternal arms – are such as are hereditary and belong to one particular family, which none others have a right to assume, nor can they do so without rendering themselves guilty of a
breach of the laws of honor punishable by the Earl Marshal and the Kings at Arms. The assumption of arms has however become so common that little notice is taken of it at the present time.

Arms of Alliance – are those gained by marriage.

Arms of Succession – are such as are taken up by those who inherit certain estates by bequest, entail, or donation.

Heraldry is the practice of creating, verbally describing (called blazoning) and granting Armorial Bearings (also called a Coat of Arms, or Armory) to an individual, and of recording the genealogy, or family tree, of that line.

Many times Armory, Armorial Bearings, Arms, Heraldic Design and Coat of Arms are used interchangeably.  [...]]]> Ancestry.com Free Trial

Heraldry is the practice of creating, verbally describing (called blazoning) and granting Armorial Bearings (also called a Coat of Arms, or Armory) to an individual, and of recording the genealogy, or family tree, of that line.

Many times Armory, Armorial Bearings, Arms, Heraldic Design and Coat of Arms are used interchangeably.  In this article, “Armory” will be the term of choice.  Armory is only a portion of Heraldry overall, as described above.  It began as a way to identify a person, and later an entire line of descendants, during public functions.  It started as simple symbols (called “devices”) but eventually became fancier, until it was a detailed art form by the Middle Ages. Properly called Armory or Armorial Bearings, it became fully established in the 12^th century.  At first, only nobility used Armory devices, displayed on shields, surcoats, bardings (armor on horses) and banners (flags emblazoned with the Coat of Arms).  The earliest known Armory devices were those of Geoffrey of Anjou and described in an 1127 chronicle.  By the mid-13^th century, Armory was used by most knights and a little while later it was used by “Gentlemen” (a male born legitimately from a noble family).

In the medieval period it was the function of Heralds to organize tournaments, as well as marshal the contestants and keep score.  Because of this exposure they eventually became experts at Armory and organizing events.  The knights in tournaments bore their “Arms” on their shields and their “Crest” on their helmets.  Heralds became experts at recognizing these symbols and recorded them, later even controlling their use.  Heralds were eventually given a building and incorporated into the College of Arms.  The leader of the Heralds is called the King of Arms.  The present building dates from the 1670’s.  The Duke of Norfolk, as Earl Marshall and King of Arms is the head of the College of Arms.  The official registers of the college include Armory for English and Welsh families from the 15^th century until today.  Thousands of family trees are also recorded there.  Heralds became expert genealogists!  In other countries similar organizations are Lyon King of Arms in Scotland and Ulster King of Arms in Ireland.

Knights found Armory an easy way to identify who was who, since it was difficult with all the armor that was worn.  Each knight was originally allowed to choose his own design and it was very personal to that particular individual.  The design was passed down through the family.  Families with similar names could have different symbols.  Armory is particular to a family, not necessarily to everyone with that same surname.  Near the middle of the 14^th century, English courts agreed that no man could use the Armory already adopted by another person.  By the 15^th century the practice was becoming overly confusing and a systematic organization of Armory was taken up by the Crown and the College of Arms.  An exact science was formed.  Now the Crown granted Armory, and all ancient and new symbols were registered in the College of Arms, for English countries.  Similar practices were undertaken in other countries.

When you look at a complete Armory, with the shield in the middle and all kinds of items around it, like a motto, a helmet and crest on top, ribbons on the top and sides, and maybe some characters on either side of the shield (supporters), you are looking at what is called the Complete Achievement of Arms.  Sometimes you will see the Armory shown just as the shield (middle) part.  So, a Coat of Arms, otherwise known as Armorial Bearings or Armory, can refer to the complete achievement or just the shield part.  The “extras” placed around the shield were added to basically fancy up the shield part and tell a little more about what the bearer wanted to tell of himself, and to show more of  his colors as well.

Armory marks and designs (devices) were first emblazoned on a knight’s shield and banner. Around the start of the 15^th century Armory was used on surcoats.  A surcoat is the long outer garment worn by those of rank, in both sexes, often worn over armor.  This is how Armory became known as the Coat of Arms.   These Coat of Arms originally were not hereditary, but only gradually became so.  The right to bear a particular Coat of Arms, as evidence of a noble birth, became hereditary as early as 1390.  It was the College of Arms duty to trace the ancestry of anyone bearing a certain Armory, so that it could be approved for use, or to claim rights.  Some sons inheriting their father’s Armory have added particular symbols to it, indicating their order of birth (called cadency).

A seal was usually found on the shield part of the Armory.  The seal was the equivalent of a signature today.  Usually it is the depiction of a knight on horseback and fully armed.  Part of the Armory came to be displayed on a knight’s helmet. This became known as the crest.  The animals or people on either side of the shield are called supporters.  At first these were merely decorative.  Mottoes can be associated with particular Armory, but the same motto may be used by different families.  The motto may provide a clue as to the identity of a particular Armory.

A woman usually had limited rights to use Armory.  She had to be a sovereign to fully use it.  But all females were granted rights to “display” the Armory of her father, before her marriage.  She could only use a diamond shaped frame (called a lozenge) to show her father’s Armory.  After marriage she used her husband’s Armory, also on a lozenge.  This symbol she now used even if she became a widow.  Sometimes the husband and father-in-law would show their Coat of Arms side by side (called Impaling).  The husband would place his Coat of Arms on the left side (Dexter) and the arms of the father-in-law would appear on the right (Sinister), as you face the shield.

If a woman was from a family with no brothers, her husband placed a small shield with the Armory of his father-in-law in the center of his own.  This would show that he was “carrying” the Coat of Arms for the benefit of his children (this was called Escutcheon of Pretense).  The male children then displayed both Coats of Arms, which were quartered on the shield.

It cannot be assumed that you are descended from a particular person just because they had the same surname and had Armory granted to them.  Generational evidence would be needed to prove that.  There is really no such thing as a “family” Armory, as they were granted to individuals, and not families!  With the help of a genealogist you may be able to trace your line back very far.  But beyond the early 1500’s there were no, or few, written records kept.  So getting back that far is very difficult. There were official surveys made on a county-by-county basis in England and Wales, by heralds, in the 16^th and 17^th centuries.  A herald’s duty was to see that Armories were being used, recorded, corrected and granted correctly.  These surveys were known as the “Heraldic Visitations”.  Many have been published and contain detail pedigrees of Armory bearing ancestors.  The King of Arms or a herald assistant would set up shop in a local location and call everyone in who claimed official Armory, to present proof.  A fee was necessary to get your Armory and pedigree recorded.  If proof could not be given, you would be forbidden to display Arms.

To be entitled to use Armory officially, by inheritance from an English line, a family must prove legitimate descendancy from an ancestor whose records are in the College of Arms.  In Ireland and Scotland the rules are similar but come under the ruling of different organizations.  It is however fascinating to find the oldest known Armory of a noble born person with the same surname as you!  It is always very possible that you descend from them, only the proof remains.