Heraldry is the study or art of tracing genealogies, and the designing and granting of coats of arms. A coat of arms shows an individual's or family's history and heritage.

Why did a knight need to have a coat of arms? l In the 12th century, knights began wearing helmets that completely concealed their faces except for two narrow slits for the eyes. It made a knight unrecognizable to both his friends and his enemies. Symbols such as lions or other beasts were painted on the knights’ shields and banners to aid in recognition during a battle. As time went on these decorations were repeated on the surcoat (a sleeveless garment that was worn over armor)—therefore the name, coat of arms. By the 15th century, as the designs became more complex, it developed into a complicated science called heraldry—a system of personal symbols by which a knight could be recognized.

Historically, heraldry began as a mark of identification in social situations and found its full flowering as a useful art in the Middle Ages, when it came to be used to distinguish the warriors on the battlefield. Originally, a knight was free to choose his own device, but by the 15th century, the multiplication of arms resulted in the complete systemization of the practice, and heraldry became an exact science. All armorial bearings came to be granted by the King, and all arms, both the recently granted and those established by right of ancient usage, were registered with the College of Arms, if English, or with similar agencies in continental countries.

Marks and designs were used to mark a warrior’s armor and his surcoat, which was the garment that he wore over his coat of mail. From this use comes the expression coat of arms. These marks were not at first hereditary. They gradually became so, however, and were recognized as evidence of the wearer’s noble or gentle birth. The right to bear a certain coat of arms came to be hereditary as early as In 1488 the Herald’s College was incorporated by Richard III of England and it was their duty to trace ancestry, to approve coats of arms, to confirm titles of honor, and to examine claims to armorial rights. Some inherit their father’s arms not equally but by law of cadency: that is, each son has added to his inherited arms a particular sign indicating his order of birth.

Heraldic Lines and Ordinaries: Nebuly Line Clouds or air Wavy Line Sea or water Engrailed Line Earth or land Invected Line Earth or land Indented Line Fire Dancette Line Water Raguly Line Difficulties that have been encountered Embattled Line Walls of a fortress or town (also, fire)

COLORSEven the colors can have special meaning in a "family crest" or coat of arms: Gold (Or)Generosity and elevation of the mind Silver or White (Argent) Peace and sincerity Red (Gules)Warrior or martyr; Military strength and magnanimity Blue (Azure)Truth and loyalty Green (Vert)Hope, joy, and loyalty in love Black (Sable)Constancy or grief Purple (Purpure)Royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice Orange (Tawny or Tenne) Worthy ambition Maroon (Sanguine or Murray) Patient in battle, and yet victorious

Common Charges Lion - Deathless courage. Tiger - Great fierceness and valor when enraged to combat; one whose resentment will be dangerous if aroused. Bear - Ferocity in the protection of kindred. Wolf - Denotes valiant captains that do in the end gain their attempts after long sieges and hard enterprises. One whom it is dangerous to assail or thwart. Rhinoceros - Great ferocity when aroused. Elephant - Courage and strength. Heraldic Tiger - Same as Tiger. Leopard - Valiant and hardy warrior. Panther - As a lion may be said to signify a brave man, so may a panther a beautiful woman, which, though fierce, is very tender and loving to her young, and will defend it with the hazard of her life. Horse - Readiness for all employments for king and country. Bull or Ox - Valor and magnanimity. Boar - A fierce combatant when at bay, and ceases fighting only with its life, and therefore may be properly applied as the armorial bearing of a warrior. Goat - Emblem of that martial man who wins a victory by the employment rather of policy than valor. Lamb - Gentleness and patience under suffering. Ram - Authority.

Even the terms used in heraldry became exact and a coat of arms was not described, but was blazoned. Terms for partition lines were developed such as engrailed, nebuly, inverted, dancety, embattled, etc. Charges (figures in the field) were of three kinds: the Ordinaries (chief, pale, bend, fess, chevron, cross, saltire, bar, baton, etc.), the Subordinaries (roundels, fusils, orle, annulets, cinquefoil, etc.) and the Common (hand, fish, lions, bears, birds, mullets, etc.). The colors used were: two metals: gold (or) and silver (argent): and five colors: red (gules), green (vert), blue (azure), black (sable) and purple (purpurs).

Women’s Rights to Coat Armor Women’s rights to coat armor are strictly limited, unless she is a sovereign. She is granted the right to use a coat of arms bearing the arms of her father or husband, but not on a shield. She uses a lozenge, a diamond shaped frame. Since a woman was not a warrior she could not use the shield, helmet, crest, mantling or war-cry motto. Until her marriage, she used her father’s arms in a lozenge, and oftentimes surmounted it with a true lover’s knot of light blue ribbon. This later, however, has no official sanction. After marriage, she used her husband’s arms on a lozenge, and continued the practice if she became a widow. Sometimes the husband impaled his arms with those of the wife’s father. At first, impaling was the placing of the two shields side by side, but later it became the practice to place the husband’s arms on the dexter (left as you face the shield), and the arms of the wife’s father on the sinister. If a woman was a heraldic heiress (having no brothers to inherit the coat of arms) her husband placed a small shield with the arms of his wife’s father in the center of his own so it would show he was carrying the arms for the benefit of his children, the grandchildren of his wife’s father. This was called the "escutcheon of pretense". The children carried both of the arms, which were quartered.

There are very specific rules for designing a coat of arms. 1. Partition the background with lines. You may use any of the designs pictured in the margins or create a design of your own. 2. Choose a combination of the following colors: black, green, red, purple, gold or silver to color in your background. 3. Draw a fanciful animal as part of your design. 4. Complete your coat of arms with any personal or family symbols.

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The following are some of the more common heraldic symbols and their meanings as suggested by some historians: