Course:History 344 Nasty Families/Titles and Statuses/The Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms

Many families and organizations have a Coat of Arms as a way of defining themselves; however there is more to having one than simply drawing a picture and writing a motto.

In the middle ages a Coat of Arms was used to distinguish those who were coming towards a town or property and let one know if they came as a friend (1). Also not just anyone could have a Coat of Arms for their family or organization, only those of the upper class, with prestige, or who were knighted were entitled to one. The Herald’s College was created in the sixteenth century to monitor the use of Coats of Arms, as there may be more than one person with the same or similar Coat of Arms (2).

The design itself contains a few different parts. The first part to be discussed is the piece most commonly seen, which is the shield. The shield is also the center piece and represents the family or organization; generally it is the family banner (3). Another main piece in the Coat of Arms is the Supporters, which are what hold or support the shield and they stand on the Compartment (4). The motto may be the most known part of a Coat of Arms, and many families and people still have these today. A motto is a slogan that basically summarizes what a family stands for. The last few pieces on a Coat of Arms to be discussed are the Helm, Wreath and Crest. The Wreath connects the crest and the helm, the helm being the helmet (5).

Seventeenth-century gentry could become obsessed with the desire for a coat of arms. Sir Thomas Smith wrote that gentlemen could purchase coats of arms from the King of Heralds which were "newly made and invented, the title whereof shall pretend to have been found by the said herald in perusing and viewing of old registers." (6) James I sold many such honors in order to bring in desperately needed funds. (7) He sold so many knighthoods that the rank itself became devalued. (8) He then created a new rank, the baronetcy. Baronetcies sold for 1,095 pounds each, but the rank was not considered very prestigious. (9)

BN edit: The most important thing for the future is to say what the coat of arms meant for seventeenth-century gentry. Also, baronets should get their own page.

(1) Development of “The Coat of Arms”, Origin of Coat of Arms. Accessed on January 20, 2012. URL: http://www.historicalnames.com/origins.htm (2) Ibid. (3) Thurston, John, “How to Do it: How to Acquire a Coat of Arms”, BMJ: British Medical Journal 315, no. 7123 (1997): 1683. Accessed on January 20, 2012. URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25176577 (4) Ibid. (5) Ibid. (6) Quoted in Barry Coward, The Stuart Age: England 1603-1714, 3rd ed. (London: Longman: 2003), 47. (7) Coward, 144. (8) Coward, 144. (9) Coward, 144-45.