Understanding Coats of Arms

Labeled Coat of Arms 

Adapted from David Howard, Chinese Armorial Porcelain, (Chippenham: heirloom & Howard, 2003), 72.

Coat of arms are comprised of several elements, each of which indicated something different about the family or individual:

• Crest – adorned the top of the coat of arms and traditionally was worn atop the helmet on a suit of armor
• Wreath – displayed family colors in the form of a braided rope
• Helm – signified the rank of the individual, and resembled the helmet worn into battle
• Mantling – displayed the family colors
• Coronet – signified a member of the peerage (Duke, Earl, etc.)
• Shield – uniquely identified the specific family and familial position of the individual
• Motto – displayed a phrase that conveys a familial value
• Supporter – if present, signified a very elevated societal position (generally restricted to the royal family and the highest members of the peerage)

The specific shape and style of the shield in the coat of arms indicated the individual within a family. For instance, a coat of arms for a woman was shaped like a lozenge (diamond) rather than a shield. Similarly, shields that displayed a combination of two or more family’s arms indicated a mixing of the families such as quartered arms, impaled arms, and arms in pretence. Heraldry allowed for identification, not only of elevated status, but also specific persons within a family.