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Coat of Arms

The Wright Coat-of-Arms

Wright's Coat-of-Arms
Note: This is one of the many Coats that exist for the Wright Family.

The Bearing of Arms


Under most heraldic rules, only First sons of first sons of the recipient of a Coat of Arms are permitted to bear their ancestor's Arms. Younger sons may use a version of their father's Arms, but the rules of heraldry say that they must be changed ("differenced") some- what. If the bearer of a Coat of Arms (called an "Armiger") dies without male heirs, his daughter may combine her father's Arms with her husband's Arms. This process is called "impaling." Although these principles seem formal today, they do give us an idea of the rich, protective tradition which surrounded heraldry through the ages.

There are over one million surnames in use throughout the world today. However, less than 75,000 of these names can be associated with a Coat of Arms. An early Coat of Arms granted to a person with your surname is pictured and described at the end of the preceding chapter. You may or may not be related by blood to this early namesake. No genealogical relationship to you or your family is intended or implied. You may wish to adopt this crest for your own use today, or, it is possible to have your own Coat of Arms designed and registered depending on the country in which you reside.

The Symbols and Meanings


You can easily learn the different terms of heraldry and the parts of the Coat of Arms. A complete Coat of Arms consists of a shield, crest and motto (if one exists). The shield, or escutcheon, is the main element. The crest (usually an animal) rests on top of the shield. The motto may be in any language, but is usually Latin, French or English.
For many Coats of Arms, the researcher will find a helmet, or supporters, or both have been added to the shield. Many Coats of Arms include accessories such as the mantling and wreath. The mantling was originally used to protect the knight from the direct rays of the sun and to protect his helmet from rust and stains. The wreath symbolizes the device used to cover the point where the crest was attached to the knight's helmet. It is important to note that the word "blazon" is the correct technical description for a Coat of Arms.

Parts Of The Shield


The right side of the shield (from the knight’s viewpoint) is called the dexter side, and the left is the sinister side. The term "tincture" is the name given to the colors used in a Coat of Arms. The tinctures represent two metals, seven colors and various furs.

The Field


The blazon of the Coat of Arms gives the tincture of the field first. For shields which have more than one tincture, partition lines in various forms are depicted. Each type of line has its own heraldic term. When a straight line divides the shield horizontally the shield is said to be blazoned "per fess"; vertically, "per pale"; diagonally from dexter to sinister, "per bend"; and diagonally from sinister to dexter, "per bend sinister. The lines which are not simple or straight have special names, such as wavy, indented, or raguly. A shield may be "quartered," or divided into four equal parts. Some shields have bands of color called ordinaries that have special meanings because of common usage.

The Charge


The blazon gives the description of the charge next. Almost anything that can be symbolized in color or form can be a charge. Charges include representations of animals, people, monsters, divine beings, natural and manmade objects. Often charges are one word that simplifies the task of describing them. For instance, a lion standing on one hind leg with the front paws raised is called "rampant." An eagle looking over its right shoulder and with its talons and wings out- stretched is called "displayed."
The charges on the held you will most likely see are the lion, the rose and the lily, the most widely used designs. Then there are the ordinaries: the honorable ordinaries and the sub- ordinaries. These are geometrical figures used as the charges on the held. The seven honorable ordinaries are the bend, the chevron, the chief, the cross, the fess, the pale and the
saltire. The fourteen sub-ordinaries are the annulet, the billet, the bordure, the canton, the flaunch, the fret, the gyro, the inescutcheon, the label, the lozenge, the orle, the pile, the roundel and the tressure. The partition lines are used to separate the field and to border the honorable ordinaries and the sub- ordinaries. The eight basic styles are indented, inverted, engrailed, wavy, nebuly, embattled, raguly and dove-tailed. The ordinaries and partitions were added onto the shield to strengthen it. These were painted to enrich the decoration on the field and eventually became a traditional component of the shield and of the charges.

The Colors And Furs


You'll find that even the hues used in heraldry represent a clue about the bearer. The tinctures used are divided into metals, colors and furs. The metals used are gold and silver. Gold (or yellow) denotes generosity, valor or perseverance. Silver (or white) represents serenity and nobility. The colors are red, green, black, blue and purple. Red represents fortitude and creative power. Green means hope, vitality and plenty, while black is for repentance or vengeance. Blue and purple represent loyalty and splendor.
The furs most commonly used are Ermine and Vair. Ermine represents dignity and nobility; Vair, a high mark of dignity. Rarely used are the colors reddish-purple and orange-tawny, both said to be marks of disgrace due to "abatement of honor" Because designs were so important on the battlefield, so was the display of colors. The important rule to remember here is that metal is always displayed on color and color always on metal. For example, blue on gold, not blue on green, as it would lose its clarity or distinctiveness of design.

For more on Coat of arms go to Heraldry on the Internet.
If your interest are more on the Tartans of Scottland, then give The Gathering of the Clans a try.

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