Coat of Arms

The Wright 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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