The Manual of Heraldry; Fifth Edition | Page 7

painted over their coats of arms. In two or three generations the bearer of the arms established his right to a new crest, and the heralds, to preserve the memory of the ancient honour of the family, introduced the old crest into the coat of arms, either as a charge upon the principal ordinary, or on an unoccupied part of the field. This will in some measure account for the variety of animals and parts of animals found in shields of arms. When the sovereigns of Europe, to decrease the power of the great barons, bestowed estates and titles not only for deeds of arms, but wisdom in council, superior learning, and other qualities which the original bearers of arms thought beneath their notice, the heralds were obliged to invent new symbols in emblazoning the arms of the modern nobility; and when arms were granted to civic and commercial corporations, and to private individuals who had no claim to military honours, we can easily conceive that the ingenuity of the armorists was severely tested, and excuse the apparent confusion that prevailed in granting arms after the War of the Roses. Sir William Dugdale, in his treatise entitled "Ancient Usage in bearing Arms", states that, "Many errors have been and are still committed in granting coats of arms to such persons as have not advanced themselves by the sword, being such as rise by their judgment or skill in arts, affairs, and trades"; with good reason affirming that the latter should however only be allowed "notes or marks of honour fit for their calling, and to show forth the manner of their rising, and not be set off with those representations which in their nature are only proper for martial men."
It would be utterly impossible to give either a graphic or written description of all the charges in a book of this size or even in one ten times as large. The sun, moon, stars, comets, meteors, &c., have been introduced to denote glory, grandeur, power, &c.; lions, leopards, tigers, serpents, stags, have been employed to signify courage, strength, prudence, swiftness, &c.
The application to certain exercises, such as war, hunting, music, fishing, &c., has furnished lances, swords, armour, musical instruments, architecture, columns, chevrons, builders' tools, &c. Human bodies, or distinct parts of them, are frequently used as charges. Trees, plants, fruits, and flowers have also been admitted to denote the rarities, advantages, and singularities of different countries.
The relation of some creatures, figures, &c. to particular names has been a fruitful source for variety of arms. Thus, the family of Coningsby bears three conies; of Arundel, six swallows; of Corbet, a raven; of Urson, a bear; of Camel, a camel; of Starky, a stork; of Castleman, a castle triple-towered; of Shuttleworth, three weaver's shuttles. Hundreds of other names might be given, but the before-mentioned will be sufficient to show the reader the origin of many singular charges in coats of arms.
Not only were natural and artificial figures used, but the lack of information on Zoology and other branches of Natural History led to the introduction of fabulous animals, such as dragons, griffins, harpies, wiverns, &c. A great number of charges, indeed most of them that require explanation, will be found in the Dictionary of Heraldic Terms, which will prevent the necessity of describing them more at large in this part of the book.
THE EXTERNAL ORNAMENTS OF ESCUTCHEONS.
The ornaments that accompany or surround escutcheons were introduced to denote the birth, dignity, or office of the person to whom the coat of arms belongs. We shall merely give the names of the various objects in this place, and refer the reader to the different words in the Dictionary. Over regal escutcheons are placed the crown which pertains to the nation over which the sovereign presides. The crown is generally surmounted with a crest: as in the arms of the kings of England, the crown is surmounted by a lion statant, guardant, crowned.
Over the Papal arms is placed a tiara or triple crown, without a crest.
Above the arms of archbishops and bishops the mitre is placed instead of a crest.
Coronets are worn by all princes and peers. They vary in form according to the rank of the nobleman. A full description will be found in the Dictionary of the coronets of the prince of Wales, royal dukes, dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons.
Helmets are placed over arms, and show the rank of the person to whom the arms belong: 1st, by the metal of which they are made; 2dly, by their form; 3dly, by their position. See the word HELMET in the Dictionary.
Mantlings were the ancient coverings of helmets to preserve them and the bearers from the injuries of the weather. It is probable that they were highly ornamented with scroll-work of gold and silver,