Banners, shields, coats of arms, crests… they often conjure up images of medieval knights carrying their standards in to battle. But coats of arms and other heraldic motifs can tell us so much about how a family or individual wanted themselves to be seen (or how other people might view them!) and some of the history of that lineage.

Before we move on to the importance of heraldry and certain markers of Charles II’s legacy, you might be interested in learning a few heraldry basics!

The History of Heraldry

The College of Arms has been the official heraldic authority for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of the Commonwealth since it was founded in 1484! It is the first and last word on creating, issuing and recording coats of arms in the UK.

Despite what many people believe, heraldic motifs such as coats of arms are not assigned to a surname, but to individual people. However, coats of arms are hereditary and can be passed down through descendants of the male line *cue eyeroll*. Daughters of the men who bear a coat of arms are entitled to use them (but their children cannot unless specifically stipulated and agreed by the monarch) and, if they marry someone who holds a coat of arms, they can use that design alongside their father’s.

From the seventeenth century, designs on coats of arms began to be embellished with details which signified the personal history of the individual or family to whom it was issued. Organisations, places, universities, societies and churches also began to be allocated arms – a tradition which continues today.

achievement of arms

An achievement is the complete design of all the heraldic components that an individual or organisation may be allowed to hold. Symbols such as a crest, mantling, or a royal order, are only allocated dependant on the holder’s rank or appointments.

The achievement is often referred to as the coat of arms, but in the strictest sense, this is not true. A coat of arms refers only to the escutcheon (the shield) which could traditionally be embroidered on to clothing or used in other ways as an individual or family motif.

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms is the most basic heraldic element that a person can be issued. It is a design represented in the form of an escutcheon and forms the central part of an achievement that is unique to an individual, family, state or organisation.

It can range from a very simple design, to a complex design-within-design, such as in the case of the current Duke of Buccleuch and Queensbury (descendant of James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch) whose ancestors have qualified to add additional designs to their arms through marriage or additional peerages (below right).

United Kingdom Royal Coat of Arms

A great starting point to understanding heraldry is by looking at the crème de la crème of achievements: The United Kingdom Royal Coat of Arms, held by Queen Elizabeth II.

The image here is the full achievement, but you can see that the escutcheon is divided into four quarters, representing the Kingdoms of the UK and the monarch’s claim to them.

Only the ruling monarch has a right to bear these arms or use them as their official seal.

In the first and fourth quarters are the three golden lions which represent the Royal Arms of England. This design has been in existence since the late 12th century when it was adopted by King Richard I, and continued to be used as the personal arms of the Plantagenet kings of England. Since then it has remained on every form of the Royal Coat of Arms.

Formal heraldic description: Gules, three lions passant guardant in pale or armed and langued azure.

Translation!: A red (Gules) background, showing three lions posed with three legs down, foreleg furthest from observer up (passant), and head turned to face the observer (guardant), stacked vertically and slightly unbalanced* (pale or) with blue (azure) claws and tongue (armed and langued).

*unbalanced because the third lion is slightly smaller in order to fit on the narrow bottom of the estucheon. 

In the second quarter, representing the Royal Arms of Scotland, is the lion rampant.  This is believed to have been adopted in the late 12th century by King William the Lion. The lion symbolises strength and courage and has been used in many royal coats of arms.

Formal heraldic description: Or, a lion rampant Gules armed and langued Azure within a double tressure flory counter-flory of the second

Translation!: A gold (Or) background, whose principal symbol is a red (Gules) upright lion (lion rampant) with blue (Azure) claws and tongue (armed and langued), surrounded by a two-lined border (tressure) decorated with opposing pairs of floral symbols (flory counter-flory) of the second colour specified in the blazon (of the second; which here is Gules/Red)

The third quarter shows the Celtic harp as the Royal Arms of Ireland. Although the harp has been the Irish heraldic emblem since as early as the 13th century, the designed has been altered over the centuries.

As early as the Tudor period the harp was changed to represent the pillar as a woman with bare breasts (similar to a ship’s figurehead). This design was included on the UK’s coat of arms from 1603, until Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952 – she had the naked winged woman removed and replaced it with a more traditional Celtic harp design!

Formal heraldic description: Azure, a Celtic harp Or, stringed argent.

Translation!: A blue (azure) background, featuring a golden (Or) Celtic harp with silver strings (stringed argent) .

I could not find an image of the new, zero-breasts harp design so this old design will have to suffice. But of course you can see it on the full achievement above.

Hey… What about Wales? 

Some of you eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that there is a glaring omission from the United Kingdom coat of arms – where is Wales represented? Well, it is there in spirit, but Wales does not have its own insignia.

The reason is that under the rule of Henry VIII, the area of Wales was merged with England as part of the Kingdom of England, and so is considered to be included under the three golden lions that represent England.

But as Wales is actually a country in its own right, not just a principality of England, many people feel that it needs to be represented fully on the coat of arms. Even Henry VIII’s royal crest included the red Welsh dragon as its sinister supporter, signifying the Welsh descent of the Tudor family.

Maybe it is time for the mythical beast, or one of Wales’ other national symbols such as the leek, the daffodil or a Red Kite (bird of prey) to have a rightful place on the Coat of Arms?

Modern Coat of Arms

See how the newest members of the royal family through marriage have had their coats of arms created:

Kate Middleton; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Kate’s coat of arms was actually awarded to her father so that the whole family is entitled to use them. This version of her arms is called a lozenge and is used by daughters of someone who holds a coat of arms. The blue ribbon represents Kate’s unmarried status, and this version of the design was used by Kate in the weeks leading up to her wedding to Prince William.

College of Arms article on Kate’s coat of arms

Meghan Markle; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex:

Meghan could only receive a coat of arms through her marriage to Prince Harry, due to the fact that she is not British or of British descent. This design was issued after their marriage, and her personal design is impaled with Harry’s own coat of arms.

BBC article on Meghan’s coat of arms

Can I have a coat of arms?

That’s a great question!  And the answer is… maybe!

If you are a UK or Commonwealth descendant and can find evidence that one of your ancestors was granted a coat of arms, you can actually apply for the right to bear those arms through the College of Arms in London. The College will research your claim, and if you are found to be a direct descendant through the male line, you can claim them as your rightful inheritance!

Failing that, if you are a British Citizen you can apply to the College of Arms to have your own coat of arms designed, recorded and issued to you! But be warned, this can come with a hefty price tag: £6,400 for an individual, and that’s without the extra you have to pay for a badge or supporters (if you are eligible). So while coats of arms aren’t just for the nobility anymore, they aren’t accessible to just anyone.

But there’s nothing to stop you creating your own coat of arms just for fun!

Some of these websites will generate an escutcheon for you, or help guide you to find the right motifs and design to suit you:

Make Your Own Coat of Arms.com

My Blazon.com - Coats of Arms Maker

Want to know more…?

This is just the briefest introduction to heraldry: there are sites that are dedicated to the subject…so I couldn’t try to out-do them!

If you’re interested in learning more about heraldry, I recommend you go to the experts and dedicated hobbyists! So here are some of the sites I found most helpful in understanding and deciphering this heraldry:

My Blazon
An easy to access site breaking down all of the main components of heraldry and its history into bite-sized pieces!

 International Heraldry
An incredible amount of information, and the largest number of illustrations by far, this is a great site for really understanding heraldic terms, styles and components.

 West Kingdom College of Heralds
Great for terminology – has a long list of how to decipher blazons.

Wikipedia
As ever, Wikipedia proves itself to be well researched, easy to understand and full of good citations that can lead you on your merry way down the rabbit hole of knowledge.