Free Library of Philadelphia

The Manuscript: Heraldry

There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding heraldry, the colored emblems transmitted from generation to generation to identify individuals, families, corporations and communities. It has been widely believed, at one time or another, that heraldry has its origins in classical Greece and Rome, or in the runes of the barbarians or the Germanic/Scandinavian tribes, or in the Byzantine or Muslim culture, where it was discovered by the crusaders.

In much of Europe heraldry is regulated by little except custom. Arms identify women, clergy, bourgeois communities, and in some times and places even peasants. As Michel Pastoureau commented, armorial bearings are like business cards -- anyone can use them, but not everyone does. In England, on the other hand, use of armorial bearings is restricted to the gentry and is controlled by the College of Arms and the High Court of Chivalry.

Heralds originally carried messages, including declarations of war, and announced at tournaments. As such, they were a bit like modern sports announcers in that they needed to recognize individuals by their coats of arms with speed and accuracy. Over the years both heraldry and the duties of heralds became more complex and more precisely spelled out. Achievements of arms are described in an elegant, economical and supple language called blazon, based on twelfth-century Anglo-Norman French.

By the time the Edward IV roll was created, it was common for kings and nobles to employ the services of skilled heralds, who enjoyed considerable prestige and recognition. The College of Arms was formally established in 1484 by Edward IV's younger brother, Richard III, who granted them a charter and a building in London, Coldharbour, to use for storage of their records. Richard's successor Henry VII seized the building and gave it to his mother; the present charter and building site were given to the College by Queen Mary in 1555.

Web link: For additional information on the College of Arms,
see their web site at http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/

Further reading:

Gerard J. Brault. Early Blazon: Heraldic Terminology in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Century with Special Reference to Arthurian Literature. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972.
Boutell's Heraldry, rev. J. P. Brooke-Little. London and New York: Frederick Warne, 1978.
Michel Pastoureau. (Tr. Francisca Garvie). Heraldry: An Introduction to a Noble Tradition. New York: Harry Abrams, 1997.
Thomas Woodcock, The Oxford Guide to Heraldry. Oxford University Press, 1990.

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Attributed Arms:
People in the middle ages tended to picture people from their past as looking very much like themselves. This tendency can be seen in the Edward IV Roll, where the sons of Noah are dressed in the height of mid fifteenth-century fashion. Almost at the same time that heraldry was established, arms were invented for legendary figures such as Brutus or King Arthur and his knights. Many of these "attributed arms", such as those of King Arthur, above, can be seen in the Edward IV Roll.