Heraldry .. "a shorthand of history" - part 1/4

Dear Mr Postman .. thank you once again for delivering our letter; I know this will stimulate my mother's mind .. these kind of brief notes offer us lots of ideas to ruminate over .. laugh at and enjoy each other's company while we read the letter -

Wikipedia describes heraldry thus: 'A shorthand of history' .. now that is an interesting phrase to ponder on .. or how about 'the floral border in the garden of history' - what an amazing statement or description for us to think about .. - do Persian carpets tell the same kind of tale?

Heraldry of sorts was an established tradition in Egyptian times; the heraldic idea came over to England at the time of the Norman Conquest (1066), however the inheritable emblem and heraldic structure became established over the next 100 years, and is now embedded into the pageant and customs of State.

The origins of heraldry lie in the need to distinguish participants in combat when their faces were hidden by helmets; eventually a formal system of rules developed into ever more complex forms of heraldry. This bestowal of inheritable honour fell to the sovereign (or the state), who also appoints Officers of Arms to regulate and control matters armorial, attend state ceremonies, conserve and interpret heraldic and genealogical records.

A coat of arms (armorial achievement) consists of the shield, the helmet, the crest, mantling (the drapery backing the crest on the shield) and supporters (the animal, bird etc holding up the shield); the motto, which may be in any language, may appear with the coat of arms, but is not necessarily part of the coat of arms.

The colours and tinctures (metals and furs), charges (the emblem or device occupying the 'field' of the shield) - have all stemmed from historical elements and been absorbed into each country's heraldic dynasty.

So we will look at this garden of history .. the tinctures, the symbols, the metals, the furs, the national styles, modern heraldry .. and see if we can make head or tail of this shorthand! Interesting times ahead .. enjoy ..

Thank you Mr Postman for this simple explanation of the origins of heraldry .. we look forward to tomorrow for some more rich and royal descriptions ... & in the future Persian carpets - now's there's a thought!

Images: The coat of arms of Garter Principal King of Arms - appears above: per Wikipedia
as does .... The coat of arms of University of California San Diego

Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters