Lindsay Coat of Arms
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Coat of Arms - GeneralWhat Are My Arms?
If you are a Scot, or of Scottish descent, then the answer
is that unless you can prove that you are heir to a properly matriculated Scottish
coat of arms, you have no arms whatsoever until you matriculate a set at the
Lyon Court in Edinburgh. If you use
the arms of someone else then you are usurping arms; if you make up your own
arms, then you are using bogus arms. In
both cases you are committing an offence and may be charged and tried at Lyon
Court, which is an active court of law. This
makes Scottish heraldry one of the most tightly controlled in the world, as it
is one of the few countries where heraldry is protected by law, and that law is
still actively enforced. Even if
you are the direct heir, it is considered proper to re-matriculate every few
generations in order that your due title to the arms be kept up to date. The legal position is quite simple - arms belong to the person who records them and the heirs of that person according to the limitations of the grant. However, whereas in England, the right to a coat of arms passes to all male descendents of the grantee, in Scotland a coat of arms is considered to be heritable property and thus can only belong to one person at a time. This means that the younger sons of a grantee have no direct right to inherit the arms until elder branches of the family have died out. All younger sons must rematriculate the arms with a difference in order to possess legal arms. Every Scottish Clan Chief or Family Head has a Coat of Arms
granted or confirmed by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, and these Arms are
matriculated in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland.
The register which was established in 1592 is kept in the Court of the
Lord Lyon in Edinburgh, and is acknowledged as being the most magnificent
heraldic manuscript in Europe. If you do not have a coat of arms and wish to obtain one see the section "Matriculation of Arms". Components of a Coat of Arms
Armorial bearings, coat of arms and achievement all mean
basically the same thing. They refer to the
complete coat of arms with all of the accessories and accompaniments.
The most important part is the shield.
Upon the shield are charges (icons) and ordinaries which make up the
design. The verbal or written description of a coat of arms has been used by Heralds since the 11th century. It is a language unique to the science or art of heraldry. This verbal or written description is called a blazon. When the written description is used to create a graphic interpretation the graphic is said to be an emblazon. A graphic example of the components of a typical coat of arms is pictured below.
Ribbon & MottoMore often than not the motto is placed on a ribbon above
the entire coat of arms. Sometimes
a ribbon is also placed at the bottom of the shield with the surname on it. CrestThe crest is part of the design which almost always sets on
top of a torse. Not all coats
of arms have crests. TorseA torse is a twisted fabric rope made up of the main color
of the shield design and one metal (silver or gold). It sits on top of the helm or helmet, supposedly
holding the mantling in place. Some
sources say that the torse was borrowed from the Middle Eastern cultures. MantlingContrary to popular belief, not all warriors were clad in
full metal armour. Most
warriors wore a combination of metal armour, chain male (a metal mesh used like
fabric) and leather studded with metal embellishments.
In any case, their primary mode of transportation was either on foot or
horse. As these warriors traveled from one destination to another,
the uniforms they bore could be extremely uncomfortable in the hot sun, or
pounding rain. For this reason they
wore capes or cloaks, usually hooded. This
reflected the sun off the metal parts of their uniforms and protected it from
the rain. Some say they were also
used to deflect sword cuts. These
cloakes are called lambrequin or mantling.
The mantling was usually one color, the main color in the coats of arms
and lined with a metal (silver or gold) color. In heraldry the mantling is usually depicted as a leafy
swirly mass that flows around the coat of arms. This leads some to mislabel the mantling for tree branches or
leaves. Actually, no self
respecting warrior, except for formal occasions would come off the battle field
with a nice neatly pressed mantling. Rather
the more torn and shredded the mantling, the more fierce the battle must have
been and the braver the warrior. In
heraldry the mantling is shown torn and tattered flowing as if it may have
looked as a warrior was charging the battlefield on horseback.
Mantling only occurs when a helm or helmet is shown. HelmA helm is another word for a helmet.
There are different kinds of helmets, and each symbolizes a specific
class. One for Barons,
Earls, Peers, etc., Peerage symbols (see below).
The most
common is the side view of the closed visor helmet. Not all coats of arms legally should be depicted with a
helmet.
SupporterA supporter is usually a human being or an animal placed on
either side of a shield as if they were holding or "supporting" the
shield. Unless a supporter is
mentioned in the blazon, it should not be included as part of the coat of arms. CompartmentThe compartment is used to show the coat of arms being
supported from the bottom. It
is a mound, or shape used to rest the shield upon.
It can represent land or water.
In most cases it is a grassy or floral design made to look like ground.
This should also not be depicted unless specifically stated in the
blazon. Shield & ArmsThe shield refers to the shield it's self. The arms refer to the design placed upon the shield. Shields come in various shapes. The shape of a shield can sometimes indicate where the family came from. Differencing In Scotland
As was said in the section on matriculation, only one
person may rightfully use a coat of arms at any particular time.
All other persons must bear arms with some form of difference - either
temporary or permanent. The main temporary difference used with any frequency in Scotland is the label which is used by the nearest heir to a coat of arms. The differences now in use for all families, except that of the sovereign, may be partially traced to the time of Edward III. They are as follows. First son: A label of 3 points. Second son. A crescent. Third son: A mullet. Fourth son: A martlet. Fifth son. An annulet. Sixth son. A fleur-de-lis.
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