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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 40 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Heraldry
| What insect appears most commonly in heraldry? | Heraldry
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Bee. The bee is the symbol of industry.
| What is the name of the band which goes horizontally across the shield? | Heraldry
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| What are the terms for left and right in heraldry? | Heraldry
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| What type of animal is a Camelopard? | Heraldry
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Giraffe. The camelopardel is the same is the camelopard with the addition of two long horns curved backwards.
| What is another name for the Merman? | Heraldry
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| What is the name of the monster with the head, wings and foreclaws of a griffin and the back part of the body of a horse? | Heraldry
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| What is a segment of the armorial shield known as? | Heraldry
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| How many different types of Cross are there? | Heraldry
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About 400 or more. However, the number of Crosses commonly used in heraldry is fewer - about 20 or slightly more.
| How many variations on the Lion are there? | Heraldry
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| In English heraldry, what is the sign of cadence (mark displayed on top of an existing coat of arms) to signify the eldest son? | Rules of Heraldry
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a label. The second son gets a crescent, the third a mullet, the fourth a martlet, the fifth an annulet, the sixth gets the fleur-de-lys, the seventh a rose, the eighth a cross moline and finally a ninth son gets a double quatrefoil. No system has been broadly incorporated for the eventuality of a tenth son.
To distinguish warriors during battle. Around the beginning of the 12th century, full-face helmets made it difficult to identify men in battle, so knights began adding unique decorations to their shields and other equipment.
| What were the officials who recorded and regulated the use of armonial bearings called? | British Heraldry
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Heralds. I hope you got this one right! Eventually heralds were organized into a College of Heralds, under a King-At-Arms, and were required to maintain records of all arms, and to document the right to their use.
French. Norman-French was the language most commonly used by the upper classes in England when heraldry began.
| What is the proper term for a full display of armonial bearings? | British Heraldry
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An achievement of arms. A coat-of-arms refers to the embroidered surcoat a knight wore over his armor to keep off the sun; a crest is a device worn on top of a knight's helmet. Although "coat-of-arms" is almost universally used in America, the correct term is "achievement of arms."
Gold and silver. Gold (or) and silver (argent) are the only metals used in heraldry.
A tincture. There are five colors commonly used is British heraldry: black (sable), blue (azure), red (gules), green (vert), and purple (purpure). There are other colors, but they are almost never found in British arms. Even purple is not seen very often.
Escutcheon. Hence the expression, "a blot on the escutcheon."
| The bottom of the shield is called the base; what is the top called? | British Heraldry
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The chief. The chief refers to the top of the shield; it may also be a charge, a horizontal band at the top of the shield.
| When did the College of Heralds make its first "visitation" throughout England to record arms and enforce their proper usage? | British Heraldry
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1483. The College of Heralds was founded by Richard III in 1483, and the first visitations were made that year.
| If you want to determine a person's social status, what part of his arms should you examine? | British Heraldry
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The helm. The type of helm (helmet)placed atop the shield is the indicator of rank; they range from a simple steel helmet with a closed visor shown in profile for a gentleman, to elaborate gold helmets for royalty and the nobility.
Nothing, there is no such thing. In heraldry, "sinister" means left, "dexter" means right. A "bar" is a horizontal band, thinner than a "fess." It inclines neither to left nor right, hence there cannot be such a thing as a "bar sinister." A diagonal stripe running from the upper right (from the bearer's point of view) to lower left is called a "bend," a thinner stripe a "bendlet," and a bendlet cut off before it reaches the edges of the shield a "baton." A "bend sinister," "bendlet sinister," or "baton sinister," i.e., one running from upper left to lower right, has sometimes been used to denote illegitimacy, but the practice is not common.
A five-pointed star shape. One of the many terms one must become familiar with when studying heraldry. A "mullet" is intended to represent the rowel of a spur. A "star" in heraldry is not the same as a "mullet." Stars always have six or more points.
| Men display their arms on a shield. Upon what do unmarried women display their arms? | British Heraldry
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A lozenge. Unmarried women display their arms on a diamond shape called a "lozenge." An exception is made for the Queen, who displays her arms on a shield.
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