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How to read
a Coat of Arms |
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using the Arms of
Duncan
of Ardownie as an example. |
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The “Blazon” (heraldic
description) of the Arms is;
Gules, on a chevron between three cinquefoils in chief Argent and a
hunting-horn in base of the same, tipped and garnished Azure, three
buckles of the third. (1698)
[Where the term “of the same” is used it
refers to the previously mentioned colour (tincture) or metal; similarly
where the term “of the second” (or third etc) is used it refers to the
second mentioned colour/metal.] |
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Gules - The very first word always describes the
colour (tincture) or metal of the shield. NOTE this is called a shield,
NOT a crest. The crest is the device that sits on top of the shield (on
a helmet in the full achievement).
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Gules, on a chevron -
We now know that upon the shield is a chevron. To find out what
colour the chevron is we must go to the next mentioned colour - in
heraldry all things mentioned BEFORE a colour are of that colour. We
note that the next mentioned colour is Argent (Silver - more often
illustrated as White) so that is what we paint the chevron. We also note
that the words “on a chevron” means that eventually
there will be something or some things (charge or charges) on the
chevron itself. |
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3 Cinquefoils |
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Argent, on a chevron between three cinquefoils
in chief Argent - From this we know that the chevron is
between three
cinquefoils and that the cinquefoils are
in chief
(at the top of the shield) and of the colour (tincture)
Argent
(White).
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Argent, on a
chevron between three cinquefoils in chief Argent
and a hunting-horn in base of the same
-
This tells us that in the
base
of the shield is a
hunting-horn
and that it
is the same
colour as that last mentioned (Argent). |
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Gules, on a chevron between three cinquefoils in chief
Argent and a hunting-horn in base of the same,
tipped and garnished
Azure -
This tells us that the hunting- horn is garnished Azure (the decoration
on the horn is blue). |
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So - this is what it
looks like so far but don’t forget we are still waiting for something to
go on the chevron itself (Remember the “on a
chevron” bit?)
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Gules,
on a chevron
between three cinquefoils in chief
Argent and a hunting-horn in base
of the same, tipped and garnished Azure,
three buckles of the third.
So we place our three
buckles onto our chevron
and the of the
third
tells us that the colour of the buckles is Azure (Blue).
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And it all adds together to produce:
Gules, on a chevron between three
cinquefoils in chief Argent and a hunting-horn in base of the same,
tipped and garnished Azure, three buckles of the third. |
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Let us now deal
with the CREST - remember what
we said earlier - this is the device that sits on top of the helmet.
It is NOT the shield.
The Duncan of Ardownie Crest is described (blazoned) thus:
A grey-hound issuing from the wreath, proper, collared
Or. |
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The blazon for the
Crest starts with the words: On a Helm
with a Wreath Argent and Gules This tells us that we
have a helmet and upon the helmet is a Silver and Red Wreath. |
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The wreath fits on top of the helmet and it "holds"
the device called the Crest onto it. |
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[Not mentioned in the blazon but almost always drawn
is the "mantling". This is the cloth used to shade the wearer from
the sun. It is sometimes drawn shredded and sometimes drawn whole.] |
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A
grey-hound issuing from the wreath, proper
=
This is fairly straight forward, what we have is a greyhound of
natural colour (proper) issuing from the wreath (coming out of the
wreath). |
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A
grey-hound issuing from the wreath, proper, collared Or.
This tells us that the grey-hound is wearing a collar and that the
collar is Or (Gold). |
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Putting it all together we get the full achievement:
Arms:
Gules, on a chevron between three cinquefoils in chief Argent and a
hunting-horn in base of the same, tipped and garnished Azure, three
buckles of the third.
Crest: On a Helm with a Wreath Argent and Gules
A
grey-hound issuing from the wreath, proper, collared Or. |
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by Martin Goldstraw of
Whitecairns, FSA Scot. |
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