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How to read a
Coat of Arms |
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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