The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-05-06
NUMBER /.
About Heraldry.
ISt. Nicholas.l

When a knight wished to enter the
lists at tournament it was the duty of
one of the attendant heralds to blow a
horn, ard then recount the brave deeds
of the knight and describe his arms.
We call all the weapons used in battle
arms, but in heraldry the word is applied
to the crest, helmet, and shield.
The shield, or escutcheOn, was the
warriors principle defense in combat.
1t was of various forms-round, square,
triangular, heart-shaped, or oval.
The surface of the shield is called the
field, because it contained honorable
marks gained upon the battlefield, as
the arms of the family of Lloyd, or four
pallets gules." That is, golden field,
with four marks of red upon it.
An ancestor of this family, after fight
ing valiantly, chanced to draw his hand,
which was covered with blood, across
his sword, leaving the marks of his four
fingers upon it. His king seeing it, Or
dered him to bear the representation of
the four marks upon his shield in men,
ory of his valor.
The devices representing the brave acts
achieved by the bearer are called armo-
rial bearings, or achievements.
In representing shields of arms, metals,
colOrs and furs are used. The metals are
gold, called or, and silver, argent. Or is
represented by small dots, and argent by
white. The colors are-red, gules; blue,
azure; black, sable; green, rert; purple,
o,upure. Gules is represented by per-
pendicular lines; azure by horizontal,
etc.
OF the furs which represented the
skins of beasts, with which the shields
were covered In early times, there were
originally but twO-ernine and vair.
ErHiine is white fur with black spots,
and vair, supposed to be from the word
paried, is made up of many skins of the
gray and white squirrel put together in
small shield-shaped pieces.
CUats-Ofarms were called coats, because
they were embroidered on the surcOat
worn over the cOat-Of-mail and arms,
because originally borne by armed men
in war or tournament.
Sovereigns wore them on golden seals
and OH the caparisons of their horses. A
woman wore her fathers coat-ofarms
embroidered upon her kirtle, or skirt, and
that of her husband upon her mantle.
They were granted by sovereigns as
marks of honor for loyal acts.
He who bore cOat-armor was required
to conduct himself like an honorable
gentleman. The arms of traitors were
reversed.
Coats-ofarms were assumed by the
knights themselves, and often repre-
sented some personal popularity, or had
some allusion to the name of the bearer.
The Castletons bore three castles; the
Salmons, three salmons; the Lamberts,
three lambs.
These last were called armes parldntes,
or abusive arms.
The heart surmounted by crown, in
the arms of the Douglases, was in men,
ory of Sir James Douglas, who made a
pilgrimage to the Holy Land to deposit
the heart of his king, Robert Bruce, in
holy ground.
"The bloody heart was in the field,
And In the Chief three mulets stood
The cognizance OF Douglas blood"
Stars of five points are called mullets,
and represent the rowels of spurs.
Sir Simon Locard, who went with Sir
James Douglas, and carried one of the
keys Of the silver casket which contained
the heart, changed his name to Lock
heart. and human heart in the bow of
a paddock was added to his arms