The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-05-14
lbOut Hel'aidrU.

Ioout He1dtdfy.
When a knight wished to enter the
lists at a tournament, it was the duty of
one of the attendant heralds to blow u
horn, and 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 principal defense in combat.
1t was of various forms-round, square,
triangular, heart-shaped, OF oval.
The surface of the shield is called the
field, because it contained honorable
marks, gained upon the battle-tields as
the arms of the family of Lloyd "Or.
four pallets gules." That is, a golden
field, with four marks of red upon it.
An ancestor of this family, after fight
ing ~valiantly, CHANGED 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 mem
Dry of his valor.
The devices representing the brave
acts achieved by the bearer are called
armorial bearings, or achievements.
Tn ra,racantinn cbioJJ, - orD,a p,o4,1,
~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,
.gutes; blue, ozure; black, s06le;'
green, rcrt;; and purple, purpme.
Gules is represented by perpendicular
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-ermine and vair.
Emine is a white fur with black spots
and VAR, supposed to be from the word
r0ried, is made up of many skins of the
gray and white squirrel put together in.
small shield-shaped pieces.
Coats-of-arms were called coats, be-
cause they were embroidered on the SUI
coat worn over the coat-of-mail; and
arms, because originally borne byarmed
men III war or tournament.
Sovereigns wore them on golden seals,
and on the caparisons of their horses.
4 woman wore her fathers coat-of arms
embroidered upon her kirtle or skirt,
and that of her husband upon her man
tie. 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-of-arms were sometimes assumed
by the knights themselves, and often
represented some personal peculiarly,
or had some a~llusiOn TO the name of the
bearer.
The CastletOns bore three castles; the
Salmons, three salmons; the Lamberts,
three lambs.
Theselast were called 0rAnes p0rIantes,
or abusive arms.
The heart s"rmounted by a crown, in
the arms of the Douglases, was in mem
DRY 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 mullets 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 n of the
keys of the silver casket which contained
the heart, changed his name to Lock
heart, and a human heart in the bow of
a paddock was added to his arms.-&.
Nicholas.