Charles Boutelle’s Heraldry defines it as a description of the duties of a Herald.  During the Middle Ages, Heralds had the following responsibilities, as described in the Boutelle book:

1.  Proclamation of tournaments,

2.  Conducting of tournaments,

3.  Carrying of messages between princes and armies, and

4.  Marshalling of ceremonies.

In order to do the above tasks, the Herald had to be able to identify everyone by the insignias on their shields.  As a result, the Herald became an expert at recognizing the numerous shield designs, while differentiating between them. 

Heraldry had its beginnings in the Middle Ages, but it didn’t end there… it continues to the present day.  Heraldry involves not only the ability to identify the various symbols and designs, but also the awareness that each country has its own rules, practices and traditions regarding the uniqueness of designs.  Additionally, Heraldry involves the concept of the right to use arms, as well as the practices of authorizing the use of arms.  Same as with the designs, each country has its own rules and traditions for the use of arms.  As you search for your ancestors, it is important to learn the country of the ancestor’s origin, in order to determine his or her rights to arms.

This library owns many books on heraldry.  Most of the collection centers around English Heraldry, but there are a couple of titles that focus on continental heraldry.  Those titles are Heraldry: Sources, Symbols, and Meaning by Ottfried Neubecker, and Heraldry: An Introduction to a Noble Tradition by Michel Pastoureau.  Another source you might want to try is An Introduction to Heraldry, and it’s by Sir William Henry St. John Hope.  It’s a small paperback that begins with definitions, origins, and the grammar of Heraldry.  In addition to the print resources we own, there are some excellent websites to consider:

www.americancollegeofheraldry.org

www.college-of-arms.gov.uk

www.lyon-court.com/lordlyon/CCC_FirstPage.jsp

www.nli.ie/en/intro/heraldry-introduction.aspx

Many thanks to coworkers Michelle and Greg for proofreading an earlier, unpublished version of this post.  Special thanks go to Christina, our Heraldry expert, for her guidance and direction on this project. 

(Image from www.vingagekin.com/freeware.)