Something to assist you in creating custom shields!

[Rs_Conqueror]

While looking for my family coat-of-arms I found this.
http://www.irishsurnames.com/heraldiccharges.htm
In fact when I did find my coat of arms I hated it so much I used that to create a whole new one
Well I'm off to creat about 1000 new factions! :p
Hope this helps

[LEGOFREAK]

http://www.briantimms.com/era/early%20r ... 20arms.htm
A great site with over 4,000 historical blazons. (the one I visit most frequently as well)

http://www.panix.com/~wlinden/heraldry.shtml
Various Links

http://www.renaissance.dm.net/heraldry/index.html
A fun primer, with some more historical blazons. (many of the nobles houses are here)

http://www.infokey.com/history/History.htm
A controversial history of coats of arms that talks about how most arms were assumed rather than given..

http://www.heraldicclipart.com/
3,000 free heraldic images to use however you wish.

These are some of the many sites that I use.

I would love a copy of Armorial Gold if anyone has a spare

LF

[Blasterman]

This is very interesting, to say the least. After clicking this
http://www.briantimms.com/era/early%20r ... 20arms.htm
...and browsing this
http://www.briantimms.com/rolls/CamdenD1.html

...I find that Edward the Confessor, King of England
(cousin to William I of Normandy)
shares something in common with me. Other than
the colors, his arms are identical to mine.
http://www.allfamilycrests.com/b/byrd-f ... arms.shtml
(the blue canton is a "field" for additional charge, such as first son,
second son, etc.)

Clearly, I will have to research this.

[LEGOFREAK]

the definition of a canton:
Canton - (Can'-ton) A division of the field placed in the upper dexter corner. It is classed by some heraldic writers as one of the honorable ordinaries; but, strictly speaking, it is a diminutive of the Quarter, being two-thirds the area of that ordinary. However, in the roll of Henry III the quarter appears in several coats which in later rolls are blazoned as cantons. The canton, like the quarter, is an early bearing, and is always shown with straight lines.

what you are describing as an additional charge for first son second son etc is for cadency. The canton wasn't part of that (officially)..

LF

[Blasterman]

Yeah, "charge" was not the correct term. I didn't want
to get too technical with it.

[LEGOFREAK]

Yeah, "charge" was not the correct term. I didn't want
to get too technical with it.

We all have our things that we get "too technical" with. Mine just happens to be heraldry.

If I get outta line just slap me.

LF
(when Heralds go bad - on the next Oprah)

[kajo163]

Just a tip http://www.heraldique-europeenne.org/

[Todd]

Legofreak- (slap)

Blasterman- That's cool. Let us know how the research goes.

[kaloo]

Wow, I've seen that site too, that's where I got the color meanings for my custom sheild, and the red eagle in the middle. I shamelessly copied it right our of their heraldic birds to paste on my sheild. My shield is custom, as far as the fact it doesn't look like my real family crest. Maybe I found that site from your link, but I'm pretty sure I was trying to find my family shield and stumbled across a link to that site. But that wouldn't make sense, I was looking at Scottish sites. hmm................................
I'm trying to restrain myself from slapping LF, even though he hardly did anything... Just got over technical. but then again, he said to slap him if he got over technical. slap.

why aren't periods in italic slanted?

[Rs_Conqueror]

WOW! who dug up this old topic, this was (I think) my second post at CC.com, way back when I was young and n00bish (WAS? ). Well glad to see people still find it usefull

[jamitjames]

Thank for all the links, I will use the some day......

[LEGOFREAK]

OUCH!

And I have learned a few things as well from discussions with other heralds. I do not claim to be the know all be all of heraldry, so once again, my sincerest apologies.

Thanks to all the links here, They are awesome and the ones I hadnt bookmarked before have now been bookmarked.

Freak