heraldry

heraldry is a system of identification based on armorial insignia. When armoured knights participated in battles, sieges, and tournaments, easy methods of recognition were necessary. Hence, beginning in the 12th century, distinctive markings were placed on shields, pennants, surcoats, helments, and crests. These insignia were subsequently transferred onto seals; ‘supporters’ were added at the sides and mottoes, originally derived from family battle cries, below. Since heraldry indicated not only one's family but also one's position within it, pedigrees were crucial. By the end of the Middle Ages, when the right to bear arms was still the mark of a gentleman, a coat of arms was a desideratum. Institutions, originally corporate families, also adopted coats of arms as marks of status. The system was regulated by heralds (in Ireland the Ulster king of arms) who had originally been liveried messengers and official pronouncers.

As an integral part of the feudal system, Anglo‐Norman Ireland rapidly adopted armorial insignia, many of which are extant as carvings on medieval tombs and gravestones. Use of heraldry amongst the Gaelic Irish is more debatable. From the 13th century some Gaelic Irish had seals with heraldic insignia, most famously the silver seal of Donal O'Neill (d. 1325). This development may reflect attempts to establish lineal successions. In 1542 two heraldic standard‐bearers were captured in Ulster and later, when Gaelic and Gaelicized lords conformed to the procedure of surrender and regrant, many affixed armorial seals.

The Ulster king of arms (established 1552) mostly confirmed existing insignia and created new coats of arms for the rising New English planter families and for the many knights made by English lord deputies. Ironically native Irish demand for heraldry increased just as official interest began to wane. From the 1690s foreign armies required coats of arms and attested pedigrees from Irishmen seeking promotion. Between 1690 and 1725, James Terry, the exiled Athlone pursuivant, serviced the Jacobites, and Roger O'Feral drew up Linea antiqua (1708), with coats of arms of most native families.

More recently, the historian Edward Mac‐Lysaght created coats of arms for the ‘chiefs of the name’ whom he authenticated as chief herald. In 1961 the Republic presented the visiting American president, John F. Kennedy, with a coat of arms. Since the 1980s insignia have been much sought after by status‐conscious families, institutions, and companies.

Hiram Morgan