|
 Heraldry |
Heraldry is a system in which inherited symbols, or devices, called charges are displayed
on a shield, or escutcheon, for the purpose of identifying individuals or families.
In the Middle Ages the herald, often a tournament official, had to recognize men by their
shields; thus he became an authority on personal and family insignia. As earlier functions
of the herald grew obsolete, his chief duties became the devising, inscribing,
and granting of armorial bearings. The use of personal and family insignia is ancient
(it is mentioned by Homer), but heraldry proper is a feudal institution developed
by noblemen using personal insignia on seals and shields that came to be transmitted
to their families. It is thought to have originated in the late 12th cent., and to have
been prevalent in Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, and imported into England by
the Normans. The crusades and tournaments which drew together knights from many
countries caused heraldry to flourish in Western Europe and the Muslim world.
The practice of embroidering family emblems on the surcoat, or tabard, worn over chain
mail in the 13th cent. The use of armorial bearings spread rapidly thereafter
through all grades of feudal rank above squire. Private assumption of arms became
so common that Henry V forbade it, and on the chartering of the Heralds' College in 1483
the regulations pertaining to heraldry were placed in the hands of the Garter
King-of-Arms. Arms were borne by families, corporations, guilds, religious houses,
inns of court, colleges, boroughs and cities, and kingdoms.
In the United States the seals and insignia of colleges, cities, and the like are
examples of the persistence of the heraldic tradition
This part is only about French towns heraldry.
|
Statistics
|
| |
Regions |
Counties |
Towns |
| Total |
23 |
105 |
39154 |
| With arm |
16 |
96 |
1553 |
| With arm description |
16 |
96 |
2637 |
|
|
Geographic search
|
Search arms by choosing countries, departments and towns. A property page is available
at each step with arm, herladry description and informations (but in french...).
[Search in countries]
|
|
Search by criteria
|
Search in the heraldry database with multi-criteria as name, description, informations,
zip code, department and country.
You can use wildcards !
[Search by criteria]
|
|
Search by pictures
|
Search by comparing pictures of arms. You can use two different algorithms. Each gives
a distance with the original image. The best matching image has the minimal distance.
[Search by arms]
|
08-13-2008
|