Heraldic symbols, called charges, are the figures placed on a shield: animals such as the lion and the eagle, objects such as stars, crescents, shells and keys, and bold geometric bands such as the chevron, fess and bend. Most of the “meanings” now attached to them, like courage for the lion or protection for the chevron, were suggested by later writers and are not fixed heraldic rules. When the real reason for a charge is known, it is usually more down to earth: a pun on the bearer’s name, a link to a place, or a mark showing a son’s place in the family.
What heralds mean by a “charge”
Every coat of arms begins with the background of the shield, called the field. Anything placed on the field is a charge. Writers on heraldry traditionally sort charges into two groups: the ordinaries, which are simple geometric shapes, and everything else, from lions and eagles to towers, roses and keys.
Even that division is less tidy than it sounds. Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, whose A Complete Guide to Heraldry (1909) is still a standard reference, pointed out that scarcely any two writers classified the lesser ordinaries the same way. The practical lesson is simple: learn the shapes and their names, and treat the “meanings” with care. If the vocabulary is new to you, our guide on how to read a coat of arms walks through it step by step.
An honest word about “meanings”
Many older heraldry books gave every color and charge a moral meaning. By the early twentieth century, serious heraldic writers had turned against this. Fox-Davies, who credited the Victorian herald J. R. Planché with exposing the problem, put it bluntly:
“That an argent field meant purity, that a field of gules meant royal or even martial ancestors, that a saltire meant the capture of a city, or a lion rampant noble and enviable qualities, I utterly deny.”
He did accept one kind of symbolism, because it can be shown to be true: the pun. Arms for people named Fletcher (an arrow-maker) tend to include arrows; arms of Fox show foxes, Lyons show lions, Trotter a horse and Oakes acorns. These are called canting arms, and Fox-Davies believed that most older coats whose origin could be traced had some link of this kind.
Modern grants work the same way. The College of Arms in London says the design of new arms can refer to the grantee’s profession, family, interests, or place of residence or origin, and adds that “there is a long tradition of puns in heraldry.” In other words, a charge means what it meant to the person who chose it. That is a question of history, not of a dictionary.
The ordinaries: the bold geometric shapes
| Ordinary | What it looks like | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Chief | A broad band across the top of the shield | Often carries smaller charges, such as three stars |
| Fess | A horizontal band across the middle | Two or more narrower horizontal bands are called bars |
| Pale | A vertical band down the center | Narrower versions are called pallets |
| Bend | A diagonal band from the upper left of the shield (as you look at it) to the lower right | Running the other way, it is a bend sinister |
| Chevron | An upside-down V | The word is French for a rafter; Fox-Davies thought it probably the most frequent ordinary in British and French arms |
| Saltire | A diagonal cross, like an X | Best known as the cross of St Andrew on the flag of Scotland |
| Cross | An upright cross reaching the edges of the shield | Comes in many named forms (see below) |
You will often read that these shapes stood for pieces of armor or military service, such as a fess for a soldier’s belt. Fox-Davies said he could not see “the slightest foundation” for any military meaning. A likelier explanation is that straight lines were the easiest way to make a bold pattern that could be recognized at a distance.
Common charges and what people say they mean
The table below covers the charges people ask about most. The third column gives the associations repeated in popular guides; read them as tradition, not rule. The last column gives what can actually be documented.
| Charge | What it looks like | Association often repeated | What is documented |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion rampant | Rearing up on one hind leg, forepaws raised | Courage, strength | The most important beast in heraldry. Fox-Davies noted early artists drew lions upright largely because the pose filled the shield. The royal arms of Scotland show a red lion rampant on gold. |
| Lion passant (guardant) | Walking with one forepaw raised; “guardant” when its face looks out at you | Courage, royalty | Glover’s Roll, copied from a roll of about 1250, gives the King of England “Gules, trois lupards d’or”: walking lions were then often called leopards. |
| Eagle displayed | Body facing out, wings spread | Power, empire | Fox-Davies notes the double-headed eagle existed long before heraldry and dismissed the stories about its two heads as invented meanings. |
| Mullet (star) | A star with straight points, five unless stated otherwise | A noble or heavenly quality | In Scotland a pierced mullet represents the rowel of a spur and an unpierced one is a star. A small mullet was the mark of a third son. |
| Crescent | A crescent moon with its horns pointing up | “Hope of greater glory” | The cadency mark of a second son in the English system. |
| Fleur-de-lis | A stylized lily (or iris) | Purity, France | Firmly tied to the French crown by the reign of Louis VII in the twelfth century; also the mark of a sixth son. |
| Martlet | A small bird drawn without feet | A younger son who must make his own way | Based on an old belief that swallows could not perch on the ground. It marks a fourth son; Fox-Davies repeats the “no land left for him” story but says it may not be true. |
| Escallop | A scallop shell | Pilgrimage | Fox-Davies calls it one of the most widely used charges “in all countries”. The shell was the badge of pilgrims to the shrine of St James at Santiago de Compostela. |
| Tower or castle | A single tower or a walled castle | Defense, steadfastness | Often a pun: the kingdom of Castile bore a gold castle on red. |
| Stag (hart) | A male red deer with branched antlers | Peace, harmony | The blazon records its pose: lodged (lying down), trippant (walking), courant (running) or at gaze (standing, head turned to you). |
| Boar | A wild boar, very often just its head | Bravery, a fierce fighter | Fox-Davies notes English boars’ heads were drawn with the neck, Scottish ones cut off close behind the ears. |
| Rose | A stylized five-petaled rose | Hope, joy | The red rose of Lancaster and white rose of York are royal badges, and a crowned Tudor rose has appeared on the British twenty-pence coin. A rose was also the mark of a seventh son. |
| Keys | One key, or two crossed | Guardianship | The emblem of St Peter, found in church arms and among the insignia of the Pope. |
Crosses: one shape, many forms
It is tempting to read every cross as a sign that an ancestor went on crusade. Fox-Davies urged caution: the cross existed as a decoration before Christianity and before heraldry, though he accepted that crusading zeal “doubtless caused its frequent selection” with an added religious meaning. The most common forms are:
- Cross patée (or formy): arms that widen towards their ends.
- Cross moline: each end split and curled back, like the iron fitting at the center of a millstone. It was also the mark of an eighth son.
- Cross flory (or fleury): each arm ending in a fleur-de-lis.
- Cross crosslet: each arm crossed again near its end; often found in groups, and sometimes “fitchy”, with a pointed foot.
- Cross potent: each arm ending in a T-shape. The arms of the medieval kingdom of Jerusalem are a gold cross potent between four small crosses on silver.
- Cross botonny: each arm ending in three rounded knobs, like a clover leaf.
Small symbols that showed a son’s place in the family
Some charges did have an agreed meaning, but only when used in a particular way. The College of Arms explains that brothers could mark their arms with small symbols, in a system said to have been devised by John Writhe, Garter King of Arms, around 1500:
- Eldest son: a label (a narrow band with three hanging points)
- Second son: a crescent
- Third son: a mullet
- Fourth son: a martlet
- Fifth son: an annulet (a ring)
- Sixth son: a fleur-de-lis
- Seventh son: a rose
- Eighth son: a cross moline
- Ninth son: a double quatrefoil
Two caveats. The College says this system is little used in modern heraldry. And a crescent or martlet that is a main charge in a design is simply a charge; it only works as a cadency mark when added, small, to an existing coat.
How to find out what a charge meant in a particular coat of arms
- Find the written description and its source. The official description, called the blazon, tells you exactly which charges are present. A record of when, where and to whom the arms were granted or recorded is the starting point for any real interpretation.
- Look for a pun. Say the surname aloud and compare it with the charges. Puns are common and sometimes obscure.
- Check for a cadency mark. A small crescent or mullet added to a familiar design may show a younger branch.
- Compare with other arms recorded for the same name. Armorials such as Burke’s General Armory (1884) list arms by surname, which makes this possible. Similar designs sometimes, though not always, point to a connection between families.
- Be suspicious of a ready-made meaning. A generic list that says “the boar means bravery” tells you nothing about why one particular family chose a boar.
Colors carry the same kind of folklore, which we untangle in our guide to heraldic colors and their meanings. And if you are wondering whether a design you have seen belongs to your family at all, start with what a family coat of arms really is.
The bottom line
Heraldic charges are a visual language, and like any language they were used for many reasons. The most useful way to approach them is as history: who bore this design, when, and what it said about them. Once you know that, the symbols tell a far richer story than any list of virtues could.
See the arms recorded for your surname →
Sources
- Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry (London, 1909), chapters on the antiquity of heraldry, the ordinaries, the lion and other charges. Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41617
- College of Arms, “The Law of Arms” (cadency marks and John Writhe). https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/resources/the-law-of-arms
- College of Arms, “Granting of Arms” (design of new arms and the tradition of puns). https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/services/granting-arms
- College of Arms, “FAQs: heraldry” (cadency marks in modern use). https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/resources/faqs
- Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (London, 1884). Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/generalarmoryofe00burk
- London Museum, “Medieval pilgrim shell tokens & St James’ Way”. https://londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/medieval-pilgrim-shell-tokens-and-st-james-way
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common symbol in heraldry?
The lion. Arthur Charles Fox-Davies wrote in 1909 that no figure plays such an important or extensive part in armory as the lion, and that the most common crest of all is the demi-lion rampant. Among the geometric shapes, he thought the chevron was probably the most frequent in British and French arms.
Does a lion on a coat of arms mean the family was brave?
Not necessarily. The idea that a lion rampant stood for noble qualities comes from later writers, and Fox-Davies flatly rejected it. A lion might have been chosen as a pun on a name such as Lyons, or simply because it was bold and easy to recognize at a distance.
What does a star mean on a coat of arms?
In English heraldry a five-pointed star with straight rays is called a mullet. Popular guides often say it stands for a noble or heavenly quality, but that is tradition rather than rule. A small mullet can also be a cadency mark, the sign used for a third son.
What do small symbols like crescents and martlets mean?
Sometimes they are cadency marks. In a system the College of Arms says was devised around 1500, a crescent marked a second son, a mullet a third, a martlet a fourth and an annulet a fifth. The College notes that the system is little used today, and the same symbols also appear as ordinary charges with no such meaning.
Are the meanings of heraldic symbols official?
No. No heraldic authority publishes an official dictionary of meanings. The College of Arms says new designs may allude to a grantee’s profession, family, interests or place of origin, so the real meaning of any charge is whatever the person who chose it intended.
What are canting arms?
Canting arms are arms that make a visual pun on the bearer’s name. Fox-Davies gave the examples of arrows for Fletcher (an arrow-maker), foxes for Fox, lions for Lyons, a horse for Trotter and acorns for Oakes. Puns like these are among the few heraldic meanings that can actually be shown to be true.