Heraldry

Properly, heraldry is the science of a herald's duties. But more commonly the term is used to describe the knowledge of the forms, terms and laws which pertain to the use of armorial bearings or "coats of arms". In this section you will find comprehensive details of the bearings to be found upon coats of arms, and the terms used to describe heraldic devices and their significance.

For help identifying heraldic arms and devices please see our Identifying Heraldry section, where you can search for arms bearing a feature and also browse over 1000 historic coats of arms.

Illustrations of the heraldic coats of arms of the world can be found at Heraldry of The World