Elvidge Coat of Arms
This Coat of Arms has been in the family for many years (since my dad bought it from a Coat of Arms shop 25 years ago) so it must be the real thing!!!
Coats of Arms originated in the Middle Ages as a means of distinguishing friend from foe on the Medieval battlefield. Previous to this, there had been much difficulty in identification of knights. For example, it is said that William the Conqueror had to remove his helmet in the midst of the battle of Hastings in order to prove himself to his followers who thought he was killed (rather silly thing to do). The concept developed that each knight would bear a shield of displaying a unique design.
The Armour or coat of mail worn in those times generally had a sleeveless garment called a surcoat worn over it, most likely as protection from the sun. By the XIIIth century most European knights wore their emblems (also called bearings or arms) on their surcoats as well as their shields. Here originated the expression "Coat of Arms".
By the 13th century, the rules and the terminology that we know today had started to form. Specialists in the field became known as heralds. It was their task to document all arms in existence to insure that duplication did not occur. Blazon, a heraldic term, originated with the custom of blowing a trumpet to announce the arrival of a knight at the joust or tournament. The blast was answered by the heralds who described and explained aloud the arms borne by the knight.
In ancient times, crests and mottoes may have been used by all, but with the passing of the centuries some have been omitted or forgotten. With the suppression of private armies, and the gradual disappearance in the 16th century of both tournaments and closed helmets, the sporting and military uses of heraldry became less important and it became rather a decorative art. Coats of arms were carved over old doorways, woven on tapestries, placed in stained glass windows and engraved on silver - and we don't have any of these!