Chapter II#

Family Crest & Coat-of-Arms#

BERRY#

ARMS: Vert a cross crosslet or. CREST: From a coronet (set with crosses) a goat’s head proper. ARMS: On a green field, a gold cross with the four ends of the cross crossed. CREST: From a coronet [set with crosses] a goat’s head in its natural color.

ARMS: Quarterly one & four: Three pales (dark); two & three: per fess (light & very dark) a fess between a mullet in chief and two crescent in base. CREST: Three battle axes diverging. MOTTO: Vincit veritas (ARMS:) On a shield divided in four quarters, In the first & fourth quarters, three dark pales (bands one-third the width of the shield & perpendicular); in the second & third quarters, divided by means of a fess (light & very dark), a fess between a five-pointed star at the top of the shield and two crescent moons with horns up at the bottom of the shield. CREST: Three battle axes diverging. MOTTO: “Truth Conquers”.

ARMS: Gules, three bars or. CREST: A griffin’s head erased per pale, indented argent & gules. ARMS: On a red shield, three gold bars. CREST: A griffin’s head cut off at the neck by means of a pale, partitioned by silver & red lines. (III; pp.4-6)

Nearly 85% (percent) of all Americans can trace their heritage back to one of the British Commonwealth nations of England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales. We can imagine from this, just how many people living in America are likely to have an authentic coat-of-arms somewhere in their background. There are many coat-of-arms circulating that are the product of recent artistic innovation…but we need to try to discover if any of our (BERRY) ancestors had the rank or position in the old country that would have entitled them to own and use an official coat-of-arms…The reason for having a coat-of-arms, was so you could be identified in battle…

…In most cases, coats-of-arms were issued to individuals…rather than to families…Under strict heraldic tradition, only the first son of the first son is entitled to bear his ancestor’s coat-of-arms. If there was more than one son in the family, the rules of heraldry said it was alright for them to use the coat-of-arms, but it had to be changed in some way. If the family’s line was to be carried on by daughters, she was allowed to combine her family’s coat-of-arms with that of her husband’s…

…The name “coat-of-arms” comes from the practice of the knight wearing a cloth coat over his armor-a coat on which his identifying arms were sewn. The knight, therefore, wore a coat-of-arms. (IX)

Heraldry, or the study of armorial bearings, is an adjunct to the study of family history. Coat armor, it is important to note, was completely unknown in Europe before the Twelfth Century, and did not appear in England until about 1250. Its sudden rise has been ascribed to several varied events, including the First Crusade (1097), the advent of body armor, and the growing use of seals on personal documents.

In any case, the early development of the use of heraldic devices followed closely upon the need for better identification and the trend became widespread. First embellished on shields and other pieces of armor, the imaginative, elaborate, heraldic designs soon were transferred to surcoats, horse trappings, and even private possessions. These early insignia, including bends (diagonal stripes), fesses (horizontal stripes), chevrons, and crosses, were chosen because they were conspicuous, even in the chaos of bloody battle. For the same reason, bright colors were used.

Charges, or representations of animal and natural objects, did not become popular until the second half of the Twelfth Century, when…the use of surnames was revived.

…In the United States,…there is…a great informal interest in the science of heraldry…The very nature of the settlement of America makes it unlikely that any more than a few families have a legitimate claim to specific insignia. Heraldry is instead regarded for its aesthetic and historical qualities… (III; pp.4-5)