A little history about heraldry first………..

A Coat of Arms is an emblem which is displayed by titled persons, persons of royal blood and their descendants – and is referred to as heraldry. Heraldry, as we know it today, did not become of much importance until soon after the invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. The coat of arms, or armorial bearings, was originally used for purposes of identification and recognition on the field of battle and were often carried on banners. By 1400 A.D. bearing a coat of arms had become a prerequisite to participation in a tournament. Due to the importance of social standing in such pageants, a coat of arms also became a mark of noble status.

Armorial bearings do not belong to all persons of a given surname but belong to and identify members of one particular family. Coats of arms are a form of property and may rightfully be used only by the male-line descendants of the individual to whom it was first granted or allowed. But all legitimate male descendants, regardless of birth order, can use the arms.

Each son used his paternal coat of arms with the addition of a small marking called cadency marks, which identified which son he was. The label represents the first, or oldest, son; the crescent (moon) usually represents the second son; the molet, or a star of five points, represents the third son; a martlet or bird represents the fourth son; an annulet represents the fifth son; a fleur-de-lys represents the sixth son; and a rose represents the seventh son. Once the father died the eldest son removed the label and carried the arms of his father. During the Middle Ages, a woman was allowed to wear her father’s or husband’s coat of arms only in the form of a broach.

The Medieval Classroom website offers a detailed description of a coat of arms and what each part of the arms means. find it here: http://www.themedievalclassroom.com.au/?page_id=1081

In the early days, most coats of arms were fairly simple in design. As the years passed, the designs became more complex and when a marriage occurred the coasts of arms of the bride’s family and the groom were often combined to create a new coat of arms.

The grants of arms were, and are, made by the appropriate heraldic authority acting under the sovereign of the Royal household. These grants have been held at the College of Arms, the national repository in England, since it’s establishment in the 15th century. (www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/) There were, and still are, strict rules governing the use of coats of arms. In fact, displaying a coat of arms today which is not registered to you, or that you do not have a right to, can lead to prosecution in countries where Heraldry is carefully regulated such as England, Ireland and Scotland.

 The Martin Coat of Arms

The coat of arms for my Martin family is a silver shield with two red bars. The color red represents a warrior and the closed face of the helmet represents a knight.

The oldest Coat of Arms I have found for my Martin family was presented to Sir Nicholas FitzMartin, Baron of Cemais (1210-1282) by King Edward I.

In 1245, Lord Nicholas was living in Devonshire when he was called to assist the Earl of Gloucester and other Baron Marchers against the Welsh. He was taken prisoner by the Welsh in 1257 and the King forced Nicholas’ tenants to contribute to Nicholas’ ransom.

In 1270 Sir Nicholas accompanied King Edward in the eighth, and last crusade. He was awarded the presented the Coat of Arms for his service. It is recorded in Rolle of Armes¹,   The entry reads: Nichol le fitz Martin, d’argent a deux barres de goules, ung labell dazure. The translation is: “Nicholas the son of Martin, silver with two red bars and a blue label”. The label added to the basic silver with two red bars represents Nicholas as the eldest son and also that his father William (1160-1195) was still living.

In 1252 Sir Robert Martin (1230/35-1285), son of Sir Nicholas Martin, was recorded in Glover’s Roll vol. 2/B201 as “Argent two bars Gules and a label Azure”, which as close as we can interpret means “silver with two red bars and a blue label”

Records from the Falkirk Roll² of 1298 A.D. lists Sir William Martin, my 21-Great Uncle and the xxgrandson of Martin de Tours, carried the same Martin family coat of arms as a silver shield with two red bars. In 1298 Sir William’s father was deceased which allowed Sir William, as the oldest son, to carry the coat of arms of the family without the marking of a son.

The Arms of FitzMartin are: Argent two bars gules. The arms of Nicholas FitzMartin in Glover’s Roll of Arms (no. 202) show a label azure for difference. The label is charged on each point with three bezants for William Martin in Collins Roll (134) and for another William Martin in Segar’s Roll (171) and Gwillim’s Roll (60) where there are five points to the label each charged with three bezants.^[3]

This means that the Coat of Arms for My Martin Family is “argent two bars gules” or, silver with two red bars, as originally granted to Sir Nicholas FitzMartin  in 1245 and handed down from generation to generation through the male line to my father, and now my brothers. And me, being a modern 21st century girl, will accept my family Coat of Arms and display it proudly.

Sources

For identifying British coats of arms the two most important published works are J.W. Papworth’s Ordinary of British Armorials, published in 1874 and since reprinted, and The Dictionary of British Arms of which two volumes have so far appeared (vol. 1, edited by D.H.B. Chesshyre and T. Woodcock in 1992, and vol. II, edited by T. Woodcock and J. Grant, in 1996) Both of these works is an ordinary, that is a book which lists arms by their component parts.

1. Ancient Rolle of Armes, Glover’s Roll of the Reign of King Henry III by Robert Glover, Somerset Herald as recorded in 1586 and originally dated between 1245 & 1250, edited by Sir Harris Nichols 1829 and by George J. Armytage 1868, London, #198 

2. Falkirk Roll of 1298 A.D.

3. Collins Roll