battle groups that were either coming on, or going off the battlefield. They also performed the task of identifying the dead and the captured. Many a captured nobleman would attempt to pass himself off as an ordinary soldier, to avoid being held for ransom. The troubadour could usually identify them. And they often acted as deputy commander in chief, making on the spot changes to the battle-plan. Out of the troubadours sprang three modern professions, that of Herald, Ambassador, and Army Staff officer.
The term Coat-of-Arms comes from the large coat worn by a Knight over his body armour. On sunny days the armour would get extremely hot, and on cold days it would freeze; hence the need for a blanket-like coat to cover it. The knight’s colours were replicated on this for easy identification, hence the term Coat of Arms.
A crest was worn high on a knight’s helmet, a boar’s head, or antlers, or a clenched gauntlet. It was there to make him more visible to others while on the battlefield, and at the same time make him appear more impressive.
The Mottoe is a saying associated with a particular family, which subsequently became attached to Heraldic memorials.
The earliest known example of a Norman type Heraldic shield was found on a tombstone in the Alsace region of France, it is dated 1010AD.
Heraldry as we know it spread across Europe from Germany, and was brought to England by the Normans in 1066, eventually finding its way to Ireland shortly after. The early Norman/English Coats-of-Arms originally carried fairly simple geometric designs, and later came images of Lions, Stags, Castles, and Weaponry.
When this Norman style of portraying Heraldry reached Ireland, it began to draw on images already present in the