Parts of a Coat of Arms

The parts of a coat of arms are the shield (or escutcheon) and everything that can be shown around it: the helm, torse, crest, mantling, crown or coronet, supporters, compartment and motto. Together the full display is called an achievement. Only the shield is required. Everything else is optional.

Strictly speaking, “coat of arms” means the design on the shield. The crest is just the figure on top of the helm, which is why heralds wince at “family crest” for the whole thing (the family crest vs coat of arms guide explains why).

The parts of a coat of arms at a glance

Part	Where it sits	What it is
Shield (escutcheon)	Center	The main design. The only required part.
Field	On the shield	The background color or colors.
Charges	On the shield	Symbols like lions, crosses or stars.
Helm	Above the shield	A helmet. Its style can show rank.
Torse (wreath)	On top of the helm	A twisted band of two tinctures.
Crest	On top of the torse	A figure such as an animal or arm.
Mantling	Hanging from the helm	Cloth drawn in flowing, leafy shapes.
Crown or coronet	Above the shield or helm	Shows royal or noble rank.
Supporters	Either side of the shield	Figures holding the shield up.
Compartment	Under the shield	Ground the supporters stand on.
Motto	On a scroll, below or above	A short phrase.
Orders	Around the shield	The circlet or collar of an order of knighthood.

The shield, field and charges

The shield, called the escutcheon, holds the actual arms. Its background is the field, which can be one tincture or divided into sections. The heraldic divisions and ordinaries guide shows the ways a field can be split.

Anything placed on the field is a charge. Big geometric bands like the fess, pale and saltire are a special group called ordinaries. Animals, plants and objects are ordinary charges, often just called “charges.” See coat of arms symbols and their meanings for the common ones.

The helm

The helm (helmet) sits on top of the shield. In British heraldry its style shows the bearer’s rank:

Rank (British heraldry)	Helm
Sovereign and royal family	Gold helm with bars
Peers	Silver helm with gold bars
Baronets and knights	Open steel helm, facing forward
Esquires and gentlemen	Closed steel helm

These rules come from British practice, as set out in the Wikipedia article on the heraldic helmet. Other countries had their own customs, and many European arms show no helm at all. For a homemade design, pick whatever helm looks right. The maker includes a great helm, a visored helm and a barbute.

The torse, crest and mantling

The torse, also called the wreath, is a twisted roll of cloth that sits on the helm and holds the crest in place. It’s usually shown with six visible twists, alternating the main metal and main colour of the arms.

The crest sits on the torse. It’s often an animal, a bird, an arm holding a weapon, or a demi-beast (the top half of an animal). In England and Wales, a crest is part of a grant and goes with the arms.

Mantling is the cloth that hangs from the helm and frames the shield. It started as a cloth cover for a knight’s helmet, and artists later drew it cut and curling like leaves. Mantling is usually the main colour on the outside and the main metal on the inside.

Crown or coronet

A crown or coronet shows rank. A sovereign’s arms show a royal crown. In British heraldry, peers place a coronet of rank above the shield, with different designs for dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons. Some cities use a mural crown, which looks like a castle wall.

Supporters and the compartment

Supporters are the figures that stand on either side of the shield, holding it up. The lion and unicorn of the British royal arms are the famous example. In British heraldry, supporters are a special honor, mostly for peers, senior knights, some Scottish clan chiefs and chartered bodies like cities and companies.

The compartment is the ground the supporters stand on, often a grassy mound or a rock. Sometimes it shows something specific, like waves or a plant tied to the bearer.

Motto and orders

The motto is a short phrase on a scroll. In English heraldry it usually sits below the shield. In Scotland it’s usually above the crest. Mottos aren’t fixed by a grant in England, so they can be changed. For ideas, see Latin mottos for a coat of arms.

Members of orders of knighthood can surround their shield with the circlet or collar of their order, like the blue garter of the Order of the Garter.

Points of the shield

Heralds name nine points on the shield so a blazon can say exactly where a charge goes.

Point	Location (as the viewer sees it)
Dexter chief	Top left corner
Middle chief	Top center
Sinister chief	Top right corner
Honour point	Center, between the middle chief and the fess point
Fess point	The exact center of the shield
Nombril point	Just below the center, between the fess point and the base
Dexter base	Bottom left corner
Middle base	Bottom center
Sinister base	Bottom right corner

The top third of the shield is the chief and the bottom part is the base. A band across the top, also called a chief, takes its name from this area.

Dexter and sinister: why left is right

Dexter and sinister are Latin for right and left. Heraldry describes a shield from the point of view of the person carrying it, not the person looking at it. So dexter is the viewer’s left, and sinister is the viewer’s right.

That’s why beasts usually face to the viewer’s left: they face dexter, toward the bearer’s sword arm. Dexter is the more honorable side, so in a married couple’s combined arms the husband’s arms traditionally go on the dexter half.

How these parts work in the maker

The coat of arms maker builds the main parts in tabs. The Shield tab sets the shape, field, divisions and ordinaries. The Charges tab adds charges, plus the helms and mantling under “Helmets and crests,” and you can place a smaller charge on the helm as your crest. The Motto tab adds a scroll with curved text. For the full process, see how to make a coat of arms, and for tinctures, see heraldry colors and their meanings.