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A crest is a component of an Heraldic display, so called because it stands atop a Helmet , as the crest of a Jay stands on the bird's head. The earliest heraldic crests were apparently painted on metal fans, and usually repeated the Coat Of Arms painted on the Shield . Later they were sculpted of leather and other materials. A crest normally stands within a wreath of cloth, called a Torse , in the principal colors of the shield (the ''liveries''). Various kinds of Coronet may take the place of the torse. The most frequent ''crest-coronet'' is a simplified form of a Ducal coronet, with four leaves rather than eight. Towns often have a ''mural crown'', i.e. a coronet in the form of Embattled stone walls. Objects frequently borne as crests include animals, especially lions, normally showing only the fore half; human figures, likewise often from the waist up; hands or arms holding weapons; bird's wings. In Germany and nearby countries, the crest often repeats the liveries in the form of a tall hat, a fan of plumes in alternating colors, or a pair of curving horns. The horns may have a hole in the tip to hold a cluster of plumes or flowers, and because of this have been imported to English heraldry at least once as elephant's trunks. Crests are not normally borne by women or Clergy , because they do not participate in war or Tournament s and thus would not have a helm on which to wear it. An exception is the reigning queens of England or Britain , whose armorial display is indistinguishable from that of kings. Some Armiger s used their crest as a personal badge, leading to the erroneous use of the word "crest" to describe a shield or full coat of arms. While it is not strictly correct, there is a convention that a crest may be displayed within a Belt And Buckle by persons other than its legal bearer, signifying non-ownership. There is a widespread misconception that a crest and a coat of arms belong to everyone with the same Family Name or several people descended from the same matriculator; this is due in part to Victorian stationers' marketing of engraved letterheads and in part to pretensions; this constitutes usurpation. Bogus "family crests" continue to be sold to the gullible by heraldic " Bucket Shop s." |
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