[MR] Teachers, shields and history

[JBRMM266 at aol.com]

You're preaching to the choir here, my friend.  :-)
 
Your servant aye
Donal
 
 
In a message dated 1/17/2009 8:02:03 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
chessler at usa.net writes:

First  question is when did "modern" coats of arms come into use? The answer
seems  to be the 12th C. Before then, the concept does not seem to exist,
except  as "personal seals" used to sign documents in an age before  
widespread
literacy.

(snip).

In any event, only a small  minority of Europeans ever had personal insignia,
and even fewer had  recognized coats of arms. Only the military class, which
was a distinct  class of knights and nobles, would use coats of arms for
recognition in  battle. Peasants, soldiers, mercenaries, even non-commissioned
officers,  had no need for these. The commercial class, merchants, would have
had  seals or designs that they used to sign documents.
--
Mr.  Satterthwaite
At the sign of the Bells and Motley
David Chessler
At  sign chessler<at>usa.n

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