What's That on Your Head

Crowns and coronets come in many styles and and vary widly from kingdom to kingdom. There are however a few conventions as far as the appearence of a coronet and its wearer. (emblazoning notes will be in perenthases)

In the coats of arms of peers, coronets indicitive of rank may be depicted immediatly above the shield and beneath, or instead of, the helmet and crest. These coronets are the lineal descendants of the red velvet cap (chapeau) and gold circlet worn by the greater nobles in the Middle Ages.

Chapeaux are to be found in many coats of arms, in the medieval period, where they are affixed to the helmet in place of a wrath. They are ussually of red velvet and have an ermine lining which is turned up to form a brim ending in two "tails" at the back. Today the chapeau is normally granted only to peers and in Scotland, to feudal barons.

Ornamental circlets (crest coronets) are oftan found affixed to the helm in place of, or in addition t, a wreath and as such are integral part of the crest. Confusing ly, like the chapeau, they are also used as chrges.

We will also see crowns and coronets being worn by the people of various ranks, it is how we can tell them apart. come in many styles and and vary widly from kingdom to kingdom. There are however a few conventions as far as the appearence of a coronet and its wearer. (emblazoning notes will be in perenthases)

Now for what these look like and how do we draw them in our heraldry.

Kings and Queens generaly wear a gold poined crown with four points

Princes and Princesses wear a gold...

Duke: Silver-gilt coronet of eight strawberry leaves (three and two halves shown)

Marquess: Coronet of silver gilt with four strawberry leaves (one and two halves shown) and four silver balls (emblazoned as two showing)

Earl: coronet has eight silver balls raised upon points (five shown) and alternate gold strawberry leave (four shown)

Viscount: Silver-gilt coronet set with sixteen silver balls (nine shown)

Baron: A plain silver-gilt circlet set with six silver balls (four shown)

Now that we know how to tell the peers from one another there are conventions in Forms of Address