Albanian cap (Period)

Cap of maintenance (Period/Reserved)

A hat is an article of clothing which covers the head.  There are a wide variety of hats used in heraldry; no type of hat is the default, and there exists no standard “generic” hat.  The exact type of hat thus needs to be blazoned; this was frequently done by a simple description, e.g., “a conical hat”, as in the arms of von Bornstedt, 1605 [Siebmacher 177].  One form quite common in Continental heraldry is blazoned in modern French as un bonnet albanais, an “Albanian cap”, although we can find no connection between it and Albania.

One specific type of hat found in period armory was the “cap of maintenance” or “cap of dignity”.  It was used in Scots crests to signify baronial status; but it was used in English crests after 1350 by non-peers [Hope2 155].  It was also used as a charge in its own right, as in the incredibly ugly civic arms of Gloucester, 1536 [Hope2 335, Parker 333].  In the Society, the cap of maintenance gules, trimmed either ermine or argent goutty de sang, is reserved to members of the Order of the Pelican.

Jew’s hat (Period)

Another hat in period armory was the judenhut or “Jew’s hat”; this form of hat was mandatory garb for Jews starting in the 11^th Century, but soon became a mark of honor among them.  It’s found in the canting arms of Judden, c.1370 [Gelre 94], and was used in the armory of both Jews and Gentiles [Edward Kandel, “The Origin of Some Charges:, Coat of Arms vol.1 (N.S.) No.95, Autumn 1975, p.208].  It is accepted for use in the Society.

Cardinal’s hat (Period)

Mitre (Disallowed)

Of religious headgear, the “mitre” was used as a charge almost exclusively in arms and crests of bishops and bishoprics; the few secular examples, such as the arms of Kirchberg, mid-16^th C. [NW 175], are not sufficient to dispel this appearance of presumption.  The mitre has been disallowed, pending further examples of its secular use.  The “cardinal’s hat” or “protonotary hat”, on the other hand, is commonly found in secular armory with no religious implications, such as the arms of von Dobeneck, 1605 [Siebmacher 151].

Jester’s cap (Accepted)

Flat cap (Accepted)

Of hats unique to Society armory, a popular type is the “fool’s cap” or “jester’s cap”:  a forked hat of two or three points, with bells at the points.  This sits on the head, as opposed to the (more period) jester’s hood, which completely covers the head.  There is also the “flat cap”:  a brimmed beret, which may be jewelled or befeathered, as exemplified in the drawings of Holbein, 16^th C.

Phrygian cap (Accepted)

Double-horned hennin (Accepted)

The “Phrygian cap” is a floppy, conical hat found in Greek art.  The “hennin” is a woman’s head covering, from the 15^th C., with either a single conical point or a double-horned form; the type must be specified.  Though the hennin was usually worn with a veil, in Society armory it may be drawn with or without a veil, at the artist’s discretion; the illustration shows a double-horned hennin.  The “arming cap” is a close-fit skullcap, worn inside a helm as insulation.

Cap of Mercury (Accepted)

Finally, the “petasus” or “cap of Mercury” is a flat wide hat with wings; it was one of the accoutrements of the Greek god.  For related charges, see head (human’s), helm, hood.

Alice Jean Huewy bears:  Azure, on a bend sinister argent three Albanian caps reversed palewise azure.

Casamira Jawjalny bears:  Azure, a jester’s hat lozengy gules and Or and a chief Or.

Edmund Renfield Wanderscribe bears:  Per bend potenty gules and argent, a sun in his splendour Or and a cap of Mercury azure, winged argent.

Lucrezia di Bartolomeo bears as a badge:  Purpure, on a heart Or a double-horned hennin gules, trimmed argent, a bordure Or.

Joshua ibn-Eleazar ha-Shalib bears:  Azure, in saltire a ladle inverted and a recorder between four Jewish hats Or.

Christopher Thomas bears:  Argent, a flat cap purpure plumed and on a chief azure three Pierrot masks argent.

Valentine Christian Warner bears:  Vert, three long conical caps Or turned up ermine.

Declan of Drogheda bears:  Argent, a Phrygian cap purpure.

Brendan Kanobe bears:  Argent, a sugar-loaf hat gules and a bordure sable.

Dirk of Drei Eichen bears:  Or, a cardinal’s hat gules and on a chief sable, three fleurs-de-lys Or.

Sveinn Harðfari bears:  Per bend Or and bendy gules and Or, a demon’s head couped affronty gules wearing an arming cap sable.

Crown (Accepted/Reserved)

A crown is a circlet of metal, often bejewelled, worn on the head of a monarch as an emblem of sovereignty.  As an heraldic charge, it was first seen in the attributed arms of St. Edmund the Martyr, c.1282 [ANA2 349].

Similar to the crown is the “coronet”; indistinguishable in form, the alternative term is used in blazons to denote the bearer is less than sovereign.  There is neither artistic nor heraldic difference between a crown and a coronet.

There are a number of varieties of crown.  The standard Society form is indented, usually showing three points; it was sometimes misblazoned a “crown dancetty” in early Society blazons.  This type of crown may be used when the blazon doesn’t specify an exact form.

Ducal coronet (Period/Reserved), comital coronet (Accepted/Reserved)

Pearled coronet (Period/Reserved), eastern (or antique) crown (Period/Reserved)

In period heraldic art, starting in the late 15^th Century, exact forms of coronets began to be used to mark rank in a full armorial achievement; however, they did not do so when used as charges on the shield.  In the Society, three forms of coronets can mark rank on the shield, as well as in the achievement.  Specifically, the ducal coronet, with trilobed fleurons (usually called “strawberry leaves”) around its rim, and the Society-defined comital coronet (or county coronet), with an embattled rim, are reserved to Royal Peers of those ranks.  These forms of coronet are regulated not only as charges on the shield, but as regalia as well.

As viscomital and baronial coronets of rank date to no earlier than the Stuarts, they are not defined for Society armory per se; however, the pearled coronet is found in 16^th Century Scots and French achievements [e.g., Lindsay, 1542], and may be used by Society Viscounties and Court Baronies.  (The exact number of pearls is left unblazoned, but Society artists generally use twelve for Viscounties and six for Court Baronies, following the Stuart definitions.)  As regalia, the exact forms of viscomital and baronial coronets are regulated by the individual Kingdoms.

Mural coronet (Period/Reserved), ancient crown (Accepted/Reserved)

Saxon crown (Accepted/Reserved), crown vallary (Period/Reserved)

Other forms of crown are the “eastern crown”, also called an “antique crown”, in the arms of Grant of that Ilk, late 16^th C. [Lord Crawford’s Armorial, fo.114]; the “mural coronet” (from Latin mur, “wall”), drawn with masoning, and sometimes turrets, dating to at least 1572 [Bossewell II.77º]; and the “crown vallary” (from the Latin vallare, “to fortify”), the projections meant to resemble a defensive palisade, dating to at least 1581 [de Bara 189].

Society armory also has examples of coronets which, though found in modern heraldry texts, have not yet been dated to period.  These include the “ancient crown”, also called a “crown flory”; and the “Saxon crown”.

In Society armory, the use of a crown or coronet is reserved to Kingdoms, Principalities, Royal Peers, and Court Baronies; it is required in the arms of Kingdoms.

For related charges, see jewelry.  See also wreath.

The King of the West bears:  Or, a crown dancetty of three voided within a laurel wreath vert.

The King of the East bears:  Purpure, within a laurel wreath vert fimbriated Or, an eastern crown of three grand points tipped with pearls and two lesser points, all Or.

Arrowyn of Emerald Moor bears:  Sable, a mullet of eight points, each point terminating in a shamrock, in chief a crown fleury Or, all within a bordure potenty quarterly argent and vert.

Steffen Albert Rheinbauer bears:  Azure, a sinister gauntlet clenched aversant bendwise sustaining a rose slipped and leaved bendwise sinister argent, in chief a mural coronet, all within an orle of chain Or.