The Kirkman Coat of Arms as well as the arms for most American names is associated primarily with European medieval culture and has been recorded in heraldic archives. Germany, France and Italy have no current heraldic system (there has been no monarchy in any of these lands for some time) but the interest in Coats of Arms remains strong. Spain, without royal rulers until recent times, has always done a conscientious job of maintaining heraldic records. There are approximately 100,000 English arms, including Wales and the six northern Irish counties, on the rolls of the Royal College 'of Arms in London. The Scots maintain their own heraldry, governed by their own tradition and rules, as do many old craft guilds, including bakers, surgeons, dentists, barbers, journalists, and even circus riders. Arms are also designed and used by countries and their military establishments, fraternities and sororities, corporations and Catholic Bishops. But originally, Coats of Arms were issued to and registered for individuals.

Under most heraldic rules, only first sons of first sons of the recipient of a Coat of Arms are permitted to bear their ancestor's arms. Younger sons may use a version of their father's arms, but the rules of heraldry say that they must be changed ("differenced") somewhat. If the bearer of a Coat of Arms (called an "Arminger") dies without male heirs, his daughter may combine her father's arms with her husband's arms. This process is called "impaling." Although these principles seem very archaic, stiff and formal today, they do give us an idea of the rich, protective tradition which has surrounded heraldry through the ages. Our research indicates that there was undoubtedly more than one Kirkman Coat of Arms. The earliest Coat of Arms for Kirkman which we could find was described as follows and became unique to an early Kirkman: "Sa. two crosiers in saitire or, on a chief concave az. three mitres ar. garnished gu." When translated the blazon also describes the original colors of the Kirkman arms as: "Black; two gold prelates staffs in cross; the upper third concave blue charged with three silver mitres, garnished red." Above the shield and helmet is the crest which is described as: "A prelates staff and sword in cross, all naturally colored."

How the term "Coat of Arms" evolved makes an interesting story. Because wars were almost a continual occurrence during the Middle Ages, more and more armor was added to a knight's battle uniform until the medieval warrior was finally protected from head to toe. The metal suit of armor always included a helmet to protect the head, thus it was virtually impossible to tell one knight from another. In order to prevent any mishaps on the battlefield, such as one friend spearing another, a means of identification was necessary. A colorful solution first came as knights painted patterns on their battle shields. These patterns were eventually woven into cloth surcoats which were worn over the suit of armor. In fact, many a horse was also seen prancing around in a fancy cloth surcoat with its master's Coat of Arms ablaze on the side. There must have been a Kirkman in medieval armor to have been granted the fore-mentioned blazon. This colorful identification probably became as important to this Kirkman as the Kirkman name, and his Kirkman Arms were certainly displayed with great pride. As more designs were created, it became necessary to register or copyright these designs, to prevent two knights from using the same insignia. Records were kept that gave each knight exclusive rights to his arms. In many cases, records were then compiled listing the family name and an exact description of its Coat of Arms. These are called "armorials" or "blazons.11 You are already familiar with the Kirkman blazon as described. The word "heraldry" is associated with Coats of Arms due to the role of the "herald" in recording the blazons, and comes from a common practice at a medieval sporting event. Tournaments (or jousting contests) were popular during the days of knight hood, and as each soldier was presented at a tournament, a herald sounded the trumpet and then announced the knight's achievements and described his arms. The heralds would then record the arms as a way of insuring that a family maintained its protective rights to have and use its individual arms.

The Kirkman name is intertwined with heraldry and history. Heraldry offers a fascinating study of medieval lifestyles where we can surmise much regarding your Kirkman forebearers. Historically, different creatures of nature denoted certain characteristics, and various inanimate shapes implied certain traits, historical factors or aspirations. For example, the chevron symbolized protection, and has often been placed on arms to tell others that its bearer achieved some notable feat. A symbol (or charge) placed on a Coat of Arms usually provided clues to a person's being. Some arms are an artistic interpretation of a person's name (many of the Fisher arms include dolphins or other fish). Many arms reveal a person's occupation. Others tell about less tangible characteristics, such as the early bearer's hopes, wishes and aspirations. For example, hope is shown by a wheat garb or sheaf, and joy by garlands of flowers or a red rose. Crosses and religious symbols often meant the person felt a closeness to the supernatural, or could have symbolized that the knight was a veteran of one of history's bloodiest battles - the Crusades. Heraldic research is full of proud warriors boasting their war records via their Coats of Arms.

The first arms were quite simple, consisting only of the shield. The design was set off with a horizontal or vertical band, star or halfmoon; however, the renderings became more complex during later times. Immediately above the shield is the helmet, whose style depends on the country and the status of the early bearer. Generally, the silver profile helmet is used because these specifics are hard to trace. The wreath or torce is mounted on top of the helmet. The crest wasn't included in the Coat of Arms until the ]3th Century. The crest was the emblem that survived when the banner was destroyed and the shield shattered, as a rallying symbol of the knight's courage. It was painted on leather, sometimes thin metal or even wood, and was attached to the helmet, so that allies could easily pick out who's who. The lambrequin or mantling, now represented in strips, was once cloth which hung down from the helmet to cover the back of the neck. It meant that the bearer had been to battle. The mantling in most instances is of secondary importance to the shield and crest. Standardized mantlings are often used to illustrate different Coats of Arms. The ornate mantling illustrated with the Kirki-nan shield has been designed to be used with any particular Coat of Arms.

Some families have also passed down mottos through the ages. They may have begun as war cries or were a variation of a family name. They might express piety, hope or determination, or commemorate a deed or past occasion. The historical tradition of Coats of Arms became more complicated as the designs became more complex. By 1419, Henry V of England found it necessary to impose rigid legal regulations over the use of Coats of Arms because court battles were becoming quite numerous. The Good King forbade anyone to take on arms unless by right of ancestry or as a gift from the crown. Later, Richard III even sent the heralds (now Royal Authenticators of Arms) into the shires on what were called livisitations.11 Unbelievable as it may seem to us today, these visitations were held once every generation for almost two centuries for the sole reason of officially verifying, listing or denying arms in use. It is interesting to note that the language most commonly used by the heralds was Norman French, the court language of the time. For instance, the blazon written in the Norman French language, "Dlazur a une fortune, posse sur une boule dlor," can be translated as follows: Blue with the figure of fortune standing on a gold ball. Interestingly you'll find that even the most complex blazon is normally only one sentence long.

The charges on the field you will most likely see are the lion, the rose and the lily, the most widely-used designs. Then there are the ordinaries: the honorable ordinaries and the sub-ordinaries. These are geometrical figures used as charges on the field. The seven honorable ordinaries are: the bend, the chevron, the chief, the cross, the fess, the pale and the saltire. The 14 sub-ordinaries' are: the annulet, the billet, the bordure, the canton, the flaunch, the fret, the gyron, the inescutcheon, the label, the lozenge, the orle, the pile, the roundel, and the tressure. The partition lines are used to separate the field and to border the honorable ordinaries and sub-ordinaries. There are eight basic styles: indented, inverted, engrailed, wavy, nebuly, embattled, reguly and dovetailed. The ordinaries and partitions were originally additional pieces that were added onto the shield to strengthen it. These would be painted to enrich the decoration on the field and eventually became a traditional component of the shield and of the charges.