Dictionary of British Arms

<p>This book is the second in a series of volumes designed to enable those with a working knowledge of heraldry to identify medieval British coats of arms. Listed in this volume are entries from Bend to Chevrons. The project is the result of a bequest to the Society of Antiquaries in 1926 for the production of a new edition of Papworth's Ordinary which has remained since its publication in 1874 the principal tool for the identification of British coats of arms. An Ordinary in this context is a collection of arms arranged alphabetically according to their designs as opposed to an armory which is arranged alphabetically by surname. The present work is the second in a four volume Ordinary covering the period before the beginning of the heraldic visitations in 1530. Its publication will mean that the wide range of people interested in medieval arms - historians antiquaries archaeologists genealogist and those dealing in and collecting medieval objects - will be able to identify accurately the arms that occur in a medieval context. Even those without a knowledge of the subject will be able by means of the index to discover the blazon of arms recorded under particular surnames in the Middle Ages.</p>