The Origins of Heraldry part 5
Early examples of evidence of documented heraldry include the great east window of Gloucester Cathedral (image above) which is described as the earliest war memorial in England. It was installed by one of the warriors of Agincourt and contains at the base the coats of arms of some of the fighters who were there in 1415. Consequently when we say that the use of coats of arms arose in Europe in the 12th century we have to depend on indirect evidence, which fortunately is available. The Bayeux Tapestry is a great aid in this respect. The Tapestry was created in the 11th century, and it shows the process of the Norman Conquest from the period of the latter part of Edward the...