HERALDRY, FAMILY COATS OF ARMS
Heraldry explained

Charges.
The objects depicted on a field in armorial compositions consist of ordinaries and subordinaries (and their diminutives) and charges properly so-called. There is considerable disagreement among heraldic experts as to which category certain items belong to.
Ordinaries.
The group of charges that is first both in importance and antiquity of usage is the ordinaries, or honorable ordinaries. They consist of plain bands crossing the field in various directions and positions. A pale, a band about one-third the width of the shield extending from center chief to center base. A bend, is a band extending from e dexter chief corner to low on the sinister flank.
A bend sinister, descends from sinister chief to dexter flank.
A chief,
 is a similar band along the chief of the shield, and a fess is such a band crossing the field from flank to flank at fess point. Related to the fess is the bar, a band one fifth the width of the shield. It never appears alone; there must be either two of them (their own width apart and placed at fess point level) or accompanying a chief or a fess. Last among the ordinaries is the chevron, an inverted v.
Ordinaries are without meaning or symbolic significance in spite of assumptions to the contrary. (For example, it has been said that a fess represents a sword belt and is appropriate. for a soldier.) The primary object of heraldry is not to mean anything but to identify.
Partitioning and Lines.
The field may be divided, or parted, in the direction of the ordinaries and blazoned as "party per" pale, bend, bend sinister, fess, or chevron.The sections thus formed are given a different color. Charges may change color at each side of a line of partition, becoming counterchanged as above.
Further divisions are obtained by variations of the field consisting of an equal number of repetitions of diminutives of ordinaries. A field paly, consists of six or eight strips, each half the width of a pale, and of alternate colors. A field barry, is formed of horizontal strips. There are also bendy and bendy sinister, as well as combinations of these, such as barrybendy, resulting in lozenge shapes. Squares make chequy, or checky.
The lines that part the field or form the edges of the ordinaries are not necessarily straight. The most common variations follow. A parting or an ordinary is said to be engrailed, if the line is a series of semicircles conjoined point to point. lnvected, is the same as engrailed, but inverted. Whether a line is one or the other depends on its orientation; if an ordinary is engrailed, the points are outward; if invected, inward.
A line is wavy, if it curves upward and downward equidistant from the straight. A line is embattled, if it is composed of a series of rising squares and descending squares, or crenellations. A fess embattled has five rising squares on the upper edge only. If it is crenellated on both edges, the blazon is "embattled counter-embattled.' Dovetailed is like embattled but with the crenellations broadening outward.
A line is dancetty, if it is composed of inverted v's having three peaks to the width of the shield. A decadent form of dancetty, with more peaks, is called indented. A line is nebuly, meaning" cloudy," if it has knobs.. ovals, or jigsaw puzzle keys both upward and downward, and potent when the curves are hardened to angles of 90°.
Subordinaries.
Subordinaries are smaller, often more complicated shapes than ordinaries. Transitional between the two groups is the bordure, a band or border surrounding the shield and about one fifth of its width. A common charge, considered by some heraldists to be an ordinary and by others to be a subordinary, is the cross (q.v.), of which there are many forms.
A pile, is a wedge-shaped subordinary which unless otherwise stated, issues from the center chief and descends to the nombril point. It may, however, occupy any position on the field, and more than one may be used. The canton, is a square,a little less than a third of the width of shield, which is normally set in dexter chief. When it is on the other side, it is termed a sinister canton. A flaunch,or flanch, is the arc of a circle, normally found in pairs one on each side of the shield. Another subordinary is the small shield, one fifth of the width of the field. When it appears at fess point. it is called an inescutcheon or, if it is used to indicate marriage to an heiress, a shield of pretence. A shield (usually several) in any other position on the field is called an escutcheon.
The billet, is a subordinary in the shape of a simple rectangle, twice as long as it is wide, which is always upended. It represents a letter, not. as has been said, a block of wood. A lozenge, and a narrower version called a fusil, appear in numerous combinations-often conjoined point to point to form a kind of cross. A mascle, is a lozenge with the center cut away. A mullet, is a star shape representing a spur rowel. A crescent, which does not represent the moon, normally appears with the horns pointing chiefward; pointing dexter it is an increscent, and sinister, a decrescent. The well-known fleur-de-lis, is merely a tripartite design motif, which may be used to represent anything, but is not derived from either the lily or the iris.
Roundels, are simple circles that may be blazoned by color-a roundel argent-or by name-a plate (an old Spanish coin). A roundel Or is a bezant (gold coin); if azure, it is a heurle or hurl (bilberry); if gules a torleau (loaf of bread); if vert, a pomme ( apple) if sable, an ogress, pellet, or gunstone. A roundel barry-wavy of six, argent and azure, is a fountain. An annulet, is a roundel with its center cut out, or a ring. Guttae, or gouttes, are pearshaped charges representing drops.
Billets fleurs-de-lis, roundels, and annulets often, and guttae always, are employed for the variation of a field, originally as a means of distinguishing one branch of a family from another. The shapes are dotted all over the field in fess-wise rows, the number of charges being too great to count at a glance but not too great for the charge to be recognized. A field so treated is blazoned as seme of, or aspersed or powdered with, the charges.
Some of these combinations have names. A field seme of plates is platty ( for example, Blazoned as gules, platty); seme of billets is ! billety; of bezants, bezanty; of annulets, annulletty; in the case of fleurs-de-lis the field is seme de lis. When a field is spattered with guttae, it is gutte, the color of the drops determining the particular name: if Or, gutted' or; if argent. d' eau (water); if gules, de sang ( blood) ; if azure, de larmes ( tears); if sable~ de poix, pitch; if vert, d'olive or d'huile (olive oil)..