Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. My aim has been to collect the most striking heraldic symbolisms, to attempt - ih the spirit of the old armorists - to reconcile any contradictions as to their application, and also to suggest the probable derivation of some of the more ancient emblems, the origin of which may perhaps have been 'forgotten by the races or families who still display them.