The kings of England and Scotland have displayed lions in their arms since they first possessed any true armorial insignia. Perhaps the most famous charge is the lion rampant. Charges may depict divine or human beings, lions, deer or other creatures, monsters, natural and inanimate objects. There are three principal divisions of coat armour - the field (or ground), the tinctures (metals, colours and depiction of furs) and the charges (or symbols). The practice of using marks of cadency (badges borne on the upper part of a shield), used to distinguish one son from another, was standardised in the early 15th century. This, together with the association of personal insignia with the inheritance of lands and feudal rights, led to the coat of arms becoming hereditary, descending from father to son. It was natural that a knight should wish to use, in campaign and in tournament, the shield-device that his father had borne before him. Tournaments became popular in the first half of the 12th century and, as the century progressed, the shield became the dominant means of displaying heraldic insignia. The insignia was also woven into the knight's horse's caparison and painted onto his shield. The expression 'Coat of Arms' came about from the practice of a knight having his family insignia embroidered upon his surcoat - a garment that was worn over his armour or chain mail. The ancient science of heraldry is thought to have evolved as a practical way to distinguish one combatant from another, both in tournaments and on the battlefield. These are regulated by the College of Arms (England and Wales), the Lyon Office (Scotland) and by the Chief Herald (Ireland). All peers and baronets are entitled to bear a coat of arms, or to apply for a grant of arms.
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