Crown (heraldry)

[2] Today, most of the Scottish unitary authorities still use this "wheat sheaf crown", but it is now the usual gold.

In the British peerage, the design of a coronet shows the rank of its owner, as in German, French and various other heraldic traditions.

Between the 1930s and 2004, feudal barons in the baronage of Scotland were granted a chapeau or cap of maintenance as a rank insignia.

Since a person entitled to heraldic headgear customarily displays it above the shield and below the helm and crest, this can provide a useful clue as to the owner of a given coat of arms.

Members of the British royal family have coronets on their coats of arms, and they may wear physical versions at coronations.

They are according to regulations made by King Charles II in 1661, shortly after his return from exile in France (getting a taste for its lavish court style; Louis XIV started monumental work at Versailles that year) and Restoration, and they vary depending upon the holder's relationship to the monarch.

[citation needed] Earl [4] Precisely because there are many traditions and more variation within some of these, there is a plethora of continental coronet types.

In 1917 with independence, the coat of arms of Finland was introduced with a grand ducal crown, but it was soon removed, in 1920.

Additionally, many animal charges (frequently lions and eagles) and sometimes human heads also appear crowned.