[2] Although many places have dropped such iconography, the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone, London, includes a rendering of the Virgin Mary, although this is never stated.

Unlike in mainland Europe where armorial achievements make a large use of their eponymous Saints,[citation needed] these are few and far between in England.

It found particular use with knights, for practice and in the mêlée of battle, where heraldry was worn on embroidered fabric covering their armour.

These were used to prove the authenticity of documents carried by heralds (messengers)[citation needed] and is the basis of the word heraldry in English.

[12] Prehistoric religions of the Middle East, North India and the Mediterranean, associated lions to a neolithic goddess referred to as Potnia Theron, translated to the 'Mistress of Animals.'

Importantly, this motif is more common in later Near Eastern and Mesopotamian art with a male figure, called the Master of Animals.

[15] As the Silk Road further developed, the imagery of the lion westward with the Roman Empire reaching both China and Britain by the early 1st century.

[citation needed] It is an occasional roll of arms, meaning it charted the heraldry visible on one occasion.

Other positions were created for important counties, such as the Lancastrian King of Arms, but the balance of power between them and those charged with larger regions remains unclear.

[21] The introduction in his case read: To all noble and gentled the present letters reading hearing or seeing, Thomas Hawley alias Clarencieulx principal Herald and King of Arms of the south-east and west parts of this realm from the river Trent southward, sendeth humble commendation and greeting.This seems to be the standard introduction, each herald using their name and position.

To that end, the college is involved in genealogy and the many pedigrees (family trees) in their records, although not open to the public, have official status.

According to one source,[44] the number of grants of arms in each half-century was roughly as follows: Although the accuracy of the figures is in doubt, the general trend is likely to be correct.

[46] The wife of an armigerous man may bear her husband's arms alone on a shield or banner differenced by a small lozenge.

The dexter supporter is a likewise crowned lion, symbolizing England; the sinister, a unicorn, symbolising Scotland.

[citation needed] The coat features both the motto of English monarchs, Dieu et mon droit (God and my right), and the motto of the Order of the Garter, Honi soit qui mal y pense (Shamed be he who thinks ill of it) on a representation of the Garter behind the shield.

The Heraldic Visitations of the several counties of England were instituted in the 16th century and required each family which displayed coat armour to report to the visiting heralds, generally holding court in the county capital during a certain period, to declare its pedigree to show it came from ancient gentry stock.

This has given rise to well recorded armorials of the ancient gentry families from each county, which generally assumed amongst themselves the administration of the county on behalf of the monarch, filling such offices as Sheriff, Justice of the Peace, Commissioners, Knights of the Shire or Members of Parliament, and in the feudal era if tenants-in-chief fought in the royal army.

In local government, however, there has been a move away from traditional heraldic style designs to clean, streamlined ones, as in the case of London.

[citation needed] Often use is restricted to certain events and institutions within the town or city, its use superseded by the logo of the local borough council or Arms Length Management Organisation.

[citation needed] Current uses of historical coats of arms normally include use in town halls and on litter bins and benches (where corporate-style council logos are deemed inappropriate).

The scattering of small stars represents navigation, which has played a key role in the history of the city and the university.

The scallop shells in gold represent pilgrimage, a sign of the importance of the departure of the Pilgrim Fathers from the Barbican aboard the Mayflower in 1620.

A Pelican and a Golden Hind support the shield and reflect both the original and later, better known, name of Sir Francis Drake's ship.

The crest contains the Latin motto Indagate Fingite Invenite ('Explore Dream Discover'), a quote from Mark Twain, reflecting the university's ambitions for its students and Plymouth's history of great seafarers.

In the badge, which repeats the keys, the crown rayonny refers both to the royal charter under which Cranfield came into being and, by the finials composed of the rays of the sun, to energy and its application through engineering and technological skills to industry, commerce and public life.

The chain that surrounds the badge shows the links between the various disciplines to be studied at the university and in itself also refers to engineering where it plays so many parts.

Knights and Ladies Companion are also entitled to receive heraldic supporters, a privilege granted to few other private individuals.