Hatfield Heraldry -- the Coat of Arms and meanings of the components

Hatfield Heraldry and Coat of Arms Have you ever wondered what all those things mean on Hatfield Coat of Arms? These definitions will help in understanding Hatfield crest and heraldry.
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Hatfield Heraldry & History

I have seen several variations of the description of the name Hatfield coat of arms, so I thought I would give a brief explanation of what the different components mean.

Heraldry Information

Cinquefoil -- name for 5 petaled rose
Sable -- black
Argent -- white, silvery color -- spots argent on sable is called ermine. Ermine is a fur of white with black spots
or -- gold
Enfiled - means to pierce or go through something. In our case an ostrich's feather holding up a ducal crown.
PAX -- peace

English Coat of Arms carried several basic components.

Shield -- with arms painted on it
Helmet -- seen above the shield
Mantling -- cloth to protect from the sun, often in swirled patterns
Torse/Wreath/Coronet -- seen wound above the helmet
Crest -- seen above the torse

Other marks of distinction could be granted by the Crown. One of these was called a collar. Only knights were allowed to wear this as a mark of Royal favor. Sir Robert de Hattfield (1409) and his wife had a collar with the letter SS. The collar of SS is said to be originally associated with the house of Lancaster.

As you can see we have several variations of a Hatfield Coat of Arms. The main thing to remember is that a Coat of Arms belonged to a family lineage -- not a surname. So often you would see Arms of the son slightly different than that of the father. When marriages took place the family might combine elements of both lineage. Hence the variations.

Having the surname Hatfield does not automatically associate your name with a given Coat of Arms. To be perfectly correct you would have to search back to see if your branch of the family was indeed related to the individual bearing a particular Arms.

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Thomas de Hatfield - Coat of Arms

The Bishop of Durham, Thomas de Hatfield has a very distinctive Coat of Arms. Several elements make it very different than most religous heraldry. The shield is his own personal arms. Behind the shield are his sword and pastorial staff. Most religous heraldry would have 2 staffs. Another unusual feature is the mitre (bishops cap) coming out of a crown. Thomas held the title of Count Palatine (fuedal lord) before he became a bishop and the ducal coronet signifies that high title. Many have incorrectly depicted other bishops' in the same way, but they are incorrect in doing so because Thomas de Hatfield was the only one to hold that high position.

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Hatfield Coat of Arms
Hatfield Rural District

It is interesting that even areas and places can have a Coat of Arms. The Hatfield Rural District Council was granted one on May 14, 1945.

Arms: Barry of ten Argent and Azure a Lion rampant Ermine on a Chief Gules three ducal Coronets Or all within a Bordure of the last charged with eight Tudor Roses proper.
Crest: On a Wreath of the Colours an Oak Tree charged with a Tudor Rose proper.
Motto: 'SEMPER SERIO' -- Always in earnest.

The 3 coronets come from the arms of the See of Ely. The bishop of Ely built the palace at Hatfield.
The Tudor roses are associated with Henry VIII when he came into possession of the palace. ( James I later traded Hatfield palace for Theobalds with Sir Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury.)
The Barry argent and Lion are associated with the Cecils.
The Lion could also be associated with the Arms of Thomas de Hatfield, who carried this element in antiquity.
The Oak is associated with the tree that Queen Elizabeth (Henry's daughter) was sitting under when she heard the news of her accession to the crown.