Crests are of very ancient use; marks of dignity worn upon the head are among the earliest signs of chieftainship used by mankind. A savage chief would readily wear a rare bird's feather in his head as a mark of dignity, or even his own hair matted into particular forms, as the Zulus still do. As for feathers, we still wear them on our heads as indications of rank; they can be found on the ceremonial hats of all the great Orders of Knighthood, on the hats of the Staff of our army as well as on several Regimental head-dresses, and on the hats of our Civil Servants.
Knights and Companions, or Esquires, of Orders of Knighthood show the badge or badges of the Order or Orders to which they belong suspended from the proper ribbon from the base of their shields. Medals are seldom so shown. Knights Commanders of Orders of Knighthood usually, in addition, surround their coats-of-arms with the ribbon and motto of their senior Order. From this ribbon may depend the badges of all the Orders to which the Knight belongs. Knights Grand Cross may further surround their coats-of-arms with the collars of any or all the Orders having collars to which they belong, the badge of each depending from its proper collar. When several collars are shown they are sometimes halved, each badge always being so arranged as to hang from a link of its own collar.
Many officials besides those already mentioned are entitled to show emblems of their office outside their shields, but few of these show on book-stamps. An instance, however, may be seen on one of the stamps used by Samuel Pepys, where he shows two anchors behind his shield as a mark of his position as Secretary to the Admiralty. In the same way Field-Marshals are entitled to place crossed batons behind their shields.
Clergymen of high rank sometimes ensign their coats-of-arms with a Mitre, but as non-combatants they use no crests. Archbishops and Bishops impale the Arms of their See with their own paternal coats, the official coat taking the dexter position. Deans also and lesser ecclesiastical dignitaries in many cases impale their family coats with an official one, in the same way.
The origin of Supporters to coats-of-arms is a matter upon which there is much difference of opinion. It is probable that as now used they are partly of utilitarian and partly of decorative origin. Badges and charges on coats-of-arms have often developed into Supporters. Henry VIII., in 1528, borrowed one of the lions of England from his coat-of-arms and adopted him as a Dexter Supporter, a dignity he has retained ever since.
At Tournaments, before the combatants entered the Lists their banners and shields were displayed and held by retainers or pages. These serving-men were dressed in their Lord's livery or in some fancy dress. So that a Knight's shield would be recognised not only by the devices upon it, but also by the colours and appearance of its Supporter.
Many foreign shields, and ancient English ones also, show only one Supporter, and it is likely enough that when pictorial heraldry began generally to show Supporters, a second Supporter was often added for the sake of uniformity alone. In King Arthur's Book at the College of Arms, illuminated quite early in the sixteenth century, banners are shown with only one Supporter holding them up.
Supporters were regularly used by persons of high rank from early in the fifteenth century; they carry on them any marks of cadency which may be on the shield to which they belong. The right to use Supporters depends upon the wording of the grant of Arms concerned. Practically they are now seldom granted except to Peers. In the past, however, many commoners have been granted Supporters for their coats-of-arms, by Royal Warrant, and some of these are hereditary. This is a point which would be specified in the grant, and without such specification the Supporters would not be hereditary.
In Scotland ancient usage is allowed to be a good cause for using Supporters.