Dick Oakes' Coat of Arms CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE There are several coat of arms of the Oakes family in existence. Having not traced my family's heritage back very far, I've selected this coat of arms as representative of my family. According to Hanover of St. George's Square in London, England, this Oakes coat of arms was created in 1815. Bart Ball, His Majesty's Civil Commissioner in Malta, said that the stag's head was taken from some portion of the crest of Sir Hildebrand Oakes and adopted by the goldsmiths as part of their mark out of deference to the Island's Civil Commissioner. Debrett's Illustrated Peerage and Baronetage (London, 1874, p 364) shows that a buck actually formed a part of the Oakes crest. Heraldry is the practice of designing, displaying, describing, and recording coats of arms and heraldic badges. The focus of modern heraldry is the armorial achievement, or the coat of arms, the central element of which is the escutcheon or shield. In English the word "crest" is commonly (but erroneously) used to refer to an entire heraldic achievement of armorial bearings. The technical use of the heraldic term "crest" refers to just one component of a complete achievement. The crest rests on top of a helmet which itself rests on the most important part of the achievement: the shield. An armorial motto is a phrase or collection of words intended to describe the motivation or intention of the armigerous person or corporation. A motto may be in any language. Supporters are human or animal figures or, very rarely, inanimate objects, usually placed on either side of a coat of arms as though supporting it. To "blazon" arms means to describe them using the formal language of heraldry. This language has its own vocabulary and syntax, or rules governing word order, which becomes essential for comprehension when blazoning a complex coat of arms. The verb comes from the Middle English "blasoun," itself a derivative of the French "blason" meaning "shield." The system of blazoning arms used in English-speaking countries today was developed by heraldic officers in the Middle Ages. The blazon includes a description of the arms contained within the escutcheon or shield, the crest, supporters where present, motto, and other insignia. The blazon of this Oakes coat of arms is: Arms, – Argent, on a chevron engrailed sable between three sprigs of oak fructed proper a cross of eight points of the field, on a canton gules a mullet of as many points within a crescent of the first. Crest, – Out of a mural crown gules a buck's head erased at the neck proper, gorged with a collar embattled counter embatttled or. Name Scroll, – Oakes. Motto, – Persevere.