"In medieval times many disputes were settled by force. Before embarking upon a dispute over borders with your neighbors, however, it was important to know how many knights he could put in the field against you. Heralds could easily discover this. During a battle itself they were also able to tell their lord by recognizing the arms, who the opponents were, how many knights they could put into the field and what men they had under their command. They also reported who had left or joined the battle and what forces they had taken away or added. This last function was very important, since many of the combatants were involved only for what they could obtain for themselves; expected allies sometimes held back from the fray and joined it only when it was clear which side was going to win - not always the side with whom they had started out!

"Heralds quite often had to decide who had won a battle. At the battle of Agincourt the French and English Heralds watched the day's events together and in the evening reported to King Henry of England that the 'day was his'.

"Another important function was the identifying of captives. Important people were held hostage for the ransom that could be gained and ordinary people were put to death. It was obviously necessary to get this right! Heralds also had the unenviable task of identifying the dead. This presented no great difficulty when men fought largely on foot and wore chain mail with open helmets made of iron. The slain could be easily recognized. Knights used to wear over their chain mail a long, loose, padded coat, made of tough material, to help protect them from sword cuts and they adopted the practice of painting their armorial bearings on these. This was called coat armour, or coat of arms, and is the derivation of the phrase, Coat of Arms. If the face of the slain was not recognizable, it was possible to identify him by his Coat of Arms. When, in later years, knights started to wear plate armour and closed helmets, it was impossible to recognize anyone except by his Coat of Arms; the Heralds therefore insisted that knights continue to wear a short surcoat, with their arms painted on them, so that mistakes could be avoided.

"When knights charged into battle on their great war horses, wielding huge axes, lances and swords, the force of the impact must have been terrible. Not only was it a question of identifying the dead, but a matter of finding all the right pieces. The use of arms emblazoned on everything, including the crest of the helmet, enabled the Heralds to perform this grisly task. The clash of a couple of hundred knights, charging full pelt at one another and wielding every kind of dismembering weapon, must have been sheer bedlam. No wonder so many knight effigies are shown wearing armour! It was probably so battered that it could not be removed."