Funerary Hatchments: Secret Symbols of the Past!

A funerary hatchment is like a special picture frame, but instead of a photo, it holds a coat of arms. Think of a coat of arms as a super-fancy family logo with shields, animals, and colors that showed who a person was. These hatchments were usually diamond-shaped and hung up to remember someone important who had died.

They were like a special announcement that someone from a noble family was gone.

After someone important died, their hatchment would first be put on the wall of their house. It was a way for everyone to see and remember them. Later, these special shields were moved to the church, often in a special part of the church that belonged to that family. It was like a permanent memorial, showing the family's history and importance to everyone who visited the church.

The symbols on a hatchment were like a secret code! The shield, called an escutcheon, showed the family's special crest and sometimes even pictures of animals or knights called supporters. If the person was a soldier, they might even have flags or swords behind their shield! It was a way to show off their bravery and their family's story without using any words.

Did you know that other countries had similar ideas? In Germany, they had something called a 'Totenschild,' which means 'shield of the dead.' It was basically the same idea – a special shield to remember someone who had passed away. It shows that remembering important people with special symbols is something people have done for a very long time, all over the world!