Editing Helmet (section)

==Heraldry==<!-- This section is linked from [[Coat of arms of Canada]] -->
{{main|Helmet (heraldry)}}
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As the [[coat of arms]] was originally designed to distinguish [[nobility|noble]] combatants on the battlefield or in a [[tournament (medieval)|tournament]], even while covered in [[armour]], it is not surprising that [[heraldry|heraldic]] elements constantly incorporated the shield and the helmet, these often being the most visible parts of a [[knight]]'s military equipment.

The practice of indicating [[peerage]] through the display of barred or grilled helmets first appeared around 1587-1615,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fox-Davies |first1=Arthur Charles |last2=Johnston |first2=Graham |year=2004 |orig-year=1909 |author-link=Arthur Charles Fox-Davies |title=A Complete Guide to Heraldry |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |location=Whitefish, MT |isbn=1-4179-0630-8}} P. 319.</ref> and the heraldic convention of displaying helmets of rank in the United Kingdom, which came into vogue around [[House of Stuart|Stuart]] times, is as follows:<ref>Fox-Davies, P. 303.</ref>
* Sovereign: a gold barred-face (tournament) helm placed affronté
* Peer's helmet: silver barred-face (tournament) helm placed in profile
* Knight's or baronet's helmet: steel helm (earlier [[frog-mouth helm|jousting helm]], later [[close helm]]) placed affronté with visor open
* Esquire's helmet: steel helm placed in profile with visor closed

Earlier [[roll of arms|rolls of arms]] reveal, however, that early heraldic helmets were depicted in a manner faithful to the styles in actual military or [[Tournament (medieval)|tournament]] use at the time.<ref>Fox-Davies, P. 316.</ref>
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