Where does it come from?

Mediaeval knights wearing full armour with helmet could not be identified even face to face, in order to prevent any mishaps on the battlefield, such as one friend injuring another a means of identification was necessary.

A colourful solution came as knights painted patterns on their battle shields. These became more elaborate, as the designs implied historical factors or aspirations.

For example, the Willis chevron (upside down V) symbolised protection and has often been placed on Arms to tell others that it's bearer achieved some notable feat.

As more designs were created it became necessary to register the design to give each knight exclusive right to his Arms.

By the 13th century a full coat of Arms included the shield supporting a helmet, the style of which depended on the country and status of the bearer. Topped with a wreath supporting the crest.

The design of the crest, made from leather, thin metal and wood, denotes the branch of the family, the London Willises would show a bird of prey, the Hertford Willises a stags head, and so on. Finally the Mantle, a cloth that hung from the helmet to show that the bearer had been to battle. Being the least important feature, often a stylised mantling was used for different Arms.

The job of recording all this went to the King's Heralds (hence Heraldry), usually in Norman-French, the court language of the time.

Can I use this as my coat of arms?