IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON HERALDRY FROM THE COLLEGE OF ARMS FAQs:  

Q. Do coats of arms belong to surnames?

A.  No. There is no such thing as a 'coat of arms for a surname'. Many people of the same surname will often be entitled to completely different coats of arms, and many of that surname will be entitled to no coat of arms. Coats of arms belong to individuals. For any person to have a right to a coat of arms they must either have had it granted to them or be descended in the legitimate male line from a person to whom arms were granted or confirmed in the past.

Buyer beware! Because of many enquiries regarding Frame heraldry, we are using a 'Frame' coat of arms on this page for illustration purposes only. This Coat of Arms was noted in the published work, THE BRITISH HERALD by Thomas Robson.  However, enquiries made to the College of Arms as to whom these arms were originally granted came up negative. We cannot be certain that the arms shown above were ever actually granted in the past to a person surnamed Frame.   During research, it was noted that BURKE’S GENERAL ARMORY 1884 edition showed identical Arms attributed to the surname FRANCE, Again, there is no indication in this edition of Burke's as to whom these arms of France were granted.  It may be that old script 'm' and 'nc' have been confused with one another:

FRANCE: ‘ar. on a chief gu. three lions ramp. or. – Crest, on a mount vert an ermine ppr.’  [Bernard Burke, THE GENERAL ARMORY OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, IRELAND AND WALES, 1884, p.374].     

The illustration (above) is the arms of FRAME as recorded by Thomas Robson in THE BRITISH HERALD in 1830 and John Burke's ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HERALDRY: OR GENERAL ARMORY OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND in 1847. This is 'supposedly' the earliest arms of FRAME, although Robson does not say to whom this coat of arms was granted:

FRAME: ‘ar. on a chief gu. three lions ramp. or. – Crest, on a mount an ermine ppr.’ * [Thomas Robson, THE BRITISH HERALD, 1830, p.461] 

FRAME:  ‘ar. on a chief gu. three lions ramp. or. – Crest, on a mount an ermine ppr.’  [John Burke, ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HERALDRY: OR GENERAL ARMORY OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND etc, 1847]

*The crest is identical to that of the family Armine of Osgodby, Co. Lincoln. 

The Arms of FREAME shown below are genuine. 

A simple description of the arms of FRAME in the image above:

A silver (ar. = argent) shield with three gold (or. = gold) lions rampant (standing erect on hind legs) on a red (gu. = gules/red) band (chief) at the top of the shield.

An Achievement of Arms has different elements. Some of the following descriptions which apply to the arms of FRAME depicted above, are taken from: James Parker, A GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN HERALDRY, 1894:

Tinctures:   

'(fr. email, pl. emaux): the metals, colours, and furs used in armoury are called tincture.  As a general rule, a charge of metal should never be placed upon a metal field, nor a coloured charge upon a coloured field, but to this there are some exceptions...' 

There are only two metals used in heraldry, gold and silver. The tinctures in the arms of FRAME are:

Or: In heraldic terms, gold is 'Or'. '(fr. from Latin aurum): the chief of the tinctures, i.e. gold. It is called Sol by those who blazon by the sun and planets, Topaz(or Carbuncle) by those who have fancifully taken the names of precious stones. Engravers represent it by an indefinite number of small points. The term Gold is not unfrequently used by heralds to avoid repetition, and the French word Jaune, i.e. yellow, is met with in old heraldic poetry.'

Argent: ' (fr.): the tincture Silver. By those who emblazon according to the Planetary system it is represented by the Moon, just as the tincture of gold is represented by the Sun. Hence it is sometimes fancifully called Luna in the arms of princes, as also Pearl in those of peers. As silver soon becomes tarnished, it is generally represented in painting by white. In engraving it is known by the natural colour of the paper; and in tricking by the letter a. In the doubling of mantles it may be called white, because(as the old heralds say) it is not in that case to be taken for a metal, but the skin of a little beast called a Litvite. Sometimes, too, in old rolls of arms the term blanc is used.'

Gules: '(fr. gueules): the heraldic name of the tincture red. The term is probably derived from the Arabic gule, a red rose, just as the azure was derived from a word in the same language, signifying a blue stone. The word was, no doubt, introduced by the Crusaders. Heralds have, however, guessed it to be derived from the Latin gula, which in old French is found as gueule, i.e. the "red throat of an animal." Others, again, have tried to find the origin in the Hebrew word gulade, which signifies red cloth. Gules is denoted in engravings by numerous perpendicular lines. Heralds was blazoned by planets and jewels called it Mars, and Ruby. '

Elements in the arms of 'FRAME':

Escroll or Scroll:  'A long strip of parchment bearing the motto. It is for the most part placed below the arms, but sometimes, especially in Scotland, above the crest. Scrolls are occasionally found in both these positions.'

Family Crest: Shown above the helmet. '(fr. cimier): a figure anciently affixed to the helmet(fr. casque) of every commander, for his distinction in the confusion of battle, and in used before the hereditary bearing of coat armour: it is not unfrequently confounded with the badge or cognizance, which is a different thing. The word timbre includes the crest, helmet, wreath, &c., in short everything which is above the shield. Crests do not appear to have been considered as in any way connected with the family arms until the fourteenth century, when Edward III. conferred upon William of Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, the right to bear an eagle. The earliest representations of a crest in mediæval times in this country upon any authentic record is perhaps that on the great seal of Richard the First, on which a lion appears figured on the helmet. It does not, however, seem to be a separate attachment, but to be a part of the helmet, and also appears in old illustrations to have been attached to the head of the horse as well as to that of the rider. '

Chief: The chief is a horizontal band across the top of the shield. It was often granted as reward or successful command in war. '(fr. chef): the first of the Ordinaries, and occupying about one-third one the shield from the top downward. The fillet is by some considered its diminutive, while others hold that it can have none. Some English heraldic books, and most foreign, speak of instances of two chiefs, one abased below the other in the same coat, but no English examples are ever adduced. A chief is frequently charged with other bearings, and it may be nebuly, wavy, indented, dancetty, engrailed, embattled, bevilly, &c., but it is only the lower side which is subjected to these variations.'

Lion: (fr. lion): this beast is perhaps the most frequent of all bearings. In early heraldry it is generally represented rampant, while leopards are represented passant guardant, and hence the arms of England, not doubt, are more correctly blazoned, Leopards. Practically, however, the same animal was intended, but different names given according to the position; in later times the name lion was given to both...'

    '...as a general rule more than two lions are seldom represented in the same shield, and, on the other hand, seldom less than two leopards. The commonest bearings are one lion or three leopards. The lions are drawn conventionally, and the design is suited to the material or character of the work into which they are introduced...the position of rampant is the one most common, as it was thought to be the most natural for the lion. It signifies rearing, but with the sinister hinder leg and the sinister fore leg lower than the two dexter legs respectively. The lion is rarely represented rearing with both its hind legs touching the ground and its fore legs even; when it is so it is blazoned salient. A lion rampant, like all other animals, is always understood to be facing the dexter side of the shield.' 

Shield (Escutcheon/Field):  '(Anglo-Sax. Scyld): from the earliest times no doubt the shield borne on the arm to protect the bearer in battle was ornamented with various devices, one object of which was that the bearer should be recognised by his friends in the midst of the fight; and to the devices on these shields there can be no question armorial bearing chiefly owe their origin. The fact that the devices were afterwards pourtrayed on the mantles and on the surcoats, on the trappings of the horses, or on flags and pennons, does not militate against this origin, since such were later developments. The crest on the helmet, however, may perhaps be considered in theory to have as early an origin as the device on the shield, but throughout the middle ages it was the device on the shield which marked the man, and afterwards his family, far more than the crest...'

Helmet: Shown below the crest. '(fr. casque, old fr. heaume, but applied to a close helmet): the covering for protection of the head in warfare has varied in form from the earliest ages onwards, but an account of the various shapes belongs to the history of armour.

    In heraldry the Helmet assumed an important place as an appendage to the shield, for on this was fixed the crest(q.v.). Originally there seems to have been no special distinction as regards the forms of the helmet; they simply followed the customary shape of the period, and were drawn sideways; but in Elizabeth's reign it would appear that certain kinds of helmets were assigned to different degrees of nobility.

Torse: On top of the helmet. 'given as a name for a Wreath.' 

Mantle: Draped from the helmet. '(Mantling, or Cappeline, fr. Lambrequin): this device of the painter to give prominence to the coat of arms and crest in considered in theoretical heraldry to represent the lambrequin, or covering of the helmet, to protect it from the sun or rain. Some authorities contend it should be of the principal colour and metal of the bearer's arms, but red and white have most frequently been used in England...'  

FAMILY CREST

'On a mount vert an ermine ppr.'  

Simple description of the Frame crest: An ermine in its natural form on a green mound or hill.

Ermine:   'Ermine, or Ermin, (old fr. armine, fr. hermine): the fur most frequently used in heraldry. It derives its name from the Ermine or mus Armenicus (so called from being found in the woods of Armenia), a small white animal whose fur it is. The black spots are supposed to represent the tails of ermines, sewed to the white fur for its enrichment. When a bend is ermine, the spots(like all other charges placed upon a bend) must be bendwise, but on a chevron, saltire, &c., they are drawn upright. The term ermyn is frequently found in the ancient rolls of arms, and is very often applied to a quarter or canton. Ermine is practically used like any other tincture, and so any animals, e.g. lions, may be blazoned ermine. '

Proper: '(fr. au naturel): when a charge* is borne of its natural colour it is said to be proper; the word is sometimes used also as to shape, when there is a conventional or heraldic form of the charge, and when the natural form has to be adopted. '

* Charge, (fr. meuble, but more accurately meuble d'armoirie, or meuble de l'ecu): anything borne on a coat of arms, whether upon the field, as was more usually the case in ancient arms, or upon on ordinary, or indeed upon another charge. The position of a charge, unless occupying the centre of the field, i.e. the fesse-point, has to be stated.'

Mount: '(fr. montagne); in later heraldry it is not unusual to separate the lower portion of the shield by a curved line, and by tincturing the same vert to represent therein a mount supposed to be covered with grass. The French heralds use a specific term for this device, viz. terrassé. On this some other device is placed, most frequently a tree, but often an animal grazing, e.g. a stag (see one or two examples under Deer). It may be covered with flowers, or be burning, &c. The mount is sometimes incorrectly written mound, which is a very different device... It is sometimes blazoned as a hill, or hillock, (fr. tertre), or even mole-hill where there is more than one mount represented.'

Vert:  '(fr. sinople): green; absurdly called Venus by those who adopt planets, and Emerald by those who adopt the name precious stones instead of the true name of the tincture. It is expressed in engravings by line in bend. The French are said to have called it Sinople, from a town in the Levant (probably Sinope in Asia Minor) from which were brought the best materials for dyeing green, or silks and stuffs of a brilliant green colour, but the term does not occur before the fifteenth century. In the ancient rolls vert seems to be used occasionally(e.g. in the Roll of Carlaverock spelt verde)...' 

'FREME (Lippiat, co. Gloucester). Ar. a chev. sa. in chief a bar eng. gu.'   [Sir Bernard Burke, THE GENERAL ARMORY, 1884, p.378]

A simple description: A silver shield with a black chevron and in chief a red bar engrailed (indented along the edge with small curves).

©  Julie Frame Falk