Civic Heraldry: Fairfax County, Virginia
The use of heraldry is prevalent in the United States. Many organizations, both public and private, display a proper coat of arms. Fairfax County, Virginia is no exception. A coat of arms is displayed on the county seal as well as its flag and on many signs and buildings throughout the county. Many people look at these emblems as a form of art that is pleasing to the eye. What many do not understand is the coat of arms, also known simply as arms or armory, is also a historical document which can describe the organization or its namesake.
In its most fundamental form, heraldry is the practice of displaying a personal coat of arms for identification. At its height during the medieval period in Europe, noblemen and knights placed heraldic symbols on their armor, shields, banners, and other property. While the exact origin of heraldry is not clear, and its original purpose remains a matter of dispute by historians, the meaning of heraldry has evolved to describe the practice as the art of designing, recording, displaying, granting, and describing coats of arms. In Britain, coats of arms, more formally known as full or heraldic achievements, belonged to an individual rather than a family and were legally passed from father to son. As they were used for
legal documents and identification, their use was tightly controlled. Therefore, a strict protocol for creating coats of arms, including what symbols and colors are permitted, was used by practitioners of heraldry. In fact, heraldry originated when most people were illiterate. Those who could not read could easily recognize the bold, striking, and simple designed which made up the coat of arms. Blazonry is a unique language which was developed around the 12th century at a time when the nobility and knights of Europe traveled to Holy Land for the Crusades. It is a combination of Norman French, Anglicized Latin and Old English and is used to describe a coat of arms. The people responsible for documenting and describing events were known as heralds. These heralds would also document the achievements of knights and nobles. The role of herald has evolved, especially in the United Kingdom, into an officer of the royal household responsible for all matters of armory, including issuance, governance, and documentation of arms. The most well-known heralds all belong to The Royal College of Arms in England and the Court of the Lord Lyon in Scotland. The arms of Fairfax County, Virginia is derived from the arms of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. Lord Fairfax’s personal arms were a combination of the arms of his father’s family, with those of his mother’s. The arms of Fairfax County feature the portion of the arms representing the Fairfaxes of Cameron.
The coat of arms for Fairfax County, Virginia is blazoned as: “Arms: Or three bars gemels Gules surmounted of a lion rampant Sable; ensigned with the coronet of a Scottish Lord of Parliament. Crest: A lion passant guardant sable. Supporters: Dexter, a lion rampant guardant sable; sinister, a bay horse. Motto: Fare fac “
“Or” is the Norman -French word for gold. The arms of Fairfax County are translated as a gold shield with three groups of two small red (“gules”) lines with a black (“sable”) lion standing on its hind legs superimposed over the lines. Immediately placed on top of the shield is a coronet of rank for a Scottish lord of parliament (the equivalent of an English baron). Above the coronet is what is known as a crest. The crest is a black lion, facing forward in walking position. Next to the shield are “supporters”. Supporters are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. Supporters are usually reserved for members of certain orders of knights or members of the nobility. A lion standing on its hindlegs and facing forward is placed on the left (dexter) side of the shield. A red horse standing on its hind legs facing the shield is placed on the right (sinister) side. The motto “Fare
fac,” translates as “speak, do.” While “Fare fac” sounds phonetically like “Fairfax,” the name “Fairfax” comes from the old English “faegr” and “feax,” which means “yellow hair”.
Lord Fairfax’s achievement is blazoned as: “Arms: Quarterly, 1st and 4th Or three bars gemels Gules surmounted of a lion rampant Sable; 2nd and 3rd Argent a bend engrailed Gules Or three bars gemels gules surmounted by a lion rampant sable. Ensigned with the coronet of a Lord of Parliament and helm of Peer of the United Kingdom. Crest: A lion passant guardant sable. Supporters: Dexter, a lion rampant guardant sable; sinister, a bay horse. Motto: Fare Fac “
Quarterly means the shield is separated into four parts. The top left and the bottom right, known as the “first” and “fourth” respectively, are the arms of the Fairfax family. Those arms were described earlier. The symbol in the “second” and “third” are the arms of the Colpeper family. The Colpeper’s arms depict a red (“gules”) diagonal line, known as a bend, running from the top left of the shield to the bottom right. The bend is “engrailed”. An engrailed line is not straight. It is indented with small concave curves. This achievement has a coronet of rank as well as a crest above the shield. Also present on this achievement is a silver helmet with gold face bars placed between the coronet and crest. This type of helmet is given to members of the peerage. This achievement features the same crest and supporters as those depicted on Fairfax County’s arms.
Thomas Fairfax, Sixth Lord Fairfax, inherited the title from his father, and close to 5-million-acres of what is known as the “Northern Neck” property from his mother. The property was comprised of land in parts of what is today known as Northern Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. His mother’s family name, Colpeper, is the namesake for both the city and county of Culpeper in Virginia. Lord Fairfax, a friend and mentor to George Washington, was the only peer of Great Britain to permanently settle in the United States. Soon after inheriting the property from his mother, Lord Fairfax turned over Leeds castle to his brother, and moved to Virginia. He remained neutral during the American Revolution, careful not to take sides during the conflict. During that time, George Washington kept tabs on Lord Fairfax; ensuring his land was not seized or molested during the conflict. Lord Fairfax was instrumental in surveying and encouraging settlement in the Northern Neck. He is considered a founding father of Virginia, and his legacy is evident throughout Northern Virginia as well as parts of West Virginia and Maryland.