Templeton Coat of Arms

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The Templeton Coat of Arms, and this description was copied exactly as written from the book Templeton, published 1953, by L. B. Templeton, Jr.

The following is a description of the Templeton Coat of Arms as found in Burke’s General Armory, world authority on heraldry, and also in Burke’s Encyclopedia of Hearldry. (The explanations of the terms used were taken from a dictionary of heraldry and are given in parentheses.)

"Templeton. A. (azure, or blue) A fesse, or, (A fesse is formed by two horizontal lines drawn across the field, comprising the escutcheon. It is emblematic of the military girdle worn around the body over the armor.) ("or" means gold or yellow.) In base a church ar. (Ar" means white or silver.) Crest: a holy lamb reguard ar., ("reguard" means watchful) sustaining over the shoulder a banner gu ("gu" means red).

Translated into modern English, this means:

"Blue background with a gold fesse; a white or silver church in the base; a white or silver holy lamb in a watchful position, holding a red banner over the shoulder."

The following is also taken from Burke’s General Armory:

"Templeton, Scotland, 16th century: Gu, a temple ar. On a chief sa. A star or."

In modern English, this means: "Templeton, Scotland, 16th century; red, with a white or silver temple on a back chief (upper third) a gold or yellow star."

From these descriptions it would appear that there were two Templeton coats of arms, one in England and one in Scotland.

"The surname was undoubtedly adopted by the Templeton family because of their residence near a temple, a place of worship, as was the ancient custom when surnames were first assumed. The coat of arms of the Templeton family indicated they were deeply religious and it was, no doubt, because of the zeal and heroism of some early ancestor participating in the Holy Wars that the arms was awarded. A great many of thes staunch crusaders embodied in their personal name, or bore on their coat armor, some allusion or symbol proclaiming their allegiance to the Christian faith.

Regarding the significance of the heraldric bearings: azure (blue) denotes sincerity; gold indicates great generosity and elevation of mind; the paschal lamb and the pennant which it carries are symbolical of the Pilgrim, particularly one who engages in the Holy Wars during the Crusades.

The absence of a motto on the Templeton coat of arms shows it to be a most ancient one, as mottoes were adopted somewhere later than the beginning of the decoration of coat of armor.