Funerary hatchment

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/funerary-hatchment

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Which continent is Funerary hatchment in?The German Totenschild ('shield of the dead') served a comparable memorial function
2. What is the primary medium?Painted heraldic achievement within a black lozenge frame
3. What is the social stratification?Restricted to nobility and armigerous gentry, signifying status and lineage
4. Why is the hatchment black?The black background and frame symbolize mourning and the fact that the person is no longer alive.
5. Who could have a funerary hatchment?Only noble or armigerous families—those with their own coats of arms—were allowed to display one.

Heraldry: The system of designing, displaying, and regulating coats of arms and other insignia.
Advowson: The right of a patron to appoint a clergyman to a church benefice.
Semiotics: The study of signs and symbols and their interpretation.