HERALDIC MEMORIAL

commemorative work of art decorated with the armorial bearings of the deceased. Nowhere is heraldry more effectively employed than in memorials, whether these take the form of stained-glass windows, effigies, monumental brasses, or memorials on church walls and in graveyards. Two types of heraldic memorial are particularly noteworthy. The first is the stone slab customary on the continent of Europe. Achievements of arms (representations of shield, helmet, crest, mantling, and supporters) generally cover the slab, which also may bear a Gothic tracery design; the inscription either surrounds the edge of the slab or is placed above or beneath the arms. The second type of memorial is the hatchment (q.v.), in which England is particularly rich.