A charge is defined as, "anything borne on a coat of arms, whether upon the field ... or upon an ordinary, or indeed upon another charge." (Gough & Parker, page 102) We have included ordinaries within the Table of Contents for the charges as they are in fact borne upon the field of many coats of arms.

The various charges have been divided between those which represent animate charges and those which represent inanimate charges. Within these two broad categories, the charges have been further divided be types.

TABLE OF CONTENTES
Animate Charges Beasts Birds Fish, Insects & Reptiles The Human Figure Monsters		Inanimate Charges Crosses Crowns, Helmets, Chaplets & Chapeaux Misc. Other Charges Nautical Ordinaries Roundels Trees & Plants Weapons & Military Objects