what does brown mean in heraldry?

Answer 1

Brown, in heraldry? I don't think there is any. Tis neither a metal nor color (tincture).

Colors:
Sable (black)
Azure (blue)
Purpure (purple)
Vert (green)
Gules (red)

Metals:
Argent (silver, white or grey)
Or (yellow or gold)

Somewhere I've run across a word I may not recall correctly, something like tawny / tenne but I don't know that it's correct in heraldry. Ohhh wait yes I do, some colors found in nature (animals) are sometimes used in the CHARGE. "A charge is any object or figure placed on a heraldic shield or on any other object of an armorial composition."

Here's what the link says about that:

"Heraldic charges can also be displayed in their natural colors. Many natural items such as plants and animals are described as proper in this case. Proper charges are very frequent as crests and supporters. Overuse of the tincture "proper" is viewed as decadent or bad practice."

Therefore "proper" refers to a natural color and in heraldry is assumed to be recognized, but not otherwise described.

Those pompous 'family coats of arms' things aren't real heraldry, they're to sell stuff.

Answer 2

No brown in heraldry

TinctureThe first rule of heraldry is the rule of tincture: metal (bright tinctures) must never be placed upon metal, nor colour (dark tinctures) upon colour, for the sake of contrast; except where this cannot be avoided, as in the case of a charge overlying a partition of the field. Like any rule, this admits some exceptions, the most famous being the arms chosen by Godfrey of Bouillon when he was made king of Jerusalem, featuring five gold (or yellow) crosses potent on an silver (or white) field ; a design that might have been modelled after the Arab technique of Damascus steel.

The names used in English blazon for the tinctures come mainly from French:

| Tincture | Heraldic name |
| Metals |
| Gold/Yellow | Or |
| Silver/White | Argent |
| Colours |
| Blue | Azure |
| Red | Gules |
| Black | Sable |
| Green | Vert |
| Purple | Purpure |
|
A number of other colours are occasionally found, typically for special purposes. These are discussed in the main article on tinctures.

Besides the solid tinctures, certain patterns called furs function as tinctures. The two common furs are ermine and vair, each of which has several rarer variants.
* Ermine represents the winter coat of the stoat, which is white with a black tail; the heraldic fur is white with a pattern of black spots, representing a number of skins sewn together.
* Vair and Potent represent a kind of squirrel with a blue-gray back and white belly; sewn together it forms a pattern of alternating blue and white shapes.

Answer 3

Can't find anything on brown, but check out the following site
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jkmacmul//heraldry/colors.html

Answer 4

Heraldic Colors Meanings