yoke

Europe in the middle ages was still a largely agrarian society, and the wealth of the nobility resided in their estates and land. Since most people still lived and worked on the land they would find farm implements instantly recognisable, (an important feature for a coat of arms), even if they seem obscure to us today, the garb Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 86 might fall into this category. The yoke is a typical example of farming features that speak of a long heritage in the countryside, being the device used to attach oxen or horses to the plough.