Posts: 102 Location: London
Fri 13 May, 2005 6:46 am
Guys, there are lots of things about heraldry that tend not to be well understood. As has already been stated, very few families were actually associated with achievements of arms. It's also absolutely correct to say that a specific armorial bearing relates only to an INDIVIDUAL, not to a family.
The rules relating to the use of arms varies somewhat from one country to another. British heraldry is very specifically regulated. The College of Arms is the official repository of the coats of arms and pedigrees of English, Welsh, Northern Irish and Commonwealth families and their descendants. Its records also include official copies of the records of Ulster King of Arms the originals of which remain in Dublin. The Court of the Lord Lyon is the heraldic authority for Scotland and it deals with all matters relating to Scottish Heraldry and Coats of Arms and maintains the Scottish Public Registers of Arms and Genealogies.
For more detail on the specific use of armorial bearings in the UK, see here:
http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/
These are some key points from the FAQ section at the College of Arms:
Q. Do coats of arms belong to surnames?
A. No. There is no such thing as a 'coat of arms for a surname'. Many people of the same surname will often be entitled to completely different coats of arms, and many of that surname will be entitled to no coat of arms. Coats of arms belong to individuals. For any person to have a right to a coat of arms they must either have had it granted to them or be descended in the legitimate male line from a person to whom arms were granted or confirmed in the past.
Q. What is a crest?
A. It is a popular misconception that the word 'crest' describes a whole coat of arms or any heraldic device. It does not. A crest is a specific part of a full achievement of arms: the three-dimensional object placed on top of the helm.
See also these links for more information and some great examples of heraldic art:
The Court of the Lord Lyon (Scottish Heraldry)
http://www.lyon-court.com
The Heraldry Society
http://www.theheraldrysociety.com/index.htm
The Heraldry Society of Scotland
http://www.heraldry-scotland.co.uk/
The White Lion Society
http://www.whitelionsociety.org.uk/
I hope that's all useful!
With best regards,
B.
:D
Edited just to point out that my avatar is only a bit of heraldic doodling on my part and has no historical or genealogical significance whatsoever! I'll explain it's derivation later if you REALLY want to know! It probably breaks SO many of the heraldic rules! I use this banner variant as my flying flag screensaver. (Sad, isn't it...?! :p :lol: )
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