Do You Really Have A Family Coat Of Arms?
Mary Clement Douglass, CG
Appeared in Family Chronicles, July/August 2008
Your Family Coat of Arms, Meticulously Researched, Faithfully Illustrated According to Strict Heraldic Guidelines and Delivered to Your Email Inbox within 24 Hours for Only $5.00! This is a current advertisement on the Internet. It is very similar to a print advertisement for a “family coat of arms” I saw in 1972 and in my ignorance, purchased. At the time, it was popular to have your “family coat of arms” or “family crest” as part of your home’s decor. In an age of high mobility and far from family, it gave a young couple a sense of stability and connectedness. However, it was then, and is now, a fraud perpetrated on the unsuspecting and the ignorant. It is a form of identity theft. Let the buyer beware! In some countries, this form of identity theft is punishable by law. In Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Spain and South Africa registration of coats of arms is required by law.
Coats of arms were never given to families; therefore, there is no “family coat of arms” or “crest.” Coats of arms were given by the King to an individual to identify him in battle in an age when soldiers were heavily armored and indistinguishable when their helmet visors were closed. The coat of arms, painted on shields and embroidered on surcoats [a loose short coat worn over armor], told you who was friend and who was foe.
The king needed someone to record and keep track of who was who, so the office of the Herald was created. The herald not only kept tract of who belonged to which coats of arms, he also kept track of the genealogies of those entitled to them. That is how the study of coats of arms became known as heraldry. In Western Europe the office of the heralds is sometimes called the College or Kings of Arms. In Scotland he is the Lord Lyon of Arms. The Herald is empowered by the Crown to decide who is authorized to display a certain coat of arms. When the current holder of the coat of arms dies, his oldest son may apply for the same coat of arms. When he dies, his oldest son may apply. The rules of succession to a coat of arms are very similar to those for becoming the monarch of the country. However, even the rightful heir may not display the coat of arms until he or she has been confirmed and granted authorization by the heralds. Only one person may rightfully display a specific coat of arms at any one time.
The basic elements of a heraldic achievement (the correct technical term for a coat of arms) are taken from the items a knight wore in battle and include a shield, a helmet above the shield, mantling hanging from the helmet, a torse (wreath) or twisted cloth around the helmet, a crest atop the torse, supporters on either side of the shield, a compartment for the supporters to stand on, any symbols of office to which the bearer is entitled, and any mottoes, badges, or war cries. The primary component is the shield, the most common form being the heater or flatiron. The surface of the shield is called the field. The field may be partitioned or divided by lines. A shield divided by a vertical line up the middle in known as per pale. The right side is known as dexter, and the left side is sinister. A shield divided by a horizontal line across the center is per fess. The top half of the shield is the chief. The bottom half is the base. There are specific colors that may be used on a shield. Two are metals—gold (or) and silver (argent). Five are colors—black (sable), blue (azure), green (vert), purple (purpure), and red (gules). There are also furs, such as ermine, used by royalty and peers. The helmet above the shield varies according to one’s rank. In English heraldry, the king’s helmet is gold, a peer’s silver, a knight’s steel with visor open, and a gentlemen’s or squire’s helmet is steel with closed visor. The mantling hanging from the helmet represents the tattered silk mantle worn on the helmet to protect the wearer’s head and helmet from the sun’s rays. It is in two colors: the outside is the principal shield color, the lining is a metal. A torse (wreath) or twisted cloth around the helmet is made of two pieces of silk twisted together and used to attach the mantle to the helmet. The principal color and metal are used to color the six twists. A crest atop the torse was made of boiled leather or lightweight wood and was usually one of the shield charges—animals, plants, birds, and humans or parts thereof. The color may be natural, main color or metal, or another metal or color. The supporters on either side of the shield are usually animal, human, or fantastic figure placed on either side of the shield to support it. The compartment on which shield and supporters stand is a base, usually a grassy mound. The motto, usually in Latin, may be placed on a scroll set below or above the shield. It may have been the war cry of the original grantee.
The special language of heraldry is called blazonry. This language is based on Norman French. One describes the background color of the shield followed by any basic patterns, and their colors; a description of all groups of charges (plants, creatures or other items) in the pattern number, type, color, adjectives; followed by their locations and descriptions of the achievement’s helmet, mantling, supporters, crests, and son on, each in their own section. The original Douglas shield [in English] reads: A silver shield with a man's red heart, crowned, and three silver stars on a blue chief or as emblazoned argent, a man’s heart Gules, ensigned with an imperial crown proper; on a chief azure, three mullets of the field (the heart is crowned since 1562). The helmet is that of a peer, topped by a red velvet chapeau. The crest is a salamander in flames. The motto translates to “Never Behind.” Legend says the heart refers to the expedition by Lord James of Douglas to the Holy Land with the heart of King Robert the Bruce of Scotland.
How can you get a legitimate coat of arms?
To properly use a coat of arms granted to an ancestor, a person must prove he is descended in the male line from a recognized holder of the arms. The genealogy must be documented from original source materials and be acceptable to the heraldic court. You may petition the appropriate heraldic office of the country of your ancestry for a grant of arms based on one an ancestor was granted or your own personal arms. Obtaining official recognition is usually costly and time consuming. Modern coats of arms are granted based on significant public service. If consent for a coat of arms is granted, the heralds will help to create a unique design, which will be rendered on vellum by artists using colors and gold.
A less expensive option for those of Scottish descent is the clan badge. It is correct for Scots clansmen and women to wear their Chief’s Crest encircled with a strap and buckle bearing their Chief’s Motto or Slogan. Men wear this buckler on their bonnet and ladies wear it on their dresses or shawls. I wear mine on a Douglas tartan sash for formal occasions.
If you would like to learn more about the serious study of heraldry and any rights you might have to display coats of arms, there are a number of Web sites devoted to the accurate use of coats of arms.
Further Reading:
- Charles Boutell, Boutell’s Heraldry, revised by J. P. Brooke-Little (New York: 1973).
- John Bernard Burke, Burke’s Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, Including American Families with British Ancestry (London, 1939).
- _____, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales: Comprising a Registry of Armorial Bearings from the Earliest to the Present Time (London, 1884, reprinted, 1969).
- Jeff Chapman, “Lions, Tinctures & Bearings: Oh my!” The Family Chronicle Collection (September 1996-August 1997), 171-173.
- Rosemary A. Chorzempa, Design Your Own Coat of Arms: An Introduction to Heraldry (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1987).
- Gilbert H. Doane and James B. Bell, Searching for Your Ancestors: The How and Why of Genealogy, Sixth Edition (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1992), pages 260-265 and bibliography on pages 292-293.
- Richard Eastman, “Pssst! Want to Buy Your Family’s Coat of Arms?” GenieSpeak (http://www.geniespeak.com/coatofarms.html: accessed 3 December 2007).
- Mark D. Herber. Ancestral Trails: The Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History. Paperback edition. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000.) Chapter 26.
- Halvor Moorshead, “Acquiring a REAL Coat of Arms: Part I,” Family Chronicles (September/October 2003; http://www.familychronicle.com/CoatofArms1.htm); “Acquiring a REAL Coat of Arms: Part II,” Family Chronicles (November/December 2003; http://www.familychronicle.com/CoatofArms2.htm); “Acquiring a REAL Coat of Arms: Part III,” Family Chronicles (May/June 2004).
- Robert Watt, Chief Herald of Canada, “Heraldry: Myths, Realities and Opportunities” Family Chronicle (January/ February 1998; http://www.familychronicle.com/CoatofArms1.htm; accessed 5 December 2007)
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