Heraldry Research

Genealogy has many different aspects and one of the hardest to research is heraldry. Originally heraldry, also known as a Coat of Arms or armorial bearings, came out of Western Europe during the twelfth century as a form of military identifications. AAG International Research (www.intl-research.com) states that the military aristocracy developed the system of visual symbols within certain conventions to help determine who was on whose side during battles. According to Heraldry Origins (www.heraldryorigins.com), knights were allowed to originally choose their own coat of arms, but by the fifteenth century a system was put in place to keep duplication down to a minimum and the College of Arms was created. The coat of arms was granted by the king and registered in the College of Arms in England. There are similar agencies in other countries.

Today, a coat of arms has become popular for individuals, companies, governments, cities and towns as well as the church. Each began to devise and use their own coat of arms on everything from simple posters to coffee mugs, correspondence and even mouse pads.

Heraldry is as much science as it is an art form. When originally devised (created) they were often recorded by hand, but most were spoken and passed down generation by generation, thus the arms are open and subject to interpretation. Further, heraldry refers to the coats of arms for a certain specific locations. One name (i.e. Smith) many have many forms of a coat of arms depending on location which can result in a large shield as each generation adopts and adds their unique spin on the coat of arms. It is recommended that if one wishes to determine if a coat of arms is true, it is a good place to start by looking and the names origin and locality.

According to the College of Arms (www.college-of-arms.gov.uk) there are no coat of arms for only a surname (last name). For a person to have a right to a coat of arms, they must either have it granted to them or be descended in the legitimate male line from a person to whom the arms were granted or confirmed in the past. However, a surname can have up to 20+ spelling variations. So, if there is no arms in the current spelling of the name, it is advisable the check variations of the spelling to try to make a connection.

While it may be hard to prove that one is entitled to formally bear a coat of arms, one can be devised for their personal taste. Unfortunately it will not be recognized in the College of Arms or its affiliates, but would be something interesting to past down in each generation. There are websites, such as www.coatsofarms.addr.com that can help find and even design a coat of arms.