The Myth of Family Crests

One of the most famous, the Coat of Arms of Richard III

If you do family research for any length of time or talk to someone who does, eventually the subject of a family crest arises. Posted trees on the Internet often include a picture of a Family Crest, claiming that the coat of arms noted belonged to their ancestor and therefore they have an attachment to it as well, and possibly even, the rights to use it. Sadly, this is a myth, plain and simple.  The family crest or coats of arms does not exist as such.  According to William Armstrong Crozier in his article originally titled “The Use and Abuse of Armorial Bearings,” which appeared in The Delineator (March, 1905), pp. 426-428:

"According to English laws of heraldry, armorial bearings are the property of an individual, descending to his children and their children. It is the exclusive property of the one who either received it by grant or proved his prescriptive right to it. If it is attained by a grant of arms, the lineal descendants, not the collateral relatives, may pretend to it. The brother of a grantee is no more entitled to the use of the same arms than a complete stranger. Maternal descent from a gentlewoman does not give the right to coat of armor to the descendant of a man not having inherited from his male ancestor. If a man without armorial bearings marry an heiress, he cannot make use of her arms, for having no escutcheon of his own, it is evident he cannot charge his shield with her arms; neither would their issue, being unable to quarter, he permitted to bear their maternal coat. This is a rule frequently violated in America." [This article which appears under the title of "The Use and Abuse of the Coat of Arms and Crest" by  William Armstrong Crozier can be found on the Genealogy Magazine website here.]

From this we are to understand that Arms were granted by different organizations during the medieval period to an individual. While the right to use that crest was sometimes granted to the male descendants of a family, they were never considered "family" crests. The real challenge for the genealogist is proving a direct link to the particular ancestor that was granted the Arms. Through good solid research, that may be possible. And doing so, will certainly give you a sense of pride in knowing your ancestor was deemed worthy enough to have been granted Arms.

"Family Crest" product

But the problem today arises from the numerous companies selling what they claim are your family coat of arms or crest. With a few keystrokes, they produce a document which they claim supports your right to display and use this Coat of Arms. As genealogists, we know that research is painstakingly slow and tedious. In order to add a single generation to our line, with proof, takes days of careful research.  Yet these wizards of heraldry are able to circumvent all that work and quickly come up with a definitive Coat of Arms for you to proudly display in your house in an exquisitely framed document, or one of their many other products. When asked for source information on which this document is derived, they reply that it is part of their proprietary database which they cannot and will not allow you to access. The fact of the matter is they are using historical sources, such as  Burke’s Peerage or  Armory not some secret files system they have collected through their own research.

These companies will sell you various products so that you can display your "family Crests."  This includes documents as shown above, as well as Signet Rings. They claim if you purchase and wear this ring, you can feel connected to your ancestors who used signet rings in their daily lives.

This problem is not a new one.  According to Crozier, the practice of using crests registered to a person with the same last name became popular in America during the 1700's. In the beginning of the century, a carriage maker by the name of Gore complied what he claimed were the arms of his customers' families and had these arms emblazoned on the carriages he sold them.  Towards the latter half of the century, dozens of fake heraldry "experts" including Thomas Johnson, John Coles and  Nathaniel Hurd were selling Family Crests displayed as paintings. Crozier's article, which was written well over a century ago in 1905, cautioned people about falling into this trap.  And yet, the problem still exists today.

As James Pylant points out in his article for Genealogy Magazine, the myth of the Family Crest is perpetuated by the companies who are advertising their products, claiming to sell authentic family coat of arms which are thoroughly researched.  Pylant states:

"Because "heraldry" mills produced and sold coats of arms for ... practically any surname for decades, a myth grew in American culture that every family has a coat of arms, or at least one exists for every surname. It has also become popular to use the expression "family crest" when referring to the arms, but the two words are not interchangeable; the crest is what sits atop the coat of arms."    [His article "My So-Called Family Coat of Arms:A Case Study" by James Pylant can be found in its entirety here.]

As noted by Pylant, the use of the term Family "Crest" is also incorrect.  As he points out, the crest is a component of the display of arms, not the actual registered arms.

For further information about Coat of Arms and researching your ancestor's arms, the website for the Society of Genealogists -The National Family History Centre contains an article "Hints & Tips Seven: The Right to Arms." the article includes information about the history of coat of arms, College of Arms sources, Scottish sources, and mottos. That article can be found here.

You might ask, can I register a Coat of Arms for myself? There are several bodies which record and register coats of arms throughout the World. One of the most well known is the College of Arms in England. It is possible to register arms with them, if you meet their criteria.  You can locate more information about that here. For links to other countries, you can read the article "How to Register a Coat of Arms" which includes links to various heraldic authorities.  The article can be found here. 

In America, we have no tradition of heraldry as was practiced in the medieval period. Corporations use logos and such, but arms were not registered to people as they were done overseas. There is an American College of Heraldry, and they will register arms for you, though they advise that the College does not have any statutory right to grant arms and registered arms have no legal standing. Information about the College and registering arms can be found here.

My personal Coat of Arms
which are registered to me
 in the SCA College of Arms

Within the medieval living history organization (the SCA) in which I am an active participant, members can design and register their own unique Coat of Arms. The SCA College of Arms assists members in developing and registering a Coat of Arms. (More information on that process can be found on their website here.) We use these arms, or what SCAdians offer refer to as "devices" much as was done in period - to identify ourselves to others.  We display our arms on banners, to show that we are encamped at an event and help others find our pavilion or tent in a seas of similar structures. We paint our shields and mark our clothing such as our surcoats and tabards with our arms so that we are recognizable on the field. (Actually this was the original purpose of heraldry.)  We even put our arms on personal items such as mugs and pouches to identify these objects as belonging to us. Having a registered Coat of Arms with the SCA carries no legal right, just as registering it with the American College of Arms does not, but within our organization, I have the sole right to use these arms.  And it gives me a sense of pride and belonging-ness. And when I attach a picture of it to my family tree, I know that it really is My Coat of Arms!