What Is Coat of Arms?

Have you been tracing your family tree and wondered what these old designs are about? If you are like me then you’ve been probably been wondering what is coat arms

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You may also have asked what does it mean and is there any meaning at all behind them?

More to the meaning!

You may think that they identify as just a family. But they can represent not only a surname but also a person, a corporation, and even a country.

Credit:   Shadiversity

The term family crest is also synonymous with a coat of arms, however, these two are not the same.

Discussed in this post:

• Connection Between Knights and a Coat of Arms
• Inheriting a Coat of Arms
• 6 Parts of the Coat of Arms
• Find My Family Coat of Arms

If after reading this post you want to learn more about the many different designs that you’ve seen then please check out my What Are The Symbols On A Coat of Arms post.

Acknowledgment!

The images in this post have been kindly permitted by COADB.com.

Connection Between Knights and a Coat of Arms

A coat of arms is a distinctive and unique heraldic design that you will find on an escutcheon (i.e. a shield), a surcoat (loose outer coat or gown), or a tabard (tunic or cape garment).

The different components of a coat of arms, therefore, were arms that were displayed on surcoats.

Arms were not just worn!

These coats of arms could also be found on banners throughout the middle ages, as well as a horse’s bardings, (the armor and trappings put on horses).

The word escutcheon can be used as a metaphor for a family’s honor. There are several different shapes of shield, such as the common heater style (modern medieval French and English), modern French, cartouche (oval), and lozenge or diamond (usually borne by women).

Identifying each other!

In medieval times knights would use a coat of arms to identify themselves. During competitions, an announcer, (a herald), would introduce the knights.

The crowd could distinguish a knight by the design that was emblazoned on his shield, helmet, and armor.

The coat of arms thus signified all of a knight’s achievements and the impressive battle gear that he wore. Because of this, it evolved into a status symbol.

Inheriting a Coat of Arms

In the beginning, these coats of arms were only worn by people of great nobility. But over time, they were worn by people of lesser nobility and knights.

So, if you are wondering about a coat of arms for your family’s name then I am about to disappoint you.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a coat of arms for a surname.

The coat of arms was for one man, just to identify himself in battle. But a coat of arms can be used by genealogists to prove a family connection.

Different types of inheriting a coat of arms

Cadency

A son could inherit his father’s shield but would have to alter it slightly. This tradition of adding to the design was known as cadency.

Following the father’s death, however, the son’s coat of arms would revert to that of his father’s.

Marshaling

This was the merging of two families’ coats of arms due to marriage. Through this tradition, you may find more than one design within the center of the arms, (the shield).

Women Bearing Arms

A woman could bear arms and this would take the form of a lozenge or diamond shape. This would show the shield of her father.

If the woman was married then she could display the arms of her husband.

Granting A Coat of Arms

To have your very own coat of arms you must be granted one. These can only be granted by the respective Kings of Arms in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

There is a College of Arms which accounts for all the different designs of coats of arms. People within the United States, Australia, and Sweden can also apply to register for a coat of arms.

6 Parts of the Coat of Arms

Six parts make up the coat of arms. The first part is the shield, which will you find at the center of the design.

Do not get confused though as the shield and the five other parts you can also find on a knight’s shield that was used in battle.

1. The Shield

A knight would place various elements onto his shields such as a lion, bear, or eagle. Different colors could also be used to identify an individual.

The different shield shapes could represent a geographical origin and period.

2. The Helm or Helmet

This indicates a rank. So if the helm was gold then this would signify royalty, or if it was a steel helmet with a closed visor then this would denote a gentleman.

3. The Crest

This was another form of identifying a knight that was later adopted. Elements commonly used include feathers, leather, or wood.

4. The Mantle or Mantling

This was used to seal a knight from the sun and also to protect him from the rain. This was essentially a piece of cloth that was placed over the helmet and would drape down the back of the base of the helm.

One side would typically be similar to the main colors of the coat of arms design, while the other side would either be white or yellow.

5. The Wreath

This part would cover the joint between the crest and the helmet. This would typically be two silken scarves that were twisted.

The colors used would be the first-named metal and the first-named color in the blazon. These were known as the colors.

6. The Motto

This is not essentially a part of a coat of arms but is generally seen together. A motto is a phrase that describes a family’s philosophy or denotes an ancient war cry.

These are normally found below the coat of arms or sometimes above the crest. (Example above shows the family name).

Find My Family Coat of Arms

By now you should know what a coat of arms is all the different parts that it consists of.

To find your family’s coat of arms you could try contacting the College of Arms in London, England, or The American College of Heraldry in the United States.

Or, to make it easier for yourself why not check out the following sites and resources?

House of Names – Great Gifts Featuring Your Coat of Arms!

A great website is the House of Names shop that you can visit for all sorts of items. They offer family crests and coats of arms on products such as mousepads, hats, jewelry, shirts, mugs, and many more.

You can find these products easily by using the menu at the top right of the site. When you have decided on a product you then enter your name and the quantity of the item that you want.

Why buy from House of Names?

• Free shipping is offered to residents of North America if the order is over $85 US.
• International shipping, however, there is a delay of 5-10 weeks, so bear this in mind when ordering from overseas.
• All products are given a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so if you are not satisfied with the quality, condition, or workmanship then you can return the product.
• Return shipping charges may apply unless there has been an order error or error in shipping.

Please note: This site will offer you a single coat of arms heraldry design for your surname. This is despite that arms are inherited through the family tree and symbols are usually added by descendants.

What can you discover from House of Names?

Research has been carried out since 1968 by the in-house team to deliver to you the oldest known version of your family’s coat of arms.

Bear in mind though that therefore there is no such thing as a unique coat of arms for a surname.

You can even find out about the history of your surname by entering your last name at the top of the site. Once you have entered your name it will present you with a history of your name together with a coat of arms.

It also lists different spelling variations, which is quite helpful when it comes to checking any type of records on any of the genealogy search websites.

Famous people and events explored!

But there’s more to this section of the site. It will list famous and notable people with your last name.

This includes settlers in various countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.

And finally, it shows you people connected with historic events. Although not related there are people with my surname who worked and died on the Titanic. I didn’t even know that until I searched for my name. Pretty interesting right?

Download coloring booklets and coats of arms at House of Names!

There is even a free section where you can download three different coloring booklets. With

these booklets, you can color in castles, shields, animals, mythical creatures, and other symbols that you will find on a coat of arms.

You can also download a blank family tree form. So you can fill this form in while you trace your ancestors three generations back.

But wait there’s another booklet that you can download in the free section of the site.

The Design a Coat of Arms booklet contains 11 pages of various arms that you can color in. The shield is left blank so that you can fill in with your creation.

You maybe like me and want to get your children interested in genealogy.

So, this is a great way to get the kids involved in your family history. Or if you’re a kid at heart you can spend a peaceful afternoon coloring in your designs.

If you decide to buy anything from this site then please come back and let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you.

Amazon – Two Excellent Books on Heraldry

There are two books that I recommend you to get if you are interested in the world of heraldry. Both of these books contain more than 200 pages and are fully illustrated.

The two books discuss the origins and the development of the coat of arms and its uses in the modern world.

The Illustrated Book of Heraldry: An International History of Heraldry and Its Contemporary Uses

A great introduction to heraldry. This book is full of information and a ton of colorful illustrations. Even if you do get stuck with some of the wording there is a glossary at the back that will help you.

So, if you want to know how coats of arms evolved then this book is for you.

         

Heraldry: Understanding Signs and Symbols

This is another go-to book for anyone interested in heraldry. The complex imagery that makes up a coat of arms is examined. Modern-day examples are given and are broken down, so you can see what each different part means.

         

COADB.com – Another Site Offering Great Products!

Alternatively, you could check out COADB.com. At present, there are 9,500 arms featured on the website, intending to have over 250,000.

The website does offer genealogy research packages, so they will help you to find your coat of arms, (if one does exist).

Not only do they list thousands of arms and offer genealogy research packages, but you can also purchase your arms in many formats.

These can be computer images (jpegs), or on a T-shirt, mug, phone or tablet cover, and more.

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Summary

Article Name

What Is Coat of Arms?

Description

Just what is coat of arms? Learn how they were inherited, the different parts to a coat of arms, and where to find and buy your own arms with this guide.

Author

Owain Couch

Publisher Name

The Genealogy Guide

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