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You don't have to be royalty to have a family crest; even the most ancient houses in Europe had to start somewhere. A family crest is usually depicted on a shield and bears symbols representing family victories, strengths or characteristics. Every detail on a heraldic crest has some meaning: colors, shapes and symbols represent qualities such as courage, faith or triumph over adversity.
The tradition of heraldry, the art of designing and preserving family crests, dates back to the 12th century in northwestern Europe. The armor of the time covered mounted knights entirely, making them difficult to identify. Artists painted colorful crests on a knight's shield to identify the armor-clad individual. Eventually the tradition expanded beyond nobility, and even working-class families developed their own family crests. Heraldry developed conventions and meanings for common colors and symbols found on crests. Learning the common meaning of colors in heraldry allows you to better understand your family's crest.
Coat of arms or family crest symbols have existed since the 1100s. The family crest signifies the surname or identity of a family and its values. The symbols were affixed to battle gear or flags to identify knights or warriors. The family crest was passed down through generations and typically belonged to wealthier families. Many families today create their own family crest based on information provided by surname studies. They then choose colors and symbols to complete the crest. Families with an existing coat of arms can easily create their own stickers at home.
Even if you can't trace your family history back to the Middle Ages, you can still design your own family crest by choosing your own symbols. Many of the symbols that represent animals, birds, flowers, weapons and other well-known objects have special significance in the context of family crests, so it's important to choose symbols that are meaningful to you and your family.
Finding your family crest may be a little more difficult than typing your name into a family crest search and having an image pop up. The difficulty arises for two reasons: first, what comes up is unlikely to be your family's crest because crests were historically granted to individuals, according to ScotlandsPeople, an official United Kingdom website for historical Scottish records, not whole families. So unless you can prove direct descent from the person to whom the crest was granted, the crest is not yours. Second, there is some confusion between a family crest and a coat of arms. However,…
Historically, a crest was a symbol worn on a helmet with elements of an individual's shield (coat-of-arms). A coat-of-arms represented an individual, not an entire family (as often thought), and was passed down through the family line with each generation changing elements to differentiate it from the former. Creating a family coat-of-arms is an opportunity to develop a symbol associated with your family, and can today be easily facilitated through online resources.
A family crest or coat of arms is a shield created specifically for an individual. Through the years many family crests were handed down through the male lineage of the family from one generation to the next. Each crest is different, containing symbols, colors and mottoes, specific to the merits and values of the individual it was created for. Nowadays a coat of arms may be used by the entire family. While some companies charge for the creation of a family crest, there are ways to create your own for free.
The tradition of creating a family crest began in the 8th century. A crest or Award of Arms was not awarded with regard to rank. Crests were often awarded for acts of service, bravery or to honor distinguishing behavior.
Designing an Irish family crest requires a look back into the family tree. A family's history provides the details necessary to design the crest. A crest can symbolize whether the family fought in the Crusades or whether it made shoes for the townspeople. It can symbolize its Christian roots or its strength over the years. Each crest is a personal representation of what a family stands for and what the family has accomplished. The Irish family crest pays homage to those who came before and those who bear the family name today.
A family crest or coat of arms is a decorated shield that was originally intended for the use of an individual. Today they are widely used to represent an entire family or business. The shield consist of a ribbon that holds the family motto. The shield is separated into four parts that hold the family values. The crown symbolizes the family or individual's rank. The supporters are two identical characters on either side of the shield that hold the shield, but in some cases the supporter is just one character.
Family crests, or coats of arms, began in Europe during the Middle Ages as ways to distinguish families and friends from foes when spotted on battlefields. Plants, although not used on all crests, are symbols representing various traits that might be found in a family. More than 40 types of plants have been associated with family crests.
A mock family crest can be a fun craft project which allows you to be creative and express values or objects that reflect your personality and things that are important to your family and in your life. You can choose traditional symbols like those customarily used in genuine family crests or modern symbols that have a special meaning to you. Once you are satisfied with your design you can use it on your personal stationary, embroider it on your luggage, and use it to embellish other personal belongings.
According to the U.K. government's College of Arms, which governs the granting of family crests in the U.K. the purpose of a family crest began as a means of identification. The use of heraldry or family crests began in the early medieval period of history in Europe as a means of identifying knights when their faces were covered by helmets during battle.
Family crests, also known as a coat of arms, date to medieval times. A warrior wore his coat of arms into battle. A family crest contains different images and colors. The images symbolize characteristics. For example, a boar symbolizes endurance and courage. The color of a family crest indicates a family's class. Family crests can be found using resources found on the Internet.
Researching the family crest or coat of arms--a shield with various symbols handed down through a family's history--is a popular hobby. Gaelic tradition allowed family members to use the "crest" portion of an entire coat of arms on something such as a belt to identify their family lineage. Although the crest appeared above the shield, over time this word has become synonymous with the design of the entire coat of arms to most people. If you have never seen your family crest, or have it and wonder what the design means, here are a few ways to find this information.
Despite origins dating back nearly 1,000 years, the art of heraldry has become increasingly popular in the present day. The family crest or coat-of-arms, when properly bestowed, is a symbol granted and registered to an individual rather than a surname. True heraldry is passed down from that individual to his direct descendants who can prove their lineage to the original bearer. It is considered inappropriate for someone to assume a family crest simply because they share a surname. While property, monetary wealth and other possessions can be lost due to economic downturns, wars or other disasters, armorial bearings survive all…
Finding your family crest online is simple and can be done fairly quickly. According to House of Names, family crests, also known as coats of arms, are symbols given to represent surnames. Not all surnames are associated with family crests however. In order to find your family crest online, you will need a computer with Internet connection and will have to reference one of many family crest/coat of arms sites that have search components. The most popular and comprehensive coat-of-arms sites are House of Names, Coat of Arms Store and All Family Crests.
Technically, the term family crest refers to the image that appears on the helmet of a family's coat of arms, a family symbol that dates back to the medieval time period. However, over the years, the term family crest has become a synonym for coat of arms. (See References 2)
Family crests are symbols that let others know the status of a family, including social status, history and values. Crests can be created with consideration for your family history as well as what you feel your family stands for. The coat of arms, as a family crest is called, is passed from the father to his children, mainly sons. Each individual will have his or her own symbol within the crest identifying him or her.
Family crests were used in the past to show a family's values, and knights used them as a way to distinguish themselves from other knights. They would choose symbols and colors that reflected their family's value systems, and these family crests were used for generations to identify the knight's family. These days you may not know what your family crest is or was, or your family crest may no longer have meaning for you. In this case, you may want to create and design your own family crest.
A family crest is commonly referred to as a "coat of arms." This colorful shield originated in Europe and was often used in battle to help recognize the enemy's soldiers. Over time, the coat of arms became a canon for social status and heritage. Learning about your family crest can divulge how a symbol, design, color or animal communicates a special meaning about your background.
Family crests were once a popular way to show off a family's history and status. Today, crests are seldom seen. However, they remain an important part of family history. Some families may not know what their crest looks like, but with a little research they can soon find out.
