Also known as a Coat of Arms, Clan or Heraldry Crest, the Family Crest has been around for many hundreds of years and is a great way to pay homage to your family history. Nearly every surname in Great Britain has its own family crest depicting the characteristics of that clan as well as its prowess in battle.
A Coat of Arms was originally a garment that a knight wore over his mail suit to distinguish himself from everyone else in battle.
This was also a practical method of identifying someone without them having to remove their helmet.
The first time that a coat of arms was applied to a shield was with King Henry I of England in 1127. Around the same time other European clans began tattooing themselves with marks that showed they belonged to a certain family or clan.
When knights went into a tournament they could only be allowed access with a coat of arms, so it quickly became a mark of status or nobility. Initially anyone could take their own coat of arms, but eventually it could only be granted by a monarch and passed down through heredity.
Over time the designs became more and more complex and would include family crests, mottos, or even the other coats of arms of others who married into the family. Heraldry refers to the placement of each symbol on the shield. Each symbol was recorded to ensure that there were no duplicates.
A Coat of Arms may have a supporter, an animal that guarded over it from both sides. Common animals depicted include the lion, eagle, horse, unicorn, griffin, dragon, bear, swan or boar, although as the Coat passed through the male line these animals could be amended. On the top of the Coat is the crest or helmet, although this doesn’t appear on all of them.
In warfare, a military unit may wear the Coat of Arms of their leader who was most often a nobleman who funded his part of the army. A squire may way a portion of his master’s Coat of Arms to show who he belonged to. In Scotland the Coat of Arms is still guarded carefully and many Scots are proud to show you their crest and explain what each symbol means. If you have an interest in your family history you may want to research your family’s crest, or simply create your own.
