My family has a really old coat of arms thingy?

Question

I have a HUGE family, and my great great great grand parents (maybe older) had some coat of arms thingy made for them, and there's about 3 of them that me and my mum have been able to come across, and they're all exactly the same other than a few very minor changes like there's a heart on fire in one, and not in the other 2. So me and my mum have decideded make a new one by altering the original design of the one we've got to its also slightly different and make it into a necklace.

Do you think this is a good idea?
has anyone got any ideas that could help the design process? :)
also i've never really understood the whole family crest thingy, but am i right in saying that there is no such thing as a coat of arm that's for a surname, but its just more like a family logo? and all these websites that sell them based on the surname is a con?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Yes, your idea is a good one.



If your paternal great grandfather used these arms, and they are an original design, then they are your arms, too. There is no need to vary them unless you think he stole someone else's design.



I must disagree with the previous posts. In Scotland, differencing arms so that arms are unique to individuals of different generations and among siblings is still practiced. However, rigid differencing was never used in most Continental and Nordic states, and in Canada, England, Wales, and Ireland rigid differencing is rarely used. It would be silly to follow this practice if you do not live in Scotland.



So, I think you are pretty safe to use these arms.

Answer 2

The chance of an ordinary family having the right to a coat of arms is rare. The nearest you're likely to get from an online site is the coat of arms of a distant family of the same surname. These are real, and registered, but you have to be the right person to be able to claim it as yours.



Have a look at sites about heraldry and so on



That doesn't mean it can't be fun to use a coat of arms for an art project, especially if it's relevant to you and you like it. You can "design" your own coat of arms and call it your own and enjoy doing it too.



Hav

Answer 3

A coat of arms is not a family logo; it is a PERSONAL logo. Except in Poland, where different rules apply, a coat of arms only ever belongs to one person at a time. It is inherited by the eldest son; other members of the family can only use it with a "difference", and may not pass it to their descendants except by registering their version with their country's heraldic authorities as a distinct coat in its own right.



But you are dead right about the websites selling "the coat of arms for your surname" being a con.