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The terminology associated with heraldry often confuses the general public, as well as the media, and generates much misunderstanding. A Coat of Arms is actually the heraldic symbols granted to or matriculated by an individual in accordance with entitlement, as determined by a representative of an heraldic authority such as The Lord Lyon King of Arms in Scotland, The Canadian Heraldic Authority in Canada, and The College of Arms in England, as well as many other heraldic authorities around the world, where they exist. Since the majority of participants on this forum have some Scottish ancestry, or are Canadian and fall under the authority of Canadian Heraldic Authority, my comments will primarily relate to those two systems and the rules they follow.
A Coat of Arms with appropriate heraldic devices is usually displayed on a shield (for men) or a lozenge/cameo (for women). The shield is enhanced to become what is called the full achievement by adding a helm appropriate to the armigers rank atop the shield (for men) while the arms of most females don’t have the helm, although more have opted for one in recent years.
Atop the helm on a wreath of twisted cloth in the livery (primary) colours of the arms is the Crest assigned to the armiger. Either above the Crest (in Scotland) or below shield in most other jurisdictions, is the personal Motto of the armiger on a ribband. To complete the full achievement, and flowing from the wreath under the Crest, is what is called mantling, the depiction of torn cloth flowing on either side of the achievement, as a Knight might have had in battle. One of the most often confused terms is Crest, especially in the media when they often refer to a “Family Crest” to mean a Coat of Arms.
There is also much confusion about the right to display arms, allowing many heraldic “bucket shops” to peddle phony heraldry represented as “Your Family Coat of Arms” or “Your Clan Crest”. Clans don’t have Crests, the familiar devices for various clans/names are more correctly called “Clansman’s/Clanswoman’s Crest Badges”. Such devices incorporate the Personal Crest and Personal Motto of a Clan Chief, surrounded by a buckled belt. Displaying such badges indicates that the bearer has pledged allegiance to a particular clan chief, but the Crest and Motto remain the personal property of the Clan Chief under Scots Law. A Grant or Matriculation of Arms is made only to an individual in Scotland (and Canada) and may only be displayed by that individual. Even members of an armiger’s direct family may only display the arms of their father (or mother), with their permission, appropriately “differenced” by such devices as “Cadence” marks indicating their seniority in the line of succession. Arms are heritable in perpetuity based on the wishes of the armiger as to who is entitled to inherit them. That is far too complex a subject for this forum, but inheritance of arms is closely regulated by heraldic authorities. So much for “Family Coats of Arms” and “Family Crests” offered for sale to unsuspecting people by those who know such things don’t exist, at least in Scotland and Canada.
A Coat of Arms with appropriate heraldic devices is usually displayed on a shield (for men) or a lozenge/cameo (for women). The shield is enhanced to become what is called the full achievement by adding a helm appropriate to the armigers rank atop the shield (for men) while the arms of most females don’t have the helm, although more have opted for one in recent years.
Atop the helm on a wreath of twisted cloth in the livery (primary) colours of the arms is the Crest assigned to the armiger. Either above the Crest (in Scotland) or below shield in most other jurisdictions, is the personal Motto of the armiger on a ribband. To complete the full achievement, and flowing from the wreath under the Crest, is what is called mantling, the depiction of torn cloth flowing on either side of the achievement, as a Knight might have had in battle. One of the most often confused terms is Crest, especially in the media when they often refer to a “Family Crest” to mean a Coat of Arms.
There is also much confusion about the right to display arms, allowing many heraldic “bucket shops” to peddle phony heraldry represented as “Your Family Coat of Arms” or “Your Clan Crest”. Clans don’t have Crests, the familiar devices for various clans/names are more correctly called “Clansman’s/Clanswoman’s Crest Badges”. Such devices incorporate the Personal Crest and Personal Motto of a Clan Chief, surrounded by a buckled belt. Displaying such badges indicates that the bearer has pledged allegiance to a particular clan chief, but the Crest and Motto remain the personal property of the Clan Chief under Scots Law. A Grant or Matriculation of Arms is made only to an individual in Scotland (and Canada) and may only be displayed by that individual. Even members of an armiger’s direct family may only display the arms of their father (or mother), with their permission, appropriately “differenced” by such devices as “Cadence” marks indicating their seniority in the line of succession. Arms are heritable in perpetuity based on the wishes of the armiger as to who is entitled to inherit them. That is far too complex a subject for this forum, but inheritance of arms is closely regulated by heraldic authorities. So much for “Family Coats of Arms” and “Family Crests” offered for sale to unsuspecting people by those who know such things don’t exist, at least in Scotland and Canada.
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