In theory, yes they can but what are they and why might you want one?
When I was studying genealogy at University, I was initially slightly concerned that this included learning about heraldry, but I later came to appreciate some of the fun behind this rather quaint branch of family history. As it’s also many years since anyone wrote about it in this magazine, I thought it was time to take another look.
An article in the Express newspaper quoted the Head of the College of Arms in London as saying ‘Ninety per cent of applicants are successful and it doesn’t matter who your ancestors were. You could be the child of a criminal because it is decided on individual merit alone.’ You don’t need to be able to trace your lineage back to a knight who wore a coat of arms on his shield. Whilst her father’s application to have a new coat of arms designed for him was always going to be successful (!), even Kate Middleton found that his background as a member of British Airways ground crew was no barrier. She then became entitled to use her father’s arms and after her marriage, these were combined with those of her husband William, as shown here. Her arms are those on the right hand side.
Heraldry began in the 1100s when knights began to wear helmets with vizors as part of their armour and so that you couldn’t recognise who they were. They adopted unique and colourful designs to signify their family names, which were painted on their shields and sewn onto their banners. A new language or terminology sprang up to describe the designs, based on Norman French. This is still very evident in heraldry today.
One of the ways in which heraldry can be used to discover genealogical information is to identify a coat of arms and then attempt to find a close match with arms held by another known family. Surviving evidence is typically on memorials in either brass or stone, so there are seldom clues as to the original colours. Thankfully my tutor broke us in gently with a first example of how to identify the elements in a coat of arms which were part of a stained glass window. Only later did we get to try doing this in monochrome.
Gradually the language used to describe a coat of arms was written down and the designs documented in books which were not in colour, so needed to be able to describe the full list of features including colours. This language was given a name and the description of a coat of arms is called a ‘blazon’. This however doesn’t make it a precise science but for those that enjoy learning terminology it can provide plenty to get your teeth into. Assuming that you have then written an accurate blazon, which describes what you see on a memorial, you can then use heraldic reference books to translate this into finding a family name.
Turning back to the Middleton family coat of arms we can start to see how the designs link to each family. Here the sprigs of oak refer to Michael Middleton’s three children and the area where they were brought up in Bucklebury, Berkshire, which is surrounded by oak trees. A gold chevron across the centre of the shield refers to his wife’s maiden name of Goldsmith. The two narrower chevrons reference hills and mountains to represent outdoor pursuits that the family enjoy.
The blazon for this coat of arms is: ‘Per pale Azure and Gules a Chevron Or cotised Argent between three Acorns slipped and leaved Or.’ ‘Azure’ means blue, ‘Gules’ is red, ‘Or’ is gold, ‘Argent’ is white and ‘per pale’ means that the shield is divided. Slipped means that the oak has a stalk. Even though the picture is in black and white, you can now begin to visualise it in colour.
So how do you go about getting your own coat of arms?
Most countries have their own heraldic authority but their application processes are similar. The College of Arms in London is the heraldic authority for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, whereas The Court of The Lord Lyon in Edinburgh covers Scotland.
You need to submit a petition known as a ‘Memorial’, which an Officer of Arms at the relevant authority will draft. To request this, you need a CV, detailing any professional qualifications or degrees, civil or military service and if you have them, any awards or honours from the crown. Most important of all is to include any evidence of your good standing in national or local life, which can include paid and unpaid roles. You must of course also pay the College of Arms a fee, which is currently just over £7000 for an individual, so might indeed be easier if you are ‘the child of a criminal’ and hence have some ill-gotten gains to spare!
Once approved in principle, they will then design your arms. You can submit suggestions, but the College has full discretion over the final design. It is best to aim for simplicity and boldness and it must be unique, although they will check this against their record of all existing coats of arms. They will provide a sketch of their proposed design but it is not the actual image of the arms that is granted but the description written as a blazon. Finally, submission will be made to the Kings of Arms for final approval. Your design is then entered into the College registers and the letters patent will be issued.
If you think this is something that you want to do be aware that the process can take several months. You can look at The College of Arms website for more information https://bit.ly/3DIqYot However if you would prefer to turn this into a fun holiday activity with your children, to design a family coat of arms, then English Heritage usually post some great materials on their website, ready for the start of each school holiday. https://bit.ly/3j7VmPu
