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Hi everyone,
Here are some few important points to remember when discussing coats-of-arms:
(1) A coat-of-arms is NOT a family crest. A crest is simply something that goes on top of the helmet, that is, if there's a helmet over the shield.
(2) A coat-of-arms does NOT belong to an entire family. Coats-of-arms belong to individuals within a family, but the coat-of-arms doesn't belong to EVERY family member. For instance, if a father has a son, then the father and son would both have a coat-of-arms, but the son's coat-of-arms would have a difference(s) to distinguish his coat-of-arms from his dad.
(3) A woman can have a coat-of-arms if she's married to a man who has a coat-of-arms. It's known as impaling one's coat-of-arms, I do believe, correct me if I'm wrong--I'm no heraldry expert, but I do some basic stuff about heraldry.
(4) A woman can have a coat-of-arms in her own right, for instance, if her dad was a baron, or some higher aristocrat (e.g., viscount, earl, marquess, duke), or even merely a gentleman, or a baronet, and he dies, then she could inherit her dad's coat-of-arms.
(5) There are many online stores that profess to sell your own individual coat-of-arms. Whether or not those particular coat-of-arms might even belong to you and your ancestors, is a matter of chance. You may or not be entitled to a coat-of-arms. Simply because someone with the same surname as you, doesn't mean that you also descend from an armigerous ancestor; although, it's always possible.
(6) You can always hire a herald from one of the heraldic authorities depending upon your ancestry to find out whether or not you are a descendant in the direct male line of an armigerous ancestor because there's always a possibility that you might be. There was an American woman, who was rich, who never knew that she descended from a Scottish baron and she inherited his feudal barony. Only valid research can discover whether or not you're entitled to a coat-of-arms.
The good news is that if you find out you're not the descendant of a coat-of-arms, then you can always create your own and pay for it; although, it's not cheap.
Good luck and I hope this helps to clarify some misconceptions about the ancient study known as heraldry.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year,
Jason Simmons
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