• A Brief History Of Heraldry
• Basic Description
• Describing Coats of Arms
• Classes Of Arms
• You And Heraldry
• Example Coats of Arms
• Royal Arms
• Heraldry Links

A Guide To Heraldry

You And Heraldry:

Discovering whether or not a coat of arms (Armorial Bearings) has been registered to your family name and whether it is lawful for you to use it as your own takes a lot of time and can cost some money. And even if you did find an achievement belonging to your surname, that does not mean you have the right whatsoever to those armorial bearings. Although there are no laws in the U.S. that prohibit one from using a family coat of arms that coincidently has the same surname as yours, in other parts of the world it is a crime to do so unless you can prove it belongs to your family by right of descent.

This and many other rules to personal use of Armorial Bearings may seem discouraging, but the fact remains that heraldry is an ancient art of symbols that mean a great deal to those who have the right to bare them. For those of us that can not trace our family tree fare enough back or have found no Armorial Bearings in our family's history are left wondering what we might do. Well, I should point out, that you can create your OWN coat of arms and have it registered. The process can be somewhat time consuming but the outcome is something you can be proud of.

Steps in Createing Your Own Coat Of Arms:
Creating your own coat of arms is quite simple and fun. When decieding what you want your coat of arms to look like it is generaly sugested that you look at examples of shields from where your family originates. If that information is unkown just simply wing it. Then you will want to design your own coat of arms. Use the following links to aid you in this process:

Main Parts of An Achievement:

1. Crest (not always present)
2. Wreath (is what the Crest is placed on)
3. Mantling
4. Helm
5. Shield
6. Motto (often nonexistant)
7. Supporters

A Basic Achievement for You To Design (Print This)

Once you have designed your coat of arms, which may take several days to several weeks (if you rush it), then you will want to register it. Go to my links page for registration sites.

Example Coats Of Arms

For the bearing of arms by women click HERE.