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Pssst! Want to Buy
Your Family's Coat of Arms?
by Richard W. Eastman
| In many
shopping malls across America, you will see pushcart vendors selling
reproductions of coats of arms, claiming to be the "proud history
and heritage of your family name" or similar words. These merchants
sell coats of arms on parchment paper, suitable for framing. They also
may sell coats of arms on t-shirts, sweatshirts, golf jerseys,
stationery, coffee mugs or even key chains.
Similar "businesses" exist on the Web. A
number of Web sites proclaim that they can sell you
"authentic" copies of your family's coat of arms. One Web site
says, "What is your Name? What was
it's origin? Was it taken from the name of a village? Was it taken from
the Bible? A clan name? An Occupation? An ancient landmark? Who were
your historical namesakes who bore your fine family name in the homeland
of your ancestors?" Sometimes they also claim to sell "gifts
of lasting heritage."
I have one thing to say to these con artists:
"Balderdash!"
Actually, that's not my first choice of response,
but, after all, this is a family newsletter. The study of coats of arms
is called heraldry. Those who control the issuance of arms are the
heralds. Typically, each country in Western Europe as well as in
England, Scotland, and Ireland has an office of the heralds, sometimes
called the Kings of Arms. The heralds are empowered to decide who is
authorized to display a certain coat of arms. If you do not have
authorization from the heralds, you are not authorized to display any
coat of arms.
Most Americans seem ignorant of one very basic
fact: in Western Europe and in the British Isles, there is no such thing
as a "family coat of arms." A coat of arms is issued to one
person, not to a family. After that person is deceased, his eldest heir
may apply for the same coat of arms. Again, when he dies, his heir may
apply. The rules for determining who is eligible to display a coat of
arms are very similar to the rules for becoming King or Queen of
England. However, even the proper heir cannot display the coat of arms
until he or she has received authorization (been confirmed) by the
heralds. At any one time, only one person may rightfully display a coat
of arms.
According to the American College of Heraldry,
"While Americans are usually fascinated by the beauty of heraldry,
they are rarely familiar with its meaning and traditions and, therefore,
often misunderstand and even abuse this rich cultural heritage. They
seldom understand that a coat of arms is usually granted, certified,
registered or otherwise recognized as belonging to one individual alone,
and that only his direct descendants with proven lineage can be
recognized as eligible to inherit the arms. Exceptions to this rule are
rare."
The American College of Heraldry also says,
"It is highly inappropriate for one to locate the arms of another
person sharing the same surname, and to simply adopt and use these arms
as one's own." My interpretation of this is that, if you are
displaying an unauthorized coat of arms, you are impersonating someone
else.
The College of Arms in England (the heralds for
English, Welsh, Northern Irish, and Commonwealth families) says,
"For any person to have a right to a coat of arms they must either
have had it granted to them or be descended in the legitimate male line
from a person to whom arms were granted or confirmed in the past."
Despite these warnings, many vendors are making
money by preying on Americans' ignorance of the topic. The pushcarts you
see in shopping malls typically are franchise operations. One pushcart
owner told me that he paid $6,000 for a "franchise" to sell
this stuff. The so-called franchise did not include a protected
territory; another franchisee was free to set up business in the same
area. For the $6,000 investment, the franchisee receives a computer with
a database containing thousands of surnames and so-called "family
coats of arms," a high-quality printer, a supply of parchment
paper, and a supply of coffee cups, key chains and other
paraphernalia. |
These franchisees reportedly receive no training in
the study of heraldry. The ones I have talked to didn't recognize the
term "College of Arms."
The Web sites aren't much better. The ones I have
looked at seem to have carefully-worded claims. Instead of saying,
"your family's coat of arms," they will say something like
"your historical namesakes." Okay, "namesakes"
doesn't mean "ancestors," but it still will be misleading to
many people. When a Web site proclaims, "your historical
namesakes," most people will think that means "my
family." However, if argued in court, the wording on the Web site
would probably be considered correct. In short, I doubt if these
companies will be shut down for misrepresenting their wares as they are
very careful in their choice of words.
The next time someone offers a copy of your
"family's coat of arms," ask them for the documentation. They
won't have any. If a friend of yours is displaying a coat of arms on his
stationery or on his fireplace mantel, I suggest you simply walk away
smiling. There's no sense in upsetting a good friendship. But don't be
as gullible as your friend. And please, please do not display your
"family's coat of arms" on your genealogy Web site unless you
have been confirmed by the heralds, Okay?
If you would like to learn more about the serious
study of heraldry and any rights you might have to display coats of
arms, there are a number of Web sites devoted to the truth. Here is a
short list of some of the more reputable ones:
http://www.augustansociety.orgThe American College of Heraldry at:
http://users.aol.com/ballywoodn/acheraldry.htmlThe Baronage Press at:
http://www.baronage.co.uk/The British Heraldic Archive at:
http://www.kwtelecom.com/heraldry/The College of Arms (the official repository of
the coats of arms and pedigrees of English, Welsh, Northern Irish and
Commonwealth families and their descendants) at:
http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/
None of the above sell printouts on parchment
paper, t-shirts or key chains. Some of them do sell books and magazines
devoted to the study of heraldry, however.
Here are some Web sites selling questionable
merchandise. If you care about accuracy, please avoid:
http://www.hallofnames.comThe Historical Research Center at:
http://www.names.comThe "Home to Family History Research &
Fine Heraldic Art" at:
http://www.traceit.comHeraldry on the Internet at:
http://www.digiserve.com/heraldry
There are many other such sites on the Internet;
some of them appear to be franchisees of the ones I have listed. Any
site that purports to sell "your family coat of arms" is a
rip-off.
Richard W. Eastman publishes a free
weekly eNewsletter dedicated to the subject of genealogy. There
are two different methods to subscribe or to unsubscribe from his
newsletter:
Method #1: to subscribe, to cancel an
existing subscription, or to read back issues, go to:
http://www.rootsforum.com/newsletter
Method #2: To subscribe or to cancel
an existing subscription, send an e-mail to newsletter@rootscomputing.com
with either a subject of subscribe or a subject of unsubscribe. The
message text is unimportant; only the subject line is used. An automated
process will then add or delete your e-mail address from the newsletter
mailing list. |
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Benjamin Davis Koeppe was
born on the 5th of Sept 2001, in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents are Fred and Karen
Koeppe. Grandparents are Virginia Bayne, of North Platte, Nebraska;
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Nebraska. He joins his brother Alex at home.
Submitted by June
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