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Heraldry & Family History As far as I know, and I know fairly far, so far, no one in my family has, now or in the past, had the right to bear arms. There are many who study their family history and discover one or more of their ancestors did have this right, but they will be vastly outnumbered by those that discover no one did. It is quite common to see messages on family research discussion boards asking 'what is our family coat of arms?' or 'I see your surname is also Smith, follow this link to see your coat of arms!'. Another common sight is shops and websites that will sell you shields, framed pictures, mugs, watches, tea cloths and fridge magnets emblazoned with 'your' coat of arms. Well the truth is, of course, that these are not your coat of arms. They may well belong to someone who shares your surname, they may even actually belong to a distant relative, but if they belong to you, you probably already knew about it. Family coats of arms (or achievements) were, and are, granted only to individuals. In certain cases that coat of arms may be passed onto the sons, and in rare cases it may be passed onto the daughters - usually as they travelled down direct lines the arms would change. There is nothing wrong in having an interest in the coats of arms of those people who share your surname - they look wonderful and are steeped in history and tradition. But I think it is important to know how they work, and not to falsley claim them as your own. I think it is very misleading of certain businesses to charge, often high amounts, for what they claim is your family's coat of arms. I even think it's okay to own a mug or fridge magnet with a coat of arms on it - but think if you did have the right to bear arms (you'd have probably earned it somehow, or perhaps your great grandfather did) - and you then saw that coat of arms being mass produced as a tea-cosy for people to buy, believing it to be their rightful arms. Perhaps there's something wrong with that... Enjoy, collect, study and admire the coats of arms of your namesakes and ancestors, but know and appreciate their truth.
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