![random house sigil generator random house sigil generator](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/boingboing/original/4X/7/0/8/708e9c6516fad06000458f8effc6d81e75f74877.png)
There are hundreds of armoury records out there, but some popular resources include STEP THREE: Find the correct Armoury record Once you know where your family name comes from, you can begin researching armoury records from that country to try and find your coat of arms description. You can use a reference like to help get some of this information. To find your family crest, you’ll need to know which country your family name originally came from. You can imagine a scenario where a new coat of arms being granted could accidentally copy an existing design, which would have been a big problem for noble families in those times.Īrmoury records also allowed officials to find a coat of arms or family crest design when needed in the middle ages, if for example new goods, weaponry or clothing were being made that should feature the design. These manuscripts and old books contain the original descriptions of each coat of arms, just as they were documented when first created.Īrmoury records were needed in the middle ages because family coats of arms were considered so crucial to family members identity there had to be some kind of formal recognition of the design. The only real way to find your family crest is to research what's known as armoury records. All of which makes it even harder to find your family crest today. This commonly occurred when a family name emerged in different languages but were later combined together into a common name as English became the dominant spoken language of a country.
![random house sigil generator random house sigil generator](https://www.allfamilycrests.com/make-coat-of-arms/makeacoatofarms1.jpg)
Which happened quite a lot, especially between France, Ireland, Scotland and England. It could also happen if a family name developed independently in multiple places at once. This can happen when family members developed their own versions of the design with slight adjustments over generations or at times could have represented different family groups in different regions.
![random house sigil generator random house sigil generator](https://i.imgur.com/qMLG8gT.jpg)
This led to the wider popularisation of coats of arms which means that several versions of a design may exist. If you’re searching online today to find your family crest, you may have noticed multiple design variations for your name.Īs the centuries progressed, coats of arms became a more general symbol to represent a family name or house, and not just something worn on the battlefield. Why do I see different designs for my coat of arms?
![random house sigil generator random house sigil generator](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/a8/4d/56/a84d56f2025e8ef9dc865f3674e5c5a6.jpg)
The design was also added to their shields and the ‘caparison’ on their horses (a decorative horse jacket). The crests and symbols were added to the coats worn over a knight's metal plates, hence the name, ‘coat of arms’. Where it was previously possible to identify an ally by looking at their face, knights could suddenly be easily mistaken for one another once in full armour.Īdding an external colorful design to their attire solved this problem, as a fellow knight only had to find your coat of arms instead of recognising your exact armour. The designs were of particular value when closed face shields came into use on helmets. The designs were typically granted around the 12th century by governing bodies and monarchs, mostly in Europe.Ĭoats of arms were originally created to make knights more easily identifiable on the battlefield. STEP ONE: Understand where your crest came from.Įvery design element that you see on a coat of arms or family crest holds a specific meaning. Wondering how to find your family crest? Maybe you’ve been struggling to find your coat of arms for a while? Read on…