Coat of Arms

**boats** · 12th June 15, 06:58 AM

My surname is Thomas. I was wondering if anyone out there can tell me where I can go to find out my
coat of arms? I like to make one and hang it in my house for display.

boats

**Tarheel** · 12th June 15, 07:08 AM

The link I offer is one of many that will lead you to fill your quest.
https://www.houseofnames.com/

I stand by Mr. Ashton's comment. My link was to lead you to a family crest (not to a particular coat of arms). I wasn't being as specific as see your question was. Please forgive my oversight.

**Steve Ashton** · 12th June 15, 08:02 AM

Is your family from Scotland?

If so perhaps you may be interested in what the Court of the Lord Lyon has to say about coats of arms.

The Lord Lyon is the sole King of Arms in Scotland. He is Head of the Heraldic Executive and the Judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon which has jurisdiction over all heraldic business in Scotland.

http://www.lyon-court.com/lordlyon/216.181.html

"There is a widespread misconception that a family or a clan can have a family or clan Coat of Arms. Many heraldic and clan web sites and other media suggest that a person has the right to use the family or clan Arms. This is completely incorrect.

A Coat of Arms belongs only to one individual person and can only be used by that person and no one else. In order for a person to be able to use a Coat of Arms it is necessary for that individual person to apply for a personal Coat of Arms to be granted to him or her ."

**boats** · 12th June 15, 08:44 AM

Steve Ashton

Yes, my family came from Scotland. I do not know if they were big of a clan to have a family crest. I am
also part of the Montgomery line also since my great grandmother was a Montgomery. I was also told
that the Thomas did not have a coat of arms because they were a small group and they were a sept to
the Montgomery.

boats

**Steve Ashton** · 12th June 15, 09:13 AM

What I was trying to say boats is that there is no such thing as a family coat of arms under the Scottish system.

Arms are granted to, and the exclusive property of, one individual person.

What you may wear or display is the crest of Clan MacThomas. Here is one link. http://www.clanmacthomas.org/

**boats** · 12th June 15, 09:20 AM

In that case, is there a such a thing as a family crest for the Thomas line? I like to know if there is one
so I can make one and hang it in the house for display. I do know that my ancestors are from Scotland
but I do know what line of ancestors they are from.

boats

**Dughlas mor** · 12th June 15, 10:20 AM

boats, if your family name is Thomas, and if you know your ancestors came from Scotland, then you likely belong to Clan MacThomas, a recognized clan with it`s own tartan, etc. If you look at the shop page on the MacThomas society website, you will see a clan crest badge. Seems to be a wildcat holding (throttling?) a snake, with the motto "Deo juvante invidiam superado." (With God`s help I will rise above envy) This is what a clan member would wear as a cap badge. Of course it would look great reproduced any size you like, hanging on your wall. Hope that helps, and if you knew all that already, please excuse me.

**macwilkin** · 12th June 15, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by Dughlas mor

boats, if your family name is Thomas, and if you know your ancestors came from Scotland, then you likely belong to Clan MacThomas, a recognized clan with it`s own tartan, etc. If you look at the shop page on the MacThomas society website, you will see a clan crest badge. Seems to be a wildcat holding (throttling?) a snake, with the motto "Deo juvante invidiam superado." (With God`s help I will rise above envy) This is what a clan member would wear as a cap badge. Of course it would look great reproduced any size you like, hanging on your wall. Hope that helps, and if you knew all that already, please excuse me.

One more thing to add to this post: don't forget that the best way to identify a possible link to a clan is a geographic location; ancestors who were from the traditional area associated with a particular clan. A Williamson from Fife, for example, would most likely not be a part of Clan Gunn, while a Williamson from Wick or Thurso would most likely have that necessary connection.

T.

**Dughlas mor** · 12th June 15, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by macwilkin

One more thing to add to this post: don't forget that the best way to identify a possible link to a clan is a geographic location; ancestors who were from the traditional area associated with a particular clan. A Williamson from Fife, for example, would most likely not be a part of Clan Gunn, while a Williamson from Wick or Thurso would most likely have that necessary connection.

T.

Um, yes. I just learned that not all those named Thomas belong to MacThomas, so some more research might be needed. "The Scottish Tartans," by Johnston and Bacon, lists Thomas as connected to Campbell or Mackintosh.

**The Wizard of BC** · 12th June 15, 01:40 PM

We see the very common misconception that if you are Scottish then you must be associated with a Clan.

This Is not necessarily true. The Clan system was only in the Highlands or the NorthWest part of the Country.
The vast majority of Scots lived in the Lowlands. That is where most of the cities are.

Those from the Lowlands are 100% Scottish and have a lot to be proud of but may or may not be part of a Highland Clan. There are Scots who carry the name of a Highland Clan but are from the lowlands and have no clan affiliation at all.

The only way to know for sure is to do your genealogy. And I'm not talking about doing a google search. Doing your genealogy is a paper chase. You start with your birth certificate. That will give you the names of your two parents. It may say where they are from. You go to that place and find their marriage license or birth certificates. That leads to the next piece of paper.

If you do not have an unbroken paper trail you do not have a genealogy. Some people spend a lifetime tracing their genealogy. Most can never get beyond just a few generations.

And one more tidbit. Remember that a person's family tree does not start with a single person back in history and grow larger and wider over the years and generations. It is actually the reverse. It starts with you and grows and expands the further back you go. For a hypothetical example - If each of your ancestors had children at age 20 then you have one generation each 20 years. 100 years would be 5 generations. 5 generations back you have 32 grandparents. You trace your lineage through 32 different lines. That's only back to around WWI.

If you can follow your paper trail back to a grandparent who lived up in the area of Glen Shee then you may have a Highland Clan affiliation. If your paper trail leads to somewhere else, you may not.