Quote Originally Posted by highlander_Daz
Todd i know that Heraldry is one of your passions, In Britain there are many scams where you can buy "your" familys cota of arms, and you see many people buying into this, Ive always maintained that coats of arms are specific to braches rather than whole familys, whats your thoughts on this?
Daz
Daz:

I tend to follow the Scottish way of thinking on this: coats-of-arms belong to individuals, not all who bear the same surname. You see the same scam here (although not all who peddle arms are doing it for malicious reasons); in heraldic circles we call them "bucket shops". Since there is no American Heraldic authority, there is really no way to do away with them, so "let the buyer beware". I dealt with this on an almost daily basis as a genealogical librarian, with patrons looking for the "family crest"; alas, there is "no such creature", although I should point out that not all nations have such rigid laws and customs regarding heraldry as Scotland and the other nations of the British Isles.

Of course, heraldic experts are not beginning to state that Americans are free to "assume" arms without an official grant from a heraldic authority like the Lord Lyon, the College of Arms in England, etc. Many Americans are "registering" arms with Russia, South Africa, Spain, the New England Genealogical Society, etc.

I personally like the symbolism of the chief's crest badge (the misnamed "clan badge"), so I tend to follow that.

Yours aye,

Todd