Bogus commercial heraldry....

[Coemgen]

Caveat emptor!

[H.M. Murdock]

So... if these crests are bogus, how does one go about finding one's true family crest? Much less when one's Scottish heritage is "Stewart"?

[Pleater]

Er - well the whole concept of a family crest is not exactly cosher.

Just because someone with the same or similar surname had a crest at one time doesn't mean that anyone with that name is entitled to use that crest - and the original 'owner' might be using the crest due to some reason other than their name anyway.

I believe that some appointments brought an award of arms, but they were not heritable, so just because an ancestor might have had a crest during his lifetime, the right to display them died with him.

I have a huge book on heraldry somewhere - can't see it at the moment, I'll have to see if I can locate it - it can't be far away, no one would carry it any distance voluntarily....

[H.M. Murdock]

Ahh. See, that's an issue, since the lady is sort of gung ho about me getting "my crest" on one of my arms. I figure since I can actually wear Royal Stewart without just being "another Stewart" (Mary, anyone?), there must be a crest, motto or coat of arms I can appeal to.

[sirdaniel1975]

So... if these crests are bogus, how does one go about finding one's true family crest? Much less when one's Scottish heritage is "Stewart"?

Stewart is one of the most common surnames in Scotland. It literally means Steward. I have done a load of genealogy and found a lot of probable Stewart bloodlines in my family.

People just don't have family crests, this is a myth. A BIG MYTH. For persons of Scottish ancestry, there are clan crest badges and crests for cities and districts. There are some generic crest badges for anyone with Scottish ancestry. One has a lion in it the other has a thistle in it. Ultimately it's a generic crest badge.

The Scottish crest badge is surrounded by a belt like :


Here's an image of the Clan Stewart badge:


Clan Crest Stewart - Courage Grows Strong At The Wound

Here is a good explanation from the Lord Lyon's website:


Crests

[sirdaniel1975]

Er - well the whole concept of a family crest is not exactly cosher.

Just because someone with the same or similar surname had a crest at one time doesn't mean that anyone with that name is entitled to use that crest - and the original 'owner' might be using the crest due to some reason other than their name anyway.

I believe that some appointments brought an award of arms, but they were not heritable, so just because an ancestor might have had a crest during his lifetime, the right to display them died with him.

I have a huge book on heraldry somewhere - can't see it at the moment, I'll have to see if I can locate it - it can't be far away, no one would carry it any distance voluntarily....

Exactly! It's an impersonation of the very person who owns those Coat of Arms.

[Scotus]

Most of those websites forget to take into account different sects with the same name.

It's not just that, it's the fact that there is no such thing as a "family coat of arms" as presented by these bucket shops. Arms belong to individuals, not to someone simply because they happen to bear the same name as someone who bore a coat of arms in the past.

[Big Homestead]

In my quest, I found many things.

1. I do have a family symbol on my surname.
2. Everyone and their dog was waiting to dupe me out of some money to give me their take on my history.
3. My kin around the globe were kind enough to do the research, post the data, "show their math" and I am a more knowledgeable man because of their efforts.

[Pleater]

Ahh. See, that's an issue, since the lady is sort of gung ho about me getting "my crest" on one of my arms. I figure since I can actually wear Royal Stewart without just being "another Stewart" (Mary, anyone?), there must be a crest, motto or coat of arms I can appeal to.

Alas - it is usually only necessary to keep silent to keep people guessing, but to wear an emblem of folly inked into your skin, it's going to be a dead give away.

Perhaps if you explain to your lady that the actual owner of the crest might have every right to remove if from your person she might change her mind?

Maybe if you point out that the wearing of a heraldic device other than on a shield, denotes servitude - you could end up cleaning out the stables rather than being welcomed as a returning son of the prodigal should you ever decide to visit the ancient family seat.

[Ozman1944]

STEWART:
Once when I asked my Great Grandmother (Stewart) about our ancestors, she just grinned and said: "The only thing you need to know about the Stewarts is that they were either Kings of Tinkers. And the only thing hidden under my bed is a Chamber Pot, not a crown..."

So I don't worry one way or t'other.