Some European families can be traced back to medieval times when coats of arms were used as identification . This can be done using a service, or looking through reference books and searching on the internet. Either way, you will be amazed at the information you find. Another good way to look for your coat of arms, is to ask relatives, or to look through your families belongings to see is the crest is on something.

 

A coat of arms is granted to an individual or a direct descendant, not an entire family. In the Midieval or Early Renaissance days, the English granted a Coat Of Arms to people who they felt were worthy.

In order to display a coat of arms you must prove that you are a descendant of someone who was initially granted the arms.

 

 

The Shield: The shield's shapes can be very different depending the geographical origin as well as the time period.

The Mantle: This is suppose to represent the cloth that would have hung and protected the neck and back of the head. People say it looks like the leaves on a plant.

The Supporters:  On either side of the shield, are two animals,birds or persons that usually appear. The Crest: This is whatever appears above the helm. There does not have to be a crest on a coat of arms.

The Helm: The helm or helmet varies with the person's rank or the century they created their coat of arms.

The Wreath: This is usually a primary color or just metal.

These are the major coat of arms symbols.

 

 

If you search on the internet, you can find websites that offer coat of arms templates. Some of these sites might ask you to become a member of the site, thus giving them information about yourself. Other sites, have created beautiful coat of arms for people to freely use.

 

The meaning of your coat of arms can be looked up via the internet or in reference books. Symbol charts have thousands of different symbols and their meanings. This is a nice chart which has all different coat of arms Meanings , it is a good starting point.