The Coat of Arms is a heralding tradition that dates back to the 12th century but has been of little interest in the past several hundred years until the most recent royal wedding. In order for Kate Middleton to become the next princess, she must have her own coat of arms that can be merged with Prince William’s. Since the Middleton family is not of noble birth, they have not had a coat of arms until now. Thus, they were able to work with the College of Arms in England in order to design their own. They chose to keep it relatively simplistic and to keep it symbolic of their family and it’s traditions.
But what about the rest of us who aren’t about to get attached to a royal family tree?
Traditionally, the coat of arms was only given to knights to be worn into battle or into tournament and was used as a means of identification. A popular misconception is that a coat of arms belongs to a surname, but rather it belongs to an individual. It can be passed down through male descendants however it may be altered slightly from generation to generation to note new achievements or the order of birth. Thus, most people would not have a coat of arms, even if they tried to find one far, far back on their family tree. You can however apply to receive one from the College of Arms if you are of a particular professional or educational status. Over the past few years, a handful have been created for college professors.
But, if you’re like the rest of us, you lack the geneology or the social standing to warrant an official coat of arms. That doesn’t mean however that it wouldn’t make for a wonderful addition to your stationary–whether it’s for a son’s birthday party or for your own personal royal wedding. Creating a coat of arms is as simple as getting a basic grasp of the symbology and knowing what general design you want to create.
In order to understand the symbology, one must do a little bit of research. I highly recommend these two websites: Fleur-de-lis Designs and Irish Surnames. These sites both provide comprehensive lists of meanings for the various animals, symbols, colors, and shapes that are found on crests. As you look over the lists, keep in mind the meanings that you wish to convey and which animals and shapes jump out at you. Together these are what will form your coat of arms. For instance, you may not be all that fond of snakes, but if you’re an intellectual, the snake is actually the animal that suits you best. Conversely, you may be a fan of wolves, but the wolf was reserved for the most decorated of war veterans.
The next step is to draw up your coat of arms. There are two programs that are available online that are extremely efficient. The first is Make Your Coat of Arms.Com. This is an incredibly simplistic program with few options but extremely easy to understand functionality. Essentially, this is for your “Coat of Arms on the Fly” project. It’s biggest perk is that it is free and available online.
The second website is from Coat of Arms Design Studio. This program is a little more complex but it is also available for free online. There is a downloadable version that you can purchase relatively inexpensively that offers a few extra bells and whistles. This version requires a Java Applet in order to use the online version and a little bit of patience when first learning the program. After tinkering for a little while, it’s easily mastered and offers far more designs than the first program. Given enough time and patience, you can create a beautiful, one of a kind masterpiece unlike anything else. Another reason I like the Design Studio better is that you can directly save your coat of arms as a png file.
I wish you the best of luck as you explore a little bit of history and create a little of your own as you create your very own coat of arms.
