How do you design a personal seal? or a family crest?

Question:Well, given that you are making one up, here are the components of a "coat-of-arms".

A coat-of-arms is just that - a collection of "arms". It's foundation is a shield, a helm (helmet) on top of shield, and a crest (on top of helmet). Note that not all had crests because not all had helmets. Members of the clergy rarely had helmets or crests because being "men of peace" they had no need for such things.

The "artwork" on the shield is more formally the "coat-of-arms", that which was bestowed to an INDIVIDUAL by the powers that be.

But the heraldic display includes all the armament (note that in earlier times, the crest, if present, was often just a repeat of the design on the shield). The heraldic display also normally includes what are known as "supporters". Typically they can be animals (lions are especially popular) but what they "serve" as are supports to the shield. Holding it up if you will. The heraldic display also often has some "motto" below the shield (though that is customary placement, not required) - many have no motto at all.

Additional flourishes (most common is called mantling) sometimes are added above the shield (and the supporters) sometimes running up to the helm and crest. Leaves were especially common mantling.

So if you want to make one, stack the individual items as:

Crest
Helm
Shield
Motto

Then put a couple of "supporters on either side of the shield (pick an animal, any animal). Then create your own artwork for the shield as the "coat-of-arms". For the crest, well, a solid color that works well with the color scheme of the coat-of-arms would be nice. Of course being a man of peace, you might want to forego the helm and crest entirely to identify your peacefulness to the world.

But again, there is no surname coat-of-arms. They were grated to INDIVIDUALS, not their brothers or uncles who likely had the same surname. And they are passed down through direct MALE decendency. Even if you know an individual who was granted a coat of arms is your nth great-grandfather, if there is even ONE female in the line - the coat of arms is NOT yours.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Well, given that you are making one up, here are the components of a "coat-of-arms".

A coat-of-arms is just that - a collection of "arms". It's foundation is a shield, a helm (helmet) on top of shield, and a crest (on top of helmet). Note that not all had crests because not all had helmets. Members of the clergy rarely had helmets or crests because being "men of peace" they had no need for such things.

The "artwork" on the shield is more formally the "coat-of-arms", that which was bestowed to an INDIVIDUAL by the powers that be.

But the heraldic display includes all the armament (note that in earlier times, the crest, if present, was often just a repeat of the design on the shield). The heraldic display also normally includes what are known as "supporters". Typically they can be animals (lions are especially popular) but what they "serve" as are supports to the shield. Holding it up if you will. The heraldic display also often has some "motto" below the shield (though that is customary placement, not required) - many have no motto at all.

Additional flourishes (most common is called mantling) sometimes are added above the shield (and the supporters) sometimes running up to the helm and crest. Leaves were especially common mantling.

So if you want to make one, stack the individual items as:

Crest
Helm
Shield
Motto

Then put a couple of "supporters on either side of the shield (pick an animal, any animal). Then create your own artwork for the shield as the "coat-of-arms". For the crest, well, a solid color that works well with the color scheme of the coat-of-arms would be nice. Of course being a man of peace, you might want to forego the helm and crest entirely to identify your peacefulness to the world.

But again, there is no surname coat-of-arms. They were grated to INDIVIDUALS, not their brothers or uncles who likely had the same surname. And they are passed down through direct MALE decendency. Even if you know an individual who was granted a coat of arms is your nth great-grandfather, if there is even ONE female in the line - the coat of arms is NOT yours.

Your family may already have one, google family crest with your surname.

EDIT: Just so the other two people who answered are made aware, the Family Crest is also known as the Coat of Arms. It is just another name for it, so there is such a thing as a Family Crest.

There isn't any such thing as a family crest, although a dozen merchants who sell coffee mugs and plaques will try to tell you otherwise.

To design a personal seal, look at a few, read up on heraldry to see what a lion, dragon or emu symbolizes and start drawing something that has meaning for you.

Amazon.Com has books on heraldry. Just pull up their site, go under books and then specify "heraldry."

As Ted stated, there is no such thing as a "family crest." The crest is part of a coat of arms.

Coats of arms were originally a knight's armour and the crest was the plume on the knight's helmet. Eventually coats of arms were granted to noblemen and then later to men of prominence. The earliest coats of arms did not have a crest when granted. A crest was something added for some deed pleasing to the crown. About the Elizabethan period, all coats of arms granted had a crest.

So, if you see a coat of arms without a crest it will probably be one of older origin unless it is like one a person I knew had one that had been passed down from his father's line. It turned out his wasn't of older origin. There had been a crest originally and it was removed by the crown due to theft.

Edit: In response to Diane's edit, please see the link below from the British College of Arms

http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/Faq.ht...

Ted and Shirley are 100% correct. To those who left them a thumbs down, shame on you. You may not like the response, but it is an honest and accurate response. Just because you don't like the answer doesn't make it wrong.

Diane, you do not know what you are talking about. Ted and Shirley are pros at genealogy. You obviously are not.