Medieval Symbols And Crests

Family crests in the olden days were important for identification purposes. When the knights during those days went out to battle, their faces remained covered with helmets! How was one to determine his identity, as he got ready to vanquish his foe and win the laurels? It started early on in the 12th century, the early medieval periods and soon its importance grew. For the knights it was important to get successful training and make substantial amounts of money as well. The crest remains prominently on the shield of the knight and represented his family. Crests present on helmets establish his identity for the opponent as well as the spectators to see.

Heralds seeing the importance of these crests, started to record them for the tournaments for each competitor. This made it easier for them to determine the winners and record the scores. Family’s heralds gradually became quite apt at tracing genealogies associated with the Knight’s family. They were the ones responsible for passing such identifications from one generation to the next as a part of succession laws during those times. In 1400 A.D. and beyond, this ownership became all-important when it came to taking part in various tournaments.

Family crest maker was given the all-important responsibility to bestow this sign of nobility status on the various members of the noble families of Europe. Even ownership related to inherited land pieces fully depended upon the presence of these crests and symbols. For families, it was their symbol denoting lineage and the status in the society. The owners were so powerful they had the ability to lead their followers to battlegrounds.

Even today, many people are interested in their history and family backgrounds. They can purchase family crests from reliable providers. However, in order to get the best results it is important only to work with stores capable of verifying your lineage and offering accurate crest information. It is important to remember that coat of arms is completely different from family crest. The latter is only a part of the former. It appears in the upper portion of the shield in the overall design of the coat of arms.

You will also come across these crests engraved on bookplates, belt buckles and rings. It includes shield designs, with several meaningful, decorative elements present within. Those interested in purchasing such things should first verify whether they do have coat of arms as a part of family lineage. If the royalties bestowed this, a record would surely be present somewhere. These usually related to individuals instead of the surname of the family. Mass produce varieties naturally will appear quite beautiful, but does not reflect the history of your family in an accurate manner.

The best stores will always make sure to do a thorough research into individual family genealogies to determine the presence of a crest. Those interested in their family crest symbols and associated meanings can always visit the website Heraldryandcrests.com. It contains a comprehensive library for research giving you a clear knowledge regarding everything that you always wanted to know.

About The Author

Heraldry and Crests is a firm that specializes in onomastic and heraldic research, with the most comprehensive research library of it's kind in the world, an existing data base of over 1,000,000 names, and a staff of highly trained specialists, they are able to provide the most accurate information currently available about the meaning and origin of family names, as well as the coat of arms associated with them.

Felicity Queen is an expert on the concept of family crests, coat of arms and heirlooms.