Dating back to the Middle Ages, Coat of Arms meant more than hanging a crest on the wall for decoration.
Practically they were important to distinguish identity in battle, though in a more elegant way than dog tags.
Instead of stating name, rank, and serial number, the Coat of Arms pictured one’s heredity, important to the social class of the times.
Whether used to identify who performed well, or who died, Coat of Arms were practical especially in a day when no one had social security numbers, phone numbers, or driver licenses.
In fact, last names didn’t even begin in England until after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Because population was enormously growing, surnames became essential.
Even so, there were no identification cards, especially in a society that had a low literacy rate.
Thus, Coat of Arms used pictures to tell the story of a family, by which others could easily trace identity.
A common misconception is that a Coat of Arms passes to members of the same family, when instead it passes to one person. Thus, they are quite unique to the individual.
Knowing that gave us a lot of freedom to create our own Coat of Arms, a project which my son oversaw.
After looking at examples of Coat of Arms, I suggested that my son divide the shield into fourths.
One set of opposite corners could represent his paternal background (Irish) while the other corners could represent his maternal background (German).
When I asked my dad about our family name, he said at one time it was much longer, so it had been simplified. That is funny, because no one has ever been able to spell or pronounce my maiden name.
I told my son to create his coat of arms from his imagination, as inspired by his research.
After help cutting down a piece of foam board from Hobby Lobby, my son painted his designs.
