Designing personal shields and coats of arms is fun. You should know though, that those already in existence were granted to one person. Only the direct descendants of that person have the right to bear that coat of arms or crest. There is not any agency for the granting of coats of arms in the United States.

The Society has taken efforts to warn adults about companies that sell mass produced items for thousands of surnames, including coats of arms. These items are offered by direct mail, sold in airports and shopping malls, and advertised in magazines.

Children too, can be made aware of the fact that the old coats of arms were first granted to individuals, not to family surnames. A person must inherit the right to display a particular coat of arms, thus, a person named John Davis may not use a coat of arms or shield of another person surnamed Davis unless he can trace his roots back to the original Davis who received the coat of arms.

The decorating of shields or coats of arms started in Europe and Britain during the eleventh century. By the end of the fifteenth century, there were so many that European and British governments created agencies to determine the right to the exclusive use of a certain design. Rules were defined to cover the eligibility of those who wanted to use the designs.

In England, this agency was called the College of Heralds. It kept a list of all coats of arms. When a person submitted a design that was different from any already listed, and he met the other requirements of the College, he was granted the exclusive right to use the design for himself and his heirs. English law required punishment by sentence to prison for using anyone else's coat of arms.

The Society hopes that this brief history of heraldry will educate the reader so that he will know that the designs offered for sale as his own are not, unless he wants to do the research to prove otherwise.

If you do have your students design personal coats of arms, there is a helpful book which introduces the language, colors, and designs used in heraldry that can be found in public libraries.
Harold the Herald
By Dana Fradon
New York; Dutton Children's Books, 1990

Please review the material found on the Consumer Protection Committee page.

An item you may want to read on the subject:

• The Youth Resources Committee
• Committees