Family coat of arms

What is a family coat of arms?

A family coat of arms is a heraldic symbol (image) traditionally used to represent and denote a family, lineage or noble line. The family coat of arms is depicted according to the strict rules that heraldry assigns to it. It usually consists of a shield bearing specific patterns and figures (images), rendered in heraldic colours. The shield is often surmounted by a helmet with a crest and mantling, which are depicted around two thirds of the shield. It also occurs that the shield is held by supporters; these may be mythical creatures, but also lions or human figures. The images on the shield and in the crest can always be traced back to the family that bears the arms. The family coat of arms represents, as it were, a kind of heraldic emblem of the family that bears it. In use for hundreds of years already, family coats of arms are to this day regarded as an inseparable part of a lineage, often worn with great value: “the family coat of arms is an element bound up with a family history”

The origin and meaning;

Family coats of arms have their origin in the early Middle Ages. They were mostly borne by noble families and knights. The depictions of images on shields and the coloured cloths draped over the horse indicated which noble person or knight one was dealing with. In this way one could see the name and region of origin from a great distance; it was a form of recognition of the bearer.

Later, family coats of arms were also borne by the well-to-do bourgeoisie, municipal administrators and church dignitaries; one expressed, as it were, one’s power, standing and office through one’s family coat of arms.

The composition of a family coat of arms:

As indicated earlier, a family coat of arms is bound by strict heraldic rules and requirements. That is why, despite the diversity of images, the basic form is always present. A family coat of arms usually contains the following elements:

Shield: As mentioned, the shield in its characteristic form, depicted with symbols and colours upon it.

Helmet: Placed above the shield, often with a crest or a crown. From this one can read which noble title is involved. Besides the crest, wings also appear frequently.

Supporters: Figures placed beside the shield, such as animals or mythological creatures.

Motto: a device or maxim placed beneath the shield.

May anyone bear or wear a family coat of arms?

Yes, but traditional arms are often tied to historical rights. If your family does not have a family coat of arms, you can have one designed and/or registered with a heraldic society.

May I have a family coat of arms designed?

Yes, you may design a family coat of arms yourself or have one designed for you. Bear in mind that the design of a family coat of arms must meet strict conditions. These can all be traced back to the heraldic rules that apply to a correctly rendered family coat of arms.

(see also: having a family coat of arms designed)

One of the questions we are asked most often is: Do I, or does my family, have a family coat of arms?

We often cannot answer this question, despite our extensive heraldic library containing all the relevant reference works, such as the “Rietstap” Armorial General with its thousands of illustrations of Dutch and foreign family coats of arms, the armorial of distinguished Dutch families, many books of nobility and other reference works.

It is possible to search for a family coat of arms by name, but whether you actually belong to that family or family branch is something we cannot tell you. The CBG in The Hague is the designated address to consult in the first instance. If a family coat of arms is registered there, you will need to carry out genealogical research into your family tree, in order to establish with certainty that you belong to the entitled family branch. Extensive genealogical research is required for this information. Your family tree must then be traced, often generation by generation, without any certainty that a family coat of arms can be attributed to the lineage under investigation.

A search usually begins quite simply with yourself, going back in time generation by generation. In looking back at your forefathers you will regularly find yourself in municipal archives as well as church records: birth and death certificates, notarial deeds concerning inheritance or transfer of property, and so on. Through this voyage of discovery into your ancestry it is possible that you will come across a family coat of arms, borne by a distant relative in the direct line.

Can you design a family coat of arms for our family?

You are most welcome to bring this question to us. It is one of our regular activities. This question often begins with a degree of hesitation, since the client does not YET have a family coat of arms. Bear in mind, as an interested party, that all family coats of arms once had a date of origin, whether they are already hundreds of years old, designed decades ago, or created recently. There has always been a moment of commission. There is no such thing as a family coat of arms top ten in which age is a criterion.

What steps should I take?

You have already taken the first step: visiting our website and reading this brief introduction. Should you wish to take a next step after reading, please register via our website or contact us by telephone.

We can then schedule an appointment with you at our office in Zeist, arrange an appointment at a location of your choice, or visit you at home. During this conversation we take stock of your wishes with you. These concern the desired imagery on the shield, the heraldic colours and the crest to be borne; in short, we discuss how we will shape the family coat of arms, using the information you provide and wish to include in the arms. This information may relate to your profession, religious conviction, the region where your family resides, a hobby, a specific family trait. Put briefly, together we draw up a list of points in which you recognise yourself.

After this introductory conversation we set to work and visualise these characteristics in a number of draft family coats of arms, with matching descriptions of the symbols used, linked to the information provided to us. Once the design sketches are ready, we present them to you and discuss them together. Where necessary or desired, we adjust them. After approval, the family coat of arms is painted in the classical manner on heavy artist's paper in acrylic paint. The whole is mounted with a substantial passe-partout and, if desired, framed with high-quality museum glass.

We finish the family coats of arms we render just as we have done for generations: not digitally, but solely in fine handwork.

Should you wish to have your family coat of arms registered, we are happy to assist you. Some societies request only digital renderings for new family coats of arms; for this we convert the family coat of arms designed for you into a vector file. We provide this on request.