Coat of Arms - RUTTER

[waralan]

Hi, this may be a bit naive--and forgive me if it is--but is there any record of a coat of arms for the Rutter family?  Also if there is, what would it mean?

[Rick]

Hi Waralan

A quick google produced many companies who would be happy to sell you a coat of arms for the RUTTER family.

However, according to the College of Arms - http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/

"A right to arms can only be established by the registration in the official records of the College of Arms of a pedigree showing direct male line descent from an ancestor already appearing therein as entitled to arms, or by making application through the College of Arms for a grant of arms. Grants are made to corporations as well as to individuals."

Thus, just because you happen to share a surname with someone who long ago was awarded a coat of arms, does not necessarily mean that you have any right to make claim to it.

Rick

[waralan]

Rick, Thanks for  your speedy response. I really appreciate it.

[behindthefrogs]

Fairbournes Crests identifies three Rutter families entitled to a coat of arms but the reference volume that I have only describes the crest.  The crest sits on top of the helmet and should not be confused with the shield.  (see the Edlin coat of arms to the left which has a crest of a swans neck between two wings) The crests are:

For two Devonshire Rutters

a silver eagle
a silver eagle perched the trunk of a tree

One further one , location not identified

a greyhounds head between two roses slipped (that is having a stylised stalk) and leaved.

The crests tended to pass down families with less variation than the shields as they were not confined to the eldest son.

If you think your family was armigerous (entitled to bear arms) in the distant past then the best place to start looking is in the Heralds Visitations to the county where they lived.  These were published by the Harlian Society and can be found in main reference libraries.

If you are very rich you can try the College of Arms but they will quote you a huge sum just to confirm facts which don't involve a search.

There are reference books which describe the shields but they are difficult to find and you will need to learn how to interpret the way they are descrbed as often there are no pictures.  PM me if you want a description interpretted as I can manage most of them.

David

[waralan]

David and all,  I am just asking out of curiousity.  Here in the US we often get advertiments for coat of arms and booklets describing relationship, etc.

[behindthefrogs]

The advertisements for coats of arms are made by commercial firms who have found someone with a coat of arms of approximately the right family name.  They then sell various products with that coat of arms.  In many cases they are not even the right arms for the family.  They also give description of of the origin of the arms etc. which again if often totally made up nonsense.

For example the arms alongside as far as I know are the only ones used by the Edlin family with a number of differences for particular family members.  The crest owes its origin to an ancestry from the Counts of Boulogne or Louvain.  The shield is derived from that of William Fitz Edlin de Burgh the royal steward together with that of the Count of Mortaine.  Some of the others associated with the family sold by commercial firms are not even valid coat of arms.

Strictly to use a coat of arms in the UK to which you are not entitlted is a prosecutable offence.  However it is difficult to define what is meant by "using" a coat of arms and there are very few cases where this has happened.  Where it has happened it has been done by the rightful owner of the coat of arms usually for commercial reasons.

David 

[waralan]

David, I asked the question out of curiousity.
        I am a  poor Yankee.  Yet, I am a part English.

[Valda]

I wouldn't presume because you find a coat of arms in a book it is an official one. There are three coats of arms for my surname. You can find them on impressive plates in books produced in the C19th and found in the British Museum. The College of Arms however is adamant they are all 'spurious' and are like many, made up by late C18th early C19th families who fancied improving their standing in the community and designed themselves a coat of arms. Books of the time collecting pictures of coats of arms collected them and these are the sources firms who sell you coats of arms use today - so when you buy such things not only are you not entitled to them anyway, but hey they might not even be the real thing either.

The 'real thing' can only be awarded/recognised by the College of Arms

http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/About/08.htm

and yes Americans can be granted arms too (it will of course cost you an arm and a leg)!

Grants of honorary arms to American citizens

American citizens may be granted honorary arms. They must meet the same criteria for eligibility as subjects of the Crown, and in addition must record in the official registers of the College of Arms a pedigree showing their descent from a subject of the British Crown. This may be someone living in the north American colonies before the recognition of American independence in 1783, or a more recent migrant.

Regards

Valda

[behindthefrogs]

To support Valda's comment on Coats of Arms being awarded to Americans the coat of arms alongside was awarded to an American some years ago with variations.  The variations were tha addition of a cross patence azure at the honour point of the shield and on a neck collar of the swan in the crest.

To translate

A blue cross of a specific fancy form at the top centre of the shield.  This cross was taken from the Offley Coat of arms thus identifying both of the parents of the original immigrant.

If you do find and can interpret a coat of arms a lot of family history can be derived from it.

David