Coat of arms

[KLM]

Thanks Siamese girl and Behind the frogs.
I do realise the implications of using crests and coats of arms but,if one looks at Roots Chat contributors,one finds many examples of these, including my own for the Malone family.Plaques detailing such devices can,of course, be bought, and are bought ,from various sources including the internet.These are included for fun and are not infringing anybodies rights.Most of them are,probably,spurious,but,who cares.
Best wishes and good hunting.

[behindthefrogs]

Within the UK and many European Countries you are in fact infringing the rights of the person entitled to tha Coat of Arms and could be taken to court.  Fortunately in the case of family Coats of Arms this is unlikely to happen. However if they are used by a commercial firm or by a family for commercial reasons you are on much more dangerous ground.

I have a case in my own family history at the end of the nineteenth century where a saddler was using a shield which belonged to a family in Yorkshire in the header of his invoices.  He received a solicitor's letter threatening to take him to court if he didn't remove the shield.  I presume that he did as requested and it wasn't taken any further. This was actually very fortunate for me because I only found an invoice in the record office because the solicitor's files had been deposited there.

David

David

[Guy Etchells]

Incidentally by an Act of 32 & 33 Victoria, section 19 all armorial bearings may be taxed whether such bearing, crest or ensign shall be registered at the College of Arms or not.
This by the way means that Rootschat may (though unlikely) be taxed for each and every armorial design displayed on the forum.
Cheers
Guy

[meles]

Expect shortly (a) a sharp increase in tax income, or (b) a sudden change in avatars! 

meles

[Siamese Girl]

I'm sure our ancestors "borrowed" a crest and the accompanying arms because they had become rich enough to acquire silverware and it looked a bit plain without it! 

Carole

[Stephen J F Plowman]

Coats of Arms are awarded to an individual and are not ever ever for a surname or family.  They only pass from the recipient  to his elder son who on the death of the recipient has to apply to the College of Arms for them to be updated to his own.

It is not legal in the true sense of the word to use someone else's  Coats of arms.   You can check this out yoursel with the College of Arms and to the Lord Lyon for the Scottish Arms.

A slight correction if I may.  In English heraldry the Arms pass from the father to all his (legitimate) sons - no formal involvement from the College of Arms is required.  The eldest son inherits the Arms "undifferenced".  His younger brothers are meant to add a cadet mark to show their place in the family.  However, this is generally ignored in England.  In Scotland only the eldest son inherits the Arms as of right.  The younger brothers have to petition the Lyon Court for their own Arms.

Yours aye

Stephen

[bean]

A slight correction if I may.  In English heraldry the Arms pass from the father to all his (legitimate) sons - no formal involvement from the College of Arms is required.  The eldest son inherits the Arms "undifferenced".  His younger brothers are meant to add a cadet mark to show their place in the family.  However, this is generally ignored in England.  In Scotland only the eldest son inherits the Arms as of right.  The younger brothers have to petition the Lyon Court for their own Arms.

and if the person with arms dies without issue but leaves ia will stating one of his niece's children must change his name by Royal Licence to inherit - would they be entitled to the arms?
i'm guessing not but thought i'd ask!

[behindthefrogs]

A slight correction if I may.  In English heraldry the Arms pass from the father to all his (legitimate) sons - no formal involvement from the College of Arms is required.  The eldest son inherits the Arms "undifferenced".  His younger brothers are meant to add a cadet mark to show their place in the family.  However, this is generally ignored in England.  In Scotland only the eldest son inherits the Arms as of right.  The younger brothers have to petition the Lyon Court for their own Arms.

and if the person with arms dies without issue but leaves ia will stating one of his niece's children must change his name by Royal Licence to inherit - would they be entitled to the arms?
i'm guessing not but thought i'd ask!

They would have to apply to the College of Arms who would almost certainly insist on a difference being applied to the shield and crest.

David

[KLM]

Thanks to everybody for their input on the above subject.