Help Please: Arms of Sykes of Driglington & Sledmere

[Stephen J F Plowman]

If you are getting the blazons from Burke's General Armory be very wary because it cannot be relied upon.  From personal experience & research I have found one very detailed entry to be for (heraldically) "unlawful" Arms.

When time permits I will try to do some research in the various Arms associated with the name Sykes. 

[Stephen J F Plowman]

A quick flick through Burke's Peerage of 1881 has the possible explanation that Richard Sykes, father of the 1st Baronet of Sledmere assumed in 1723 the crest A demi river deity rising from reeds, blowing a shell, and wreathed about the temples with wreaths, proper in lieu of the original "branded bull".

[marcie dean]

I know in Scotland that with the tartan the the line coming down the kilt tartan is the male line and the one coming across is the female line
and that they combine the tartans of the two houses and come up with a new tartan and I beleive its the same with the shields and crests  maybe they do something similar in England with family crests.
marcie

[behindthefrogs]

I know in Scotland that with the tartan the the line coming down the kilt tartan is the male line and the one coming across is the female line
and that they combine the tartans of the two houses and come up with a new tartan and I beleive its the same with the shields and crests  maybe they do something similar in England with family crests.
marcie

Crests in England (there is no such thing as family crests) unlike shields are rarely combined in any way.  Occasionally an individual may adopt the crest of a wife's father particularly if that family is more prominent.  This would involve a new coat of arms being granted.

[GrahamSimons]

It seems that the Sykes of Sledmere and the Sykes of Driglington have exactly the same Coat of Arms but have different crest, does anybody why?

It is an individual who has Arms, not a family !

Have a look at
http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/Faq.htm

The final way to answer these questions = and ones like them in England and Wales - is to ask the College of Arms (and be prepared to pay!). Not only will they know who is entitled to which arms, they will also hold records of the granting of the arms (or may say, of course, that the person concerned has no right to arms at all). For Scotland it's Lord Lyon King of Arms.