House of Names

[artificer]

Oh yeah.

All of the "Your family crest" places are pretty much scams. If you go and read "Armorial Général" by Johannes Baptist Rietstap, you can see a catalog of family names and coats of arms. Most of these "your famous family" vendors are using the entries from this book to market their stuff.

The fact is that NEARLY ALL families WEREN'T knights, or recognized with a coat of arms. Most families were farmers, millers, coopers, smiths, etc etc who tended to get on with life despite that fact.

The fact that a coat of arms exists for someone with the same last name as you DOESN'T mean that it's YOUR family coat of arms.


Hopefully MacMillian of Rathdown will wade in here with more specifics.

[AFS1970]

I have seen outfits like this set up at fairs and festivals. They often print a family history with the same artwork regardless of the name, just a collection of shields along one edge.