Coat of Arms of Spain?

Question

What are the meanings and symbols? And where do I find my family crest, my last name?

Answer 1

Regarding a possible entitlement to a coat of arms, a crest is a part of the coat of arms or achievement, and was the decoration used on a helmet. You will need to prove a direct descent from the man who was originally granted arms and apply for permission to display them, you cannot assume that you have a legal entitlement to the arms of someone else just because you share a surname with them, the rules are very strict and can be upheld in civil law, worldwide.

Tradition varies slightly from country to country, but in essence is much the same.

In the first instance the grant of arms was/is made to one individual and inherited by his descendants who alone may bear or use his arms, they were passed equally to each of his sons, each one added their own mark of cadency to those arms. The eldest son added a label – a horizontal strip with three pendant drops (during the lifetime of his father). The second son added a crescent, the third son added a five pointed star, the fourth son added a martlet, the fifth son added a annulet, the sixth a fleur de lys, the seventh a rose, the eighth a cross Moline and the ninth a double quatrefoil, which were then displayed on their shields to distinguish themselves from each other and their father, the sons passed their arms, complete with their own cadences, on to their own sons, who then added a second set of cadences to distinguish themselves from each other, their father, uncles and cousins.

When a man died, his eldest son then had the right to bear his father’s arms without the differentiation marks, the eldest son’s children would then add only one set of cadency marks, instead of two, and so on down the generations, the brothers of the eldest son continued to use the arms with their own cadency marks, which were later passed to their sons in the same manner, It all got very complicated.

Daughters also inherited the right to display their father’s arms if there was no male heir, a daughter could pass her father’s arms on to her sons. Wives, widows and daughters had a courtesy right to display their husband or father’s arms, normally on a diamond lozenge.

The original achievement remained the same through the generations, enhanced by the addition of the various cadences, however, the arms of more than one family could also be included on one shield. If both the man and his wife had the right to bear arms, they could be displayed side by side, called impalement, or if mixed together to form new arms, it was called compounding. One method was quartering, where the shield was divided into quarters, then, for example, if a man had no sons, his daughter or daughters inherited his right to the coat of arms, if one such daughter married a man who also had a coat of arms, her arms could be impaled with his, or be displayed on a

small shield in the centre of her husbands arms, their sons would then seek permission of the Heralds to bear arms, with their father’s arms in two quarters and their mother’s

in the other two quarters. With time the coat of arms could include the arms of many families and became very complex.

Dating originally from before the advent of surnames, the arms were in effect a means of identification, much the same as a surname. With the establishment of surnames during the 12th. And 13th. centuries, those families who already had the right to bear arms acquired a surname to go with their arms, once surnames were established and became hereditary, new arms were granted to men with an established surname, so it can, I think, be argued as to whether or not arms are attached to a family, or the family surname.

Neither were they (or surnames) introduced by the Normans for taxation purposes. The Normans arrived in England some 100 or more years before the first heraldic arms or devices began to appear.

Heraldry in Europe developed and evolved during the 12th.and 13th. centuries (1100-1200) Heraldic arms were a personal device, possibly for military purposes, or simply a display of status or vanity, it can only be guessed at because, today, no one knows the real reason. At first, arms were displayed without authority from anyone, but gradually became controlled by the Crown, through Heralds, whereby, men who could prove their ancient use of arms by their family, were granted permission to continue displaying them. Total control finally came about in the 15th.century, when Richard III

in 1484, established what is now known as the College of Arms, it still holds the

authority to grant or withhold the use and display of arms.

A crest was normally an ornament on a helmet and it was included within the family’s achievement (coat of arms) but later became used separately, as decoration on plate and cutlery, stationery etc.

If it is possible to access a copy of Burke’s “General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales” first published in 1842, you can find out if any particular family was ever granted the right to bear arms. It is unfortunately a fact that very, very few people, other than extremely well documented lines of royalty, nobility, gentry or maybe wealthy landowners, traders or other persons of note, can prove a satisfactory link back to that period. Generally, if a family is entitled to display arms, they are most probably still aware of the fact, it is not something usually “forgotten”. Today there are two types of arms, “granted arms”, which are formally conveyed by a sovereign, state, or other body with the authority to do so, these grants have legal status under the law wherever they are recognised. And there are “assumed arms”, which can be designed and used by anyone but carry no legitimacy.

Other countries have a broadly similar history of Heraldic rules and regulatory authorities.

Sources :-

Among others.

The College of Arms

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

And the book by T.Woodcock & J.M.Robinson

“The Oxford Guide to Heraldry”.

In Spain, the Spanish Heralds, the Cronista Reys de Armas,

are empowered to issue Certification of Arms, of Nobility and of Genealogy, Apart from the King of Spain they are the only authority for Spanish arms, you may be able to get details from them concerning your claim to arms, their address is :-

Cronista Reys de Armas, Calle de Atocha 91, Madrid, Spain.

You should try and write to them in Spanish.

Good Luck !

Answer 2

There is no such thing as a family crest.

A crest is part of a coat of arms. Coats of arms do not belong to surnames.

They were and are granted to individuals and are passed down through the direct male line of descent.  Actually, there might have been for instance, 9 different men, with the same surname, not all necessarily related, that were each granted their own coat of arms, all different.  The peddlers that sell them on the internet, at airports, at shopping malls, in magazines or solicit by mail won't have all 9. They don't need to in order to sell to gullible people. The only time they will have more than one is if persons with the same surname from more than one national origin were granted one and then they will have one of each when in fact there might have been several of each.

See the links below.  One is from the British College of Arms. They grant coat of arms and are the ultimate authority.  If your father or husband is entitled to one, send them your family tree and they can probably find it even though it is Spanish.  

The other link is from the most prestigious genealogical organization in the U. S., The National Genealogical Society.  

http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/Faq.ht...

http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/comconsumerp...

These 2 sources are far more reliable than some peddler selling walnut plaques, key chains, coffee mugs, T Shirts etc with coats of arms.  

If this is a school assignment, go ahead and print off any that you find but at the same time, print off the 2 links I am furnishing you and give them to your teacher.

Anytime you go into someone's home and see one of those walnut plaques on their den wall or over their fireplace, or they have a keychain or a coffee mug with a coat of arms on it, the coat of arms is just one that was granted to someone with their surname and probably isn't even related to them.  Politeness means we don't laugh at people, particularly in their own homes.  However, you can understand that if you display one of the coats of arms that are being sold like that, that any person knowledgeable in genealogy or heraldry will be amused.  Courtesy means they won't come out and make fun of you.