Harris COAT OF ARMS
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Replies: 3
Re: Harris COAT OF ARMS
Hello Luann:
A search of this board and the corresponding mailing list archives will return many responses explaining, "there is no such thing as a Family Crest" and what Coats of Arms are and who they are awarded to. Not everyone fits that category. And... some of the folks on the board and list grow weary of responding to this "what is my coat of arms/family crest" question. Some responses are more informative than others. There may already be some posted re Harris -- go have a look!
This "no such thing..." is sometimes difficult for Americans to "understand" as we do not live in a country that has Heraldic Law. However -- consider --- if you were to go to a County Fair and look at all the personalized license plates and decide to take the cleverest you like and affix it to your car -- that would be a similar situation, just as illegal, to using someone else's arms in a country that observes and enforces Heraldic Law. In such countries, to use the arms of another is identity theft! And citizens of countries that observe Heraldic Law can be prosecuted for selling the arms of others, even if they live in the USA or elswhere in the world where there is no Heraldic Law established. I know of one such instance.
That said.... Americans will do as they will do to decorate their homes, etc. There are an unlimted number of shops that will sell the arms and crests of those who earned them to those who have not. And if there's not one found for a name, there's a "bucket shop" willing to design it. Caveat Emptor!
This board exists to discuss Heraldic matters. No one will post where to locate Arms for purchase. And should such a post appear, it is my duty as the Admin to remove it as a commercial post.
In order to establish there was an armorigious person in your family, you will have to trace your Ancestry beyond Indiana in the USA. You will need to track to Scotland, England or Ireland and find someone that earned the arms that are listed for that name.
Good luck to you in your endeavors. The Harris Surname Board and List will be good places for you to post queries to find your genealogical trail to Scotland -- Harris is a Scottish name. When you are "further down the road" and have more details of a probable Armiger in your family --- do come back and share details --- someone on the board or list may help you to pinpoint the exact arms involved and can explain what the description means.
Yours Aye,
Lauren M. Boyd, FSA Scot
Heraldry and Coats of Arms Board and List Admin
A search of this board and the corresponding mailing list archives will return many responses explaining, "there is no such thing as a Family Crest" and what Coats of Arms are and who they are awarded to. Not everyone fits that category. And... some of the folks on the board and list grow weary of responding to this "what is my coat of arms/family crest" question. Some responses are more informative than others. There may already be some posted re Harris -- go have a look!
This "no such thing..." is sometimes difficult for Americans to "understand" as we do not live in a country that has Heraldic Law. However -- consider --- if you were to go to a County Fair and look at all the personalized license plates and decide to take the cleverest you like and affix it to your car -- that would be a similar situation, just as illegal, to using someone else's arms in a country that observes and enforces Heraldic Law. In such countries, to use the arms of another is identity theft! And citizens of countries that observe Heraldic Law can be prosecuted for selling the arms of others, even if they live in the USA or elswhere in the world where there is no Heraldic Law established. I know of one such instance.
That said.... Americans will do as they will do to decorate their homes, etc. There are an unlimted number of shops that will sell the arms and crests of those who earned them to those who have not. And if there's not one found for a name, there's a "bucket shop" willing to design it. Caveat Emptor!
This board exists to discuss Heraldic matters. No one will post where to locate Arms for purchase. And should such a post appear, it is my duty as the Admin to remove it as a commercial post.
In order to establish there was an armorigious person in your family, you will have to trace your Ancestry beyond Indiana in the USA. You will need to track to Scotland, England or Ireland and find someone that earned the arms that are listed for that name.
Good luck to you in your endeavors. The Harris Surname Board and List will be good places for you to post queries to find your genealogical trail to Scotland -- Harris is a Scottish name. When you are "further down the road" and have more details of a probable Armiger in your family --- do come back and share details --- someone on the board or list may help you to pinpoint the exact arms involved and can explain what the description means.
Yours Aye,
Lauren M. Boyd, FSA Scot
Heraldry and Coats of Arms Board and List Admin