Family Crest and Your Heritage

Many of us associate our family name with our parents and Grandparents before them. Sometimes, however, the urge to know more about a family name and the family history ignites a search that can bring up delightful results. For the more historically inclined the search can often lead down a journey of clans, castles, intrigue and the green hills of Ireland.  The first stop on the search is often the family crest. 

The family crest is something that families of old took very seriously. They are a noble looking family representation that has spanned the generations.  It can be exciting to trace your family's heritage and find out that the family lineage includes someone like Hugh O’Neil, one of the first kings of Ireland. A crest is an excellent way to find a oneness with the ancient past. While the times have changed and we no longer live in an era of knights and horses there is still something distinctly satisfying about seeing your last name above a noble looking crest.

Crests were very symbolic in Ireland, as they were in Scotland and England as well. Some crests were used to identify men when they were on the battlefield, dressed in his suit of armor. Others were family crests that passed from one generation to the next father to son or mother to daughter – often as part of an inheritance. 

There are several arguments around the usage of the crest in the Dark and Middle Ages but here are the two that stand out:

• Military Crest.  The first argument is that the crest was a symbol used for military purposes. A rallying cry and a symbol of a ruler's might was displayed proudly above the castle and torn down when the castle fell. 
• Identifying Crest.  The other argument was that the crest was a sort of medieval trademark which was used for all purposes of identifying the goods, people, lands, and the military of a particular ruler or family. This more all-encompassing use of the crest would have helped a ruler to maintain a sense of order, and would have kept the people in his district under the watchful eye of what belonged to their leader. Flags and other national symbols have all evolved from the crest.

Regardless of their use in ancient times, family crests have become popular with families today and make for excellent gifts. A shield bearing the family crest can make an excellent gift to dad on Father’s day or Christmas. A scroll with the family crest and history can be given at family gatherings. Crests were a unifying symbol under the lords of the land, today they are a symbol of family and in that sense have come to serve the very purpose for which they were invented. Today families can take pride in seeing their name above the proud icons that symbolized the family's courage, lands, or other quirks which would be simply lost in the annals of history without the story of the crest to pass them on.

If you haven’t had a chance to look up your family, especially if you have Celtic heritage, I would encourage you to do it. Visit the shop and we can show you a variety of items with the family crest on them.