A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on an escutcheon (i.e. shield), surcoat, or tabard. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement which consists of shield, supporters, crest, and motto. The design is a symbol unique to an individual person or family (except in the UK), corporation, or state.* (source: Wikipedia)
Heraldry is the activity of creating or studying coats of arms and of tracing and recording family histories.
Escutcheon is a defined area on which armorial bearings are displayed and which usually consists of a shield also a protective or ornamental plate or flange (as around a keyhole).
In this workshop participants were given shield outlines to choose from in order to design their own Family Crests or coat of arms. Some things to think about when designing a symbol for your family:
What kind of jobs do my family members have?
A lot of members in my family are in the arts, education and social services. If I was to create a symbol for my family it would have icons that represented these fields of work and study.
Where does the oldest recorded members of my family come from and where does my family live?
Location can be a significant part of a persons family.
What is your family good at?
Sometimes its hard to tell from a glance but spend time thinking about your family and what you all do well together.
Are there any special events, occasions and or stories that are significant to your family tree?
Special stories and or historical content can create an interesting symbol to add to your coat of arms. For example: My mother's side of the family migrated north from the south during the fifties and my father's side of the family migrated from Puerto Rico.
This discussion can also lead to creating a family tree and learning more about your family.
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