What are coats of arms?
The use of coats of arms dates back from the Middle Ages. During battles noblemen wore an identifying mark so that their allies could recognize them in their suit of armour and under their helmet. It became a tradition that families used the same symbol or combination of symbols generation after generation. Later on those symbols were also used for the seals on official documents (charters or deeds), not only by noblemen, but also by other prominent families. The coats of arms of families that belong to the Dutch nobility are laid down by Royal Decree. Other coats of arms, whether they have been used for centuries or are designed recently, can be included on certain conditions in a register of the Central Bureau of Genealogy in The Hague or in other registers. However, such registrations have no formal meaning. Coats of arms are related to a family and not to a family name. Not all people with the same family name belong to the same family. If you know that in former days people with y
