Whats the difference between a family crest & coat of arms?
See the links below, one from the British College of Arms and the other 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… A “family crest” is a misnomer for a coat of arms. A crest is part of a coat of arms. Coats of arms were originally the knights armour. As time went by coats of arms were granted to noblemen. The oldest coats of arms did not have a crest unless it was added due to some deed pleasing to the crown. Later they all had a crest. So if you see one without a crest it usually will be one of older lineage. An exception can be is I knew one guy that had one without the crest and thought his was one of the older ones. Then he found that his originally had a crest and the crown removed it due to theft
