Heraldic Beasts?

[MacLowlife]

Legitimate direct male heir. One of these does not apply to me- and it's not my own gender...

On the other hand, I have a number of heraldic items relating to another set of arms. They belonged to a father and son. The son was related to my grandfather a couple of different ways* and he bequeathed his entire estate to my grandfather. While I do not have their surname, either, I reckon the male line ended with the son's death in 1954. I have very little information about the father's other surnamed male relatives, but I strongly suspect the son's estate plan reflected a lack of other male heirs. I do not really believe I have a claim to those arms (either) but I did wear the ring and use them on writing paper from time to time, confident that no one will assert a superior claim. Of course, there is a good chance that the father merely adopted the arms himself. I have never seen anything to indicate a proper grant or matriculation.


http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CDMQ9QEwBA




*Because of a cousin marriage, the father and my great grandfather were both first and second cousins. They in turn married half sisters, making the son and my grandfather first, second, and third cousins. When the son disappeared and was presumed lost ( this is the absolute truth) he left a will bequeathing his entire estate to my grandfather- with one exception. He noted that an article of jewelry was on deposit at Birks and that they had instructions as to how to dispose of it. My grandfather wrote to them asking about it and they replied only that they had followed his instructions. No further information was forthcoming.

[Cygnus]

Legitimate direct male heir. One of these does not apply to me- and it's not my own gender...

Don't you worry, MacLowlife, illegitimacy doesn't necessarily prevent one from inheriting paternal arms! (I'm kidding, of course - no offense intended!)

I'm not sure how things are in England, but in Scotland I believe you would have to change your surname to inherit the arms of the relative of your grandfather. If your surname doesn't match the bearer of those arms, the best you can do is quarter them with arms that are associated with your surname.

[Mike_Oettle]

Since thisdiscussionarosewithaquestionregardingcrestbeas ts,letmerevisitthatparticuloaraspect.
Itwasaskedhowonecoulddistinguishbetweenheraldicbea stsandothers.
Sincewearetalkinghereaboutanimalsformingpartofacre st,letmepointoutthatwhileheraldryhasanynumberofext raordirarybeastsnot(much)encounteredelsewhere,almo stanyanimalcanbepressedintoarmorialservice.
Leavingasidethequestionofwhetheraparticularcrestis legallyyours(which has been covered in depth), Bear in mind that a crest on a signet ring will invariably be shown emerging from a crest-wreath or torse, or alternatively a coronet of some kind (usually a crest-coronet, also known as a ducal coronet),
If such a wreath or coronet not only appears beneath the animal, vegetable or mineral devic, iti dentifies it as being part of a crest.
On a signet ring such adevice would appear withoutc colour(although it could have Petra Sancta markings on it inidicating the colours.
So while it might have been carved to represent an entirely differentf amily, if it shows your family's crest it can be regarded as belonging to your amily.
In some instances Lyon Court or the College of Arms has granted distinct crests to members of the same family, In other cases the same crest serves for several armigers of the same family.
If I find a crest-badge in plain metal which shows a demi-kudu issuant, I could make use of it as a representation of my own crest. and wear it on my bonnet.
Regards,
Mike

[Mike_Oettle]

Since this discussion arose with a question regarding crest beasts, let me revisit that particular aspect.
It was asked how one could distinguish between heraldic beasts and others.
Since we are talking here about animals forming part of a crest, let me point out that while heraldry has any number of extraordirary beasts not (much)encountered elsewhere, almost any animal can be pressed into armorial service.
Leaving aside the question of whether a particular crest is legallyyours (which has been covered in depth), bear in mind that a crest on a signet ring will invariably be shown emerging from a crest-wreath or torse, or alternatively a coronet of some kind (usually a crest-coronet, also known as a ducal coronet),
If such a wreath or coronet not only appears beneath the animal, vegetable or mineral devic, iti dentifies it as being part of a crest.
On a signet ring such adevice would appear without colour (although it could have Petra Sancta markings on it inidicating the colours).
So while it might have been carved to represent an entirely different family, if it shows your family's crest it can be regarded as belonging to your amily.
In some instances Lyon Court or the College of Arms has granted distinct crests to members of the same family, In other cases the same crest serves for several armigers of the same family.
If I find a crest-badge in plain metal which shows a demi-kudu issuant, I could make use of it as a representation of my own crest. and wear it on my bonnet.
Regards,