SMITH FAMILY

The original meaning of the Smith Family Crest, in the Middle Ages, was ornamentation worn on a knight's helmet to match the Coat of Arms on his shield. As explained in the other article cited, it had a very real use in battle, when knights actually did wear armour.

Smith Family Crest - modern meaning

Up to the early 1900's, no member of the British aristocracy would ever has dreamed of wearing a miniture of his family's coat of arms as an ornament. That was the sort of thing that foreign Counts (who were ten a penny) did, because nobody cared much about them anyway. For a British aristocrat, to wear his coat of arms, say on his cuff-links, would be as good as admitting that he was insecure about people knowing who he was. It would have been thought incredibly vulgar.

The First World War 1914-1918 revolutionised British culture. The men who had fought in the terrible trench warfare, both aristocrat and commoner, come back home with new ideas, and a new confidence to challenge old ways of thought.

The 1920's was a time when young aristocrats felt that they could break with old traditions. Their parties become notorious for wild behaviour and the invitation of people with whom the aristocrats would never have mixed with socially a few short years before. Young baronets (knights, entitled to be called Sir William or whatever) started to sport cuff-links and cigarette cases adorned with their family crests, much to the horror of their older relatives.

It took many years before commoners (people not entitled to a British title) started to think about whether they had a "family" coat of arms. It started, as so many new things do, in the United States. Many US people went in search of their ancestry and family roots. No US citizen is allowed to have an aristocratic title anyway, so any American Smith has just as much right to use the Smith family crest in America as anyone else. The idea spread to Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. There, of course, you still have an aristocracy who do have the real right to bear a coat of arms. However, there was never actually any legal bar to a commoner using a coat of arms to which he was not entitled, it was just a matter of the old culture frowning upon it. Nowadays the cultural climate has changed so much that an aristocrat would make himself a figure of fun if he complained about a commoner with the same name using the family coat of arms as an ornamental crest.

Smith Family Crests (yes, crests!) - Products available

One extra nice thing for the Smith family, as compared to other families, is that a large number of our kinsmen have been knighted at various times. They each were granted a different coat of arms. Therefore we have several genuine Smith family crests to choose from. In fact there are over 40 completely attested Smith Coats of Arms, from England, Ireland and Scotland. In Scotland, they are often known as Clan Badges.

Smith Family Crest on hand-crafted Wall Plaques

These wall plaques are hand-made to a very high quality. They are mounted on durable hardwood, and can form a topic of conversation for visitors. They add a distinctive touch of class to a dining room. Each plaque is individually hand-painted, so please allow up to ten weeks for delivery. Delivery is made direct from our supplier in the USA.
Please help our family children's educational trust by ordering only through us! Our supplier is the highly-reputable House of Names in the USA. You will get the same goods at the same prices, regardless of how you reach their website. However, they pay us a commission for people who go to their website from our website. Please only order by using this link to purchase goods.	Hand painted wall plaque. Mounted on natural wood (maple). 10" x 8" $174.95 (at time of writing)	Hand painted wall plaque. Mounted on walnut. 14" x 12" $259.95 (at time of writing)

Smith Family Crest on Personalised manufactured products

T-Shirt. One of several Smith Coats of Arms. Available in male/female and various styles, sizes, colors and material. Shown is pre-shrunk double-stitched 100% cotton. $US 17.95 (as shown)	T-Shirt. Another of several Smith Coats of Arms. Available in male/female and various styles, sizes, colors and material. Shown is pre-shrunk double-stitched 100% cotton. $US 17.95 (as shown)	T-Shirt. With Smith Scottish Clan Badge. Available in M/F and various styles, sizes, colors and material. Shown is pre-shrunk double-stitched 100% cotton. $US 17.95 (as shown)
Coffee Mug. A ceramic mug with brief facts about the Smith family printed on the mug's reverse. Various sizes, styles and colors available. Next-day shipping. $US 14.80 (as shown)	Keychain. Set your keys apart with your custom keychain. Scratch and UV resistant. 2.25" in diameter. Next-day shipping. $US 3.85	Necktie. Perfectly correct for formal wear with a suit. Made of silky 100% polyester fabric. 55" long, 4" wide at widest point. Unlimited colors. Next-day shipping. $US 38.50

Delivery is made direct from our suppliers. Prices and shipping time are correct at the time of writing.

Please help our family children's educational trust by ordering only through us! Our supplier is the reliable and international firm Zazzle. You will get the same goods at the same prices, regardless of how you reach their website. However, the suppliers pay us a commission for people who go to their website from our website. 100% of the commission we earn goes to our famiy's children.

Please order all goods from Zazzle thru this link in the USA.
Please order all goods from Zazzle through this link in the UK.
Please order all goods from Zazzle through this link in Canada.
Please order all goods from Zazzle through this link in Australia.
Please order all goods from Zazzle through this link in New Zealand.