ARMIGEROUS encyclopedia topics

ARMIGEROUS - 2 reference results

Armiger may also refer to the AGM Armiger anti-radiation missile.

An armiger is a person entitled to use a coat of arms. Such a person is said to be armigerous.

Originally an armiger was an Armour-Bearer or Esquire, attendant upon a Knight, but bearing his own unique armorial device.

The term "armiger" is well-defined only within jurisdictions (such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and Spain) where heraldry is regulated by the state or heraldic body (such as the College of Arms in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the Office of the Chief Herald in Ireland or the Court of the Lord Lyon in Scotland), since anyone may use any coat of arms in jurisdictions that lack regulated heraldry, such as the United States. In the Netherlands titles of nobility are regulated by law but heraldry is not.

A person can be so entitled either by descent from a person with a right to bear a coat of arms, or by virtue of a grant of arms to himself. Armiger was also used as a Latin cognomen, and is now found as a rare surname in English-speaking countries.

Stores that sell arms by right of surname, is a scam. In some countries, the original armiger passes his arms to his sons with a slightly altered variation of the arms. Now, if you can prove that the original armiger is a descendant to the family then petition the college of arms from the armiger's nation and ask for a grant of arms. Upon research by heralds of the college they will grant you the right to use the Armiger's arms with a slight difference to make it your own arms.

And be aware that asking for a grant of arms could cost thousands and several years to get the right to display ancestor's arms.