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So far as Britain is concerned, there is no such thing as a family crest. Rather, a Crest is part of a Coat Of Arms or a heraldic achievement and these were and are granted in their entirety to an individual for use by him during his lifetime and thereafter to his oldest son and so on after the death of the oldest son (depending on the wording of the grant of arms). Other descendants of the original grantee may bear the arms with appropriate distinguishing marks (see Cadency ), but that doesn't make it a family coat of arms. By contrast, in other parts of Europe, entire families are ennobled and granted arms so in Europe there may be such a thing. A crest may be worn within a Belt And Buckle by a member of a family or clan, the belt and buckle signifying that this is not the user's own crest but that the user has a familial allegiance to the armigerous owner. The concept of a family crest was pushed in Victorian times by stationers trying to sell smart looking stationery. "Family crests" continue to be sold to the gullible by heraldic Bucket Shop s. Anyone using arms which belong to another party is Usurping Arms . Things may be different in some other European countries and in Japan there is an ornamental device called a Kamon which, unlike a crest, can apparently be used by many members of a family. SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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