: Under the caption, Caldwell Myths, John Caldwell writes:
: The Crusades and the tournaments that drew together
: knights from many countries caused heraldry to
: flourish in Europe. The embroidering of family emblems
: on the surcoat worn over chain mail in the 13th
: century accounts for the term "coat of
: arms." The use of armorial bearings spread
: rapidly thereafter." Let me comment. In the
: medieval ages these crests and coat of arms supposedly
: were to be used only by those of proven male lineal
: descent from nobility or gentry bearing the Caldwell
: surname. However, individuals for centuries have
: bought these emblems ignorant of, indifferent to, or
: in defiance of such tradition. The earliest to seek
: the veneer of nobility and knighthood were the
: increasingly status-seeking middle class at the close
: of the 14th century, according to historian Barbara
: Tuchman, A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th
: Century, 1978. During King James I of England's’ reign
: (King James VI of Scotland) of the sixteenth and
: seventeenth centuries, he was the first monarch to
: unite Scotland, England and Ireland as the Kingdom of
: Great Britain. To raise money he freely sold to those
: able to pay the right to wear a coat of arms. I am
: unsure how long, if at all, this practice was
: continued after his death in 1625. For the Scots-Irish
: tenant farmers, these crests would serve to establish
: their social status even if landless. The earliest
: known familial crest for a Caldwell family displayed a
: two dimensional line drawing of the side view of three
: stone block wells. [Innes of Learney, Thomas, Sir,
: Scots Heraldry; a practical handbook on the historical
: principles and modern application of the art and
: science. Baltimore, Genealogical Pub. Co, 1971, 2ed
: ed. Rev., reprint of 1956 ed., p. 1121. See also,
: James Parker, A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry,
: 1894. Discussion of the meaning of a crest displaying
: three "wells."] Alexander Nisbet’s History
: of Heraldry (1722) describes the Caldwell Coat of Arms
: as an argent three piles issuing from the chief sable
: and in the base, four bars wavy Gules and Vest.
: [Georgeway of Plean and Romilly Squire, Scottish Clan
: & Family Encyclopedia, p. 369..] In Scotland all
: matters heraldic are the sole responsibility of the
: Lord Lyon, King of Arms and the Court of Lord Lyon,
: New Register House, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 3YT, and
: entered into the Public Register of all Arms and
: Bearings in Scotland. The Lyon Register of all Arms
: and Bearings did not begin until 1672. My
: understanding is that Sir James Caldwell was the first
: Caldwell (other than the Mures of Caldwell) to
: register a Caldwell crest and coat of arms in the Lyon
: Register. That does not necessarily mean that the
: Caldwell Coat of Arms originated during or after 1672,
: only that it could not be registered until then. The
: Lyon Register perhaps has the evidence bearing on the
: origin of the Caldwell crest. Has anyone made any
: inquiry? Parallels can be seen between the Lyon
: Registry and the certifications by Daughter of
: American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution,
: and the like, of a person's status as a lineal
: descendant of the participants in the American
: Revolution. I understand that the East Tennessee
: Historical Society will certify some Caldwells as
: lineal descendants of the original Caldwell settlers
: of Tennessee.
Hi,

I am a bit late in this dicussion but I wiil throw in my three happence worth.
The Caldwell family crest as opposed to "A Coat of Arms".
The English crest of which there are ;

1)A cockshead between wings expanded combed and wattled.In the beak a cross formee fitched.

2)A cockshead winged sa crests,in beak a cross pattee fitched

3)Half demi-lion grasping a broken simitar

4)A demi-cock rising
The cock is the emblem of vigilance represented as a cock crowing or cockshead.Formee or pattee is spreading like dovetails at each extremity.Fitched is sharpened to a point.
ie;cocks combs spreading to a point might appear as church steeples.

The Irish crest of Caldwell(bart)

A ducal coronet,a sceptre entwined with two serpents vert between wings.
Vert,green engraved by virtical lines.

The Scottish crest,

A fountain throwing up water.
Something for everyone I hope?
Plunkett Caldwell