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.