Crestfinder seems to have tapped into a rich vein of public interest.
The popularity of the Family Heritage industry is well known in the UK but it is remarkable how many enquiries we are getting every day from visitors around the world (particularly in the US) seeking to identify their Family Crest.
I think the fascination stems from a human desire to visualise a surname as an image – a trotting horse for the Trotters, for instance! To then discover a piece of silver engraved with your Family Crest is deeply satisfying – and tempting!
Crestfinder currently only identifies British source crests, but over time more and more records on European and American heraldry will be added, allowing for the building 0f the world’s biggest online database for crest identification!
In the meantime, subscribe to our newsletter for updates and our team of researchers will respond whenever possible to specific crest enquiries.
John Culme, who for many years has been connected with Sotheby's Silver Department, is author of several books and articles, including The Directory of Gold and Silversmiths, 1838-1914, published in 1987, and co-author with Nicholas Rayner of The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor. He is also a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths' Company, London.
