Many American families simply appropriate the coat-of-arms of a European family of the same surname, or write to one or another of the many commercial firms in the United States who provide so-called coats-of-arms either similarly misappropriated or invented specifically for the American trade.
Properly, however, a coat-of-arms belongs to and can be used only by the lineal descendants of the individual to whom the arms were originally granted.
Armorial bearings date back to the times of chivalry when knights, to distinguish themselves in battle, wore a distinctive crest on their helmet and a design on their shield for ready identification by friend and foe. Later, of course, as the numbers engaged in battle grew larger, rulers put entire armies into "uniform" so that one army could be distinguished from the other. But in early days, where numbers were few, this was not necessary; and, indeed, warriors often chose to engage in individual combat against a renowned adversary for the honor won by such victory, much as the American Indians counted coup against a distinguished adversary.
In the earlier period, before battle commenced, it became the custom for the King, or other leader of forces, to send out Heralds to discuss and fix the terms of battle and to arrange for preliminary individual combats (in hopes that if one side or the other proved overwhelmingly superior in individual fighting the other side might be induced to withdraw from the field). In time, these Heralds were charged with keeping track of, and later authorizing use of the heraldic devices adopted by knights to avoid confusion in battle by duplicative arms. In England, the Earl Marshall, today the Duke of Norfolk, one of the oldest titles in England, was put in charge of these Heralds, who in time became known as the Kings of Arms . The grant of arms has continued to our day. In granting arms, the Kings of Arms first of all determine that the individual seeking arms is sufficiently distinguished in accomplishment to be worthy of them. Additionally, the applicant must submit a five generation pedigree, from which a search is made to see if there has been a previous grant of arms to the family.
By reason of Britain's "special relationship" with the American cousins, the privilege of obtaining arms from the College of Arms of England is extended to those directly descended from an English ancestor.
The Timmins coat-of-arms, crest, and motto were granted by the Earl Marshall and College of Arms in the 500th year of the founding of the College. The grant was made on the basis of the pioneering accomplishments of William James Timmins, William Stuart Brighton, and John and Robert Thornley, and their success in translating British culture and civilization to the American West. The Timmins arms, unlike most assumed American arms, are a genuine grant of arms by the three Kings of Arms of England, and bear their signatures and seals under approval of Queen Elizabeth II's Earl Marshall, the Duke of Norfolk. In point of fact, then, only David Brighton Timmins and his direct descendants are entitled to use these arms under the terms of the grant. But by American usage, all descendants of William James Timmins can appropriately do so, though in this case, the arms should be "differentiated" (see any work on "coats-of-arms").
No formal description of the symbolism contained in a coat-of-arms is included with the grant. For those interested in the symbolism of the Timmins arms, the following description is given:
The principal symbol is two bulls heads. The bull, which was the totem of Ancient Israel, and particularly of the Tribe of Ephraim, represents the strength and ferocity of the wild, fighting bull. Anyone who has attended a Spanish corrida will appreciate the bull as an appropriate symbol of the initiative, determination, and tenacity of our pioneer forebears and a reflection of the family's accomplishments in succeeding generations. Specifically, the two bulls represent our Thornley and Brighton pioneer ancestors. In this regard it should be recalled that Robert Thornley crossed the plains by oxcart (though the Brightons were handcart pioneers). Inconsequential as it may be, DBT's zodiacal sign is Taurus, the bull. (Actually, I was born on the cusp of Taurus and Gemini, so in this respect there couldn't be a zodiacaly more appropriate heraldic symbol than twin bulls). .
The five seagulls along the "bend" which separates the shield represent the five generations between John Thornley and the recipient of the grant of arms David Brighton Timmins. Subsequent generations might readily introduce further seagulls as differentiation, reflecting their own generation.
The colors of the shield, black and gold, are the colors of Cornwall, whence came William James Timmins, our immediate Timmins forebear. The three gold bezants in the circlet on the helm come from the coat-of-arms of Cornwall and similarly represent our Cornish ancestry.
The fleurs de lys in the circlet are the symbol of France and represent our Huguenot ancestors who seem to have left about the time of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, arriving in or near Falmouth, Cornwall with the expulsion of the Huguenots from the south of France.
The rose tree crest is the symbol of Lancashire, from whence came our Thornley forebears. The six rose blossoms in the crest represent the six DBT grandchildren (at the time of the grant of arms). There is a separate College of Arms for Scotland, which operates on different principles and will only grant arms for distinguished Scottish families still living in Scotland. Our Scottish Brighton ancestry may thus only be represented by the thistles intertwined with the roses and seagulls in the border surrounding the coat-of-arms.
The seagulls represent the blessing of God to our Mormon pioneer ancestors through the "miracle of the gulls", recalling our American and Utah heritage.
The motto Parmi les Nobles et Grandes is taken from the French version of the Book of Abraham and translated means "Thou art among the noble and great ones". It serves as a reminder to future Timmins generations that they spring from a noble heritage and should build on the accomplishments of their forebears even as they strive for higher goals.
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