A brief description of the Coat of Arms
A high-quality scan of the image is available here.
Facts about the Coat of Arms
The individual elements of a coat of arms are telling in their meaning. According to Fleur-de-lis Designs, the elements of this coat of arms may represent the following:
- Shield - design varies from century to century and by artist's preference.
- Helmet - varies from century to century and by artist's preference. The only constant is that it only faces forward for royalty.
- Mantling or Mantle - the design surrounding the helmet.
Colors
- Gold - generosity and elevation of the mind
- Silver - peace and sincerity
Imagery
- Arm - an industrious person
- Boar's head - hospitality
- Dagger or dart - justice or military honor
The motto translates as "It is lawful to repel force with force. It often is spelled "Vim Vi Repellere Licet."
The motto comes from an old Roman legal precedent. The phrase means that self-defense is justified, and that reacting immediately to an offense is not the same as waiting and premeditating a response.
Martin Luther spoke regarding the principle in his "Sermon on Usury" in 1520. Luther opposed the belief that the use of force or violence could be justified. He noted that while the law allowed for the use of force to resist force, it also allowed brothels. And while Man's laws may allow it, God's laws did not.
Keep in mind that there really is no such things as a "family coat of arms." Coats of arms were issued to individuals. Those of us who are Gwinn by birth, that is direct patriarchal lineage, might have claim to a coat of arms from Wales. But I'll leave it to another more industrious (and wealthy) cousin to contact the U.K. College of Arms to see if such claim exists.
Another artists interpretation of the coat of arms can be found by clicking here.
And a mass produced interpretation of the coat of arms can be found here. (I say "mass produced" because the only thing they change are the shield elements and the crest, and because I, personally, don't like their design.)
More Information about the Scanned Image
The coat of arms pictured above is signed with initials to the right of the motto. The detail of the initials can be seen in the image below. We're not sure who drew it, only that it was done in 1934.
For curiosity's sake, I've included the labels found on the back and inside the framed Coat of Arms. It was apparently framed by Johnson & Gwinn Hardware in Alderson, West Virginia.
And they reused cardboard from an order for wallpaper.
The red stamps are of the Goldengate Bridge. They are 20 cent stamps which were issued in 1931. The blue stamp is of Teddy Roosevelt. All were cancelled by the post office in Philadelphia, PA.
Kayser & Allman was acquired by the Brewster Wallcovering Co. of Randolph, MA. They apparently closed Kayser & Allman in 1998.