There is a real coat of arms from authentic Fretwell Knights of Medieval England. But, does it rightfully belong to our line?
If we are actually descendants of Miles de Fretewell, it does. That descendency remains a fairly big uncertainty, however. The linkage from our branch of the Fretwells back to Miles de Fretewell has not been firmly established. All we can safely say is, "probably all Fretwells are descended from him."
Whether it belongs to us or not, there is but one legitimate coat of arms for the Fretwell surname. There is a fraudulent industry which has sprung up around the desire of folks to find a family coats of arms. If the frauds do not find a record of a proper coat of arms, and they don't look very hard to find them, then they make one up "from thin air," and market it as an authentic coat of arms.
For the Fretwell surname, only one coat of arms is legitimate, and recognized by the British registry for coats of arms. There is another fraudulent one, however, which uses symbology far more modern than was in use when coats of arms were officially being recognized. The maker of fraudulent one was sued (in England) and was stopped by the court from marketing the fraudulent Fretwell coat of arms. In the process of the suit, however, the frauds learned of the existence of the true coat of arms, so they now sell it.
Laurence Fretwell's book, "The Fretwell Pedigree: Volume 1," contains a more detailed discussion of the Fretwell coat of arms if you are interested in learning more.
Following is the Fretwell Coat of Arms, as it is displayed on the Forest Witchwood Charter.
The three birds on the shield are Cornish choughs, an old world species of the crow family. Choughs have orange beaks and legs, the markings which distinguish them from the common crow in America.
The Latin motto, "Nec Timeo nec Sperno," means "Neither Fear nor Spurn."
The cutout on the side of the shield is special; this cutout makes it a jousting shield, instead of a normal battle shield.
If you want to know more about Heraldic Emblazons, connect to the Heraldic Primer website.