Today, the term
armiger is well-defined only within jurisdictions, such as
Canada, the
Republic of Ireland,
Kenya,
South Africa,
Malta,
Spain, and the
United Kingdom, where
heraldry is regulated by the state or a heraldic body, such as the
College of Arms, the
Chief Herald of Canada, the
Court of the Lord Lyon or the
Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland. A person can be so entitled either by proven (and typically
agnatic) descent from a person with a right to bear a
heraldic achievement, or by virtue of a grant of arms to himself. Merely sharing the same family name of an armiger is insufficient. British armigers are considered
gentlemen and equated to
untitled nobility by organisations such as the
CILANE and the
Order of Malta, a grant of arms confirms or confers such
gentle (untitled noble) status. This is not the case for Continental armigers, who may bear noble or merely
burgher arms with the latter according no social precedence. The usage of a heraldic achievement is usually governed by legal restrictions; these restrictions are independent of the
copyright status and independent of a coat of arms depiction. A coat of arms represents its owner. Though it can be freely represented, it cannot be appropriated, or used in such a way as to create a confusion with or a prejudice to its owner. In the
Netherlands, only the heraldry of noble families is regulated. In
Sweden and
Finland the nobility has had, since 1762, the prerogative to use an open helmet, while others use a closed helmet. In Britain, the untitled nobility uses closed helmets. ==Further reading==