Man Discovers Family Crest Is Actually a Pub Sign From the 1970s

A Wolverhampton man's lifelong belief that his family possessed a genuine coat of arms was shattered this week when a heraldic researcher identified the supposed crest as the sign of a pub that closed in 1983. Derek Ordinary, 56, had displayed the emblem — featuring a stag rampant between two barley sheaves on what he believed was a field vert — on Christmas cards, stationery, and a large wooden plaque above his fireplace for over thirty years. 'My father gave it to me,' Ordinary said. 'He said it was the Ordinary family arms, dating back to the 14th century. He had it on a beer mat, which I now realize should have been a clue.' The discovery was made by visiting heraldic researcher Dr. Timothy Charge, who immediately recognized the design. 'That's the sign of The Rampant Stag on Lichfield Street,' he said. 'I used to drink there as a student. They had it on the pumps, the glasses, everything. Lovely pub. Terrible arms.' Further investigation revealed that Ordinary's father had likely acquired the beer mat during the pub's closing sale in 1983 and, through a process that remains unclear, convinced himself and his family that it represented ancestral heraldry. 'The barley sheaves should have given it away,' Dr. Charge noted. 'While sheaves do appear in genuine heraldry, these particular sheaves are clearly clip art. Also, the stag is holding a pint glass, which is not a recognized heraldic charge.' Ordinary has taken the plaque down from above his fireplace and replaced it with 'a nice landscape.' He has also stopped using the emblem on his stationery, noting that 'it's hard to maintain gravitas once you know your family crest is a beer logo.' The site of The Rampant Stag is now a Tesco Express.