A family coat of arms... what will the JAMs* think of that, Theresa?

*The ‘Just About Managing’ voters she’s so keen to woo

WHEN she became Prime Minister, she pledged empathy for the downtrodden families who are ‘just about managing’ and vowed to combat the unfairness of inherited privilege.

Yet Theresa May has something few of those ‘JAMs’ are able to boast – her own family coat of arms.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Mrs May is entitled to use the unique shield as it was passed down from her father-in-law.

John May acquired the symbol and an associated badge in 1997. And following his death two years later, no one but his only son Philip – and Theresa – is entitled to wear them.

Anyone can apply to the College of Arms for their own emblem, but they have to be of ‘eminence or good standing in national or local life’. However, the symbols don’t come cheap, with a new coat of arms costing £5,750, plus an extra £1,400 for the badge – a separate, optional, heraldic device.

The Mays’ shield bears the motto ‘To Thyself Be True’ – a slight rewording of Polonius’s advice in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Its green and yellow hues are the colours of the football team in Norwich where Philip grew up, while it also depicts cricket stumps and balls. Above the shield, the wheatsheafs represent the maiden name of Philip’s mother, Joy Miller, while the rubber tree is an acknowledgement of John’s employers, Dunlop.

Meanwhile, the badge depicts mayflowers and a mayfly, emphasising the family name.

The tradition of arms and badges dates from the days when jousting knights would wear a crest, while watching wives and servants sported badges to signify their allegiance.

Coats of arms are granted in ‘letters patent’ by the Garter King of Arms, the most senior officer of the College of Arms.

He receives an annual salary from the Crown of £49.07, set in the 1830s, while the heralds who design the crests are paid £17.80 – but receive commissions from the fees paid by those applying for their own heraldic symbols.

Once approved, coats of arms are passed down through male heirs.

Over the past half century, the only Prime Ministers not to have their own coat of arms have been Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.

David Cameron’s emblem features red and yellow horizontal stripes, while the Gaelic motto, ‘Bi Dhichioll’ translates as ‘By best endeavours’. It was originally granted in 1905 to Mr Cameron’s great-greatgrandfather, the merchant banker Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel, by Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish chief herald.

Misuse of someone else’s coat of arms can result in a prosecution in the ancient High Court of Chivalry. The court was last convened in 1954 – but before that it had not sat for two centuries.