Thank You both for your replies. Yes, we are aware that especially in more recent times people have been able to purchase coat of arms. I was not sure if this would have been the case in the 16th or 17th century though, when the earliest coat of arms is from.

Family stories found here say that he was a private tutor in England. I am guessing he was well educated in this case. Would many men from the Modena area at the time have had much of an education?

I have found a reference to a Sedinari on google books. What did P.D. mean in the texts in the 1600's? See here: http://books.google.it/books?ei=sqhjT5N3sZyIB9Hq5MsF&hl=...