Last spring, to be closer to their grandchildren, Stuart and Bonnie Resor left behind California’s Borrego Springs for North Suffolk, swapping a daylong journey for a house across the street from them in Governor’s Pointe.

Stuart Resor, an architect, and Bonnie Resor, an interior designer, are avid art appreciators, and both also paint, with some admirable results.

Soon after the move, they decided to start a local art guild. What to name it? They decided upon Royal Crest Art Guild. A logo? The 1603 King James VI Royal Crest, naturally.

“It’s just a fun thing,” Stuart Resor said of the decision. “Those crests are very cool images.”

Plus, he added, the area is soaked in British history. Just look at the place names: Williamsburg, Jamestown, Surry, Norfolk, Portsmouth … Suffolk, Governor’s Pointe …

“Bonnie’s half Irish, so she’s going to get behind it, and me being mostly Scottish, I have got to get behind that, too,” Stuart Resor said, perhaps ironically.

Being law-abiding citizens, Stuart Resor emailed a formal request to The Lord Chamberlain’s office, which handles such matters for the British monarchy.

“We don’t want to step on anyone’s toes,” Stuart Resor wrote, “(but) we think it will set a great historical tone to our guild.”

His email further noted that the royal crest can be found in Williamsburg, and that the guild would support “local kids in school here in Suffolk” — via sponsorship of the GJ Kimber Academy, which has a school in Governor’s Pointe. The missive was signed, “Your humble servant,” Stuart Resor.

Ultimately, they have had to settle for the Resor family crest, which Stuart Resor indicated was the next-best thing after the British royals turned them down.

Replying to Stuart Resor’s email, its assistant secretary Charlotte Martin wrote that the Lord Chamberlain’s Office understood “why you would wish to use the Royal Arms as part of your business’s logo, (but) I’m afraid this will not be possible,” due to “UK and international law” protecting it from “misuse.”

In a conciliatory manner, Martin added, “I am sorry to send such a disappointing reply but wish you the best of luck with this project.”

Replying to Stuart Resor’s reply to her original reply, Martin declined to offer any guidance on what other coat of arms the Resors could use — “It is up to you,” she wrote — and said she was unaware of any U.S. law dealing with whether they were OK to use the word “Royal.”

“It is certainly not possible to use it in the UK without permission but I’m not sure if this applies in the US as well,” Martin wrote.

They were disappointed, but the Resors have moved on. They’re planning to hold the Royal Crest Art Guild’s inaugural Show and Sale on the Governor’s Pointe village green on the weekend of May 3-4, with May 10-11 as the rain date.

Between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on that Saturday and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on that Sunday, folks will be able to view and purchase works of art from various artists. “We have about 10 (artists) right now that are pretty hot to trot,” Stuart Resor said.

So far, he said, Bubba-N-Franks Smokehouse and From the Hearth Pizza, both Carrollton-based, were lined up to provide fare and refreshments, and businesses surrounding the village green also will be joining in.

“We will be going around with a microphone, introducing the artists and going into their history and biography,” Bonnie Resor said, adding that medals will also be awarded in various categories.

She invited anyone interested in renting a booth to contact her at 752-4513 or royalcrestart@gmail.com.

The Resors say that the guild currently has only one additional member. Members receive a monthly newsletter, attend bimonthly lunches with artist guest speakers, and the guild aims to help local students and schools.

“Like us, they are new to the area,” Bonnie Resor said of the decision to support the GJ Kimber Academy, a Christian private school that Glenn J. Kimber started in Arizona. Her husband added, “They are trying to improve the education of the youth.”

In his second email to The Lord Chamberlain’s Office, Stuart Resor wrote that he and Bonnie were “disappointed, but we understand the issues.”

Asked what he thought about the response from the Brits, “We are totally in favor of honoring the rules on that,” he said.