General Chat

Vini, Vidi, Visa.

:-D

I came, I saw, I shopped.

Apparently there's one associated with my (unusual) maiden name.
I kept getting bombardred with offers to sell me it (?) - from an American firm - thanks to my mum.
They didn't like it when I explained the name came from my dad's adoptive father, therefore nothing to do with me!
Their next tactic was to ask if I had any brothers!!!!!
My response was rather cutting, questioning the number of brain cells contained within the firm :-S

my maternal line - Breakspear - has a coat of arms - four crossed spears on a green background

Breakspear

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Recorded in a number of spelling forms including Breakspear, Brakespear and Braksper, this is a rare English surname of probably pre medieval origins, and the name of the only British pope, Nicholas Breakspear, elected in 1159, and known as Adrian 1V. Rather unpopishly the meaning is believed to relate to success in combat or more likely in the famous tournaments, where the victor usually succeeded by either unhorsing his opponent, or by breaking his spear. In the 12th century there were similar surnames. Richard Brekesward (break sword) being recorded in Lincoln in 1195, whilst Stephen Bruselance (break lance) appears in the register of the abbey of Ramsey in Suffolk in the year 1308, and Martin Briselaunce in the register of the landowners of the county of Devon in 1312. More recent research by the late Professor P H Reaney has however suggested that the origin (like that of Shalespeare) may in some instances at least, be more Chaucerian. It seems that the Olde English pre 7th century word 'speare' can have at least two meanings, one of which is highly personal! What is certain is that this surname is one of the earliest recorded and early examples include Alexander Brekespere in the rolls of Lincoln known as the Curia Regis, for the year 1199, and Geoffrey Brekesper in the Curia Regis rolls for Surry in 1206. These rolls were essentially used to record and collect the necessary tax to enable firstly Richard, the Lionheart, (1189 - 1199) to continue his 'crusades' in the Holy Land, and for his successor, his brother King John, (1199 - 1216) to pick up the debt.

Read more: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Breakspear#ixzz3ndXybMM0

our Family Motto is

Moved by neither wind nor wave. :-D :-D

I got a bit lost there, wandering through the sites that give different origins of the family name... broadly speaking, they're not sure lol.

But there is evidently a market for all things from mugs to ball caps, mostly US based. Must admit even if I was so inclined, which I'm not, the design looks rather too much like a garish football team logo :-D

In England a coat of arms is granted to an individual not a family. The ancient aristocracy ( back to the Restoration anyway heh heh ) would generally expect the eldest son to be granted arms but often not all or even any of his brothers. The arms would usually be the same as the father's perhaps with a minor difference such as the crest.

When an individual inherited a title the he had the option of using the arms which went with the title or his own. Sometime a guy may take on the arms of the title but keep his own personal crest.

Now and again a woman would be granted a title and arms in her own right but that was pretty unusual.

It is wildly incorrect to use a coat of arms just because it matches your surname and in England and Wales this is an offense. OTOH unless done for fraudulent reasons or picking on a heavyweight armorial family I doubt anybody would care too much. The Americans frequently use old and sometimes not so old coats of arms with the most tenuous of links. One of my distant American rellies uses the arms on his steak house for instance!

'Certavi et Vici', 'I have fought and conquered'

Irish of course!

No Rose, but that doesn't stop people with the same surname pretending to have one ;-)

and motto?

Following on from a query re surnames on another board, I spent a diverting few minutes looking at the various sites for my surname origins. I knew my Irish Keatings are said to have arrived there in the 12C with the Anglo Norman invasion and that there is a coat of arms with the motto 'Fidelissimus Semper' .

But have come across someone's site that I was in touch with years ago when I started out looking for ancestors.
The Keatings were it seems (?) descended from the Gherardinis of Italy, of which Lisa Gherardini is thought to be the sitter for the Mona Lisa..... :-)