The Development of Welsh Heraldry - Hardcover

Michael Powell Siddons

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 090715851X ISBN 13: 9780907158516

Publisher: The National Library of Wales, 1991

Synopsis

Excerpt from the Introduction: People unfamiliar with Welsh heraldry have often wondered how it could be that so many Welsh families bearing different surnames could claim paternal descent from the same remote ancestor, and use the same arms which were said to be those of the common ancestor or patriarch, who in many instances lived before the days of heraldry. For example families bearing the names of d'Avene, Evans, Price, Williams, Thomas, Loughor, Penry, Harries, Bevan, Prichard, Llewelyn, Lewis, Jenkins, Jones and Morgan all claimed paternal descent from Iestyn ap Gwrgan, who ruled in Morgannwg in 1080-93, and bore the arm attributed to him! A person stating that his arms were "Tudur Trefor" or "Elystan Glodrydd" is not only telling us what are his arms, but accompanying this information with a declaration of his paternal descent from the "patriarch" mentioned, who in both these cases lived long before heraldic days. Heraldry appeared later in Wales than in England and the other countries of Western Europe, and had hardly begun to penetrate into the country by the time of the loss of independence in 1282. I have chosen to bring the period covered by this study to a close with the early 17th century, the object being to examine the origins and development of heraldry in Wales while it was still to a large extent and independent growth, in order to see in what ways these differed from those in England and other countries, and if possible, to understand them.

Edition details

• Publisher: The National Library of Wales
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 090715851X
• ISBN 13: 9780907158516
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 433