A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Allman family lines. Documented in 2 countries.
knightChivalry and service in armsJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De gu. au guerrier, arm. de toutes”
The Allman arms were recorded in Zeeland, c. 1815.
Zeeland was a scatter of islands in the south-west of the Netherlands, living on the sea and on land reclaimed from it. Families who drained and held that land were counted among the gentry, and gentry carried arms.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in Netherlands in this period.
Reigning in Netherlands when the Allman arms are first recorded.
In the Netherlands, coats of arms were often used by noble families and those who held specific public offices. These arms were passed down through the generations to legitimate descendants. Younger branches of a family usually kept the original design without needing to add special marks. This system ensured that the family identity remained clear and consistent over many years.
The family name Allman has deep roots in the coastal province of Zeeland, where records confirm members of the family were living by 1815. During this period, the Netherlands was undergoing significant social changes following the end of the Napoleonic era and the establishment of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The name itself likely evolved as a descriptive term, often used to identify someone who was considered an "all man" or a person of notable character within their local community. In the maritime environment of Zeeland, families often relied on trade, fishing, and agriculture to sustain themselves. As the Dutch government began to standardize civil registrations in the early 19th century, families like the Allmans became more formally documented in local population registers. These records provide a clear window into how the family integrated into the social and economic life of the Dutch delta during a time of national rebuilding.
cross symbolChristian faith and serviceSir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Per bend or and sa. a cross potent counterchanged”
The Allman arms were recorded in Sussex, c. 1620.
Sussex had ironworks in its woods and good farmland on its downs. Both made money, and families who made it bought manors, which is what put their names in the heraldic records.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in England in this period.
Reigning in Netherlands when the Allman arms are first recorded.
English heraldry allowed arms to be shared by all legitimate descendants of the original owner. These symbols were treated as personal property that moved through the generations to all children. While the eldest son kept the original design, other family members could use the same shield without needing to change it or register their own unique versions.
The surname Allman has deep roots in the English landscape, with early records confirming the family’s presence in the county of Sussex by the year 1620. The name is generally considered to be an occupational or locative surname, likely evolving from the Middle English term for a man from Germany, or perhaps serving as a descriptive name for a person who worked as a servant to a man named All. During the seventeenth century, families in Sussex were often tied to the local agricultural economy, working the rolling hills and coastal plains of the region. As the family established itself in this area, they became part of the local social fabric, leaving behind traces in parish registers and legal documents that track their movement and growth over generations. By settling in Sussex, the early Allmans contributed to the development of the local community, living through a period of significant social and political change in English history.
Old Germanic term referring to a member of the Alamanni tribe.
