A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Baldock family of England.
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Quarterly, erminois and erm”
The Baldock arms were recorded in Kent, c. 1620.
Kent sits between London and the short crossing to Europe, and the trade passing through made it wealthy. Merchant families bought land with that money, and it was landowners who took coats of 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 England in this period.
Reigning in England when the Baldock 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 name Baldock is locational in origin, meaning it was originally taken from a place name rather than a specific occupation or personal trait. It is derived from the town of Baldock in Hertfordshire, which was founded by the Knights Templar in the twelfth century. The name itself is a Middle English version of Baghdad, as the Templars named their new settlement after the famous city in the Middle East. By the time the family was firmly established in Kent during the early seventeenth century, the name had transitioned from a geographical identifier to a hereditary surname passed down through generations. Families living in Kent in 1620 were part of a period of significant social movement, as many people settled in the fertile lands of the southeast to build lives centered around agriculture and local trade. This transition from a specific town name to a widespread family identity reflects the way surnames evolved as people moved across England in search of new opportunities.
Derived from the Germanic elements for bold and friend.
