A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Baugé family of France.
lionCourage, strength and royaltyJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De gu. au lion d'herm., arm., lamp. et cour d'or.”
The Baugé arms were recorded in Bresse, c. 1725.
Bresse was flat farming country in eastern France, known for its poultry and its markets. Its landed families were modest and long-settled, and steady holding of the same ground is what fills a register.
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 France in this period.
Reigning in France when the Baugé arms are first recorded.
In France, a coat of arms was a mark of honor that passed down through the male line to all legitimate descendants. Families often used the same shield without changes to show their shared heritage. If a branch wanted to stand out, they could add a small mark to their shield to show their specific place in the family tree.
The family name Baugé originates from the historical province of Bresse, a region located in eastern France between the Jura Mountains and the Saône River. By the early eighteenth century, the family was firmly established in this area, which was known for its rich agricultural traditions and unique cultural identity. The name itself is likely a topographic surname, meaning it was originally used to identify people based on the specific landscape or settlement where they lived. During the 1700s, families in Bresse often lived in small, tight-knit rural communities where they relied on local farming and trade to sustain their households. Because the region was a crossroads for travelers and merchants, the Baugé family would have been part of a vibrant society that balanced traditional village life with the changing economic landscape of pre-revolutionary France.
A Germanic element meaning bold, brave, or daring.
