A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Betty family of Scotland.
leafHappiness and abundanceSir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Or, a betony-leaf ppr”
The Betty arms were recorded in Scotland, c. 1748.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh was the seat of Scotland's government, its courts and its heralds. Families with business there settled nearby, and being close to where arms were recorded is exactly why so many of them appear.
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 Scotland in this period.
Reigning in Scotland when the Betty arms are first recorded.
Scottish heraldry is unique because it treats a coat of arms as a piece of personal property protected by law. Only one person can own a specific design at any given time. When a family grows, the head keeps the original shield while other relatives must apply for their own distinct version with slight changes to prove their specific identity.
The surname Betty is a patronymic name, which means it originally served as a way to identify a person by their father’s given name. It evolved as a shortened, affectionate form of the name Elizabeth or sometimes Bartholomew. By the mid-eighteenth century, the family had established a notable presence in Edinburgh, Scotland. Records from 1748 confirm that members of the Betty family were living and working in the city during a time of significant social and economic change. While the name was often associated with rural communities in earlier centuries, the Edinburgh branch reflects the family's transition into the urban life of Scotland’s capital. These early residents were part of the growing professional and merchant classes that helped shape the city during the Scottish Enlightenment.
Hebrew for God is my oath or God is abundance.
