Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Sa. three (another, six) crescents ar”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Blare family of Scotland.
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Sa. three (another, six) crescents ar”
The Blare 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.
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 family name Blare is rooted in the linguistic landscape of Scotland, likely originating as a topographic surname for people who lived near a clearing or a field. While the name appears in various spellings throughout history, the presence of the family in Edinburgh by 1748 suggests they were part of the growing urban middle class during a time of significant cultural change in the city. During the mid-eighteenth century, Edinburgh was experiencing the Scottish Enlightenment, a period when the city became a global hub for philosophy, medicine, and trade. Families living in the capital at this time were often involved in the burgeoning legal, mercantile, or academic professions that defined the era. By establishing themselves in such a prominent location, the early Blare family members were positioned at the center of a society that valued education and professional advancement, helping to shape the legacy of the name in Scotland.
A Gaelic term referring to a field, plain, or battlefield.
