A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Boissy family of France.
eagleNobility, strength and a keen mindJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'or à l'aigle de sa.”
The Boissy arms were recorded in France, c. 1663.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bretagne.
More families held coats of arms in Bretagne than anywhere else in France. The land was divided into many small estates rather than a few large ones, so far more households counted as gentry, and each needed a shield of its own to be told apart.
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 Boissy 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 Boissy originates from the French language and is rooted in the landscape of the countryside. It is a topographic surname, which means it was originally given to people who lived near a specific feature of the land, in this case, a grove of boxwood trees. By the year 1663, records confirm that members of the Boissy family were well-established in the region of Bretagne. During this period, families in this area were often deeply connected to the local agricultural economy and the social structures of their parishes. As the name spread throughout the province, it became a marker of those who lived near these distinct wooded areas, helping to identify individuals within their local communities long before modern record-keeping became standardized.
A Latin term referring to a wood, forest, or thicket.
