A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Bovill 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, or and sa”
The Bovill arms were recorded in England, c. 1866.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in York.
Yorkshire is the largest of the English counties, and it held more gentry families than any other. Land there was split among a great many households rather than a few, so a great many of them carried 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 Bovill 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 surname Bovill is an ancient locative name that originated in France before spreading to England following the Norman Conquest. It is derived from the Old French words for a cattle farm or a place where oxen were kept. By the time the family established a notable presence in York during the middle of the nineteenth century, the name had already been recorded in various English documents for hundreds of years. Early members of the family were often associated with land management and agricultural trade, which reflects the original meaning of their name. Their documented arrival and residence in York by 1866 highlights a period of urban migration where families moved to growing industrial hubs to pursue new professional opportunities in law, commerce, and civic administration.
Derived from the Latin words bos meaning ox and villa meaning farm.
