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)“Ar. on a fesse humettée az. three leopards' heads or”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Braban 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)“Ar. on a fesse humettée az. three leopards' heads or”
The Braban arms were recorded in England, c. 1620.
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.
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 family name Braban is deeply rooted in the history of Northern England, with distinct records placing the family in the city of York as early as 1620. The name itself is a topographical or locative surname, likely derived from the historical region of Brabant, which is located in the modern-day Low Countries. During the late Middle Ages and the early modern period, there was significant movement of merchants, weavers, and skilled laborers between the continent and the British Isles. It is highly probable that early ancestors bearing this name migrated from these European regions to England, eventually settling in major trade hubs like York. Once established in the city, the family became part of the local social fabric, contributing to the growth and daily life of the community during the seventeenth century. By tracing these early residents, we gain a clearer picture of how families moved across borders to build new lives in English cities.
A historical duchy located in the Low Countries region of Europe.
