A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Cholewa family of Poland.
Reg. 6894 · Polish, A–C
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
swordJustice, and military honour
Colours
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“De gu. à une épée d'arg., garnie d'or, la pointe en bas, accostée de deux brides (crampons de charpentier) adossées d'arg. Cq. cour. C.: cinq pl. d'aut., alt. d'arg. et de gu.”
Polandc. 1772
Where the Cholewa Arms Were Recorded
Mazovia
Map of Poland showing where the Cholewa arms are recorded
The Cholewa arms were recorded in Poland, c. 1772.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Mazovia.
Mazovia held Warsaw, the Polish court and the assemblies where the szlachta met. Poland's nobles were unusually numerous and every one of them bore arms, and Warsaw is where those arms were argued over and recorded.
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.
Region
Mazovia
First recorded
1772
Granting Authority for the Cholewa Arms
Ennoblement by the Sejm
Author: Olek Remesz · CC BY-SA 3.0
The body that granted and recorded arms in Poland in this period.
Stanisław August Poniatowski
Sovereign of the period
Stanisław August Poniatowski
1764–1795
Reigning in Poland when the Cholewa arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in Poland
Polish noble families shared a single coat of arms across many different surnames, creating large clans rather than individual designs. These symbols were held collectively by all members of the clan regardless of their specific family name. When a new family joined the nobility, they were adopted into an existing clan and began using that group's established shield.
Granting authority
The Sejm, which was the Polish parliament, held the power to grant noble status and the right to bear arms.
How they got arms
Families typically received their coat of arms through a formal act of ennoblement granted by the Sejm for distinguished service.
Where arms were recorded
These grants were officially recorded in the Crown Metrica, which served as the central archive for state documents starting in the sixteenth century.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Poland.
Origin & History of the Cholewa Family in Poland
The surname Cholewa originates from the Polish word for the leg of a boot, which suggests that the earliest ancestors likely worked as skilled shoemakers or leather crafters. By the time of the First Partition of Poland in 1772, the family was well-established in the Mazovia region, a historical heartland known for its dense forests and agricultural traditions. During this era, families in rural Mazovia often lived in small village communities where their occupations defined their social identity and daily life. As the name became hereditary, it served as a permanent link to the family's trade and their deep roots in the central plains of Poland. The Cholewa family members of the eighteenth century were part of a resilient population that maintained their cultural heritage despite the significant political shifts occurring across the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at that time.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
cholewa
A leather boot leg or the upper part of a boot.
This name
CholewaAn occupational surname for a shoemaker or a cobbler who specialized in boots.
also spelled
Choleva
Kolewa
Holeva
Koleva
Related arms
Bernardsimilar arms
Glockmannsimilar arms
Ostajasimilar arms
Przegoniasimilar arms
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Bystroń, Jan Stanisław, Nazwiska polskie, 1936
Rymut, Kazimierz, Nazwiska Polaków: Słownik historyczno-etymologiczny, 1999
Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych w Warszawie, Metryki parafialne z terenu Mazowsza, 1772
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