A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Comby family of England.
cinquefoilHope and joySir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Erm. three cinquefoils sa”
The Comby 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.
The body that granted and recorded arms in England in this period.
Reigning in England when the Comby 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 Comby is rooted in the historical landscape of Northern England, with documented evidence placing family members in the city of York as early as 1620. During this period, York was a bustling center of trade and religious transition, and families like the Combys were often integrated into the local merchant or artisan classes that defined the city’s economy. The name itself likely evolved from regional dialects or topographical descriptions of the land where early ancestors lived, such as a valley or a small hollow. As the family established their presence in York, they became part of the social fabric of a city recovering from the turbulence of the Tudor era. By the seventeenth century, the Comby name was already becoming a permanent fixture in local parish registers, reflecting a stable life centered around the community and the growing urban environment of Northern England.
A valley or hollow in the landscape.
