A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Dalles family of France.
cross symbolChristian faith and serviceJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'or à la croix de gu.”
The Dalles arms were recorded in Artois, c. 1663.
Artois lay on the disputed ground between France and the Low Countries and was fought over for centuries. Families there held their land under arms, and a shield was how a fighting household was known.
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 Dalles 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 Dalles traces its historical roots to the northern region of Artois in France, where records confirm the presence of family members as early as 1663. During the seventeenth century, Artois was a landscape defined by shifting borders and frequent territorial conflicts between the French crown and the Spanish Netherlands. Families living in this area were often deeply connected to the local agricultural economy and the complex social structures of the rural provinces. The name likely evolved as a way to identify individuals based on their specific village or their role within the local community. As the region transitioned into a more stable part of France, the Dalles family became part of the enduring fabric of northern French society, maintaining their presence in the area through generations of change.
A stone slab or flagstone used for paving.
