A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Dansey 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)“Barry wavy of six ar. and gu”
The Dansey arms were recorded in Hereford, c. 1620.
Herefordshire lay on the Welsh border, where land was held in return for military service. Families there were expected to arm and to fight, and a fighting household needed a shield it could be known by.
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 Dansey 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 Dansey family name is deeply rooted in the history of the English West Midlands, with documented evidence placing the family in the county of Herefordshire by the year 1620. The name is widely believed to be a locative surname, which means it likely originated from a specific place name rather than a trade or a nickname. Historians often trace the name to the village of Dancé in Normandy, France, suggesting that early ancestors arrived in England during the period following the Norman Conquest. Over several centuries, these families became established as members of the local gentry, often managing rural estates and participating in the civic life of the Hereford region. By the early seventeenth century, the Danseys were well-integrated into the social fabric of the area, leaving behind records of land ownership and local administrative duties that highlight their long-standing presence in the English countryside.
A locational name referring to the village of Anisy in Normandy.
