A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the de Lis family of France.
chiefAuthority, wisdom and dominionJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De vair; au chef de gu.”
The de Lis arms were recorded in France, c. 1663.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bretagne.
More families held coats of arms in Bretagne than anywhere else in France. The land was divided into many small estates rather than a few large ones, so far more households counted as gentry, and each needed a shield of its own to be told apart.
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 de Lis 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 de Lis traces its roots back to the historic region of Brittany in northwestern France. By the year 1663, records confirm that members of this family were well established within the local community. During this era, families in Brittany often lived in small rural parishes where they focused on agriculture and local trade. The name itself is linked to the French word for the lily, a flower that held deep cultural and symbolic meaning throughout the French countryside. Life for the family in the seventeenth century was shaped by the unique traditions and language of the Breton people. As they moved through the generations, these early ancestors helped build the social fabric of their province long before the modern era of record-keeping began.
Latin term for the lily flower.
