A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Deol family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“de gu. et d'herm. (Dinan). - Armes mod.: Ec. d'arg. et de gu. [V. Soligné de Dol.]”
The Deol arms were recorded in Bretagne, c. 1663.
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 Deol 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 Deol has deep roots in the Brittany region of France, where records confirm members of the family were living as early as 1663. During this period, the name was closely tied to the rural landscape and the social structures of the French countryside. Families in this area often took names that reflected their specific village or a local geographic landmark. As members of the family moved through the region, they participated in the typical life of the seventeenth century, which included farming, local trade, and involvement in parish communities. While the name remained concentrated in Brittany for many generations, the family history serves as a window into the lives of common citizens who helped shape the culture and traditions of western France during the reign of King Louis XIV.
Latin word meaning God or divine being.
