A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Dikes 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)“Or, three cinquefoils sa”
The Dikes arms were recorded in Cumberland, c. 1620.
Cumberland was rough border country in the north-west, facing Scotland across a disputed line. Its families held land in return for keeping it defended, and men who fought carried shields of their own.
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 Dikes 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 Dikes is rooted in the landscape of northern England, specifically within the county of Cumberland. The name is topographical, meaning it was originally used to describe people who lived near a dike, which was a common term for a ditch, a bank, or a defensive earthwork. By the year 1620, records confirm that families bearing this name were well-established in the region. During this period, life in Cumberland was heavily influenced by the rugged terrain and the proximity to the borderlands. Families with this name were likely involved in local agriculture or trade, living in small rural communities that relied on the land for survival. As the name spread from these early settlements, it became a permanent marker of the family’s long connection to the geography and history of the English north.
An Old English term for a ditch, trench, or defensive embankment.
