Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'arg. à la bande de gu. Lisez: du Bose de la Mare.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the du Bose family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'arg. à la bande de gu. Lisez: du Bose de la Mare.”

The du Bose arms were recorded in Normandie, c. 1663.
Normandie held a dense crowd of knightly families on some of the best farmland in France. Its men had fought and settled abroad for generations, and a family that sent sons to war needed a shield they could be recognised 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.
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 Du Bose originates from the historic region of Normandy in northern France. The name is topographical in nature, which means it was derived from the physical landscape where the family lived. In the French language, the term "bois" refers to a wood or a forest, and the prefix "du" translates to "of the." Therefore, the name originally identified a family that lived near or worked within a specific wooded area. By the year 1663, records confirm that members of the Du Bose family were well-established residents of Normandy. During this period, many families in the region were deeply connected to the local land and agricultural traditions. As the centuries progressed, the name remained a testament to the family's deep roots in the French countryside before many members eventually migrated to other parts of the world.
Old French term for a wood or forest.