A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Dyke 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 Dyke arms were recorded in Sussex, c. 1620.
Sussex had ironworks in its woods and good farmland on its downs. Both made money, and families who made it bought manors, which is what put their names in the heraldic records.
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 Dyke 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 Dyke is a topographic name, which means it was originally given to people who lived near a specific physical landmark. In Old English, the word *dic* referred to a ditch, a trench, or a defensive embankment. Families who took this name likely lived near a prominent earthwork or a water channel that served as a boundary in their local community. By the year 1620, the Dyke family was well-established in the county of Sussex. During this period, families often settled in rural areas where the landscape defined their identity and daily life. As these individuals moved through different parishes, the name evolved in spelling, but it remained rooted in the geography of the English countryside.
Old English word for a ditch, trench, or embankment.
