A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Every family of England.
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Or, four chevronels gu”
The Every arms were recorded in Somerset, c. 1604.
Somerset was rich farming country with a thick scattering of manor houses. Its gentry were numerous and long-settled, and a settled landed family almost always ended up with arms.
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 Every 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 family name Every has deep roots in the English county of Somerset, where records confirm members of the family were well-established by the year 1604. During this period, the name was often linked to the rural landscape of the West Country, where families frequently took on surnames based on local geography or common occupations. As the family grew, they became notable landowners and figures within their local parishes, helping to shape the social fabric of the region. Over the following centuries, the Every name became synonymous with the history of Somerset, reflecting the steady development of a family that played a quiet but significant role in the life of their community. Their presence in the early seventeenth century marks the beginning of a long lineage that remained tied to the traditions and growth of southwestern England.
Derived from the Germanic elements for wild boar and hardy or brave.
