Map of England showing where the Faunce arms are recorded
The Faunce arms were recorded in Kent, c. 1620.
Kent sits between London and the short crossing to Europe, and the trade passing through made it wealthy. Merchant families bought land with that money, and it was landowners who took coats of 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.
James VI and I
Sovereign of the period
James VI and I
1603–1625
Reigning in England when the Faunce arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in England
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.
Granting authority
The College of Arms in London has regulated the use of coats of arms throughout England and Wales since 1484.
How they got arms
Families typically obtained their coats of arms through a formal grant from the Crown or by proving their ancient right to them.
Where arms were recorded
All official coats of arms are recorded in the registers kept at the College of Arms, which date back to the fifteenth century.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Kent.
Origin & History of the Faunce Family in England
The Faunce family name has deep roots in the county of Kent, England, where members of the family were well-established by the early seventeenth century. Historical records confirm that the family lived in the coastal town of St. Margaret-at-Cliffe near Dover as early as 1620. The name is believed to be a variation of the Old French word "fons," which refers to a natural spring or a fountain. This suggests that the earliest ancestors likely lived near a prominent water source or a well that served as a local landmark. By the time John Faunce arrived in the American colonies in 1623 aboard the ship *Anne*, the family had already spent generations contributing to the local life and agricultural economy of the Kentish countryside. Their presence in this region reflects the typical movement of English families who were deeply connected to the land and the local parish communities of the era.
Faunce Meaning & Related Branches
Root word
fons
Latin term meaning a spring, fountain, or source of water.
This name
FaunceA topographic name for someone who lived near a natural spring or fountain.
also spelled
Faunse
Documented Sources
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Banks, Charles Edward, The Planters of the Commonwealth: A Study of the Emigrants and Emigration in Colonial Times: 1620–1640, 1930
The National Archives, Kew, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, PROB 11
Kent Archives and Local History Centre, Parish Registers of St. Margaret-at-Cliffe, P233/1/1
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