A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Fotheringham family of Scotland.
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Erm. three bars gu”
The Fotheringham arms were recorded in Forfar, c. 1748.
Forfar, now called Angus, was farming country on Scotland's east coast between the hills and the sea. Its landed families were long-settled, and long settlement is exactly what fills a register 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 Scotland in this period.
Reigning in Scotland when the Fotheringham arms are first recorded.
Scottish heraldry is unique because it treats a coat of arms as a piece of personal property protected by law. Only one person can own a specific design at any given time. When a family grows, the head keeps the original shield while other relatives must apply for their own distinct version with slight changes to prove their specific identity.
The surname Fotheringham is a classic example of a locational name, meaning it was originally taken from a specific place to identify a person. The name is derived from the lands of Fotheringham, which are situated in the parish of Inverarity near the town of Forfar in the county of Angus, Scotland. Historical records confirm that members of the family were well-established in the Forfar area by 1748, where they were often associated with land ownership and local administration. The name itself likely originates from Old English roots, referring to an enclosure or a settlement belonging to a specific group of people. Over the centuries, the family became deeply integrated into the social and economic life of the Angus region, transitioning from their origins as local landowners to active participants in the development of the Scottish Lowlands.
A meadow or enclosure associated with a person named Fother.
