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'azur à la fasce d'arg., acc. de trois trèfles d'or.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Gardette family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur à la fasce d'arg., acc. de trois trèfles d'or.”
The Gardette arms were recorded in Lyonnais, c. 1663.
Lyonnais centred on Lyon, one of the great banking and silk towns of France. Money made in the city bought estates in the countryside around it, and those estates brought arms with them.
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 Gardette finds its historical roots in the Lyonnais region of France, where records confirm members of the family were established by 1663. The name itself is a diminutive form of the word garde, which historically referred to a watchman or someone who guarded a specific location. During the seventeenth century, families in this part of France often lived in close-knit rural communities where surnames were frequently linked to a person’s occupation or the specific land they managed. As the Gardette family settled in the area surrounding Lyon, they likely played a role in the local agricultural or trade life that defined the region. Because the Lyonnais was a major center for commerce and silk production during this era, the family name became part of the vibrant social fabric of the French countryside. Over time, the name persisted through generations, marking the family as a stable presence in the local parish records and community life of the seventeenth century.
A defensive position, watch, or protection derived from Germanic origins.
