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'arg. au lion de gu., arm. et lamp. d'azur.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Grandee family of Netherlands.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'arg. au lion de gu., arm. et lamp. d'azur.”
The Grandee arms were recorded in Netherlands, c. 1815.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Friesland.
Friesland was low, wet country on the northern coast of the Netherlands, farmed by families who had held the same land for centuries. Free landholders were unusually common there, and a free landholder could carry 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.
In the Netherlands, coats of arms were often used by noble families and those who held specific public offices. These arms were passed down through the generations to legitimate descendants. Younger branches of a family usually kept the original design without needing to add special marks. This system ensured that the family identity remained clear and consistent over many years.
The history of the Grandee family name in the Netherlands is deeply rooted in the northern province of Friesland. By the early nineteenth century, the family was well-established in this region, a time when the Netherlands was transitioning into a modern kingdom following the Napoleonic Wars. During this period, the Dutch government began to formalize civil registration and standardized naming practices, which helps historians trace the movement and growth of families like the Grandees. The name itself reflects the linguistic shifts common in coastal areas where local Frisian traditions blended with broader European influences. As the family settled into their lives in Friesland around 1815, they became part of the agricultural and maritime communities that defined the local economy. Their presence in the official records from this era provides a clear starting point for understanding how the family integrated into the social structure of the northern Netherlands during the nineteenth century.
Latin term meaning large, great, or full-grown.
