A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Grue family of France.
Reg. 3349 · French, G–I
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
heronPatience and quiet watchfulness
Colours
Blue (Azure)Means: Loyalty and truth
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“D'azur à une grue d'arg., bq. et m. d'or.”
AnjouAnjou, c. 1663
Where the Grue Arms Were Recorded
Anjou
Map of France showing where the Grue arms are recorded
The Grue arms were recorded in Anjou, c. 1663.
Anjou was rich valley country along the Loire, with a dense scatter of small manors. Its gentry were numerous rather than wealthy, and even a modest holding was enough to justify a shield of one's own.
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 France in this period.
Louis XIV of France
Sovereign of the period
Louis XIV of France
1643–1715
Reigning in France when the Grue arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in France
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.
Granting authority
The Juge d'armes de France acted as the official authority that regulated and verified coats of arms across the country.
How they got arms
Families typically inherited their arms from ancestors, though they could also receive them through royal grants or by proving their noble status.
Where arms were recorded
Coats of arms were officially recorded in the Armorial Général de France, which began its main collection in the year 1696.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Anjou.
Origin & History of the Grue Family in France
The family name Grue has deep roots in the historical province of Anjou, France, where records confirm members of the family were established by 1663. In the French language, the word grue refers to the crane, a bird that has long served as a symbol of vigilance and grace in European folklore. It is likely that the name began as a descriptive nickname for an ancestor who possessed physical traits resembling the bird, such as long legs or a tall, slender build. During the seventeenth century, families in the Anjou region were often tied to the land through agriculture or local trades. As the family grew, they became part of the social fabric of the Loire Valley, eventually contributing to the wave of migration that saw many French settlers move toward North America to establish new lives.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Grus
Latin term for the bird known as a crane.
This name
GrueA nickname for a tall, thin person or someone with a long neck.
also spelled
Grue
La Grue
Grue de la Trudiere
Grue Trudiere
La Groo de la Troodyer
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Jetté, René, Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec, 1983
Archives nationales du Québec, Fonds Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, series E21
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heronPatience and quiet watchfulness
heronPatience and quiet watchfulness
