Map of Ireland showing where the Handegard arms are recorded
The Handegard arms were recorded in Ireland, c. 1604.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Dublin.
Dublin was the seat of government in Ireland and the place where grants were sought and recorded. Families with business at the castle or the courts settled nearby, and settling there put their arms on record.
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 Ireland in this period.
James VI and I
Sovereign of the period
James VI and I
1603–1625
Reigning in Ireland when the Handegard arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in Ireland
The Ulster King of Arms granted coats of arms to individuals who proved their social standing and good character. These symbols were typically inherited by all legitimate descendants of the original holder. If a family branch wanted a unique look, they could apply for a specific change to their design through the office to ensure their identity remained distinct.
Granting authority
The Ulster King of Arms acted as the official body that regulated and issued all coats of arms throughout Ireland.
How they got arms
Families obtained their arms through formal grants issued by the office after proving their eligibility and paying the required fees.
Where arms were recorded
All official grants were recorded in the registers held by the Ulster King of Arms starting from the year 1552.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Ireland.
Origin & History of the Handegard Family in Ireland
The family name Handegard is rooted in a history that connects early Scandinavian or Germanic naming traditions with the social landscape of seventeenth-century Ireland. By 1604, records confirm that members of the family were established in Dublin, a city that served as a bustling center for trade and international migration during the early modern period. At this time, Dublin was a melting pot where merchants and settlers from across Europe arrived to seek new opportunities. The name itself likely originated as a topographic or habitational descriptor, suggesting that the earliest ancestors came from a specific farm or guarded enclosure. As these individuals integrated into the Irish capital, they navigated a society defined by rapid urban growth and shifting political loyalties. Their presence in the city archives during this era reflects a family that was part of the early wave of documented residents helping to shape the diverse cultural fabric of Dublin.
Handegard Meaning & Related Branches
Root word
Hand-gard
A combination of hand meaning possession and gard meaning an enclosure.
This name
HandegardRefers to a person who lived near or managed a protected enclosure or fenced property.
also spelled
Hansard
Hansarde
Documented Sources
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
National Archives of Ireland, Calendar of the Patent Rolls of the Chancery of Ireland, 1603–1625
Dublin City Archives, The Ancient Records of Dublin
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mulletThe third son, and a divine quality from above
mulletThe third son, and a divine quality from above
