A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Harre family of France.
martletA younger son, who must win his own landJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'arg. à trois choucas au nat.”
The Harre arms were recorded in France, c. 1625.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bretagne.
More families held coats of arms in Bretagne than anywhere else in France. The land was divided into many small estates rather than a few large ones, so far more households counted as gentry, and each needed a shield of its own to be told apart.
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.
Reigning in France when the Harre arms are first recorded.
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 Harre has deep roots in the Brittany region of France, where records confirm members of the family were living as early as 1625. During the seventeenth century, Brittany was a distinct province with its own customs and language, and families like the Harres were often tied to the local agricultural or maritime economy of the coastal landscape. The name itself likely evolved from regional dialects, possibly serving as a descriptive term for a person’s occupation or their specific place of residence within a village. As the family grew, they became part of the social fabric of the region, participating in the daily life and religious traditions that defined life in western France during the early modern period. By maintaining a presence in the area for generations, the Harre family helped shape the local history of their community while adapting to the shifting political landscape of the French kingdom.
A Germanic element meaning army or warrior.
