A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Lacasse 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'azur à trois pies au nat.”
The Lacasse arms were recorded in Belg, c. 1663.
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 Lacasse 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 surname Lacasse originated in France as a topographic name, which means it was used to identify people based on where they lived or worked. In the French language, the prefix "la" means "the," and the suffix "casse" is often linked to the Old French word "casser," referring to a clearing in the woods or a broken piece of land. By 1663, records confirm that members of the Lacasse family were established in the Bretagne region of northwestern France. During this period, many families in Bretagne lived in small rural communities where their last names were tied to the specific landscape of their farms. These early ancestors were likely farmers or laborers who were known to their neighbors by their connection to these distinct patches of land. As the family grew and eventually moved across the Atlantic, the name served as a permanent link to their ancestral roots in the French countryside.
A chest, box, or case used for storage or transport.
