A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Schey family of Netherlands.
lambGentleness, patience and faithJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'or à trois agneaux de sa.”
The Schey 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.
The body that granted and recorded arms in Netherlands in this period.
Reigning in Netherlands when the Schey arms are first recorded.
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 surname Schey is deeply rooted in the historical landscape of the Netherlands, particularly within the northern province of Friesland. By the early nineteenth century, the family was well established in this region, a time when the Dutch government began formalizing civil registration to track citizens more accurately. The name likely evolved from local linguistic patterns common to the Frisian people, who have maintained a distinct cultural and ancestral identity for centuries. During the year 1815, which marked the formation of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, families like the Scheys were navigating a period of significant political transition. Their presence in Friesland during this era suggests they were part of a stable, agrarian, or mercantile community that helped shape the local economy. While the name carries the quiet history of ordinary people, it serves as a direct link to the traditions and social structures of the Frisian countryside during the Napoleonic era.
A division, separation, or boundary line.
