A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Texada family of Spain.
chequyConstancy, and the counting-boardJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Echiq. de gu. et d'or.”
The Texada arms were recorded in Spain, c. 1722.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Castile.
Castile was the heart of Spain and the source of most of its noble families. Land won in the long wars against the Moors was granted out to fighting men, and a man granted land was granted arms along with it.
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 Spain in this period.
Reigning in Spain when the Texada arms are first recorded.
In Spain, a coat of arms was considered a form of property that belonged to the entire family line. These arms were passed down from a father to all his children equally. Younger branches of the family usually kept the original design without needing to add any special marks to distinguish their specific line.
The surname Texada originates from the historic region of Castile in Spain. By the early 18th century, the family was well-established within the social and administrative structures of the Spanish Crown. Records from 1722 confirm that members of the family held positions of influence and were active participants in the local governance of their communities. The name itself is linked to the geography of the Iberian Peninsula, often associated with families who held land or maintained estates in the rugged, central highlands. Over the following decades, the family expanded their reach, eventually moving across the Atlantic to participate in the development of Spanish colonial territories in North America. Their early history reflects the broader patterns of migration and social mobility that defined the lives of prominent families in the Spanish Empire during the Enlightenment era.
A type of evergreen coniferous tree known as the yew.
