Map of France showing where the Walas arms are recorded
The Walas arms were recorded in Perigord, c. 1663.
Perigord was wooded upland country in south-western France, thick with small castles. Its gentry were numerous and mostly poor, and even a modest holding justified a shield of one's own.
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.
Louis XIV of France
Sovereign of the period
Louis XIV of France
1643–1715
Reigning in France when the Walas arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in France
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.
Granting authority
The Juge d'armes de France acted as the official authority that regulated and verified coats of arms across the country.
How they got arms
Families typically inherited their arms from ancestors, though they could also receive them through royal grants or by proving their noble status.
Where arms were recorded
Coats of arms were officially recorded in the Armorial Général de France, which began its main collection in the year 1696.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Perigord.
Origin & History of the Walas Family in France
The family name Walas finds its documented roots in the historic region of Périgord, France, where members of the lineage were firmly established by 1663. During this period, the social structure of the Périgord region was heavily influenced by the transition from feudal traditions to the centralized administration of the French monarchy. Families living in this area were often tied to the land through agriculture or local trade, and the name likely emerged as a way to distinguish specific households within the rural parishes. As the seventeenth century progressed, the Walas family would have navigated the complex legal and social changes of the Ancien Régime, which required families to maintain clear records of their births, marriages, and property holdings. By settling in this part of southwestern France, the early ancestors of the Walas name became part of a long tradition of regional identity that defined life in the Dordogne valley for generations.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Gualo
A Germanic name element meaning ruler or stranger.
This name
WalasA locative or occupational surname derived from the Old French term for a foreigner or stranger.
also spelled
Walz
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Archives départementales de la Dordogne, Registres paroissiaux et d'état civil
Galy, Élie, Dictionnaire des familles du Périgord, 1862
Secretariat des Archives de France, Inventaire sommaire des archives départementales antérieures à 1790, 1891
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fessThe military belt, and readiness to serve
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