A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Wilbourn family of England.
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Paly wavy of eight gu. and erm”
The Wilbourn arms were recorded in England, c. 1620.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in York.
Yorkshire is the largest of the English counties, and it held more gentry families than any other. Land there was split among a great many households rather than a few, so a great many of them carried 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 England in this period.
Reigning in England when the Wilbourn arms are first recorded.
English heraldry allowed arms to be shared by all legitimate descendants of the original owner. These symbols were treated as personal property that moved through the generations to all children. While the eldest son kept the original design, other family members could use the same shield without needing to change it or register their own unique versions.
The surname Wilbourn is rooted in the landscape of medieval England, originating as a locational name that described where a person lived. The name is derived from the Old English words "wielle," meaning a spring or stream, and "burna," which refers to a small brook or creek. This suggests that the earliest ancestors to carry the name likely lived near a prominent natural water source. By 1620, records confirm that members of the Wilbourn family were firmly established in the historic city of York. During this period, York was a bustling center of trade and religion, and families living there were often involved in the local craft guilds or the agricultural life of the surrounding Yorkshire countryside. As the family grew, they contributed to the local community, leaving behind a legacy that reflects the deep connection between English surnames and the geography of the regions where they first appeared.
Derived from Germanic elements meaning resolute protector and a flowing stream.
