Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
La Course Coat of Arms / La Course Family CrestThis name LA COURSE was brought from Courci, a spot in France in the year 1177, in the person of Sir John de Courcy, who until he was displaced by de Lacy, was a leading figure in Ulster. As barons of Kinsale, they were prominent in West Cork, where branches have since been established. A century ago when they were mainly located around Clonakilty, the prefix De had been dropped, but today most bearers of the name are called de Courcy. The form used in Irish is de Cursa, from the Norman place name Courci. Ireland was one of the earliest countries to evolve a system of surnames. They came into being generally in the 11th century. Some indeed, were formed before the year 1000. Originally the coat of arms identified the wearer, either in battle or in tournaments. Completely covered in body and facial armour the knight could be spotted and known by the insignia painted on his shield, and embroidered on his surcoat, the draped garment which enveloped him. Between the 11th and 15th centuries it became customary for surnames to be assumed in Europe, but were not commonplace in England or Scotland before the Norman Conquest of 1066. They are to be found in the Domesday Book of 1086. Those of gentler blood assumed surnames at this time, but it was not until the reign of Edward II (1307-1327) that second names became general practice for all people. Many factors contributed to the establishment of a surname system. For generations after the Norman Conquest of 1066 a very few dynasts and magnates passed on hereditary surnames, but most of the population, with a wide choice of first-names out of Celtic, Old English, Norman and Latin, avoided ambiguity without the need for a second name. As society became more stabilized, there was property to leave in wills, the towns and villages grew and the labels that had served to distinguish a handful of folk in a friendly village were not adequate for a teeming slum where perhaps most of the householders were engaged in the same monotonous trade, so not even their occupations could distinguish them, and some first names were gaining a tiresome popularity, especially Thomas after 1170. The hereditary principle in surnames gained currency first in the South, and the poorer folk were slower to apply it. By the 14th century however, most of the population had acquired a second name. |
