Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
  Biglow Coat of Arms / Biglow Family CrestThis Italian surname of BIGLOW was of the baptismal group of surnames meaning 'the son of William' This name was introduced into England at the time of the Norman Conquest of 1066, and within a very short period it became the most popular given name in England, mainly, no doubt in honour of the Conqueror himself. The given name has also enjoyed considerable popularity in Germany as Wilhelm, in France and in Spain as Guillermo. It became, in course of time, a mark of gentler blood to have a second name and it was deemed a disgrace for gentlemen to have but one single name, as the meaner sort had. The name was also an English locational name meaning 'the dweller on or near the barley hill' from residence nearby. During the Middle Ages surnames were first used in order to distinguish between numbers of people bearing the same christian name. As taxation, under William The Conqueror, who invaded England in 1066, became the law, documentation became essential, and names were chosen from a man's trade, his father's name, some personal physical characteristic, or from his place of residence. Surnames derived from placenames are divided into two broad categories; topographic names and habitation names. Topographic names are derived from general descriptive references to someone who lived near a physical feature such as an oak tree, a hill, a stream or a church. Habitation names are derived from pre-existing names denoting towns, villages and farmsteads. Other classes of local names include those derived from the names of rivers, individual houses with signs on them, regions and whole countries. In the Middle Ages heraldry came into use as a practical matter. It originated in the devices used to distinguish the armoured warriors in tournament and war, and was also placed on seals as marks of identity. As far as records show, true heraldry began in the middle of the 12th century, and appeared almost simultaneously in several countries of Western Europe. |
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