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  Miers Coat of Arms / Miers Family CrestThe surname of MIERS was derived from the Old English word 'myre' a locational name meaning 'the dweller by the swampy, low-lying lands'. Local names usually denoted where a man held his land, and indicated where he actually lived. Early records of the name mention David in the Mire, documented during the reign of Edward I (1272-1307). Willelmus del Mire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Richard Myres of Preston, was listed in the Wills at Richmond in 1670. 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 the main 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. The name was taken early to Scotland by settlers, and David in the Mire, a Scots prisoner taken at Dunbar Castle in 1296, obtained his freedom in the following year to serve the English King abroad, and appears to be the first of the name on record in Scotland. Alexander Myr witnessed a charter by the abbott of Inchaffray in the year 1491. James Myr held land in Brechin in 1508. At first the coat of arms was a practical matter which served a function on the battlefield and in tournaments. With his helmet covering his face, and armour encasing the knight from head to foot, the only means of identification for his followers, was the insignia painted on his shield and embroidered on his surcoat, the flowing and draped garment worn over the armour.The associated arms are recorded in Sir Bernard Burkes General Armory. Ulster King of Arms in 1884. |
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