Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
Swinger Coat of Arms / Swinger Family CrestThis English surname of SWINGER was an occupational name 'the SWINGLER' a flax-beater, possibly a wool beater or one who was the inspector who was required to stamp his approval on cloth. Many crafts were required regarding cloth and wool, first from the shearing of sheep to the finished article. The occupation of the officer whose duty it was to inspect all cloths for proper quality and length and attach his seal of approval, was an unpopular official. It was known in the Middle Ages that such a person could be mobbed and mortally wounded, should his sanction not be given. Many of the modern family names throughout Europe reflect the profession or occupation of their forbears in the Middle Ages and derive from the position held by their ancestors in the village, noble household or religious community in which they lived and worked. The addition of their profession to their birth name made it easier to identify individual tradesmen and craftsmen. As generations passed and families moved around, so the original identifying names developed into the corrupted but simpler versions that we recognise today. The name is also spelt SWINGLE, SWINGE, SWINGLEY and SWINGELL. An early record of the name mentions Nicholas SWINGLER, who was baptised at St. Peter, Cornhill, London, in the year 1682. It was not until the 10th century that modern hereditary surnames first developed, and the use of fixed names spread, first to France, and then England, then to Germany and all of Europe. In these parts of Europe, the individual man was becoming more important, commerce was increasing and the exact identification of each man was becoming a necessity. Even today however, the Church does not recognise surnames. Baptisms and marriages are performed through use of the Christian name alone. Thus hereditary names as we know them today developed gradually during the 11th to the 15th century in the various European 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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