Payne Family Coat of Arms

In heraldry, the study of coats of arms and of the history of the families who are entitled to have them, everything has meanings. Our coat of arms is no different.

The family coat of arms most associated with the Paynes originated between the 14th and 16th century. A coat of arms was proof of a man�s honor and identity in a time before easy identification. There are several different Payne coat of arms, so I chose the one closest to my line. The official description of our crest could be found in �Crozier�s General Armory: a registry of American families entitled to a coat of arms.�

• PAYNE Virginia
• William Payne Lynchburg circa 1630
• SHIELD gules a fesse between two lions passant argent
• CREST A lion's gamb couped argent grasping a broken tilting lance spear end pendent gules
• MOTTO Main mori quam foedari

That may read as gibberish, so let�s break that down. We�ll start with the part that everyone thinks of when they think of a coat of arms � the shield.

The colors are usually the first thing you notice about a coat of arms. On our shield we have gules (red) with argent (white or silver). Red represents a warrior or martyr military strength and magnamity. White / silver represent peace and sierentity. The objects, or elements, on the shield tell details about the family. Ours has a fesse or fess, which is a straight line across the middle of the shield. It represents a military belt or girdle of honor and shows a rediness to serve the public. The two lions are passant, walking with three paws on the ground and one outreached. They represent dauntless courage.

A crest is typically a topper over the shield often on top of a helmet, although sometimes people will use this term to refer to the entire coat of arms. If the helmet is facing forward it means the family is royal. Ours should always be shown facing to the side. The crest itself in our case is a lions gamb (paw) couped argent, which is a leg of a lion erased at the middle joint, which symbolizes courage, holding a broken spear or lance which is a symbol of peace. Together they represent a keeper of the peace.

The mantle is usually just a garnish. Often times it will have the same colors of the shield, like a knights cape. Some coat of arms will have supporters, birds or animals holding up either side of the shield, but ours stands on its own.

Our family motto is in Latin and says �Malo Mori Quam Foedari.� The rough translation is �Death Before Dishonor.�

Taken in its entirety the Payne Family Coat of Arms says we are willing and able to serve our country and community in war and peace. It also shows our tradition as peacekeepers - sherifs, justices, guards and knights - and that we were know for peaceful resolutions instead of violence.

I'm happy to share the images I have made of the Payne Family Coat of Arms if you email me at payne(at symbol)worldofpayne(dot)com.