Swayne coat of arms
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coats of arms were granted to Swaynes, Swains, and one Swaine by The College of Arms in England but the first Swayne coat of arms (with this spelling) was granted to William Swayne of Salisbury in 1461. The date is frequently reported incorrectly to be 1444 (as reported by Burke's General Armory 1884).
The blazon (technical description) is as follows:
"Azure, a chevron between three pheons or, on a chief gules, as many maidens heads couped proper, crined on the second."
William Swayne of London, Edward (his brother), and Arthur (his cousin) confirmed their ancestry with William Swayne of Salisbury in 1602. At that time, they added the following crest to the Swayne Coat of Arms:
"A maiden's head couped proper, crined or, between two wings expanded of the last"
Due to the addition of the maiden (with wings) crest years later, some references to the Swayne Coat of Arms do not include a crest. Both versions would be considered correct.
[edit] References
For a complete history and images, visit the The Swayne-Swain Coat of Arms Website
