The Washington herald., 1916-07-30
Answers to Correspondents

G. B. writes: kindly give me the origin
of the Ball. Jeffrey and Giberson names"
Strangely enough these three surnames
are all derived from popular Christian
names. Ball is a contrac ction OF Baldwin.
usual as a first name in England five or
six centuries ago. There are some au-
thorities who suggest that in some cases
it is derived from the West-English
bali meaning bald, and that II is one
of those names derived from personal
characteristics. Personally I am inclined
to the former theory.
Jeffrey. with other forms such as Jeff-
Grey, Jefferay. Jefferson, and Jeffries is
derived from the Christian name Jeffer-
ey. or Godfridus, more usual in England
as Godfrey.
Giberson is one of the many last names
such as Gibbs and Gibson which is de-
rived from the first name. Gilbert, once
extremely popular in Great Britain.
A H. W. sends blue print of the coat
of-arms and crest of the Hamilton fami-
ly to which he belongs. He says: My
father. the late William H Hamilton. of
Newark, y. J.. fought through the Civil
war. l am a true American and beg to
subscribe myself as such"
The coat-of-arms as our correspondent
describes it is: "Gules. three cinquefoils.
pierced STnllne, on CnlCl or a non pas
SAINT. OF the first. The crest is a demi
antelope ermine. attired. holding between
the forelegs a human heart. The motto
is. Qualis alb incepto."
This cOat-of-arms and crest are almost
identical to those borne by the Earls Of
Clanbrassl. distinguished members of the
Hamilton family. This is the description
of their Coat-of-arms: Gules, three
cinquefoils, argent, on a chief or, a lion
passant. guardant, OF the first. holding in
the dexter hand a cultrap azure. The
crest is demi-anteIope. argent. armed,
or, supporting a heart proper. The sup
porters are. dexter. lion gules. gorged
with royal treasure or. sinister, an ante
lope argent. gorged with the royal treas
ure or.
The cultrap. held by the lion in this
coat-of-arms is a curious old implement
of warfare. 1t is a metal weapon on the
head of which are numerous sharp
spikes. 1t Is held in the hand of. the
horseman with the head Of the weapon on
the ground in order to wound the feet
OF the adversary's horse in stepping on
it. Just why this relic of bygone war
fare is borne in the coat-of-arms of the
earls OF Clanbrassil is one of the many
mysteries of heraldry that will probably
never be solved.
To Mrs. n S. who writes thus: My
grandfather, Alexander Anderson Dun
bar was born In Frazerburgh or Fraze-
borough about April. 1916. One brother
went to Australia and was lost account
of. The sister went to Canada. l am
quite sure there was a Dunbar cOat-of-
arms. Can you give me any more of the
Dunbar family history.
The Dunbar coat-of-arms which is
rightly borne by the South Carolina Dun
bars, among others, is described thus:
Quarterly, first and fourth, gules, a lion
rampant argent within a bordure of the
last, charged with eight roses, of the first.
Second and third, or three cushions pen
dant within a double Treasure. fory
counterflory. gules. The crest is horse s
head argent. bridled gules, dexter hand
couped fessways, proper, holding the
bride. The motto is: "Candoris praem-
ium honos." The horses head is one of
the most honorable emblems of heraldry
and has always been especially highly es-
teemed in England because it was the
emblem of the Saxons when they went
to England from their home in the North.
This coat-of-arms was used by James
Dunbar of South Carolina as early as
1920, and belongs also to the Dunbars of
Randalstown. county Antrim, Ireland.
The name is derived from a parish and
town in Haddingtonshire, once a fief of
the famous earl of Dunbar, who was an
immediate descendant of Gospatrick, earl
of Northumberland, one of the seven
Saxon kingdoms. who fled from Scotland
with Edgar Atheling at the time of the
Norman conquest The Virginia Dun
bars were established here at an early
date in colonial times, and it is said
that they were related to the Colonel
Dunbar, the British officer whose troops
were badly defeated at Braddock's de-
feat, when young Washington first
showed his military genius
Besides being established in Virginia a
family of the name settled In Maine in
colonial days. A family so-called in New
York state is not really Dunbar at all.
the first settler having been Ten Bssr,