Baird

The Baird Family of North Carolina represented here by Lord Byron, Seneschal of Baird. The Strathclyde-Briton people of ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Baird. It is a name for someone who works as a poet, which was originally derived from the Gaelic word bard. According to legend, William the Lion, King of Scotland was alarmed by the approach of a wild boar, while hunting in one of the southwestern counties. Baird, who was a follower in the King's train, came forward to assist the King. Baird needed only a single arrow to slay the boar and was rewarded for this service by the king. He was granted large areas of lands and was assigned a Coat of Arms on which there is a wild boar. King William also commanded that Baird would have as his motto Dominus Fecit (The Lord made). In the Churchyard of Banff, Scotland, Baird's Arms may still be seen in an ancient monument to the Bairds of Auchmeddan.