Wallace Family Crest and Name History

Text Size

Wallace PDF Surname History


The Ancient History Of The Distinguished Surname Wallace

Wallace

Contents

Wallace history with Wallace Family Crest
Wallace Motto Translated
Suggested Readings for Wallace
Surname Notables

Clan Badge of Wallace

Septs of Wallace

About Family Crests

Wallace Products

Origin Displayed: Scottish

Where did the Scottish Wallace family come from? What is the Scottish coat of arms/family crest? When did the Wallace family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?

An ancient Strathclyde-Briton family from the Scottish/English Borderlands were the first to use the name Wallace. It is a name for a person who was understood to be foreign. The name is actually an abbreviation of Wallensis, which meant Welsh is derived from the Anglo Norman French word waleis, meaning foreign. It is sometimes difficult for the layman to understand how such a renowned Scottish Clan could be called, literally, Welsh.Yet from the 3rd to the 8th century the Kingdom of Strathclyde stretched from the northern tip of France to the southern shores of the Clyde in Scotland. This kingdom was composed of solely coastal territories, of regions including Wales, Lancashire, Westmoreland and that part of southwest Scotland known as Galloway. Ironically, the first Scottish poem, dated about 1000 AD, was written in Welsh. Hence, Richard Wallensis was a vassal in 1174 of Walter FitzAlan, the Norman/ Breton who had settled in Salop in England and then moved north to Scotland. He would later found the great line of Scottish Stewart Kings. The Wallensis were undoubtedly the original natives of the area rather than travelers who moved north from the Welsh border in the train of the Stewarts.

Scribes in Medieval Scotland spelled names by sound rather than any set of rules, so an enormous number of spelling variations exist in names of that era. Wallace has been spelled Wallace, Wallis, Wallys, Walace, Uallas (Gaelic) and others.

First found in Ayrshire where in 1173 AD Richard Wallensis obtained the lands that belonged to the former kingdom of Strathclyde called Richardstoun (now Riccarton) by a grant from the King. His son, Richard Walency (or Waleis) witnessed several charters between 1190 and 1220, showing his approval of transfers of land in Molle, Kelso, Cupa and Paisley. The Chiefship passed to his grandson, Sir Malcolm Wallace of Elderslie in Renfrewshire, who had acquired those lands, the ancient Clan territories and other lands in Ayrshire. It was the younger son of Malcolm Wallace, William Wallace, born in 1275, who was Scotland's folklore hero. A knight of no small qualification and skill, throughout his life he had maintained a friendship with the House of Stewart. His many exploits started in 1297 when he killed the Sheriff of Lanark. The life of Wallace was well documented by "Blind Harry," the minstrel. Wallace was eventually betrayed by Sir John Monteith and was executed in 1305.

More

More about the Wallace History...

Please remember that this page is only a small extract of our complete history that includes:

Ancient origin of the name (usually pre-1100)
Known spelling variations
Early movement of the family name during the Middle Ages
Noteworthy bearers from the 1500-1600s
First settlers to North America
Notable contemporary bearers of the name
A description and/or full color picture of the Coat of Arms, Crest, and Motto (where available)

The number of Strathclyde clan families sailing for North America increased steadily as the persecution continued. In the colonies, they could find not only freedom from the iron hand of the English government, but land to settle on. The American War of Independence allowed many of these settlers to prove their independence, while some chose to go to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Scots played essential roles in the forging of both great nations. Among them: Eleanor, Elizabeth, George, Jane, William, and Mary Wallace all settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1768; Alexander Wallace settled in Georgia in 1733.

Motto Translated: For liberty.

For more information on the last name Wallace, the PDF Surname History is available for purchase as well as other products.

Suggested Readings for the name Wallace

Wallace-Frierson and Allied Families by Charles Hamilton Young.
The McKnight Families and their Descendants, also, The Wallace and Alexander Families by Texarado McKnight Peak.

Some noteworthy people of the name Wallace

Ruby Ann Wallace (b. 1923), original name of Ruby Dee
DeWitt Wallace (1889-1981), American publisher
Henry Wallace (1836-1916), American agriculturist and writer
Henry Agard Wallace (1888-1965), American agriculturist and statesman
Henry Cantwell Wallace (1866-1924), American agriculturist
Lewis Wallace (1827-1905), American author and soldier
Henry A. Wallace (1888-1965), American politician, 33rd, U.S. Vice-President (1941-45)
William Wallace (1860-1940), Scottish composer
George Wallace, Scottish politician, created Baron Wallace of Campsie, in the County of the City of Glasgow in 1974
Sir Gordon Wallace (d. 1987), Australian, Supreme Court judge
Walter Wallace, Governor of British Virgin Islands (1974-1978)
Alfred Russell Wallace (1823-1913), English, naturalist and traveler, who, independently of Darwin, developed a theory of evolution by natural selection
Edgar Wallace (1875-1932), English novelist
Sir Richard Wallace (1818-1890), British art patron
Vincent Wallace (1813-1865), Irish operatic composer
Private First Class Herman C Wallace, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945
Clarence Wallace (1893-1982), Canadian shipbuilder, and Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (1950-1955)
Colonel Robert Hugh Wallace (1860-1929), British soldier, lawyer and politician in Northern Ireland;
James Wallace (1918-1980), English, RAF Air Commodore
George Douglas Wallace (1906-2003), British politician, Member of the UK Parliament, made Baron Wallace of Coslany, in 1974

Wallace Clan Badge

A clan is a social group made up of a number of distinct branch-families that actually descended from, or accepted themselves as descendants of, a common ancestor. The word clan means simply children. The idea of the clan as a community is necessarily based around this idea of heredity and is most often ruled according to a patriarchal structure. For instance, the clan chief represented the hereditary "parent" of the entire clan. The most prominent example of this form of society is the Scottish Clan system...

More

Septs of the Distinguished Name Wallace
Ualas, Uallas, Walace, Walis, Wallace, Wallis, Wallys, Walys, Wolace, Wollace, Wollis, Wollys and more.

Tell Me More About Family Crests

Family Crests: the Heraldic Artist

We have researched the Wallace family crest in the most recognized sources. Before an artist or craftsman can render a family crest, it must exist. In other words the crest must have been designed and recorded by the heralds from time immemorial.

Heraldic designs matriculated by the lay-artist in many cases becomes uninspired, meretricious and even ugly...

More

Family Crests: Timeline

Many of the symbols adopted into armory have been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but heraldry itself did not begin until the 11th century. In continental Europe, the most ancient recorded family crest was discovered upon the monumental effigy of a Count of Wasserburg in the church of St. Emeran, at Ratisobon, Germany...

More

Family Crests: Elements

In the Wallace coat of arms as in all coat of arms the crest is only one element of the full armorial achievement. Again the Family Crest is just part of the story of Coats of Arms or Heraldry. Heraldry is defined as the hereditary art or science of blazoning, the description is appropriate technical terms of Coats-of-Arms and other heraldic and armorial insignia, and is of very ancient origin...

More

Family Crests and Genealogy: how they relate

We encourage you to study the Wallace genealogy to find out if you descend from someone who bore a particular family crest. Anyone making a study of heraldry usually becomes interested in Genealogy or seeking legal claim to a particular family crest. No families, not even the royal houses, can make sound claim to the right to bear arms unless a proven connection is established through attested Genealogical records...

More

Wallace Family Crest Products

Anniversary

Anniversary products for the name Wallace.

Apparel

Apparel emphasing the Wallace family crest.

Armorial histories

Armorial histories for the name Wallace.

Ceramics

Ceramics with the family crest for the name Wallace.

Clan Badges

Clan Badges for the name Wallace.

Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms for the name Wallace.

Downloads

Downloads featuring the Wallace family crest.

Family Crest

Family Crest for the name Wallace.

Family Tree

Family Tree with the family crest for the name Wallace.

Hand Painted Plaques

Hand Painted Plaques proudly displaying the Wallace coat of arms.

Keychains

Keychains emphasing the family crest for the name Wallace.

Mouse pads

Mouse pads showing the Wallace family crest.

New Products

New Products proudly displaying the Wallace family crest.

Packages

Packages with the coat of arms for the name Wallace.

Plaques and Frames

Plaques and Frames with the family crest for the name Wallace.

Surname Histories

Surname Histories for the name Wallace.

Symbolism

Symbolism displaying the Wallace family crest.

Travel Mugs

Travel Mugs revealing the Wallace family crest.

Popular Products
	Armorial History With Coat of Arms
	Coat of Arms & Surname History Package
	Family Crest Image (jpg) Heritage Series - 300 DPI
	Key-chain
	Coffee Mug
	Armorial History with Frame
	Framed Surname History and Coat of Arms

The Wallace Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Wallace Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.