Elway History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsElway is a name whose ancestors lived among the Picts, a tribe in ancient Scotland. The Elway family lived in Aberdeen but originally from Clackmannan. The name may be derived from the Gaelic alla which means wild and mhagh which means field. Early Origins of the Elway familyThe surname Elway was first found in the county of Clackmannanshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Chlach Mhannainn), nicknamed the "wee county," it is the smallest Council Area of Scotland, located in southeastern Scotland. According to Black, the most likely source of their origin was Alloa in the Aberdeen area. 1 The first recorded spelling of the name was Alleway, about the year 1359. Alloway is a former Scottish village that is now a suburb of Ayr, best known as the birthplace of Robert Burns and the setting for his poem "Tam o' Shanter." In North America, the word Alloway is a Delaware Indian term meaning "beautiful tail" and refers to the black fox. Early History of the Elway familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elway research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1440 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Elway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Elway Spelling VariationsThe appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Elway has been spelled Alloway, Alleway, Aloveious, Alloweious, Allaway, Alliway, Alloway, Aloway, Alaway, Aleway, Alewy, Alloways, Allawy, Aylwey and many more. Early Notables of the Elway familyMore information is included under the topic Early Elway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Elway family to IrelandSome of the Elway family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Elway familyThe expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Elway: William Alloway who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682; but John Alloway had settled in Virginia twenty years before. Mary Alloway arrived in 1770; and Samuel Alloway arrived in New Orleans in 1823..
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto. Motto: Dei dono sum quod sum Motto Translation: By the bounty of God I am what I am.
|