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![Show Contents]() MacCrystal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
MacCrystal is one of the oldest family names to come from the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from Christopher, an ancient and popular font name which has been common since the 12th century. 1 Another source claims the name was "derived from a geographical locality. 'of Cristall.' I cannot find the spot, but Yorkshire seems to have been the home of the surname." 2 Early Origins of the MacCrystal familyThe surname MacCrystal was first found in Yorkshire where one of the first records of the name was Robert de Cristall who was registered in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2 Scotland was another homeland for the family and in this case, "it is certainly a diminutive or pet form of Christopher. The first form was an old surname in Foveran and it was not uncommon in Prestwick, Ayrshire, in the fifteenth century" 3 Early History of the MacCrystal familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacCrystal research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1470, 1474, 1487, 1491, 1535, 1567, 1650, 1672 and 1790 are included under the topic Early MacCrystal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. MacCrystal Spelling VariationsOnly recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name MacCrystal has undergone many spelling variations, including Chrystal, Cristall, Cristoll, Cristole, Cristell, Crystal, Crystall, MacCrystall, MacCristall and many more. Early Notables of the MacCrystal familyNotables of the family at this time include Thomas Crystall, (d. 1535) the twenty second abbot of a Cistercian monastery of Kinloss, near Forres in Moray. "Crystall was born in Culross in Perthshire, and educated in its monastery, a house of the Cistercians, where his talents, especially for music, attracted the attention of James Rait, the abbot, and his brother William, a skilled musician...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacCrystal Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the MacCrystal familyTo escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name MacCrystal were among those contributors: James Chrystal who arrived in Philadelphia in 1868.
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: Mens conscia recti
Motto Translation: A mind conscious of rectitude.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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