Plack History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Plack arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a maker of coarse woolen cloth and blankets. Plucknett is of Norman-French origin and derives from the name Plunket. Plunket is adapted from the Anglo-Norman-French word blancquet, meaning blanket or sheet. Another explanation suggests that the name is a local reference to Plugenett, Normandy. 1 Plack is a classic example of an English polygenetic surname, which is a surname that was developed in a number of different locations and adopted by various families independently.

Early Origins of the Plack family

The surname Plack was first found in Oxfordshire where the name Plukenet is found in two versions of the Roll of Battel Abbey. One of the first records of the name was Hugh de Plugenet who was made Baron by Henry II. 2 The name was also found in Ireland as early as the 11th century. 3

One of the earliest records of the family was Alan de Plugenet (died 1299), an English Baron, son of Alan de Plugenet. His family was settled at Preston Pluchenet in Somerset. He fought on the king's side in the barons' war, and was rewarded in 1265 with the manor of Haselberg, Northamptonshire. Through his mother's side, his uncle granted him Kilpeck Castle, Hereford, with other lands in Somerset, Dorset, and Wiltshire, for a yearly payment of £140. and a sparrow-hawk. He also granted Plugenet his estate at Haselberg, Somerset, for the yearly rent of one rosebud. 4

Early History of the Plack family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plack research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1625, 1641, 1681 and 1706 are included under the topic Early Plack History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plack Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Plucknett, Pluckett, Plugenett and others.

Early Notables of the Plack family

More information is included under the topic Early Plack Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Plack family to Ireland

Some of the Plack family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plack migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Plack or a variant listed above:

Plack Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Benigna Christiane Plack, aged 42, who arrived in America in 1839 5
George Plack, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1857 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Plack (post 1700) +

Louis Plack Hammett (1894-1987), American physical chemist who developed the Hammett equation, awarded the Priestley Medal in 1961

The Plack Motto +

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: In Deo fide
Motto Translation: Fidelity in God.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)