Flaws History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Flaws family

The surname Flaws was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, [1] indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of lands in that shire.

Early History of the Flaws family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flaws research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1203, 1285, and 1402 are included under the topic Early Flaws History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flaws Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Florey, Flory, Flurry, Flury, Flurrie, Fleury and others.

Early Notables of the Flaws family (pre 1700)

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

Flaws migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Flaws or a variant listed above were:

Flaws Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Flaws, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 [2]

Flaws migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Flaws Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Flaws, aged 43, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
Catherine Flaws, aged 44, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
Elizabeth Flaws, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
Robert Flaws, aged 8, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
George Flaws, aged 4, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Flaws (post 1700) +

Thomas Flaws (1932-2021), New Zealand cricketer who played 27 first-class matches for Otago between 1952 and 1963
Fane Michael Flaws (1951-2021), New Zealand musician, songwriter, and artist, member of the bands Blerta, Spats, and The Crocodiles

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)