Origins Available: English,
French
Early Origins of the Prevaust family
The surname Prevaust was first found in Rutland 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]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the
tenant of the lands who was recorded in the
Domesday Book census of 1086. This notable family, Prevost de la Croix, held a family seat in Poinou. They held the fiefs of Sonnotte, Prejailly, Villette, Bodes, le Pesse, and Bouteliere.
Early History of the Prevaust family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Prevaust research.
Another 189 words (14 lines of text) covering the year 1410 is included under the topic Early Prevaust History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Prevaust Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Prevost, Provost, le Prevost, le Provost, Provest, Prevest and many more.
Early Notables of the Prevaust family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Prevaust Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Prevaust family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: A. Prevost, a Huguenot who arrived in Carolina from
England in 1679; and Francis
Lewis Mallet Prevost, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1802.
The Prevaust 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: Servatum cineri
Motto Translation: Faith kept with the dead