Prevaust Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available: English, French

Prevaust

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Prevaust Early Origins

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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, 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.

Prevaust Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Prevost, Provost, le Prevost, le Provost, Provest, Prevest and many more.

Prevaust Early History

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 Early Notables (pre 1700)

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

The Great Migration

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.

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

Prevaust Family Crest Products

Citations

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

Other References

Robb H. Amanda and Andrew Chesler. Encyclopedia of American Family Names. New York: Haper Collins, 1995. Print. (ISBN 0-06-270075-8).
Innes, Thomas and Learney. The Tartans of the Clans and Families of Scotland 1st Edition. Edinburgh: W & A. K. Johnston Limited, 1938. Print.
Leeson, Francis L. Dictionary of British Peerages. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1986. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-1121-5).
Colletta, John P. They Came In Ships. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. Print.
Reaney P.H and R.M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X).
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin . Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8).
Magnusson, Magnus. Chambers Biographical Dictionary 5th edition. Edinburgh: W & R Chambers, 1990. Print.
Colletta, John P. They Came In Ships. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. Print.
Markale, J. Celtic Civilization. London: Gordon & Cremonesi, 1976. Print.
Filby, P. William and Mary K Meyer. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index in Four Volumes. Detroit: Gale Research, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8).
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The Prevaust Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Prevaust Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 2 October 2003 at 16:11.