Vigars History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Vigars arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Vigars family lived in Cornwall. Their name, however, is a reference to St. Vigore Des Montes, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Now known as Saint-Vigor, the Eure department is approximately 120 square miles.

Early Origins of the Vigars family

The surname Vigars was first found in Cornwall. They were originally from St. Vigore Des Montes in the arrondisement of St. Lo in the canton of Tessy, in Normandy. They were neighbors of the Traceys who also settled in the west country at Barnstaple in Devon.

Not all of the family left Normandy for England as Simon Vigor (c.1515-1575) from Evreux, Normandy was a French Catholic bishop and controversialist.

Early History of the Vigars family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vigars research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vigars History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vigars Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Vigors, Viggars, Vigars, Viggors, Viggers, Vigures, Vigours and many more.

Early Notables of the Vigars family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vigars Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Vigars family to Ireland

Some of the Vigars family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Vigars family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Vigars name or one of its variants: James Vigures settled in New England in 1771; John, Lewis, George, and Robert Vigours sustained losses when St. Pierre surrendered to the French in 1763..

Contemporary Notables of the name Vigars (post 1700) +

Robert "Bob" Vigars, American-born, Canadian head coach of the London Western Mustangs, founder of London-Western Track & Field Club, winner of 14 national championships, eponym of the Bob Vigars Classic
Norman Vigars, American producer, known for his work on Shot on Ice (1969)
Richard Vigars (1849-1930), English-born, Canadian Mayor of Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay) Ontario in 1905
Bill Vigars, Canadian publicist, known for his work on The Guard (2008) and Masters of Horror (2006-2007)

The Vigars 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: Spectemur agendo
Motto Translation: Let us be judged by our actions.