The Hale Family Coat of Arms

Today I discovered that the hale family can be traced all the way back to 1463 in Hertfordshire, England!

We had a few Lords and even a Knight in our family!

This was our coat of arms in 1536 when Lord Richard Hale (son of Sir Thomas Hale) lived in Hertfordshire.

You may be interested to know that our family's motto is "Cum Principibus" you can see that on the top of our crest.

Cum Principibus can translate directly to " and officials" or "when the heads" but the actual phrase means "With my Chiefs" according to Fairbairn's Book of Crests, 1905 ed.

Everything about a coat of arms is significant in some way, for example, the colors of the crest each have their own meanings.

Blue for Truth and Loyalty.

Yellow for Generosity and Elevation of the mind.

Red for Warrior or martyr; Military strength and magnanimity.

If you look closely at the shield in the center you can see what is called a "Fur" in the background. Furs generally symbolized dignity.

Our fur is white with black spots which usually signifies nobility.

The chevron in the center of the shield signifies protection.

The little red cross is a symbol of faith, Christianity, or could mean someone in our family served in the crusades.

The three arrows on the shield are to represent readiness for battle.

The arm at the top of the helmet signifies a person with leadership qualities, and the baton in the hand is a token of authority.

The knots tied on either side of the arm are a symbol of love and faith.

The helmet itself denotes wisdom, and security in defense, strength, protection and invulnerability.

The leaves around the crest symbolize Eternal and affectionate remembrance as well as an admiration of the arts.