| ![Show Contents]() Gallantry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Scotland
Etymology of GallantryWhat does the name Gallantry mean? Gallantry was first used as a surname by descendants of the Pictish people of ancient Scotland. The ancestors of the Gallantry family lived in some place which is now obscure. The surname Gallantry belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. 1 Other sources claim the name is "a nickname for messenger, runner, 2 or "a messenger or runner [who] was fleet of foot." 3 Early Origins of the Gallantry familyThe surname Gallantry was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. Early History of the Gallantry familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gallantry research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1291, 1296, 1745, 1762, 1784 and 1789 are included under the topic Early Gallantry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Gallantry Spelling VariationsRepeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Gallantry has appeared Galletly, Gallightly, Gellatly, Gellately, Gillatly, Golightly and many more. Early Notables of the Gallantry familyNotable amongst the Clan at this time was Anne Catleyborn, born in 1745 in an alley near "Tower Hill, London of very humble parents, her father being a hackney coachman, and her mother a washerwoman. Endowed with great personal beauty, a charming voice, and a natural talent for singing, she gained her living at the early age of 10 years by singing in the public houses in the neighbourhood, and also for the diversion of the officers quartered in the Tower. When about 15 years of age she was...
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gallantry Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Gallantry familyMany Scottish families suffered enormous hardships and were compelled to leave their country of birth. They traveled to Ireland and Australia, but mostly to the colonies of North America, where many found the freedom and opportunity they sought. It was not without a fight, though, as many were forced to stand up and defend their freedom in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of these Scots abroad have rediscovered their heritage in the last century through the Clan societies and other organizations that have sprung up across North America. Immigration and passenger ship lists show some important early immigrants bearing the name Gallantry: Stephen Gallatly who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1823.
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: Hactenus invictus
Motto Translation: Hitherto unconquered.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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