Coat of arms - Wright - Surrey, Hartswood and London

[Go ahead]

We are trying to solve quite a puzzle - we are trying to find the father of one Rialf (Ralph) Wright that came to Norway in 1671/1673. There is suggested that he came to Norway either from Denmark or England. Norwegian descendants of this Wright-family have in fact been trying to solve this puzzle for more than 100 years but still with no result...

But we do belive that the solution of this puzzle might be in finding the origins of this coat of arms. There are plenty of resources that show that this arms should belong to the Wrights of Surrey, Hartswood and London. But do anyone know who used this arms for the very first time ? Or, where to find more information about this coat of arms - and information that says something more than just that it was the coat of arms of the Wright-Family of Surrey, Hartswood and London ?

If anyone have some more information about this coat of arms we would truly appreciate it ! :-)

[behindthefrogs]

Having looked at a number of possibilities for this coat of arms I am a little confused by the crest for which I haven't found a match.  The examples that I have found either have the camel's head crest coloured gold, or ostrich feathers in its mouth, or both. Also harnessed or not. How does this fit with the full coats of arms which you have found?  These variations may help with your problem as they are the sort of change that may have occured on marriage.  Unfortunately the variations that I found lead me no closer than London and Surrey.

I see that you quote a motto of "Temperence patience and perseverance".  Is this relevant?  As its origin may give other clues.

[kennaugh]

It does not look accurate to me.  I think someone in your family may have just created it along the way...  Back when you are talking about, Norwegians didn't keep their last names in the way we do today.  If there was a John Wright, his son would have taken the last name Johnson. So, it is very difficult to trace Norwegian surnames and especially to assign a certain coat of arms.

Mike

[Go ahead]

First, and in Norwegian, Mike - gå og ta deg en bolle !

I clearly wrote: There are plenty of resources that show that this arms should belong to the Wrights of Surrey, Hartswood and London. In The visitations of Surrey 1530, 1572, and 1623 you will find it descriped like this: Arms - gules, a fesse vairy ermine and azure. Crest: a Camels head, haltered or.

So, Mike, when in time do you think that someone in my family just created it along the way ?

Here in Norway we have seen variations of this arms - the drawing in the picture is done after a blazon (done by someone professional), the avatar I use is the sign (sigal) of the French honorary consul in Langesund - Just S. Wright (1882), and there is also an norwegian description of the crest with 3 ostrich feathers (as mentioned by you, behindthefrogs)...

And, Mike, if there was a John Wright in Norway his son would never have taken the last name Johnson. Neither that or Johnsen or Johnsøn ! Patronym (your father`s name and an ending) was common in Norway until 1900, but only out in the country. In the cities that tradition took an end in 1600/1700. Immigrants to Norway in 1600/1700 (like Wright, Arbo and Høeg) did not take in use the tradition of patronym. Today 70 % of the Norwegians have a name that is from a farm (in Norwegian: gårdsnavn), 24 % have a name with -sen (patronym) and the rest have a name with a foreign origin...

Temperence patience and perseverance is mentioned as a motto for the Wrights in London and Surrey. So it should be relevant, but I`m not 100 % certain that this is really right...