Looking up Heraldry or Coats of Arms on the Web

[behindthefrogs]

You seem to be finding an interesting line for this family.

Gurner family in Cambridgeshire in 1622.
Gurney family in Norfolk using the same coat of arms
Johan de Gurney at the time of Henry III using the coat of arms before they were differenced.  I wonder where or what Gurney was.

I am very doubtful about a coat of arms from Heraldry Limited.  I would expect it to be just something which has been looked up in a book of surnames.

David

[Ayashi]

That's what mum said! 

[Keith Sherwood]

David,
The GURNEY surname evolved through De GOURNAY and De GOURNEY to just GOURNAY or GOURNEY once the "De" from the Norman French got dropped some time in the 15thC, I believe.
The family originated from a place in Normandy called Gournay.  It was possibly Old Hugh De GOURNAY (1036-1074) came across with The Conqueror, though I don't know whether he fought at Hastings.
The family seem to be traced back to a Eudes in the 9th or 10thC, "a follower of Rollo"...
keith

[Lesanne]

  Hello Keith et all...

Yes, once you get into the medi-eval's with your family (possibly) it's so facinating, that you go off on a tangent and don't get back till bedtime.... 

Anne Boleyne and Henry Norris is a story I'm in at the moment... I reckon he was 'framed'.... 
 
I was thinking more of the Reverand's picture that was for sale.... 

[Keith Sherwood]

Lesanne,
Yes, that WAS a good one!  That thread just ran and ran, and for all I know the Rev. John KERSHAW is still hanging forlornly in the Art Dealer's in South-East London.
Mind you, I think there's hopefully some pretty interesting mileage in this one yet...
keith

[Keith Sherwood]

David,
I've just referred back to your post 19 on this thread - must have somehow overlooked your comment that the red cross might well refer to an ancestor who was involved in the Crusades.
Should mention the fact, then, that in the pedigree is a Gerard the Crusader, who married Editha, daughter of Earl Warren who was married to a daughter of William the Conqueror called Gundreda (I think I mentioned this in post 25)
If Gerard's wife was a grand-daughter of William 1st, I wonder which Crusade he would have taken part in.  I'm afraid my knowledge on The Crusades is extremely sketchy...
keith

[Lesanne]

  I'll leave you to scroll down to and open.. Girard Guinard 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_principal_Crusaders

[behindthefrogs]

There were dozens of Crusades.  The numbered ones were

1st 1095-1099
2nd 1146-1148
3rd 1187-1196
4th 1198-1204
5th 1215-1220
6th 1227-1229

These were interspersed with crusades mounted by individuals which went on until 1400 if not later.  Plenty of scope I am afraid.

David 

[Keith Sherwood]

Lesanne and David,
I've just discovered that there's quite a lot of info on the web about those really early generations of the DE GOURNAY/GOURNEY families, and it appears that Gerard The Crusader went out in the very First Crusade (1095-1099), and perished there in 1098.  But presumably he had begotten his heirs by then.
Have already heard from the College of Heralds, and they charge a £65 fee - sharp intake of breath (and purse strings), but I'll go ahead with a search, though I will ask them to look into that 1575 Visitation for Cambridgeshire too, David,
Regards, keith