Armiger

This interesting surname is of early medieval English origin, and ultimately derives from the Latin "armiger", meaning an "armour-bearer", or a "squire". This name, in early times, was used of a young man of good birth attendant on a knight. Job-descriptive surnames originally denoted the actual occupation of the namebearer, and later became hereditary. The upper servants in an abbey were also called "Armigeri", as referred to in the Register of Battel Abbey in 1300 A.D. In the modern idiom the surname can also be found as Arminger, the intrusive "n" is a dialectal addition, introduced for easier pronunciation. Recordings of the surname from London Church Registers include: the marriage of Egidio Mompesson Armiger and Katheryn St. John, which took place on February 3rd 1606, at St. John's, Hackney, and the christening of Robert Arminger on November 1st 1614, at St. Andrew's, Holborn. A Coat of Arms granted to this family depicts three gold helmets, between two silver bars on a blue shield, the Crest being a red tiger sejant, crined and tufted gold, on a gold ducal coronet. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Armiger, which was dated 1279, in the "Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.