Beattie Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Beattie Family History

Beattie Family History

The family history of the ancient name Beattie was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Beattie is a baptismal name meaning 'the son of Beatrice'. Variants of this name include Beattey, Beatty, Baty, Baytie, Beatey, Peattie and Peaty. This is a well known Border surname commonly explained as a metronomic from Beatrice. This name is usually of Scottish descent spreading to Ireland, England and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts throughout the above countries. Examples of such are a Gilbert fitz Beatrice of the County of Roxburghe, Scotland, who rendered homage for his lands in 1296. A William Beaty and Sarah Davis were married in Saint Peters, Cornhill, England, in the year 1729.

Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. It was by the method of creating and updating these old reference books that they were able to maintain their authority and enforce laws.

In Ireland the early form of the name was Betagh, especially in the Athlone area but this variant is now almost extinct there. The Gaelic name Biadhtach is also anglicized as Beaty, Beattie and Beatty.The Beattie family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Beattie descendants.