Cross Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Cross Family History

Cross Family History

The family history of the ancient name Cross was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Cross is a locality name meaning 'at the cross', from a residence at or near a wayside crucifix. In English records the name appears as ad Crucem and atte Cross. This name is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading to the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts throughout the above islands. Examples of such are a John atte Cross, who was recorded in the 'Writs of Parliament', England, in the year 1302. Jordan ad Crucem, County Buckinghamshire, Humfrey de Cruce, County Oxfordshire, and Conan ad Crucem, County Lincolnshire, were all recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls' in the year 1273.

In Ireland this name and its variants were introduced into Ulster Province by settlers who arrived from England and Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century. During the 'Plantations of Ireland' in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Ireland was colonized by the English Crown with this period marking the end of Gaelic supremacy in Ireland. This period brought an influx of settlers into the country but, unlike the earlier Anglo-Norman invasion of the twelfth century that resulted in a full integration into Irish society of the new arrivals, the same never occurred with the Ulster Planters who maintained their own distinct identity.

Cross is sometimes a variant of MacCrossan, taken from the Gaelic Mac An Chrosain septs. The town of Ballymacrossan is located in Offaly.The Cross 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 Cross descendants.