Roberts / Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Roberts / Family History

Roberts / Family History

The Roberts ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Meaning 'son of Robert', the name Roberts has a number of variants including Robertson and Robert. This Scottish Clan count their Chiefs from Duncan de Atholia, under whom they first appear as a clan in support of Robert the Bruce. The Robertsons of Struan are the oldest family in Scotland, being the sole remaining branch of the Royal House which occupied the throne of Scotland during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. From first to last the Clan is noted for its loyalty to the Stewarts. On the murder of James I at Perth, it was Robert, the Chief of Clann Donnachaidh, who captured his murderers, for which act he had many honours conferred on him by King James I's successor. To further commemorate this, father and son took the name of Robertson, which the Clan has since retained. Their territory at one time extended from the watershed of Rannoch Moor to the gates of Perth.

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.

The Roberts 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 Roberts descendants.