John Randolph

RANDOLPH has the associated arms recorded in Sir Bernard Burkes General Armory. Ulster King of Arms in 1884. The name was baptismal 'the son of Randolph 'a favourite early font name. Early records of the name mention Randulfus (without surname) 1095, County Suffolk. Following the crusades in Europe in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries, a need was felt for a family name to replace the one given at birth, or in addition to it. This was recognized by those of noble birth, and particularly by those who went on the Crusades, as it added prestige and practical advantage to their status. At first the coat of arms was a practical matter which served a function of the battlefield and in tournaments. With his helmet covering his face, and armour encasing the knight from head to foot, the only means of identification for his followers, was the insignia painted on his shield, and embroidered on his surcoat, the draped and flowing garment worn over the armour. Nicholaus filius Randulphus, was documented in County Norfolk in the year 1175. William Robert Randolph, 1260, ibid. Henricus Randolf of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. An American family bearing the name is descended from William Randolph (1651-1711) a planter a merchant from a Sussex family who emigrated from Warwickshire to Virginia about 1673. He was a forebear of Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee. Robert had seven sons, each of whom inherited an estate, the name of which was sometimes added to their own, such as Sir John Randolph of Tazewell. His great-grandsons included Edmund Randolph (1753-1813) first attorney general of the United States. In many parts of central and western Europe, hereditary surnames began to become fixed at around the 12th century, and have developed and changed slowly over the years. As society became more complex, and such matters as the management of tenure, and in particular the collection of taxes were delegated to special functionaries, it became imperative to distinguish a more complex system of nomenclature to differentiate one individual from another.