The coats of arms of the family of Williams have been almost as numerous as the different branches of the family. There seems to have been some discrepancy of opinion in relation to the crest on the coat of arms of the Robert Williams branch of the family, some maintaining that it is a common cock, and others that it is a Moor cock. Of a great number given in Burke's Armory there is only one which has a cock for a crest, and not one with a Moor cock. The one with a cock is Williams of Governevet, Co. Brecon, descended from Sir David Williams of Governevet, of the Judges of Court of King's Bench. In "Thoresby's Ducatus" the arms are given, and though the text reads a Moor cock, Still the copy gives an ordinary cock. This settles the matter, for Thoresby is an all-sufficient authority. Among the papers of John Williams, Esq., a descendant from the Rev. John Williams of Deerfield, this memorandum was found, the following is an exact copy, " He beareth Sable—a lion rampant—Argent—armed—and Iaugu'd Gules."

By the name of Williams, of Flint, in Wales, and in Lincolnshire, and Matthew, of Yorkshire, which families are indeed now one and the same. For John Williams, Esq., in the time of Edward IV, married the daughter and heir of Jno. Matthew, Esq. His son assumed the surname of Matthew, which he retained ever since. Their crest is a Moor cock. This Pedigree is from Thoresby's Ducatus.

"This coat belongeth to the family of Williams." The motto, "Y fyuo Dwy Y fydd." " What God willeth will be." All translators agree in this version.

Burke states that this is "the motto of the Matthew family, to which belonged the Earl of Landaff, who bore this motto on his arms." Harris, Har. Col. " It must be for Williams, also."

Hon. Edward A. Newton said that he found while traveling in Wales, in 1846, that the Williams family had been very numerous and respectable, and had held many offices of honor and trust under the crown. Everywhere he found the lion rampant to be a part of their armorial bearings, engraved on monuments and in the churches, and on brass plates on the pew doors, as well as on tablets in special memorial of the dead. And as to the crest, the side motto "cognosce occasionem" settles the question, for we all know how the domestic cock in the attitude of fight " watches his opportunity."

Genealogical Notes of the Williams and Gallup Families

 By Charles Fish Williams, 1897

The genealogy and history of the family of Williams in America, More Particularly of the Descendants of Robert Williams of Roxbury

Coat of Arms

The coats of arms of the family of Williams have been almost as numerous as the different branches of the family. Many of them are noticed in the body of this work, and I need not here refer to them. There seems to be some discrepancy of opinion in relation to the crest on the Coat of Arms, of the Robert Williams' branch of the family, some maintaining that it is a common cock, and others, that it is a Moor cock. I quote from Samuel B. Williams, Esq., formerly of Deerfield, but now residing in Ohio. " My authority for the Coat of Arms, is an ancient looking memorandum found among the papers of John Williams, Esq., a descendant from the Rev. John Williams, of Deerfield. The enclosed paper is an exact copy.

" He beareth Sable—a lion rampant—Argent—armed—and langu'd Gules. By the name of Williams, of Flint, in Wales, and in Lincolnshire, and Matthew, of Yorkshire, which families are indeed now one and the same. For John Williams, Esq., in the time of Edward IV, married the daughter and heir, of Jno. Matthew, Esq. His son assumed the sirname of Matthew, which he retained ever since. Their crest is a moor cock. This Pedigree is from Thoresby's Ducatus, &c.

" This coat belongeth to the family of Williams."

Mr. Williams continues, "I made considerable inquiry at the time of drawing my chart, and satisfied myself that the true crest is a moor cock. I saw others, it is true, one of which represented a cock, and others in which the engraving was so poor that it was hard to tell what bird was intended."

A letter which I received from the Rev. John Williams, of Schenectady, who has paid much attention to the subject, induced me to adopt the crest of a cock. He says :—" As to the coat of arms : It is a white lion on a sable shield : the crest is a moor cock, and I incline to the opinion not a moor-cock proper, as they say in heraldry. My reason is this : In ' Thoresby's Ducatus,' which I saw in the Bodleian Library at Oxford (Eng.) the arms are given, and though the text reads a moor-cock, still the copy gives an ordinary cock. This settles the matter, for Thoresby is an all sufficient authority. If this work (Thoresby's Ducatus) is in Harvard College Library, you should by all means consult it under the name Matthew; for he gives there the entire genealogy of the family back, if I mistake not, to 1100. Our having the coat in possession, and having had it, for it has been traditionary in the family, which to my mind is a settler of the question. Our having this coat in traditionary possession, entitles us to that genealogy. No herald's college under heaven could or would ask more than such traditionary possession."

I therefore request the reader to strike out the word moor-cock in the description of the coat of arms above, and substitute that of cock.

Inquiring of T. W. Harris, Esq., Librarian of Harvard College upon this subject, he answers, " Thoresby's Ducatus is not in our library ; and I cannot find in any other work under Matthew, any genealogy like that to which you refer. The figures of a cock, and a moor-cock (large black grouse of England) as given in Berry's Encyclopedia Heraldica, are very different from each other. Among a great number given in Burke's Armory (many without coats indicated) there is only one which has a cock for a crest, and not one with a moor-cock. The one with a cock is Williams, of Gevernevet Co. Brecon, and Rose Hall Co. Herts ; descended from Sir David Williams of Gevernevet, of the Judges of court of King's Bench, Ar. a chev. between 3 cocks qu. or a chief sa. 3 spear heads of the first, sanguinated, crest a cock, as in the arms. Motto, Dcus lure otia fecit.

Motto " Yfyno Dwy Yfydd." " What God willeth will be." All translators agree in this version. Burke states that this is " the motto of the Matthew family, to which belonged the Earl of Landaff, who bore this motto on his arms." Harris. It must be for Williams, also.

In confirmation of the fact that the cock is the real crest of the coat of arms of the Robert Williams family, I subjoin the follow, ing note from the Hon. Edward A. Newton, of Pittsfield, dated April 9th, 1847. He says:—"Having understood that the Williams family of this country originated in Wales, I took pains last summer, while travelling there, to make some inquiry about them. We found that they were, and had been very numerous and respectable, in the neighborhood of ' Conway,' especially, many of them, as were found by inscription on monuments erected in the churches there and elsewhere in the Principality, had held offices of honor and trust, under the crown. Every where we found the lion rampant to be a part of their armorial bearings, such as I find it here on those of my late father-in-law, (John Chandler Williams, Esq.,) and now quartered with my own. In the old churches, we saw in numerous cases engraved on brass plates on the doors of pews, as well as on tablets, in special memorial of the dead. I inclose an impression of the armorial bearings of my father-in-law, (the one which I have used for this work, S. W. W.) which he used for his books. The cock is undoubtedly the common domestic-cock. I have in my possession a fine stuffed specimen of the common moor-cock, which is altogether unlike this—besides, the side motto settles the question, so far as Mr. Williams' opinion goes, cognosce occasionem. It refers to the bird in the attitude of fight, we all know now he then ' watches his opportunity."

By Stephen W. Williams, M.D.,A.M.,