Hi Ann and Mike There are, in fact, three families with extremely similar coats of arms in Kernow (Cornwall) which suggests a very close link between all three. 1) Hicks 2) Gwavas 3) Chiverton The Hicks family of Gwavas (in the parish of Sithney, near Helston) won the right to change its family name to that of the settlement of Gwavas, in a titling, or jousting tournament, in the time of the English, wife-murdering, tyrant, Henry VIII. William Gwavas, the antiquarian who died in the early part of the 18th century is descended from the Hicks of Sithney. William Gwavas' "Common Place Book" is currently located in the Royal Institute of Cornwall and is a very valuable relic in which his comments form a priceless record of the Celtic, Cornish language, as it was spoken towards the end of the 18th century by Dolly Pentreath. As some might know, the Cornish language has recently, but rather belatedly and begrudgingly, been recognised by the British government under the provisions of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The arms of Chiverton (a personal name derived from the Cornish, "chy" = "house", "war" = "upon", "ton" = "ground", or "grass") are almost identical to the Ams of the Cornish Hicks which consists of a triple turreted castle situated on a green patch of ground. The Castle, in the case of Hicks, is "argent" (silver) whereas it is "or" (gold) for Gwavas. The Cornish name of the Chiverton family (although they are extinct in Cornwall) clearly reflects its Coat of Arms. That it is very close to the Coats of Arms of both Hicks and Gwavas is stongly indicative of close family connections. By the way, some might be interested to know that the Cornish (indeed Western British, Celtic language also) for "Richard" is "Hecca". The addition of "s" at the end of a family name implies "son of". "Hicks", therefore, translated into English means "Son of Richard". A conversion of Hicks into modern day Cornish would be "Map Hecca", where "Map" is equivalent to the Gaelic "Mac", the Welsh "Ap" which both mean "son of" in English. I hope this might be of interest to some and that it is not too confusing! Yehes ha sowena whath dheugh why a'gas henath! Nygel Map Hecca ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2003 6:21 PM Subject: [HICKS] Hicks Crest > > Hi > There are at least TWO Hicks Coat of arms from medieval times from here in > Cornwall UK, dont know how you folks decide which one you belong to. > Regards > Ann & Mike Hicks > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >