Posted on: MAUPIN Biographies Reply Here: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/surnames/m/a/MAUPIN/biographies/9 Surname: de MAUPIN, FRIVILLE, le MAUPIN, MAUPIN ------------------------- The Maupin Name and Family Shield: The name de Maupin or le Maupin is a shield-name which is a surname adopted by a family in Medieval Europe, always of the knightly class or above, as a short-hand term describing the figure painted on the fighting shields of each familys mounted warriors. All shield-names in Europe are unique. No family could use another persons shield-name or be punished by law. The only way armed men were recognized during battle was by their shields since their faces were partially or totally covered by their helmets. Careful lists were kept of each family shield. Its generally believed that shield-names are not older than the use of painted shields, around the 1100s. The name Maupin is an Old French name. Old French was a dialect of Latin that eventually turned into what we now know as the French language. Mau is an Old French word which might translate as baneful. Pin means pinetree in both Old and Modern French. So far, the earliest known Maupin was Jean de Friville in 1256. Its said some of the early Maupins would paint a whole pinetree on their blood-red shields in golden yellow. Since some trees tend to look like others, that probably created much confusion on the battlefield. Later on the Maupins started using three golden pine cones on their shields, which had to be to their advantage in being recognized. In a description of the full devise, or, shield it says The shield: red, shows three gold pine cones. The crest: a unicorn rising: The supports: two savages, girth with green. The motto below the shield PRENEZ GARDE would be Be on your guard in English. A very wise statement! Not long after the use of the painted family shields came the use of a painted sort of poncho worn over the warriors armor as another source of identification. These were actually coats. Hence they were called coats of arms.