Norman conquest of England
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...
.
Origin
The legend of the person who was the founder of the Eyre and Ayre families, and who was supposedly previously known by the surname "Truelove" (or "True Love"), is a story that appears in
genealogies
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinsh ...
. However, there is no definitive historical evidence confirming the existence of this person.
After the battle William told him "thou shalt hereafter instead of Truelove be called Eyre because thou hast given me the ''air'' I breathe."
Truelove the "Eyr" or "Heyr" was granted land in
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
as a reward for his services, together with a
Coat of Arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
featuring "a human leg in
Armour
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...
couped at the thigh quarterly
argent
In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...
and
sable
The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaza ...
spurred", in reference to the sacrifice of his limb. Some of these features may persist in one of the current Eyre
coats of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...
, which features three gold quatrefoils on a black
chevron
Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to:
Science and technology
* Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines
* Chevron (anatomy), a bone
* '' Eulithis testata'', a moth
* Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...
with a white background.
Another variation of the story of the origin of the Eyre crest is that Humphrey le Heyr of Bromham rescued
Richard Coeur de Lion
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
at the siege of Ascalon, at the cost of his leg, and that the leg couped was granted to him in remembrance of the occasion.
List
Notable people with the surname include:
* Agnes Gardner Eyre (1881–1950), American pianist and composer
*
Alan Eyre
Lawrence Alan Eyre (born Leeds, 1930 – 3 June 2020) was a British-born Jamaican geographer and environmentalist. He was also a member of the Christadelphian church.
Alan Eyre was co-founder of the Department of Geography of the University of ...
Charles Eyre (disambiguation) Charles Eyre may refer to:
*Charles Eyre
Sir Charles Eyre (died 1729) was an administrator of the British East India Company and founder of Fort William, Calcutta. He was a President of Fort William.
Career
While in office, Eyre started wor ...
, several people
*
Chris Eyre
Chris Eyre (born 1968), an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, is an American film director and producer who as of 2012 is chairman of the film department at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design.
Films
In 1998, Chris Eyre ...
, film director and producer
* Damian Eyre, Australian police officer murdered in 1988
*
Damian Eyre (cricketer)
Damian Richard Eyre (born 8 October 1967) is a former English cricketer. Eyre was a right-handed batsman who bowled slow left-arm orthodox. He was born at Glossop, Derbyshire.
Eyre represented the Lancashire Cricket Board in List A cricket. ...
, British cricketer
*
Edward John Eyre
Edward John Eyre (5 August 181530 November 1901) was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, and Governor of Jamaica.
Early life
Eyre was born in Whipsnade, Bedfordshire, shortly before his family moved to ...
, Australian explorer and Jamaican Governor
*
Ella Eyre
Ella McMahon (born 1 April 1994), known professionally as Ella Eyre, is a British singer and songwriter. She is known for her collaborations with Rudimental on their UK number-one single "Waiting All Night" (2013), which won the 2014 Brit Awar ...
, British singer-songwriter
*
George Eyre
Sir George Eyre (before 1782–15 February 1839) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Vice-Admiral of the R ...
(d. 1839), Royal Navy officer
*
Giles Eyre (disambiguation) Giles Eyre (c. 1635–1695) was an English barrister, member of parliament, and judge.
Giles Eyre may also refer to:
* Giles Eyre (priest) (1689–1749), Anglican priest in Ireland
* Giles Eyre (MP)
Giles Eyre (c. 1692–1750) was a British p ...
, several people
*
Henry Eyre (barrister)
Henry Eyre (23 October 1628 – 18 July 1678) was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1678.
Eyre was the son of Giles Eyre, of Brickworth, Whiteparish, W ...
(1628–1678), British politician and lawyer
*
Henry Eyre (British Army officer)
Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Eyre (4 February 1834 – 24 June 1904) was a British Army officer and Conservative Party politician.
Eyre was born the son of Rev. Charles Wasteneys Eyre, Rector of Carlton in Lindrick, Nottinghamshire and was educate ...
(1834–1904), British Army officer and politician
* Isaac Eyre (1875–1947), English footballer
*
Ivan Eyre
Ivan Kenneth Eyre (15 April 1935 – 5 November 2022) was a Canadian artist best known for his prairie landscapes and compositionally abstract, figurative paintings. In addition, Eyre was a Professor Emeritus of painting and drawing at the Uni ...
Jim Eyre (caver)
Jim Eyre (1925–2008) was a British caver, known for being one of the first European cavers to explore the caves of Asia. In 1946 in Lancaster, Eyre helped to found the Red Rose Cave and Pot Hole Club, where he was prominent in the earliest ex ...
(1925–2008), British caver
*
Jim Eyre (architect)
Jim Eyre OBE is a British architect and director of WilkinsonEyre, where he has been a partner/director since 1987.
Eyre has worked on a broad range of projects in the past three decades, from transportation and infrastructure to an increas ...
, British architect and winner of the Bodley Medal
* John Eyre (disambiguation), several people
* Kingsmill Eyre (1682–1743), English garden designer and inventor
* Les Eyre, former Norwich City F.C. footballer
*
Manuel Eyre Manuel Eyre (1736–1805) was a colonel in the Mary Eyre (1923–2013), British sportswoman and administrator
* M. Banning Eyre, Canadian writer and guitarist
*
Reginald Eyre
Sir Reginald Edwin Eyre (28 May 1924 – 27 January 2019) was a British Conservative Party politician.
Early life and career
Son of Edwin Eyre, a local government officer, and his wife Mary (née Moseley), a shopkeeper,
Eyre was educated at Kin ...
Samuel Eyre
Sir Samuel Eyre (1633 – 12 September 1698) was an English judge.
Life
Eyre came of a legal family, his grandfather, Robert, having been a bencher and reader of Lincoln's Inn, and his father being a barrister, Robert Eyre of Salisbury and Chilh ...
(1633–1698), English judge
*
Scott Eyre
Scott Alan Eyre (born May 30, 1972), is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Ph ...
, Major League Baseball relief pitcher
*
Tommy Eyre
Tommy Eyre (5 June 1949 – 23 May 2001) was an English session keyboardist from Sheffield, England, who appeared on records by Joe Cocker, John Martyn, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Greg Lake, B.B. King, John ...
, English rock musician
*
Wayne Eyre
General Wayne Donald Eyre, (born 1966/1967) is a Canadian Forces officer serving as the chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). Eyre was named acting CDS on February 24, 2021, and appointed to the full position on November 25, 2021. He was also the ...
Willie Eyre
William Mays Eyre (born July 21, 1978) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He played for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles.
Baseball career
High school & college
Eyre was All-State at Cyprus High School (U ...
, Major League Baseball relief pitcher
*
Wilson Eyre
Wilson Eyre, Jr. (October 30, 1858 – October 23, 1944) was an American architect, teacher and writer who practiced in the Philadelphia area. He is known for his deliberately informal and welcoming country houses, and for being an innovator in ...
(1858–1944), American architect
Fiction
*
Jane Eyre
''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...
, the titular protagonist of the novel by
Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë (, commonly ; 21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855) was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels became classics of English literature.
She enlisted i ...
.
See also
*
Eyre family The Eyre family refers to the descendants of George Eyre and Mary Smith Eyre who comprised a political and business dynasty prominent in the Northeastern United States from the colonial era to the early 20th century. During the American Revolutiona ...