Medieval Origin of Lynch Name

While the Lynch name was primarily of Celtic origin, this particular line originated in Austria, and the following is a short summary of the Lynch ancestry.

The family originally came from a town in Austria called Lintz. A General of that name defended the city against a powerful enemy and would not surrender even though his army were reduced to eating grass. The ruler of the country was so pleased with the General’s extraordinary fortitude and perseverance that he gave him, as a memento for all posterity, the trefoil (or shamrock) on an azure field (background), on top of the coat of arms was placed a Lynx (the sharpest sighted of all animals), and for the General’s fidelity to his ruler, the motto “Semper Fidelis” (Forever Faithful). To put this time period into context, it was was many centuries before William of Normandy conquered England.

This coat of arms has remained with many Lynch families to this day, however around the world many other branches of Lynch clan have applied to the Chief Herald in their respective countries for granting of customised coats of arms.

Below is an example of a Lynch coat of arms ∗ –

 

lynch w shield

This General settled in Normandy where his descendants inter-married with the royal families of Normandy and France. One of the family, Sir Hugo De Linch (or De Lench), came to England with William the Conqueror as a General, from whom he received large estates and possessions. From this man springs the family of the Galway Lynches.

The Lynch septs (clans) that occur in Antrim, Cavan, Clare and the Beara peninsula are of early Irish origins as distinct from the Galway Lynch sept. No doubt in time with the aid of DNA testing these theories will be either proven or disproven.

 

Courtesy of research gathered by Mgt. Curtis (nee Lynch)
∗ Lynch Coat of Arms in Shield sourced from http://wallartpeels.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=81

Comment (1)

  1. Dr Elaine Lynch-Farmery

    Is maith liom! Delightful to find this on the web- I knew ‘bits and pieces’ of my history but having left Cork over 40 years it’s lovely to have access to the best available information Elaine Lynch Wiltshire.

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