Family coat of arms
By David Willem Krynauw (03/02/1908)
Background
During the Middle Ages, a coat of arms was of considerable importance in Europe. In England, it was the exclusive prerogative of the King to grant arms, and in France, the old aristocratic families all had arms.
In the Netherlands, anyone could draw a coat of arms for himself and his family. This was popular and the Dutch were very proud of it. This is understandable, since many of them were merchants who sealed contracts with their coats of arms instead of with signatures
Many of the old families at the Cape adopted the practice and used their own coats of arms. but the importance of this later waned.
Two Krynauw coats of arms
(1) Two crossed fish with their heads raised, with an upright fish above them, also with its head raised. Crest: an upright fish. (2) However, in the Africana Museum, there is another depiction of the Krynauw family coat of arms: “Obliquely divided and in a slanting bow charged with a lion rampant and facing. Crest: two wings (in flight). The English version is: “Per bend on a chief a lion passant guardant. Crest: a pair of wings.” In the book The Arms of Old Afrikaans Families by C. Pama, this difference is discussed under the heading:
Bell-Krynauw-collection
Charles Davidson Bell was born in Scotland in 1813 and arrived at the Cape in 1829. He was a versatile talent—a distinguished painter but, above all, an exceptional draftsman. In 1848, he was appointed Surveyor-General after holding various senior positions in the office since 1840. During his tenure, he came into close contact with the Krynauw family at the Cape. Daniël Krynauw served as the Assistant Surveyor-General, while his brother, J. C. Krynauw, was the bookkeeper in this office. In 1859, Bell married their sister, Helena Krynauw.
As a memento of his marriage, Bell created—or had created—a silver tray. At its center, he placed the combined coat of arms of the Bell and Krynauw families, along with the four quarter coat of arms: Bell-Hamilton and Krynauw-Gie, representing his parents and his wife’s parents.
Bell also incorporated a large number of quarter coat of arms along the edge of the tray. Pama regards this tray, adorned with family coat of arms, as exceptionally interesting and unique. It is therefore unsurprising that it has earned a place of honour and remains preserved in the Africana Museum in Johannesburg.
Bell resigned from his post at the Cape in 1872 and returned to Scotland, where he passed away in Edinburgh on 7 April 1882. Daniël Krynauw was then appointed as his successor as Surveyor-General. Fortunately, Bell’s enormous body of work was not lost—he bequeathed his entire collection to Daniël Krynauw. Krynauw continued Bell’s efforts and officially certified his work alongside his own contribution, stating:
The above drawings are true copies of the impressions on sealing wax of the Coats-of-Arms of the old Dutch and French-Huguenot families of the Cape, from the old seals as exhibited by, and at present retained by, relatives and other interested parties of the old proprietors.
Signed by Ms. D. Krynauw – Government Surveyor, Cape Colony, Cape of Good Hope – September 1901.
After Bell’s death, his daughter presented the collection to the Koopmans-De Wet House, where it was safely stored for many years. In this collection, the fish are identified as the true coat of arms of the Krynauw family.
For some reason, Bell—after placing the coats of arms on the silver tray and handing over his entire collection of family arms to Daniël Krynauw upon leaving the Cape—must have arrived at a completely different conclusion regarding the Krynauw coat of arms.
Pama asserts that the coat of arms on the tray in the Africana Museum actually belongs to the French Crissenoy family and suggests that Bell mistakenly believed the Krynauw family was a branch of that lineage. Later, when Bell discovered that the Krynauw ancestor was of German descent, his research took a new direction.
See News for an expert’s view on the Family Coat of Arms
