The legend of Truelove Eyre is an apocryphal story about how the surname Eyre came to be. In medieval times, a man previously known by the surname Truelove accompanied William the Conqueror to Britain during the Norman Invasion, and fought alongside him in the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066. When William was thrown from his horse and had his helmet driven into his face, Truelove removed the helmet from his face, saving him from asphyxiation. The knight suffered dearly for this, and sustained an injury so severe his leg had to be amputated. After William and his forces defeated Anglo-Saxon English king Harold II, successfully invading England, William honored Truelove, telling him "Thou shalt hereafter instead of Truelove be called Eyre because thou hast given me the air I breathe," and he became the heir to a generous grant of land in Derby. His unique coat of arms featured a human leg in armor "couped at the thigh quarterly argent and sable spurred".
Other sources claim that the name he was granted was actually Le Eyr, Le Heyr, or L'Eyr, coming from both "air" and "the heir". It is believed that the surname Eyre came from a corruption of these spellings.
Evidence[]
The first known records of individuals with the Eyre surname came from Derbyshire, but not until the 13th century with the man named William le Heyr. It is possible that earlier records of the Eyre surname exist that have not been found by historians, since the apocryphal Truelove Eyre was also granted land in Derbyshire. However, there has been an arduous effort by historians to find the origin of the Eyre surname with irrefutable proof, and it has been found that families in Derbyshire and Wiltshire have shared the same surname and coat of arms, both in the 13th century, and a man named Nicholas le Heyr challenged the Blount family for his right to a settlement previously known by his brother Galfridus le Heyr of Wiltshire, whose father was William le Blount, suggesting Eyre came from the Blount surname, not Truelove. Furthermore, John le Eyr of Derbyshire inherited land in Wiltshire, and also had William le Blount as an ancestor. But it is unclear how William le Heyr got his name, so the story of Truelove Eyre has not been entirely proven or disproven.
External Links[]
- Eyre on Wikipedia
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Folklore, Religions, and Myths Cryptids Urban Legends Possessed Objects See Also | ||