Royden Family History Pages

The document shows a rough (or rude) sketch of this noted at Gresford Church in 1574, belonging to John Roden (Roydon), Serjeant-at-Arms to Henry VII and Henry VIII, of Isycoed. There is a house still in Isycoed known as Roydon Hall, although incorrectly marked on OS Maps as Roden Hall.

The motto is Comme Je Trouve, but this has been taken from the East Peckham Roydons of Kent where it can be seen in the porch at their Roydon Hall. Yet there seems no apparent link with the Isycoed Roydons. It is likely to have been adapted on similarity of name only. Debretts still record it as the motto for the Frankby Roydens today. The 'Frankby' Arms below are derived from this award.

Extracted from History of the Royden Family 1808 - 1930 by W Heaton Wakefield, which is reproduced in full on John Royden's Web Pages:

Surmounting the design is a demi-gryphon issuing from a coronet, this being Mr TB Royden’s Crest – the family motto is "Au Roy Donne Devoir", meaning Give Duty to the King and being in some degree a play upon the name Royden – and on the stem of the key the initials TBR are enameled. On the back of the shield is an inscription recording the event.

The key is probably now a treasured heirloom in the family. It is remarkable that when Arms were presented to the late Sir Thomas Bland Royden, Baronet of Frankby Hall in 1905, Herald’s College gave him a Crest "A Stag’s head erased OR collared gemel VERT holding in the mouth a riband and also VERT suspended therefrom an escutcheon of the arms of Royden". The correct crest should have been that on the key which had been used by all the Roydens and Roydons since the Middle ages: the family now have two crests, a demi-gryphon and a Stag’s head erased.