THE QUAIFE FAMILY COAT OF ARMS

The one who found the ARMS and a few facts of the Quaife family is Cecil R. Humphrey-Smith, Director of “The Heraldry Centre”. Northgate-Canterbury-Kent-England. He found that the only record left of the Quaife ARMS is in Ireland. He writes that he was told by a friend that he knew someone by this name of Quaife who was of Irish origin.

After the Battle of Hastings the Quaife's lived in England until around 1200 (as far as we can tell); while in Kent and Sussex many Normans went to Ireland for land and social status in the settlement of that country. While there the name Coif was changed to Quaid (after some hundred years). This was the Irish form. Next, the Irish Mac was used, and the name was McQuaid. Mac means “the son of”, so we had the Son of Quaid. In the 1700’s after Cromwell had overrun Ireland, many of the people of County Monaghan, and County Armagh (Far north of Ireland) came back to an area near Nuneaton (where Johan and Diana Quaife came from) At this time we feel the part of the Quaife's who had left England for Ireland came back to the old home. The name McQuaid appears frequently in the “Hearth Money Rolls” for the two counties of Ireland named above between 1664 and 1667. Back in England again, according to the custom of the times, the Mac was dropped and the name was again Quaid. The first spelling with a “Q”  is in 1701 (that we can find). Catherine, daughter of John Quoif was baptized in Canterbury Cathedral in 1701. William Quaife was married in St. Georges’, Hanover Square, London, in 1789. The first time Quaife appears in church records (that we can find). However, John Quaife, father of John Quaife Jr. of Nuneaton, lied in the 1700’s. Other ancestors are: William Coyfe – Cambridgeshire Assize Rolls –1260,  William Coif – 13^th Century Lincolnshire charter; David Coyfe – married at St. Georges, London in 1761.

McQuaid (Quaife) Arms - Recorded now in Ireland: Argent, three wolves’ heads erazed proper each collared and joined to the other by a chain in orle or; Crest: two rapiers (small swords) in saltire points downwards, argent hilted and pomelled or: Motto: “LICENTIAM REFROENA” Or is gold – shows generosity; argent – silver, shows peace and sincerity; Wolves heads – the wolf is to signify that the valiant captains that do in the end gain their attempts after long sieges, and hard enterprises. Note by Cecil M. Goodrich: How well the above meanings of the coat of arms fit the Quaife’s!! LICENTIAM REFROENA means Turn Away From Vice. The closer the Quaife’s observe their great motto, the closer they come to the goals God has set for each on e of us.

The word PROPER in the ‘wolves heads erazed proper’, means that the color of the wolves’ heads is in their natural color.

The small swords of the crest mean that the Quaife’s served in the armed services of their era. Quaife’s hate war; but they also know that Freedom is not Free.

The collars and chains indicate that the bearer of the arms has placed a chain of obligation on those whom he has bravely served.

The reason that we found that the part of the Quaife Family going to live in Ireland (where the family arms were p reserved in Dublin) left England around 1200 is that in 1172, Henry 2, the English king, had the Normans of England to take possession of all Ireland. The Quaife’s were Norman.

Many words in the arms are French  -- such as or – gold.