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| The available reference books contain details of four
distinct sets of
arms associated with names included in the One Name Study, with a
common crest and a motto. A further set of arms, not documented, has
also been found. The sources used here are 'A General Armory'1, 'The
Ordinary of British Armorials'2, 'The Armorial Who is
Who'3,
'A System of Heraldry'4 , 'An Ordinary of Scottish Arms'5
, and 'Fairburn's Book of Crests'6 There is a mention
in 'Surnames
of Scotland'7, of arms associated with the names, but no
detailed
description is given. Samuel Bartlett Gerrish Corser's book
'Genealogy of the
Corser
Family in America'8 also mentions two of the arms detailed
here.
The arms are illustrated below, together with the 'blazon' or heraldic description. There is a common thread in all the arms - three horse's heads - which links them back to the derivation from horse dealer or jobber. The documented arms show two main variants, on an argent (silver or white) field or background or on a gules (red) field. In each case there is a variant with a plain shield and another with a chevron (inverted vee), either sable (black) on argent or Or (gold or yellow) on gules. The horse's heads are couped (cut short by a straight horizontal line) and may be bridled. The colour of the horse's heads and bridles may be the same as a colour already mentioned, in which case the colour is given as 'of the first' or 'of the second' - i.e. the first colour mentioned in the blazon (always the colour of the shield) or the second colour mentioned. The crest is a pegasus or winged horse. The pegasus is a symbol of fame, eloquence and contemplation. The colour may be 'proper' - i.e. the colour of the real thing (whatever that was), sable, or argent with wings and hooves Or. In one case the pegasus is 'courant' or running at speed, another hark back to the derivation of the name. Originally the crest was worn on top of the helmet, and in drawings of the full 'achievement of arms' (arms, crest and motto) the crest is shown above the arms. The motto is 'Recto cursu' or 'Recto coursa' , a play on the name and its derivation. The translation is 'In a right course'. In most cases the motto is placed below the arms in the full achievement of arms, but in the case of the Corsar arms (fig. 4) placement above the arms is specified. The undocumented arms follow a similar pattern to the other four, with three horse's heads and a sable chevron, but the field is Or. The crest and motto are the same as for the others. The arms mentioned in 'Surnames of Scotland' are incomplete, but reference is made to three coursers (running horses), another reference to the derivation of the name. This reference is echoed in a book by William Anderson, published in 18659 where it is stated that "Three horses courant are borne by families named Courser, Corser, or Corsar". Armorial bearings are the properly authorized devices appertaining to a particular armiger - the person who bears the arms by lawful authority. Coats of arms and crests are a form of property and may rightfully be used only by the male-line descendants of the individual to whom they were first granted or allowed. In Scotland the rules are slightly different, and all persons using arms are required to register or ‘matriculate’ their right to arms in the Court of Lord Lyon King of Arms. The wrongful assumption of arms in Scotland is punishable by fine and imprisonment. |
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| In the 18th century an officer of arms called Blanc Coursier
Herald was established, who would be the genealogist for members
of the Order of the Bath. The name of the post was taken from the white
horse shown in the Hanoverian coat of arms - George I was King when the
Order was founded. A more detailed account of the post and its
foundation can be found on Wikipedia Some of the commercial heraldry sites on the Internet offer arms associated with other names in this study, such as Causer, Courser, Courcier, Decourcey, and Kauser, or variations on these names. I am still searching for sources to cite for these arms. Sources: 1. Sir Bernard Burke, A General Armory of England,
Scotland,
Ireland
and Wales, Harrison, London, 1884. Thanks for help
with the research for this section are due to Gordon
Casely,
John Titterton, and Peter Loft.
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