The family line using the Strangeway spelling has not been
traced back to any ancestor with a recorded Coat
of Arms. But this spelling of the surname is probably just the result
of
phonetic writing hundreds of years ago. It is just possible that all
the family
lines that today use the Strangeway, Strangeways, Strangways,
Strangwayes and
Strangway spellings all trace back to a common root.So far a number of different coats of arms have been found (see below) and in all cases they have the common armorial design element of two lions. This tends to support they view that there is a common root. The some of these families can be traced back for at least 650 years - mainly because they were rich enough to have property that needed to be recorded for inheritance (and taxation) purposes. Going back this far makes heraldry very important when fighting under the flag / arms of the respective knight, lord, prince or king. So whether the Strangeway family were the earls, knights, yeoman or just the peasants the heraldic arms would have been important.
The 1563-4 Visitation of Yorkshire contains the entry - Strangewayes : "Les armes de Stranguyshe - Dyamond a deux lyons passans perle & ruby paleys de six peces, armes topace, Et sus son healme une pareille lyon, et peult dependre par an milles mares, ou plus." Not that my old French is any good, but this seems to repeat the two lions element and tie-in with the images below.
