Shield from the Coat of Arms

Shield from the Freney (De La Freigne) mediaeval coat of arms (at least, according to one source). The family descends from a knight who arrived from Britain with Richard de Clare (Strongbow) to conquer Irish lands in the 1100's. The historical sources note them as an important family of knights in Kilkenny during the middle ages.

The family claimed descent from Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy, and his wife Gisha, daughter of the king of France Charles the Simple. (For this claim, see Histories and Antiquities of Kilkenny, Vol. I., Rev. William Healy, P.P., p. 272.) The name appears in several spellings, such as Franey, Frain, Frayne, etc. (Graphic: the author—please also see Acknowledgements.)