Origins of the Hallett Family Coat of Arms

The origins of the Hallett Coat of Arms has always seemed somewhat mysterious to me, but apparently was not unknown to noted 19th century historian, James Riker – he included it in his definitive history of Queens County, The Annals of Newtown – excerpted below:

The Crest and Coat of Arms has been described in various places as follows:

Crest: A silver demi-lion rampant emerging from a ducal coronet, holding a bezant.

Coat of Arms: A gold shield with a black chief engrailed, and overall, a red bend on which there are three bezants.

This description matches the emblem , pictured below, which has been handed down to me by more recent generations (dating back at least to my grandfather Howard L. Hallett, Sr. and his brother, my great uncle Charles Wesley Hallett, III:

While the description does justice to the "modern" iteration pictured above, I've found to date no reference of where Riker  (or anyone else) obtained the motto "Comme Je Trouve" – which apparently is a french idiom that loosely translates to "Take me as you find me." I personally have come to like the motto, and have further interpreted it to mean, "Accept me for who I am." Now of course this is a personal interpretation, others may choose to interpret the idiom as they wish!

Regardless of the interpretation, I'm curious if any other Hallett historians can shed light on the Crest and the Coat of Arms, and the origins of the Motto. Do you have info? Email me at [email protected], or simply comment below!