As part of my ongoing delving into family history I have considered the possibility that my German Birth family of SAYER where actually English nomads before one of them finally settled in Rexingen, now part of Wurttemburg some 400 years ago. I have assembled some heraldic clues/evidence/possibilities for this idea.
Firstly based on Burke’s tomes and other English sources I have
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt60/jsegpoole/Sayer Arms/SayerArmorial2_zpsa6f275bb.jpg
Four of these Arms are obviously related families with differences applied to three of them. Rietstap gives a Sayer reference in Bois-le-Duc matching the second Sayer Arms (the presumed stem Arms) above, and Richard Globe has found a reference to a Saijers family in the same area with very similar arms (a cresent for difference). Bottom left are the Arms of my Birth Family.
Whilst organising my WappenBrief, Michael Waas found the folowing two Sayer Arms
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt60/jsegpoole/Sayer Arms/SayerofBrabant_zpsdc45c4c3.jpg
Sayer of Brabant and
http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt60/jsegpoole/Sayer Arms/SayerofCleves_zps9d6b4769.jpg
Sayer of Cleves.
Unfortunately he could not provide any more information as to sources or times/dates.
To my eye there is familial connections between the three European Sayer Arms. They could easily be differenced vesions of the same arms, and it is not too long a bow to draw that there is some connection between Sayer of Kent etc and Sayer of Brabant over a few generations of differencing by replacing one or more charges, a common practice. Sayer of Vienna (my family) becomes interesting when you look at the Arms of Brabant, Sable a lion Or. Is the dexter side a respectant augmentation from Brabant for a Sayer of Cleves?
I know SAYER is a rare German name, much more common in England, I know SAYERs left England for the Continent and there are Heraldic connections to at least Bois-le-Duc the Capital (?) of Brabant.
I am open to suggestions, clues, sources and contacts I can consult. In other words HELP please!