The
Sires de Iou of the Franche-Comte were a princely house, and as grandes
seigneurs, their coat of arms bore a crown on the helmet and lions on each side
of the shield. A heraldic description in Rietstap's Armorial General, Vol
I, p. 1051, states:
D'OR FRETTE d'AZUR:
A golden field bears a blue fretwork
CIMIER:
Une tete de cheval
CREST: A horse's head. The horse signifies readiness for all employments,
especially of King and country.
ADAGE:
de Joux
The motto in medieval French is "Lascivite de Joux" which means
"the gaiety of the house of Joux"
There are variations. Some branches of the family have the
figure of an old man or the head of a bull as a crest. Some use a black
fretwork.
The
Sires de Iou of the Franche-Comte were a princely house, and as grandes
seigneurs, their coat of arms bore a crown on the helmet and lions on each side
of the shield. A heraldic description in Rietstap's Armorial General, Vol
I, p. 1051, states: