Baillod Family Heraldry
(Translated from the Armoreal Neuchatelois)

Baillods
A family originating from Travers, town of the 14th century, and also a middle class family from Neuchatel in the 15th century. Antoine Baillods (1509), last male heir of this family, only had one daughter and obtained from the sovereign the right to allow his nephew, Claude, son of his sister Jeanne and Girard Petitpierre, to take the Baillods name and crest. Claude Baillods was made noble in 1538. One of his heirs, Abram, inherited the Bellevaux fief. His legitimate lineage was extinct by the beginning of the 19th century, but there still exists today and illegitimate branch and also other families of the same name who originate from Bole and St. Aubin, who also took the crest of the noble branch.

Crest - Muzzles with two intertwined silver chevrons. On the oldest monuments, these chevrons are generally very narrow, and it is usually assumed that they once represented the monogram of the Virgin Mary (see figure 2 below).

Helmet Ornament - The bust of a man bearing arms, wearing a pointed hat with silver plated gun muzzles.

Supports - Two greyhounds wearing collars.

Motto - Nothing but honor.

On the seal of Freni Baillods (see Fig. 163), probably Claude's daughter, can be found: on top, a lion, and on the bottom, two chevrons. This is probably a combination of the crests of the two spouses, but the husbands family name is unknown. Abram Baillods, Lord of Bellevaux, wore the crest of the Bellevaux along with the family crest (far right).

Baillod, Baillods, Baillot
Name of three families of Neuchatel, originating from Travers, Bole and St. Aubin. It is in Travers that one may find the oldest reference to this name: Willermet, son of Baillod, received a command from Louis de Neuchatel in 1351. This family settled in Motiers in the 15th century. An illegitimate branch still exists at Couvet.

Crest - Two chevrons intertwined with silver, one chevron is upside down.

Stylized Baillod crest c.1900 from C.F. Baillod

Tradition enriches the Baillod family with a legendary person. Someone by the name of Baillod or Bellenot is supposed to have defended, in 1476, the Saint-Jean Bridge at Landeron against a band of raiders sent by the Count of Romont. Knighted after this deed, Baillod is supposed to have received a medal depicting a porcupine with this motto: "Vires agminis unus habet." [Roughly translated from the latin as "One man has the strength of an army."] A painting in a gallery in Neuchatel illustrates this feat. [See the following account of this legendary feat, translated into English by Brad Baillod.]

The Motiers Family:

Perrod - born about 1410 in Travers and owner of Val de Travers (a castle) from 1458 until his death in 1478.

Antoine - son of Perrod, imperial notary of Neuchatel 1466, notary of Lausanne 1467, commissioner of Rodolphe de Hochberg. Baillod was the owner of Neuchatel Castle until 1484 and mayor of that city from 1489 to 1501. In 1508, he still owned Val de Travers. In 1470 he had founded the Baillod Chapel in the church of Motiers. Antoine Baillod had only one daughter, while his sister Jeanne, wife of Girard Petitpeirre, left a son, Claude, to whom his uncle left his wealth and name.

Claude - nephew of Antoine, notary as soon as 1512, secretary of state during the occupation of Neuchatel by the confederates; owner of Val de Travers, state counselor from 1530; made noble in 1538; died 1558.

Jacques - son of Claude, mayor of Cote from 1554 to 1558, the year of his death. He may be the same person who was a church dignitary, and who would have been responsible for the Memoirs that are attributed to the Chancellor of Montmollin, and which are a manuscript on the history of Neuchatel.

Balthasard - son of Claude, notary 1558, of the Neuchatel Council 1593, lieutenant of the town 1601, burger master 1605, mayor 1607, Counselor of State 1611 - 1621.

Jean - son of Claude, notary 1577, court clerk of Neuchatel, captain; died before 1598.

Jonas - son of Balthasard, notary, mayor and clerk of Bevaix in 1595. Died before 1614.

David - son of Jean, notary 1587, clerk of Neuchatel, Neuchatel Council 1601, burger master 1610, 1615, 1619, 1623, 1627, lieutenant 1630; died April 16, 1632. Baillod is the author of a work describing the customs of his region. This book is kept at the Library of the Pastors. Besides this work, another work is attributed to David Baillod, but with no obvious reason. The work is entitled: The Accomplishments of the Duke of Burgoyne. Abram - of the Council of Forty, 1623, of the Petit Council 1635; burger master of Neuchatel 1642, 1650. Died on March 1, 1661.

Jean - mayor of Lignieres 1638 - 1645; Attorney General of Valangin 1643, mayor of Valangin 1655 until his death, 1660.

Claude - mayor of the militia of Neuchatel, mayor of Verrieres 1671 - 1680 and 1682 - 1694. Discharged from office.

Daniel - mayor of Travers 1704 - 1731.

Henri - son of Daniel, succeeded his father as mayor of Travers on August 13, 1731. Resigned 1742.

Charles-Henri - mayor of Travers from 1742 until his death in 1755.

In the Bole Family:
Charles-Phillipe - born July 17, 1821, died April 18, 1897, notary of Boudry as early as 1845.

Charles Emile - son of Charles-Philippe, born June 1, 1850; died August 28, 1891. Studied at Heidelberg; notary at Boudry; deputy of the Grand Council 1877 - 1886; member of the Supreme Court of Appeals 1879 - 1891. He also belonged to the local council, then the Communal Council of Boudry from 1876 until his death.

Baillod - Jean. Chaplain 1379; church dignitary of Lausanne 1387 and of Sion in 1394. Priest of Gressy in 1419. Died on September 20, 1419.

Transcription Note: [Most of the Baillods now in Switzerland, Canada and the US are descended from the St. Aubin branch of the family, as discussed above. Unfortunately, the Armoreal Neuchatelois neglects to expand upon the St. Aubin family, which was certainly as large, if not as prominent as the Motiers and Bole groups. Civil records show that many Baillods of St. Aubin were prominent public officials and were highly accomplished. The Baillod family attributed to St. Aubin actually lived mostly in and around the small town of Gorgier which is just outside St. Aubin. Civil and church records show a very large group of Baillod families living there as early as the 16th century and probably much earlier. It may also be noted that the Baillod name can be found with a variety of spellings in civil and church records. Early 18th century records from Gorgier often spell the name "Baillot." Thus, the names Baillod, Baillods, Baillodz and Baillot probably refer to the same family. It is uncertain if the early branches of the family from Travers, Bole & Motiers were substanially related to the St. Aubin branch, but it appears likely, as the families were quite mobil. It is very interesting to note that Claude-Francois Baillod's genealogy shows the St. Aubin family as being directly descended from the legendary Jacques Baillod, defender of the Landeron Bridge.]