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Conqueror, according to one source. William crossed the channel and subdued most of the British Isles in 1066. Other documents suggest that the Branyon name may have been coupled with “Brandon” and “Brannon” in Scotland in the mid 1400s. These names all meant “beacon bearer,” which was a sentry who held a light on a mountain to signal the approach of the enemy. There even exists a Branyon coat of arms that included 3 swords, 6 ostrich feathers and the motto Semper Paratus, which means “always prepared.”
In the early 1600’s King Charles I was trying to move the Anglican Church closer to Catholicism. He began torturing Scottish Pres- byterians in his infamous Star Chambers for refusing to follow religious requirements written in the new Book of Common Prayer. Charles was later beheaded for trying to crush Parliament.
Some Presbyterian Branyons fled the Scottish persecution to Ireland, and so became Scotch-Irish. There they were persecuted even more intensely by displaced and outraged Irish Catholics who killed over 40,000 Protestants. As a result, several Branyon families immi- grated to America where, according to a surviv- ing letter, they were “illiterate but helped hew
