Origin of the family motto:

    On the historic occasion of when Robert de Beaumont, third Earl of Leicester, took part with the sons of King Henry II in rebellion against their father, the earl drew his sword on the king, saying:

"A Wight Man never wanted a weapon."

This was a play of words on his own nickname "Wyghtmains", which meant "white hands". Here, the similar sounding words "wight" and "man" were used, meaning "a person who is strong, ready, and prepared". So the probable meaning of the phrase was that a man who is prepared is never at a loss for a weapon.

 

 

From "THE WIGHTMAN ANCESTRY" by Wade C. Wightman (1994).

Internet Adaptation by Sandra Shuler Bray