Cheshire Heraldry Web Journal

The grant of arms of Geoffrey Frank Pearce fell under the eBay hammer on the 22nd of this month fetching £270. Described as “a grant of Arms, recorded in the college of Arms London, and issued to a Geoffrey Frank Pearce, the parchment scroll is 21 x 15 inches, and hung with two gilt metal seals each embossed with a crown, the scroll is painted with the coat of arms, and is hand written with the details and dated 1978, it is contained in a red covered wood box with gold EIIR ciphers” it went to a new home in the UK.

Grant of arms to Geoffrey Frank Pearce sold to a UK buyer for £270 on 22nd September 2008.

I will be presenting a talk (I hesitate give it such a grand handle as lecture!) on Saturday at the September meeting of the Cheshire Heraldry Society and would like to invite my reader to attend.  It is to be my very first talk on any heraldic subject and I have chosen to present an illustrated chat on the armorial bearings of Goostrey and allied families. 

The original intention of the talk was to have been a study of the arms used by the descendants of  Lidulph de Twemlow illustrating their use of squirrels and chevrons. However, it soon became apparent that I could not ignore the wider descent of Lidulph’s own ancestors. The study therefore has become a meandering one and begins with Wulfric, Lord of Croxton and Lache.

If you are anywhere near Macclesfield on Saturday, it would be a pleasure to see you.

Meetings of the Cheshire Heraldry Society are held at the Townley Street Schoolroom, Townley Street, Macclesfield, starting at 2.30 p.m. The room opens at 2.00 p.m. and there is a pay and display car park 100 yards away. 

I spent Friday evening and the best part of Saturday in Edinburgh enjoying the very good company of fellow members of The Heraldry Society of Scotland and during conversation over dinner on the Friday evening learned that The Countess of Mar has appointed Hugh de Maurier as the new Garioch pursuivant. Mr. de Maurier is the cousin of the late David Gordon Allen d’Aldecamb Lumsden of Cushnie, SMOM, MA, FSA Scot. who died whilst still in office on the 29th August 2008.
 

See: http://cheshire-heraldry.org.uk/armorial-protection.pdf

I have just purchased a heraldic Printing Block on eBay for £23.00. It was described by the vendor as an original antique printing block with the Holcroft Coat of Arms in original condition, likely to have been made during the late Victorian period. There was no indication as to the exact date of manufacture or the artist who made it.

The block measures approx 3.75″ x 3.25″.

The plate is mounted on a wooden block and the face material is copper.

I would blazon the arms as quarterly of eight:
1 Argent, a cross and bordure both engrailed Sable [Holcroft]
2 Argent, an eagle Sable, preying on an infant [proper], swaddled [Gules, banded Or] [Culcheth]
3 Quarterly Argent and Gules, in first quarter a mullet Sable [Mascy]
4 Argent, on a bend Sable three covered cups Or [Argent] [Rixton]
5 Gules, a fess between three falcons Argent, an annulet for difference [Penington]
6 Argent, a squirrel sejant Gules [Horton]
7 Argent, on a fess Gules three bezants, a mullet for difference [Jennings]
8 Gules, a bull’s head cabossed Argent, armed Or [Duston]

These arms use the same quarters as those recorded in the Visitations of Chester 1533 – 1580 as those of Holcroft of Vale Royal but the marshalling is not identical and there are what may be cadency marks added to the quarters representing Pennington and Jennings; I have taken these markings to be cadency marks  because, as yet, I have no contrary information.

I have emblazoned it in colour to illustrate the actual arms.

I shall use it as a paper weight.

I often get requests from the uninitiated to translate blazons and more often than not, where it is a genuine plea for assistance, I am only too pleased to advise as long as it doesn’t divert me too much away from earning a living. I do tend to get rather choosy when I am asked to provide illustrations; simply because they take time to prepare.

This month I have received two very different requests, one definitely heraldic, the other not strictly so but perhaps subconsciously prompted by the science. Of definite heraldic origin was the straightforward request by a gentleman who, for his own study and amusement, has produced a web site setting down the history of Cheswardine Manor in Shropshire and wished to actually see in full colour the armorial bearings awarded to Charles Donaldson-Hudson in 1862: I produced this illustration: 

My second request of the month came from a Cheshire motorcycle racer who wanted something that represented his county to display as a logo as an antidote to the many hundreds of fellow racers from Yorkshire and Lancashire who so proudly show their respective (heraldic) roses.

Rob Dixon, who made the request, in action.

Rob wanted to use the wheatsheaf (garb to us armorists) as the basis for the proposed logo but after some discussion where I mentioned that Hugh Lupus, the first earl of Chester, had used a wolf’s head on his coat of arms and I felt that such a charge might appeal to the motorcycle fraternity, we came up with this: Rob has promised to send me a photo of the logo being used in anger.

Alex Maxwell Findlater’s latest book is about to go to press.  If you are interested, you can be a subscriber, meaning you get a better price and you get your name in the book.    You can order online or print the flyer and send it by post with a cheque. 
 
Alex informs me that if it were published commercially the price would be about 4 or 5 times what the Heraldry Society of Scotland is charging.

Lord Crawford’s Armorial edited by Alex Maxwell Findlater
 
 
PUBLICATION BY SUBSCRIPTION

This is a splendid example of a Scottish Armorial and dates from 1601. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of heraldic art painted in Scotland during the period when these armorials were produced, the 16th and 17th centuries. It used to be called the Armorial of Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount Secundus; it is in the Bibliotheca Lindesiana, the library of the earls of Crawford. It is an armorial of the King, James VI, his Queen, Anna of Denmark, his son, Prince Henry, and the peers and lairds of Scotland. Compared with earlier work it is finer, more elegant, more carefully painted; compared with later work it displays a wonderful fluidity of line, particularly in the supporters and charges from nature, in the lions of course, but also in the other beasts and birds.

It is to be published by the Heraldry Society of Scotland, with financial support from the St Andrews Fund for Scots Heraldry. The editor is Alex Maxwell Findlater, whose Aspilogia Scoticana was published by the Society in 2006. The facsimile will be reduced slightly in size and will omit the blank pages. Thus the volume will be the same height as other armorials published by the Society. The armorial itself is of some 140 folios. These will be accompanied by a full introduction, annotation of the arms and a biographical index of the persons included. The index will put these persons in context, noting their parents, wives and heirs as well as family relationships, so will be almost a Burke’s or Debrett’s of Scotland in the middle of James VI’s reign.

It is expected to be ready for distribution in November 2008 and so is offered at a special subscription price initially. The Subscription Period will end on Monday 8th September 2008. The names of subscribers will be included in the book.

Falling under the hammer on the 29th August were the Grant of arms to Sir John Samuel Fletcher Baronet, first and last baronet of Bryony Hill, along with a quite separate grant of his badge.

The seller chose to use a private auction so we have no way of knowing who the successful bidder or bidders were. The grant of arms was described by the seller as:  “Condition: Very good, vintage condition as pictures. Superbly hand painted coat of arms and other arms as shown. Signed and sealed by Henry Farnham Burke and Charles Harold Athill with clean, sharp wax seals contained in gilt skippets which are firmly attached by the original blue ribbons. On the reverse of the document is the statement that the document is recorded at the College of Arms, London and signed by Athill. The document comes in (what I assume is) the original box which is complete and undamaged but has some fading as pictures. The box is approx 22″ x 4″ x 3 3/4″ and is material covered.” 

It sold for £350.
The grant of a badge is of some Cheshire interest as it is signed on the reverse by Chester herald in his capacity as registrar. This grant sold for £435.75 perhaps suggesting that the badge was more sought after than the grant – who knows.

The vendor described the document as: “Condition: Very good, vintage condition as pictures. Superbly hand painted Badge Device and other Heraldic devices as shown. Signed and sealed by Henry Farnham Burke and Charles Harold Athill with clean, sharp wax seals contained in gilt skippets which are firmly attached by the original blue ribbons. On the reverse of the document is the statement that the document is recorded at the College of Arms, London and signed by Arthur Cochrane/Chester Herald. The document comes in (what I assume is) the original leather covered box which is complete and undamaged but has some wear to finish as pictures. The box is approx 29 1/2″ x 4″ x 3 3/4″ when closed.”

 It is with immense sadness that I report to my reader the death of David Gordon Allen d’Aldecamb Lumsden of Cushnie, SMOM, MA, FSA Scot. who died yesterday 29th August 2008. 

Born on the 25th May 1933 in Quetta, Baluchistan, India he was the last of the family to hold the title of Baron of Cushnie Lumsden, Aberdeen having sold the barony in January 2004 to Alan Robertson just prior to the effects of the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (2000) Act which came into being in November of that year. He served with great joy and enthusiasm as Garioch Pursuivant to the Chief of the Name and Arms of Mar – presently Margaret of Mar, 30th Countess of Mar.

He has been Chairman of the Castles of Scotland Preservation Trust, since 1985 and President of the “1745 Association” and the Scottish Military History Society, since 1991 and his career saw him working as an executive with British American Tobacco from 1959 – 1982; a director of Heritage Porcelain Ltd., Heritage Recordings Ltd., and a Member of Lloyd’s from 1985 – 2001. He was the Co-Founder of the Scottish Historic Organs Trust in 1991 and served as a Member of the Council of the Royal Stuart Society and Convenor of the Monarchist League of Scotland in 1993.

As well as serving as Garioch Persuivant he was also a Knight of Malta; Knight of Justice Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George; Knight in the Order of SS Maurice and Lazarus; and Patron of the Aboyne Highland Games.

The web site of the Castles of Scotland Preservation Trust notes that :  “David Lumsden [of Cushnie] was always interested in castles – ‘L’ and ‘Z’ plan towers and keeps which are the domestic fortified architecture of Scotland.  On retiring from his multinational which gave him work in Africa, India, Eastern Europe (then behind the Iron Curtain) and the Far East, as far as Japan, in the mid 1980s, he set up the Castles of Scotland Preservation Trust in conjunction with the late Lord Borthwick (senior), Nigel Tranter and Hugh Ross.  Shortage of Government funding for historic building projects was chronic and still is when compared with other European countries.
On returning from Africa in 1970, David restored two family properties – Cushnie House (built 1688 by Alexander Lumsden) and Tillycairn Castle (built 1540 by Mathew Lumsden).  These were so successful  that he went on to restore Leithen Lodge, Innerleithen, a fine shooting lodge (built 1886/7), in the Arts and Crafts tradition thereafter Liberton Tower in 1994, the first project of the Trust.”

David Gordon Allen d’Aldecamb Lumsden of Cushnie 1933 - 2008

Wednesday 13th August saw a respectable contingency of Cheshire Heraldry Society members gather together for a border skirmish into neighbouring Staffordshire. The trip was ably organised by member Philip Hind who did a sterling job in contacting the officers of six churches in relative close proximity to each other to arrange for what was in all cases a hospitable reception.

We were due to meet up at 11a.m. at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Ingestre. The church leaflet describes it to be “the only parish church outside London attributed to Sir Christopher Wren. Although documentary proof is lacking, architectural historians acknowledge this jewel hidden in the Staffordshire countryside as Wren’s work”. I am no expert on the work of Wren but I can certainly attest to the fact that the church is a hidden jewel; I was almost an hour late for the start of the tour, partly because I had been slightly delayed at the start of my journey but mainly because the church was, for me at least, a well hidden jewel! [Note to self - did you notice how everyone but you had a Sat Nav?]

I arrived as everyone else was leaving and so had but few moments to look around the church and absolutely no time to take any photographs before the rest of the pack were away. Now that I have found this “hidden jewel” I shall certainly return at my leisure to take more note of the splendid memorials to the Chetwynd/Talbot families (the earls of Stafford).

After an adequate but perhaps not altogether leisurely lunch at a local garden centre (we were already falling behind in our schedule!), where I did manage to exchange conversation heraldic with fellow enthusiasts, we moved on to our next venue, All Saints Church Sandon, slightly late for our 1.30p.m. appointment.  

Said to have been founded by the baron of Malbanc, the vicars of the church are known from 1311 when the patron was bishop of Lichfield. There is some splendid heraldry in this church and the gentleman who showed us around, although not knowledgeable in heraldry, was well versed in the family histories of the patrons. Of particular note in this church are the arms of the sons of the various earls of Harrowby whose cadency marks are differenced individually with charges from their mother’s arms.

There is also a wall painting of the family tree of Sampson Erdeswick, a colour reproduction of which was produced by JR Fernyhough, the Staffordshire antiquary who died in 1603. This coloured reproduction is reproduced here (courtesy of the William Salt Library) below a photograph of the real thing.

© William Salt Library (Staffordshire Views VIII-135)

Mike, Harold and Leslie in studious pose.

Our next appointment was at 2.30 p.m. where we all once more assembled together at Holy Trinity Church Eccleshall which is the final resting place of several bishops.

It was here that eagle eyed Mike spotted an armorial fau par in the depiction of the arms of Queen Victoria; drop me a line if you can’t spot it.

Time pressing and with our next appointment at 3.30 p.m. we moved on to the delightful and heraldically pleasing church of St. Peter at Broughton. This one was bursting at the seams with Cheshire heraldry well known to all of us in the form of the Broughtons of Broughton Hall who married into many Cheshire families including the Delves. It also had a mystery in the arms of its last patrons, the Hall family. The arms displayed in this splendid window clearly show those of the patron quartered with those of his mother and bearing an escutcheon of pretense of the arms of his wife. They tell a genealogical tale of their own but only genealogy (or an expensive enquiry to the College of Arms) can tell us who the arms on the left and right windows represent.

Finally onto St. John Baptist Church Ashley at 4.30 p.m. from whence, after a general relaxed chat amongst ourselves, we dispersed.

My report is but brief and features all too few photographs but I hope it gives a flavour of a day well spent amongst friends who share a common interest. My thanks must once again be given to Philip who organised it all so well; I look forward to the next time.