Shropshire's Punning Heraldry -Hawkins

 

Hakins, alias Hawkins, alias Edge. (Don't ask me why so many aliases, I have absolutely no idea.)

Arms: Argent, a hawk Proper beaked and legged Or standing on the trunk of a tree Vert couped and raguled (Visitations).

The arms of Hakins, alias Hawkins, alias Edge. 

Less commonly, the name Hawkins traces back to Hawk, used either as a nickname for someone with hawklike features or as an occupational name for a falconer who bred and trained hawks for hunting. In some families, particularly in Kent in South-East England, it originated as a habitational name for someone from Hawkinge (derived from the Old English heafoc, meaning "hawk").

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - English

Not really a pun as such but one that clearly speaks of England given that the National Flag is Argent, a cross Gules.

English, Sir Thomas

Argent, a cross fleury, Gules 

(Visitations)

The arms of Sir Thomas English, Shropshire Visitations.

It is conjectured that this surname arose from parts of Great Britain near the borders of England with Scotland and Wales, it may have been applied to people who spoke English, or to distinguish people of English ancestry from Celts, while from the interior of England it may have referred to people who were English rather than Norman French in ancestry. Given that we are dealing with a shropshire family, it could be either the fact that Salop is on the border with Wales, to distinguish people of English ancestry from Celts, or to simply refer to an English, rather than a Norman French family.

 

Two Harries Hatchments

Last evening, Mrs Martin and I watched an episode of Agatha Christie's "Marple" titled "By The Pricking of My Thumbs" with Charles Dance playing the Vicar, Septimus Bligh. At one point, the Vicar is seen to ring the church bells so as to call everyone to church so that he may make a confession; in this scene, he is standing in front of a hatchment and I recognised the arms as those of Harries, having only a few days ago blazoned the Harries arms for my Shropshire's Punning Arms series.  It took some tracking down as my first port of call, a search of the film locations drew a blank, because although the church is said to be St. Mary The Virgin Church, Turville, my hatchments reference books, and a Google search of the Church, came up with no such hatchment recorded at that location. In fairness, I would have been surprised if the hatchment had been in that location because The Harries family are local to Shropshire. 

An internet search returned an auction sale of two painted canvas hatchments for Harries of Cruckton and Tong, Shropshire, 1848 and 1875, sold at a Christies Auction in December 2014 for £2,250. It would seem therefore that the bell ringing scene was entirely staged with the Harries hatchment being used as a stage prop and not filmed at an actual location. 

Thomas Harries, (1774-1848).

A hatchment with the arms of Thomas Harries Esq (1774-1848), J.P, D.L, of Cruckton Hall, Shropshire.

A painted canvas hatchment with the arms of Thomas Harries Esq (1774-1848), J.P, D.L, of Cruckton Hall, Shropshire.

Barry of eight Ermine and Azure, three annulets Or (Harries); in pretence: quarterly of six,

1 and 6, Vert three eagles close Argent (Smitheman);

2, Chequy Argent and Sable;

3, Argent a chevron Gules between three chapeaux Gules turned up Ermine (Brooke?);

4, Gules a talbot passant Argent (Comberford);

5, Azure, semée of fleurs-de-lis and a lion rampant Or (Beaumont).

These arms were borne in pretence by Thomas Harries (1774-1848) after his marriage to Barbara Mary Anne Smitheman in 1798.

Francis Harries, (1804-1875).

A painted canvas hatchment with the arms of Francis Harries Esq (1804-1875) of Cruckton Hall and Broseley Hall, Shropshire.

1. Barry of eight Ermine and Azure, three annulets Or (Harries).

2. Ermine, a fess Sable with a triple-towered castle Argent (Hill, Bt of Hawkstone, Shropshire).

3. Azure, a fesse between three falcons close Argent beaked and legged Or (Philips, Yarpole Co. Hereford).

4. Argent, on a fess Sable three escallopes Or. (Wallcott)

In pretence Gules, on achief Argent three grenades Proper. (Boycott, Hinton and Rudge, Co. Salop).

Here is my version of the arms of Harries:

Curiosity sattisfied. 

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Hatchett

 Hatchett

Hatchett, of Ellesmere & of Lee

Arms: 1st, Azure, three hatchets 2 and 1 Argent. 2nd, Gules, a chevron engrailed between three horses' heads erased Argent. 3rd, Per bend sinister Ermine and Ermines, a lion rampant Or. 4th, Vert, a stag trippant Argent attired Or. (Carriage 1820).

The arms of Hatchett, of Ellesmere & of Lee

The surname Hatchett has two primary origins, predominantly as an English occupational name for a maker or user of small axes/hatchets. It is derived from the Old French word "hachete" and likely indicated a woodcutter or soldier.

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Hart

 Hart

William Chesney Hart, of Hope Bowdler.

Arms: Per chevron Gules and Azure, three harts trippant two and one Argent.

Crest: A lion's head Erminoise ducally crowned Gules (from a book plate).

The arms of William Chesney Hart, of Hope Bowdler.

The surname Hart has multiple origins, primarily arising as an English nickname for a swift or noble person, derived from the Old English heorot (stag/deer).

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Harris

There are quite a lot of armigers with the surname Harris in the MS, here is one example:

Harris, Thomas, of Boreatton, Sheriff 1619, created baronet 1622.

Arms: Or, three hedgehogs 2 & 1 Azure.

Crest: A hedgehog Azure.

The arms of Thomas Harris of Boreatton, Sheriff 1619, created baronet 1622.

The title became extinct on the death of the seventh Baronet in 1693.

A hedgehog is an heraldic pun often used for the surname Harris (and more obviously Harrison) because of a linguistic connection between the Norman French word for hedgehog, "hérisson", and the pronunciation of the name Harris. 

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Harries

Harries.

In this example, it is the crest that provided the pun*.

Harries, of Tong Castle.

Arms: Barry of eight Ermine and Azure over all three annulets 2 & 1 Argent**.

Crest: A hawk Argent, beaked and belled Or, preying on a pheasant of the first.

(Granted 1604)

The arms of Harries, of Tong Castle

The Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) is considered an heraldic pun for the surname Harries (or Harris) because of a phonetic and orthographic pun, often referred to in heraldry as "canting arms. "Phonetic Pun: The name "Harris's Hawk" sounds almost identical to the surname "Harries." In heraldry, puns are often used to make a coat of arms easily recognizable and memorable. 

*This may well present us with a bit of a chicken and egg conundrum; The "Harris" Connection: The bird was named by the 19th-century naturalist John James Audubon in honour of his friend and financial supporter, Edward Harris. Given that the arms of Harries, of Tong Castle, were granted in 1604 and the crest was a hawk, it is difficult to reconcile the pun on the surname if Harris's Hawk wasn't named as such until the 19th-century!

**There are in fact a number of differing references to the arms of Harries of Tong Castle. Although the Shropshire MS I am using gives the annulets as Argent and the crest of a hawk trussing a pheasant, this differs considerably from the more authoritative Visitations of 1623 which state:

Harris, of Cruckton and Tong Castle

Arms: Harl. 1896 - Barry of eight Ermine and Azure, over all three annulets Or.

crest: A hawk Argent, beaked and belled Or preying on a pheasant of the first.

The Harris, of Cruckton and Tong Castle (Or annulets version)