Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Pelham

 Pelham

It has literally taken me all week to finish this one!

Pelham, John Cresset, of Cound Hall, M.P. for Shropshire.

Arms: Azure, three pelicans Proper vulning their breasts Gules quartered with Gules, two pieces of belt with oval buckles erect and in fesse Or (buckles in chief) 2nd and third Azure, a cross within a bordure Or quartered with Ermine on a bend cotticed Gules 3 crescents Or.

Crest: A peacock in his pride Argent.

The arms of John Cresset Pelham, of Cound Hall, M.P. for Shropshire.

The Pelham coat of arms is famous for containing multiple clever visual puns (known in heraldry as canting arms or "armes parlantes"). A direct pun is achieved through the specific charges. In the 1st and 4th quarters, the three pelicans vulning their breasts are a traditional heraldic symbol of maternal sacrifice, representing Christ's love, but also phonetically alluding to the first syllable of the name Pelham (via the "pelican"). The "Pieces of Belt" (Pelham Buckles); the arms feature Gules, two pieces of belt with oval buckles erect and in fesse Or. This specific buckle badge was adopted to sound like the surname Pel-ham.  Additionally, the quarterings highlight a famous piece of medieval history. The buckles were granted as an augmentation of honour to Sir John Pelham for his role in the capture of King John of France at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. The blazon also features a second distinct set of arms in the 2nd and 3rd quarters (belonging to the Clinton family), which reflects the historical marriage and combining of the families (as seen in the arms of the Dukes of Newcastle).

Whilst there is no pun in the crest of a peacock in his pride, old writers did have the habit of assigning meanings to heraldic charges (although in reality, there is no definitive meaning to any heraldic charge) and it has been asserted by "writers of old" that the peacock in his pride represents Resurrection and Immortality. This is derived from an ancient Christian and classical myth that a peacock’s flesh never decayed after death. It was used by families to represent spiritual endurance, eternal life, or an uncorruptible lineage with power and prestige: The sweeping, "all-seeing" eye-patterns (ocelli) on the tail feathers traditionally implied alertness, vast knowledge, and protective power.

I have no doubt that the Member of Parliament for Shropshire was immensely proud of his "achievements". If you'll pardon the pun!

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Parker

 Parker

Parker, Thomas Netherton, of Sweeney, Esq.

Arms: Sable, three pheons point downward Or on a fess Argent a stag's head cabossed Sable between 2 pellets.

Crest: A stag's head cabossed Sable.

The arms of Thomas Netherton Parker, of Sweeney, Esq.

There is a clear heraldic pun in this blazon, which relies entirely on the occupational origins of the surname Parker. In medieval England, a "Parker" was a high-status official responsible for managing a private hunting park or game reserve. The specific symbols chosen for this shield visually broadcast that profession through multi-layered hunting puns: The Deer Imagery (The Stag's Heads): The presence of a stag's head on the fess and a stag's head cabossed (facing forward, cut off clean behind the ears with no neck showing) as the crest directly references the game animals a Parker was paid to guard and breed: The Hunting Weapons (The Pheons): A pheon is a traditional heraldic term for a broad arrowhead. Placing three pheons pointing downward symbolises arrows raining down or being shot into the ground during a hunt. 

There is also a double meaning; the arms hide a literal joke about hunting terminology: Antler branches are officially called "points" in venery (the art of hunting). The blazon explicitly states the pheons "point downward. "Therefore, the visual setup positions the "points" of the hunting arrows facing down toward the "points" (antlers) of the stag's head. The arms also feature two pellets; in heraldic terms, a pellet is simply a solid black disc, which is technically classified as a "roundel". Because roundels take on different names and meanings depending on their colour, the black pellet, also historically referred to as an ogress or Gunstone, specifically represents bullets, musket balls, or cannonballs. By placing a stag's head alongside the very weapons used to hunt them, the coat of arms acts as a visual riddle for the surname: the keeper of the deer and the hunt.

Shropshire's Heraldic Puns - Onley

 Onley

Onley, of Onslow.

Arms: Gules, crusily Argent on a bend of the second, a mullet Sable. 

The arms of Onley, of Onslow.

Just occasionally something is so obvious that I miss it. I passed this one by when reading the MS and dismissed it as having no canting merit. Then the wonder of the human mind kicks in and when you least expect it the answer just pops up from nowhere and you realise that the pun is staring you in the face. 

There is a clear heraldic pun within this specific blazon, primarily found in the combination of the charge on the bend. The heraldic pun centres on a direct numerical and phonetic play on the surname Onley: "On a bend... a mullet". In the language of heraldry, when a charge is placed on an ordinary like a bend, the word "on" is spoken first (e.g., "on a bend..."). Because only one single mullet (a five-pointed star shape) is specified on that bend, the visual and verbal reading of the shield yields "On[e] ley" (One lea/field or one star on the line).

The Phonetic Slur: When spoken aloud or read by a herald, the phrase "On a bend... a mullet" explicitly emphasizes that there is only "one" item there, phonetically sounding out "One-ley" (Onley). By isolating just a solitary black star on the stripe, the designer deliberately avoided using the common pattern of three mullets, ensuring the shield literally "spoke" the word "One-ley". 

The etymology and roots of the surname Onley can be traced to a few primary geographic and linguistic sources: Old English: Woodland Clearing. Many instances of the surname stem from the Old English words ān (meaning "one", "single", or "solitary") and lēah (meaning "woodland clearing" or "glade"). This indicates the original bearer of the name likely lived in a remote, single clearing in the woods.

It seems likely that the bend is providing a clearing through the many crosslets, it is a lēah. So, we have On(e)lēah. Marvellous!

Shropshire's Heraldic Puns - Moreton

 Moreton

Moreton, Revel, of Shifnal, Sheriff 1742.

Arms: Argent, a chevron Gules between 3 square buckles Sable

Crest: A demi-eagle wings expanded (Azure).

The arms of Revel Moreton, of Shifnal, Sheriff 1742.

Not at first sight canting arms and you'd struggle to find anything remotely like a pun on the name or the etymology of it however, if you know the gentleman's pedigree the answer becomes plain. Erdiswicke says "these were the arms of the family of Engleton with whose armory the Moretons 'invested themselves', in consequence of a marriage with the heiress". The late editor of Eardiswicke adds a crosslet for difference, but no such addition appears in the peerages or on the monuments of Moreton in Shifnal Church and so is most probably an invention. 

So, we now must ask ourselves is there a heraldic pun to be found in the arms Argent, a chevron Gules between 3 square buckles Sable for the surname Engleton?

Indeed there is a visual and linguistic heraldic pun (canting arms) in this design. The three square buckles (or fermailes) are a visual wordplay on the surname Engleton, sounding remarkably like the medieval French word en-gleton or anglet, which means "angle" or "corner". The specific heraldic elements in this design (often historically borne by the Moreton family of Engleton) cleverly encode this pun. The Chevron, a V-shaped ordinary inherently forms sharp angles or corners, playing on the roots of the surname. Because a traditional buckle is characterized by its right-angled shape (and corners), the three buckles visually represent angles.

Looking at the crest, using an eagle for the surname Engleton (or its close variants like Eggleton and Eagleton) is a classic example of canting arms (or "talking arms"). When spoken aloud, the first two syllables of Engleton or Eggleton closely mimic the word "Eagle." Historically, English heraldry was heavily influenced by Anglo-Norman French. The Old French word for eagle is aigle. To a medieval herald, names beginning with Engle-, Eggle-, or Aigle- immediately suggested the "talking" charge (armes parlantes) of an eagle. Families with phonetically identical names, like Eagleton, directly used the bird for this exact reason.

The name is formed from two Old English elements: Engla: The genitive plural of Engle, referring to the Angles (the Germanic tribe that gave England its name). tūn: An Old English word meaning an enclosure, farmstead, or settlement.

Shropshire's Heraldic Puns - Lowe

I have completed many more punning arms but, for the moment, I am rationing those which are published as I have decided to work on an illustrated book. 

Here's one to keep the theme going online, that of Lowe.

Lowe

Lowe, Thomas of Highley, 1623

Arms: Gules, a wolf statant Argent.

Crest: An ermine passant Proper collared or and lined & ringed Gules.

The arms of Thomas Lowe, of Highley (1623).

This pun exists because the surname Lowe often derives from the Anglo-Norman French word lou or loup, meaning wolf. 

The heraldic pun of the wolf in the surname Lowe relies on canting arms (visual puns on a bearer's name), drawing from the Anglo-Norman word loup or lou and the Latin lupus, both meaning "wolf." Because the medieval spoken language of the English nobility shifted from Norman French to Middle English, Anglo-Norman names like le Lou or le Lu (the wolf) naturally evolved into the phonetic variants Low, Lowe, or Loe. 

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Lethbridge

Lethbridge

Lethbridge, General, of Shrewsbury

Arms: Argent, on a base Vert a bridge embattled and thereon an eagle displayed [possibly Sable]… impaling Azure, a fess between three crescents 2 & 1 Argent.

The arms of General Lethbridge, of Shrewsbury.

The surname Lethbridge is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is primarily a locational name from the county of Devon in South West England. It typically refers to a person who lived near a specific bridge crossing, often interpreted as a "plank bridge" or an elevated waterway.Etymology and Meaning. 

The name is constructed from two Old English elements: Leth- / Lyd-: Derived from an old water-course element (like the river Lew in Devon) or Old English gelēat, which means an open water-course or canal. Bridge: Derived from the Old English brycg, meaning "bridge". Combined, it literally translates to "a bridge over an open water-course" or could poetically mean "ladder bridge" or "plank bridge" (from Old English læddre).

Unlike the arms of the Lethbridge Baronets, these arms have a base Vert rather than "over water"; ''Argent, over water proper, a bridge of five arches embattled gules and over the centre arch a turret in chief an eagle displayed sable charged on the breast with a bezant"

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Huntley

 Huntley

Rev. Webster Huntley, of Alberbury, Vicar.

Arms: Argent, on a chevron between three stag's heads couped Sable as many bugle horns stringed of the field.

Crest: A talbot statant Proper collared and line reflexed Or.

The arms of The Rev. Webster Huntley, of Alberbury, Vicar.

All of the charges in this achievement lend themselves to the recreational pastime of hunting, the stag is the quarry, the talbot is the hunter's aid and the bugle, or hunting horn, typically symbolises a connection to the royal forests, a legacy of noble pursuits, or a historical occupation as a huntsman, forester, or game warden.

The surname Huntley traces its roots to the Old English words hunta (meaning "hunter" or "huntsman") and lēah (meaning a woodland clearing, meadow, or glade). Because this translates literally to "hunter's meadow" or "hunting clearing," the surname was originally used to identify individuals who either lived near a clearing designated for hunting or worked in professions related to the hunt.