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.

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Huxley

 Huxley

John Huxley, of Broseley.

Arms: Ermine, three bendlets Gules on the centre one three crescents Or.

If my theory is correct, this is quite a clever pun. 

The arms of John Huxley, of Broseley.

Local dialect refers to the Huxleys as the Huxlays. So, if we split the name up into Hux and Ley, or Lay, we then have Hucc (or Hoc), an Old English personal nickname or name. Linguistic experts suggest it translates to "insult" or "mockery" (hux), alternatively, it can mean "hook" or "bend in the land". 

Hux: If we take the "alternative" meaning of Hucc, we can stretch our imagination to bring in the three bendlets as a reference to the bend in the land. 

Ley: The French word for "the" (plural) is "les". In standard French pronunciation, "les" sounds identical to the English word "lay" / "ley". Because "les" requires a plural noun, it inherently represents a group of multiple items—the first true plural prime number being 3. There are three bendlets or three Huccs: HuxLey.

We can only guess at the meaning, if indeed there is one, behind the inclusion of three crescents. 

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Hussey

 Hussey.

Hussey, of Adbrighton*.

Arms: Quarterly: 1st and 4th, Barry of six Gules and Ermine, (In Richardson Ermine and Gules, another Ermine and Azure) (Hussey); 2nd, Argent, three boots 2 & 1 Sable spurred Or, topped Ermine (Hussey); 3rd, Argent, on a bend Azure three garbs Or (Oteley or Fitton).

Crest: A boot as in the arms.

The arms of Hussey, of Adbrighton.

The surname Hussey has three distinct origins, the norman one fits our purposes best. Norman (French): It derives from the Old French word hosed or housé, meaning "booted" or "gaitered," functioning as a nickname for someone who wore distinctive footwear. 

*The property was known as Adbrighton Hussey historically, but its current name is Albright Hussey. To avoid confusion with other local places named "Albrighton" (like the village near Telford), the estate officially changed its name to "Albright Hussey" in 1922, adopting the name of the ancient Hussey family who built and occupied it. Today, this 16th-century, moated manor house is a hotel and restaurant.