Doubtful arms of Staffordshire - Skeffington

John Skevington, of Fysherwyke.

Argent, three bull's heads erased Sable.

Historical records for John Skevington (Skeffington) of Fisherwick (historically spelled Fysherwyke or Fisherwicke), matching the coat of arms "Argent, three bull's heads erased Sable," reveal a prominent Staffordshire gentleman embedded in Tudor and Elizabethan gentry records. The primary historical touchpoints for this specific individual include the Heraldic Visitations of Staffordshire (1583).

Conducted by Robert Glover (Somerset Herald), this survey was designed to regulate and record legitimate coats of arms. In the editorial prefaces analysing Robert Glover's 1583 journey, the family of Skeffington (Skevington) is recorded as a notable omission or defaulter who initially failed to appear or register properly under Glover's strict summons. While John Skevington was a recognized local landowner, his arms faced explicit scepticism during the herald's tour and were recorded under Doubtful Staffordshire Arms.

When Glover (the Somerset Herald) went through Staffordshire, he flagged specific coats of arms that were disallowed or "respited" for lack of sufficient proof. It meant the family was claiming the arms, but could not produce ancient deeds, seals, or explicit grants at that exact moment to satisfy the rigorous standards of the College of Arms. In historical transcripts (such as Harleian MS 1570 and Lord Hatherton's MS), John Skevington’s entry sits directly in this compromised list, recorded as: "John Skevington, of Fysherwyke: Argent, three bull's heads erased Sable."

John Skeffington was part of the foundational line that established the Skeffingtons in Staffordshire. He was a direct descendant (grandson) of Sir John Skeffington, a wealthy merchant of the Staple who served as Alderman and Sheriff of London in 1521, and who originally purchased the manor of Fisherwick. John and Alice's eldest son, Sir William Skeffington, inherited Fisherwick and served as High Sheriff of Staffordshire at the end of Queen Elizabeth I's reign (1601) and again under King James I (1623). He was eventually created the 1st Baronet of Fisherwick by King Charles I in 1627. Through this direct line, via his marriage to Elizabeth Dering, Sir William's descendants inherited the estate and eventually married into the Clotworthy family, directly establishing John Skeffington as an ancestor to the Viscounts Massereene.

Land and property registries from the late 16th century credit John Skevington with expanding his family's footprint in Staffordshire. He is recorded as having built the "large, magnificent" Elizabethan-style manor house at Fisherwick Park, which stood for two centuries before being demolished and rebuilt by the Marquess of Donegal in the late 18th century.

The entry in Burke's General Armory for this family records: Skeffington (Fisherwick, co. Stafford, bart., extinct 1816; descended from Thomas Skeffington, third son of Sir Wiliam Skeffington, Knt., of Skeffington, Lord Deputy of Ireland temp. Henry VIII. The fifth bart. became Earl of Massereene). Same Arms (Argent, three bull's heads erased Sable armed Or). Crest: A mermaid with comb and mirror all Proper.

Could it be that the crest has makes reference to the family estate in a subtle pun?

The family estate is Fysherwyke (modernly Fisherwick in Staffordshire). The crest features a mermaid, an explicitly half-fish mythical creature. The presence of a mermaid is a direct, witty visual pun on the "Fisher" element of "Fisher-wyke."

The Doubtful arms of Staffordshire - Aderley

Continuing of Doubtful theme, the second entry in Glover's Visitations of Staffordshire under the Doubtful arms of Staffordshire is Raufe Aderley, of Coton:

Argent, on a bend Azure three lozenges Or, each charged with a pheon Gules.

References to Raufe Aderley (or Ralph Adderley) of Coton, alongside this specific coat of arms (Argent, on a bend Azure three lozenges Or, each charged with a pheon Gules), feature in several prominent historical and heraldic volumes:

The primary source for this exact entry is The Visitation of Staffordshire made by Robert Glover, Somerset Herald, in 1583, where he is recorded amongst the "Doubtful arms of Staffordshire". A detailed pedigree of his family and brothers (including John, Humfrey, and George) is recorded within the same text, tracing their line back to the Adderleys of Blackhagh (Blackwood/Blackhalgh). In this pedigree, Raulf is recorded as Raulf Adderley, of Cotton in the County of Stafford, Esq, Justice of the Peace; now living in anno 1583. He is married to Phelice, daughter of Henry Milwarde in Com. Derby; second wife.

The specific blazon is documented across historical texts detailing British gentry and their coats of arms:

The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales by Sir Bernard Burke (1884): Under the entry for Adderley (Coton Hall, co. Stafford), the arms are explicitly catalogued. (Note: Some printed variations or transcriptions in the same text omit the Or and blazon the lozenges simply as "of the field", but the core design remains tied to Coton Hall).

Warwickshire Arms and Lineages by F.W. Kittermaster (1866): This text notes that the branch of the family expanding into Warwickshire (such as Sir Charles Adderley, Equerry to King Charles I) descended directly from “Ralph Adderley, of Coton, Co. Stafford, High Sheriff of the County (temp. Eliz.)”. It explicitly cites the original Heraldic Visitations and Dugdale's antiquarian records.

Collections for a History of Staffordshire (William Salt Archaeological Society): The genealogical files track the administrative presence of the family at Coton, identifying Ralph Adderley as an influential justice and landowner who initially purchased the Coton estate in 1558.

The Burke's General Armory entry in full with the additional entry for Adderley of Blakehagh (This coat confirmed by the Deputies of Camden, Clarenceux):

Adderley (originally of Blakehagh, co. Stafford, and subsequently of Weddington, co. Warwick, Coton, co. Stafford, and Hams Hall, co. Warwick, confirmed by the Deputies of Camden, Clarenceux, to HUMPHREY ADDERLEY, of Weddington, co. Warwick, son of HUMPHREY ADDERLEY, of the same, fourth son of THOMAS ADDERLEY, of Blakehagh, co. Stafford, and fourth in descent from HENRY ADDERLEY.) Argent, on a bend Azure three mascles of the field. Crest: On a chapeau Gules turned up Ermine a stork Argent.

Adderley (Coton Hall, co. Stafford). Ar. on a bend az. three lozenges of the field each charged with a pheon gu. Visit. of Stafford, 1583. (This differs from the actual Visitations entry in that the lozenges are "of the field" whereas in the Visitations they are Or).

Adderley of Blakehagh (This coat confirmed by the Deputies of Camden, Clarenceux.)

The Doubtful arms of Staffordshire - Brettayne

 The Doubtful arms of Staffordshire.

The following entry appears in Glover's Visitations of Staffordshire, Edited by H. Sydney Glazebrook, Esq. 

"The Doubtful arms of Staffordshire.

[The ensuing list does not appear in the Stukeley MS. nor in the (presumed) Original, but it is given in Lord Hatherton's MS. and several other copies of the Visitation. It no doubt contains those coats which were disallowed or "respited" by Glover. I here print it from the Harl. MS. 1570, where, as the Harleian Catalogue has it, the arms are "hastily tricked within printed escocheons." It is there headed, "Here beginneth the doubtfull Armes of Staffordshire."]"

The first entry in the list is that of John Brettayne, of Serescott, and Tamworth. Azure, a bend between six mullets Or.

The arms blazoned as Azure, a bend between six mullets Or (a blue shield featuring a diagonal gold band between six gold stars), are recorded in Harleian MS 1570. In this manuscript, the arms are described as being "hastily tricked [sketched] within printed escocheons".

This record is directly tied to the 1583 Heraldic Visitation of Staffordshire, conducted by Robert Glover (Somerset Herald) on behalf of William Flower (Norroy King of Arms). During these official visitations, heralds reviewed the rights of local gentry to bear coats of arms. John Brettayne's entry was compiled in an appendix of coats that were disallowed or "respited" for further proof. This means that at the time of the 1583 visitation, the heralds either disliked the authenticity or pedigree of the claim, or marked it as requiring more documentation/evidence of ancestral usage before it could be officially confirmed in the College of Arms.

Looking into where this coat might have originated, a coat of arms matching Azure, a bend between six mullets Or is historically associated with the Breton family (also recorded as Bretun or Britton) in English heraldry. The arms of Sire Robert Breton are blazoned in early rolls of arms (such as the Battle of Boroughbridge roll from 1322 and the Surrey Roll) as bearing Azure, a bend between six mullets of six points Or. Breton of Barwell (Leicestershire) are recorded in historical pedigrees (such as in Nichols' History and Antiquities of Leicestershire) with arms: Azure, on a bend between six mullets of six points, pierced Or, a mullet (with a crest of a lion's jamb erased). And of course, Burke's General Armory lists variations of the Breton family arms featuring a bend between six mullets, sometimes with slight differences such as pierced mullets or additional charges.

The only record of the arms of John Brettayne of Serescott and Tamworth is preserved in the heraldic collections of Staffordshire, specifically categorized under what early heralds called "The Doubtful Arms of Staffordshire". Syerscote (historically recorded as Serescott or Sirescote) is a historic manor and hamlet located in Staffordshire, near Tamworth. It appeared in the 1086 Domesday Book as a small settlement. Tamworth is the historic market town bordering Staffordshire and Warwickshire.

The arms of Henry Dagge, Esq.

 A recent conversation on Social media drew my attention to the arms of Henry Dagge, Esq.

They are historically recorded at the Foundling Hospital in London, preserved today in the parish archives of St. Pancras, and documented in historical architectural surveys. These arms were painted by the celebrated 18th-century glass-painter William Peckitt in 1766 into one of the chapel windows at the Foundling Hospital to commemorate Henry Dagge’s appointment as a Governor of the institution.

The arms (Argent, a chevron Sable between five nuns, three in chief and two in base, proper) form a classic example of canting arms. The surname Dagges (or Dagg) sounds phonetically or rhythmically close to "dags", which in Middle English and dialect referred to dangling shreds, tags, or the ornamental, jagged-cut edges of medieval clothing (dagges or dagging), or alternatively relates to daggers (dagg / dague).

In Middle English, the word dagge was borrowed from the Old French dague but evolved to specifically mean "a shred, tag, or strip (as of cloth or leather)" or "ornamental points or incisions on the edges of a garment." During the 14th and 15th centuries, "dagging" was a highly popular fashion trend where the hems and sleeves of tunics, gowns, and hoods were deliberately slit or slashed into decorative, jagged shapes (resembling leaves, tongues, or battlements). As a surname, it would have been given as a nickname to someone who wore or manufactured these fashionable, jaggedly-cut garments.

The five nuns in their black-and-white habits (Sable on Argent) with hanging coifs/veils visually mirror the dangling, notched, or dark-trimmed strips (dagges) of fabric or hoods characteristic of medieval dagged apparel, and create a witty, visual play on the word itself. The crest of a demi-nun holding a book proper further anchors the motif.

His coat of arms is historically preserved and documented in 18th-century local topographies and armorial collections:

• The Foundling Hospital Chapel Windows: Henry Dagge became a Governor of the Foundling Hospital in 1766. His arms were famously painted by the York glass artist William Peckitt on the chapel windows of the hospital along with other notable governors.

• Daniel Lysons' The Environs of London (1795): His arms are formally cataloged under the parish of St. Pancras, where Lysons details the stained-glass heraldry of the Foundling Hospital.

I enjoyed emblazoning them (and adding them to my ever growing collection of punning arms) but I have to say that had I been the herald designing these arms, if the armiger had insisted upon five devout ladies (surely there must have been a reason for such) I would have avoided a chevron and either had no ordinary at all or chosen a fesse which would have avoided the nun in centre chief being squeezed in. Although I freely admit that his arms in The Chapel at Ashlyns School, Berkhamsted, have the ladies squeezed in a bit better - I tend to attempt to fill whatever space is available!

Aldriche of Weightmore - No proof given

 Not only am I fascinated by heraldic puns, I am also attracted to the unusual, or the out of the ordinary. One such coat of arms that attracted my attention was that of Aldriche of Weightmore: "Respite given for proofe of the Armes, but none made."

The record of Robert Aldriche of Weightmore in the Staffordshire Visitations record that "Respite given for proofe of the Armes, but none made." A footnote however, records that he was Bailiff to Lord Paget, and died 16th March 1656, in his 81st year, having issue by Anne his wife five sons and two daughters. On his monument at Burton-on-Trent are these arms:- Argent, on a fesse Vert a bull passant Argent.

Burke's record these arms as belonging to Aldrich Cheam co Surrey. So, is there a genealogical connection between the Staffordshire family, who failed to provide proof of their right to arms, and the Cheam family whose arms were recorded by Burke.

The exact arms (Argent, on a fesse Vert a bull passant Argent) displayed on Robert Aldriche’s monument at Burton-on-Trent and registered by the Cheam family are identical because the Cheam/Oxford branch of the family actually descended directly from Robert Aldriche of Weightmore. The connection is traced through the 1664 Visitation of Staffordshire and Oxford university records:

According to the Visitation of Staffordshire (1664), Robert Aldriche of Weightmore (d. 1656) and his wife Anne Horobin had five sons. His eldest son was Henry Aldriche (who married Judith Fraunces). Henry moved away from Staffordshire to Westminster, London, where he served as a political and local official (and was associated with Elias Ashmole).Henry’s son, Robert’s grandson, was the famous Dr Henry Aldrich (1648–1710), Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, an architect, theologian, and composer.

When Dean Henry Aldrich died in 1710, he was buried in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. His grand monumental inscription features the exact same arms: Argent, on a fess Vert a bull passant Argent. Because Dean Henry Aldrich was a celebrated figure in the south of England, his branch of the family became heavily tied to the gentry records of Surrey and London, including nearby Cheam. Sir Bernard Burke, compiling his General Armory centuries later, recorded the arms under "Aldrich of Cheam, co. Surrey" because that was the prominent, settled seat of the family's southern descendants by the 18th/19th century.

So why did the Staffordshire Visitations say "Respite given for proof"?

When the Heralds (specifically William Dugdale) visited Lichfield in July 1664, Robert’s second son, Jonah Aldriche, certified the family tree. Jonah claimed the right to bear these arms, but because his father Robert had been a land-agent/bailiff to Lord Paget rather than a traditional "gentleman", it seems that Jonah didn't have the official deed of grant or seal from London on hand to prove it. Because of this, it was noted that "Respite given... but none made," meaning they gave Jonah time to produce the evidence or pay the fees to the College of Arms, which he failed to do before they left the county.

Despite the failure of the Staffordshire branch to prove their arms in 1664, the family clearly kept using them. When Robert’s grandson rose to immense wealth and prestige as the Dean of Oxford, it was quite probable that the College of Arms fully recognised the family's right to them; which is why Burke formally records Robert’s ancestral arms under his descendant's Surrey location.

Ashenhurst of Ashenhurst - a Staffordshire Pun

Ashenhurst of Ashenhurst.

Arms: Or, a cockatrice, the tail nowed and terminating in a serpent's head Sable, the comb, wattles, and head gules, in the beak a sprig vert.

Crest: A cockatrice as in the arms.

The family took its name from Ashenhurst Hall, located near Leek in the Staffordshire Moorlands, where they were established for centuries as prominent local gentry. In the late 16th century, Ralph Ashenhurst married the heiress of Beard Hall in Derbyshire*. This union significantly expanded the family's wealth, landholdings, and influence across county lines. However, the Ashenhursts achieved their greatest historical notoriety during the 1640s and 1650s as staunch Parliamentarians (Roundheads) fighting against King Charles I.

Randle Ashenhurst and his brother Edward both served as high-ranking Colonels for the Parliamentary forces. Edward notably seized the estate of Walton Grange, in the market town of Stone, during the conflict. Randle’s son, Captain (later Colonel) John Ashenhurst, became a dominant military figure in Staffordshire. In 1644, he successfully led the siege and capture of Biddulph Hall, a heavily fortified Royalist stronghold.

Following the Royalist defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, Colonel John Ashenhurst was commissioned to hunt down the fleeing King Charles II. Leading a troop of cavalry, Ashenhurst famously searched Boscobel House and nearly captured the King, who famously escaped by hiding in a nearby oak tree (the Royal Oak).

The return of the monarchy (the Restoration) in 1660 brought an end to the family's golden era in Staffordshire. Because of their prominent anti-Royalist stance, the family's fortunes waned. Following Randle Ashenhurst’s death in 1666, his son John was forced to sell Ashenhurst Hall in 1667, ending centuries of family ownership. Facing political ruin, John Ashenhurst was reportedly transported to Barbados in 1669. Other branches of the family eventually migrated to Ireland, and by the late 18th century, descendants had crossed the Atlantic to settle in Virginia and the wider United States.

The arms of the Ashenhurst family, of Ashenhurst Hall, are quite fascinating in their own right and there is a canting (punning) heraldic device found in these arms, though it relies on visual wordplay and older dialect pronunciations rather than a straightforward phonetic pun.

In old English folklore and dialect, the cockatrice was sometimes conflated or associated with the basilisk, which was born from a "cock's egg" hatched in a dunghill or among ashes.

A "hurst" is an archaic word for a grove, wooded hill, or thicket. The sprig vert (green sprig/branch) held in the cockatrice's beak directly symbolises a piece of vegetation or a grove, visually representing the -hurst part of the name.

Combining a creature linked to ashes with a green branch creates a living rebus for Ashen-hurst (an ash tree grove or a wooded hill of ash).

The legend of the cockatrice and the basilisk represents one of the most famous conflations in European and English folklore.

The two mythical beasts became inextricably linked in English culture during the late 14th century. When John Trevisa translated Bartholomeus Anglicus's encyclopedia de proprietatibus rerum in 1397, he translated the Latin word basiliscus as "cockatrice". From that point onward, especially through the Elizabethan era, the terms were used interchangeably in literature, dialect, and heraldry.

According to widespread folk tradition, a cockatrice or basilisk was born from a highly unusual, small, yolkless egg (historically called a "cock's egg," "fart egg," or "witch egg") supposedly laid by an elderly rooster. In standard English folklore, the egg had to be incubated by a toad or a serpent. To generate the proper heat for incubation, legends and old husbandry texts frequently specified that the egg was hatched within a dunghill, a pile of warm ashes, or compost, which provided the natural, fermenting warmth needed to bring the monster to life.

*The armorial bearings of the Beard family of Beard Hall, Derbyshire, are also a classic example of canting arms, heraldic designs that act as a visual pun on the bearer's surname.

According to the Visitations of Derbyshire (recorded by William Flower, Norroy King of Arms), the coat of arms of the Beard family of Beard Hall is: Argent, three men's faces bearded Sable within a bordure Azure (or alternatively recorded as three men's heads, couped and bearded, Proper, within a border Azure).

The arms of Beard of Beard Hall.

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November

 It's that time of year again so I make no apologies for reminding my reader that my talk featuring the armorial bearings of the Gunpowder Plotters is available for all to see. 

In this talk, we explore the heraldry, or coats of arms, used by the Gunpowder Plotters and link that heraldry to their lives and their part in the Plot. We explore their lives, their motives and their deaths.