Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Ridley

 Ridley

Ridley, of Salop.

Arms: Gules, a chevron Argent between 3 hawks close Or. 

Crest: A greyhound courant Argent collared Gules.

The arms of Ridley, co. Salop.

There is a clear heraldic pun (known as canting arms or armes parlantes) in this coat of arms, but it lies in the hidden Old English etymology of the surname Ridley. While a modern observer might look at a chevron, hawks, and a greyhound and see no immediate connection to the word "Ridley," medieval heralds relied heavily on local dialects, wordplay, and archaic terminology. 

The name Ridley originates from Old English words meaning a "cleared glade" or "reedy ley" (field). However, in medieval hunting and regional dialects, a glade or clearing where hawks were flown or dogs were slipped to chase prey was intimately tied to the concept of "riding" (hunting on horseback) through the open leys. 

The crest of a greyhound courant (running at full speed) is the ultimate symbol of a swift pursuit or "riding down" prey. In medieval falconry, hawks were kept "close" (with wings folded) when they were resting on the falconer's fist while he was riding to the hunt.

Shropshire's Heraldic Puns - Proby

 Proby.

Proby, alias Ap Robyn.

Arms: Ermine, on a fesse gules a lion passant Or. 

Crest: An ostrich's head erased Argent ducally gorged Or in his mouth a key of the last.

Motto: Manus Haec Inimica Tyrannis ("This hand is hostile to tyrants").

The arms of Proby, alias Ap Robyn.

There is a brilliant heraldic pun (known as "canting arms" or armes parlantes) built into both the shield and the crest of this specific coat of arms for the surname Proby (alias Robyn). Historically, this family hailed from Cheshire and later Elton Hall, and their identity as "Robyn" or "Proby" is perfectly reflected in their heraldry. The Shield has a pun on "Robyn". Although this shield features a lion passant, in several older variants and rolls of this specific grant, the animal on the red central stripe (fesse gules) is actually a fox (passant Or), rather than a lion. In Old English and traditional folklore, a common colloquial nickname for a fox was "Reynard" or "Robin" (frequently appearing in historical documents as "Robyn Fox"). Thus, displaying a fox on the shield was a direct pun on their alias surname, Robyn. Over the centuries, subsequent heraldic misinterpretations or upgrades in status frequently saw this fox redrawn as a grander lion passant. 

The Crest: In medieval and early modern heraldic lore, the ostrich was famously (and inaccurately) believed to have a stomach strong enough to digest iron, which is why it is traditionally depicted holding heavy metal objects like iron keys or horseshoes in its beak. The Latin verb "to try", "to test", or "to prove" is probare. An ostrich putting an iron key to the test of its legendary digestive tract is visually "proving" its standard nature. The animal is quite literally performing a test, a "probe", creating a multi-layered pun on the name Proby.

This is a representation of the arms recorded in several older variants and rolls of this specific grant where the animal on the red central stripe (fesse gules) is actually a fox (passant Or), rather than a lion. 

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Praers

 Praers

Prayers

Arms: Gules, a scythe Argent.

The arms of Praers.

There is an historic heraldic pun (known as a canting coat of arms) in the bearings of the Praers family. The visual pun relies on medieval French and Old English vocabulary, playing on the meaning of the surname and heraldic wordplay. The surname Praers (also spelled Praerys or Pryeres) derives from the Anglo-Norman French word praer or praerie, meaning a meadow or pasture (the root of the modern English word prairie). The scythe is the primary agricultural tool used historically for mowing meadows and harvesting grass. By choosing a scythe as their knightly symbol, the Praers family created a delicate allusion to their own name. The coat of arms visually represents the action historically associated with their name's literal meaning: a tool to mow the meadows.

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Pointer

One more (selected out of the many) punning image:

Pointer

Pointer, Rev. John

Arms: Sable, three piles the points ending in crosses formée two in base and one in chief Or. 

Crest: A dexter arm bendways vested Sable cuffed Or pointing with the forefinger Proper Or. 

The arms of The Reverend John Pointer.

This is an excellent, and obvious, example of canting arms (or an heraldic pun), which relies on visual wordplay. The puns are woven into both parts of the achievement: The charges on the shield are piles, which are large, downward-pointing triangular shapes. Their downward "points" literalise the surname Pointer. Each of the three piles ends in (or points to) a cross and it is quite possible that the three crosses refer to The Holy Trinity. The crest features a pointing finger, making a second, direct visual reference to the surname. 

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Perton

 Perton

Perton, John, of Barndsley (sic).

Arms: Argent, on a chevron Gules three pears Or. 

Crest: On a mount Vert, a pear tree fructed all Proper.

The arms of John Perton, of Barnsley, Salop.

The surname Perton sounds very similar to the word "pear tree" or "pears." In Old French and Anglo-Norman contexts (which deeply influenced English heraldry), punning on Pear-tree or simply focusing on the pear motif was a clever way to visually announce the family's name to illiterate onlookers on the medieval battlefield. The chevron and the pears are often associated as visual shorthand for pears, tying directly into the phonetic pun. The crest reinforces this pun by featuring a literal pear tree on a mound.

The primary pun rests directly on the surname Perton: The surname Perton originates as an Anglo-Saxon locational name derived from the Old English words pere (pear) and tūn (an enclosure, farmstead, or orchard). It literally translates to "Pear Town" or "Pear Orchard". By filling the coat of arms with three golden pears and crowning it with a pear tree crest, the heralds created a direct, literal visual representation of the name's meaning (Pear-ton).In medieval and early modern England, heralds frequently designed arms based on a purely auditory pun rather than a strict historical meaning. The first syllable of Perton ("Per-") sounds identical or nearly identical to the word "pear" or the French word for pear, "poire". In old West Midlands dialects (where the village of Perton in Staffordshire is located), the distinction between spelling variations like Perton, Parton, and Pearton blurred together, making the auditory connection to the fruit immediate to anyone hearing the name. Perton in Staffordshire is just over the border with Shropshire.

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!

*There are two threads to the pun, with two historical events and two "heroes". Both tales play a vital role in the history of the Pelham family, but they serve different functions: the 1356 Poitiers story explains the origin of the buckle emblem, while the 1545 Seaford story explains the spoken pun. The Tale of Poitiers (1356) is the original claim: At the Battle of Poitiers, Sir John Pelham and Sir Roger de la Warr captured the French King, Jean II (John the Good). For this, King Edward III granted Sir John the King's sword belt buckle as a badge of honour. In reality, while the family adopted the buckle as a heraldic emblem shortly after this era, historians widely regard the capture of the King's actual belt as a romanticized family legend. The emblem was more likely adopted because it symbolised a "knight of the household" or royal service. The Tale of Seaford (1545) provides the spoken pun when a French fleet attempted to invade Seaford Bay in 1545. Local landowners and militia under the command of Sir Nicholas Pelham successfully drove the French back to their ships. This part is historically accurate. In revenge for Henry VIII's capture of Boulogne, French Admiral Claude d'Annebault raided the Sussex coast. Sir Nicholas Pelham successfully marshalled the locals to repel the troops. In regard to the Rhyming Pun, the famous Tudor rhyme is inscribed on Sir Nicholas Pelham's memorial in St. Michael’s Church in Lewes, Sussex. It perfectly celebrates the Seaford victory with a play on the family's "buckle" surname: "What time the French sought to have sack't Seafoord, This Pelham did repel them back aboord." While the buckle may, or may not, have originated as a badge of war much earlier, Sir Nicholas Pelham's heroism in 1545 gave the family name the ultimate vocal and visual 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.