Talbot Letters Patent sold on Ebay

I would be surprised if most Internet competent heraldry enthusiasts didn't keep a weather eye on Ebay, I certainly do and I have on the odd occasion found myself a bargain. Some items offered for sale though are rather difficult to put a value on; one example is the recent sale of the Letters Patent of Sir William John Talbot.

The Letters Patent of Sir John record a grant of arms from the College of Arms went under the hammer for only £106 on the 12th September 2007. Described as The Armorial Bearings of Sir William John Talbot - Illuminated Manuscript, handwritten and painted by "The Royal College of Arms" 1935 [22" x 22"] Excellent condition for age.

I hope it went to someone in the Talbot family.

I captured the images and reproduce them below for your interest:

Papworth's Ordinary of British Armorials

I am in the market for a reasonable second hand copy of Papworth's Ordinary of British Armorials:

Shown on the left of the image above is a reprint of Papworth's. If you have one or know of one for sale please drop me a line ( use the contact page on the main Cheshire Heraldry web site ).

Ordinary of British Armorials: An Alphabetical Dictionary of Coats of Arms Belonging to Families in Great Britain and Ireland by John W. Papworth (Editor)

Even Heralds can get it wrong!

Nothing really to do with Cheshire but of interest to armorists nevertheless.

I have been involved in a conversation elsewhere in regard to an exemplification of arms by Deputy Ulster King of Arms - extract below [click on the image to enlarge it] :

The blazon for the crest in the exemplification gives the crest as "CREST: an arm erect in armour couped at the wrist or, the hand proper".

I find this a strange blazon given that the family is said to have used a crest which is simply a hand couped at the wrist. The blazon above would seem to me to be an arm chopped off at the wrist with the addition of a hand ! The gentleman I am in conversation with has provided (on the original thread) photographs of a stone carving of the arms which clearly show a hand only!
I have illustrated said blazon thus:

Not at all a satisfactory crest as the hand is floating above a severed wrist.
It is my belief that Deputy Ulster got it wrong; what he meant to blazon was a hand couped below the wrist.

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1663 Visitations Brock of Upton takes my fancy!

The 1663 Visitations are taking me rather longer than I anticipated but I am now moving well into the letter B.

There are occassions when one particular coat of arms takes my fancy for any number of reasons. I have today emblazoned the arms of Brock of UptonArms: Gules, on a chief Argent, a lion passant guardant of the field.

Crest: A demi-lion rampant Gules, holding in its paws and arrow Or, feathered and headed Argent.  

Striking yet simple:

This is where I am at:

http://cheshire-heraldry.org.uk/visitations1663/CV1663_3.html