Another Grant of Arms for sale on eBay.

For sale by the same seller as the arms of Hubert English Harrison Curling of Hitchen Hertfordshire (sold on 8th November 2007 for £301.000) are the Letters Patent for the Grant of Armorial bearings to David Barty King dated 1923.

At the time of writing the bidding is at £75.00 with three bidders.

I've probably said this before but it always seems sad to me that such a document, which clearly meant a lot to the original grantee, should part company with the family so soon. I'll keep an eye on the final hammer price and report back.

I'm not really into golf - but for just over £15!

Although I am a subscriber to the view put forward by that renowned wit Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) that Golf is a good walk spoilt, I have never the less just taken receipt of a personalised golf umbrella and I have to say that on the whole I am most impressed. At £9.99 plus postage and packing Spire View will produce a personalised golf umbrella with your chosen design in two of the segments (for an extra £1.50 they will print your design on all four).

I asked them to put my own armorial bearings on all four of the white segments and considered myself fortunate that of the two colour options  (white and red or white and blue) my livery colours of red and white were available. The result is quite pleasing, service was second to none and delivery prompt; but I must add the caution that for real enthusiasts of armory, some of the products sold by Spire View may well fall foul of the "bucket shop" range. That said though, for £15.19 what more could you ask?

A Cheshire Hatchment?

I have received an enquiry about the hatchment illustrated below. The enquirer is convinced that this hatchment is Brooke and informs me that the hatchment is over the vault of Peter Brooke (buried at Prestbury in 1806). I am not convinced this is Brooke but it is early days yet.

There are a number of armigerous Brooke's and the majority bear a Brock (badger) for a crest; certainly this is the case for the majority of the Cheshire Brookes. There is record in BGA of a Brooke family originating from Weston, Buckinghamshire using a crest of six ostrich feathers (one gold the others black ) issuing out of a gold coronet but this family uses a quite different coat of arms to the Cheshire Brooke family and does not use this motto.

I have not seen the tomb mentioned but have checked Raymond Richards Old Cheshire Churches and he says that in Prestbury Church there is a Monument to Reginald LEGH of Adlington d.1482 in the chancel, a Wall tablet, north chancel wall, of Sir Edward WARREN, with depiction of the knight head resting on his crest. In the Worth chapel there is a monument to Jasper WORTH d.1572 and his wife Alice, with arms of WORTH, DRAYCOTT & DOWNES. The Worth chapel is in the south eastern chapel. There was a LEGH chapel, from which the chancel came, it was made in 1740 for the LEGHs of Adlington. LEGH and VENABLES arms WORTH or TYTHERTON chapel dedicated to St Nicholas. LEGH & VENABLES arms over the door of the LEGH chapel. No mention is made of Brooke in this Church but the Arms of Brooke can be seen in the following:

CHURCH MINSHULL has armorial glass in window in 1572 now all gone recorded by Sampson ERDSWICK, named achievements of MAISTERSON, BOSTOCK, MASSEY. Etc. Hatchment of BROOKE (Thos. B lord of manor) d.1820. Thos BROOK was MP Newton. BROOKE impaling (Margaret daug of) Sir Robt CUNLIFFE bart of Saighton.

ROSTHERNE has a Chapel of the EGERTON's of Tatton along with memorials of local families. In chancel helmet and gauntlets hang. Tomb of Charlotte Lucy Beatrice EGERTON d.1845 by Richd WESTMACOTT jr around which are many monuments of the EGERTONs. Windows to the VENABLES, CHOLMONDELEY, LEGH, BROOKE etc.

The hatchment clearly shows a crest of ostrich feathers with the motto In Hoc Signo Vinces. I have checked Fairbairns and noted that the families using this motto include Aiscough, Arran, Berrie, Berry, Booth, Burke, Glasham, Gore, Ironside, Macadam, M’Carlie, M’Kerlie, O’Donel, O’Donnel, Newling, Stanhope, Taafe, Taylor, Turney and Webb.

Booth is a Cheshire name but no Booth uses ostrich feathers. None of the above except Burke uses ostrich feathers.

I can find no mention of this in the Cheshire volume of Hatchments of Britain (Summers and Titterton),

Grant of arms to Hubert English Harrison Curling.

Another grant of arms to fall under the hammer at eBay is that to Hubert English Harrison Curling of Hitchen Hertfordshire dated the 5th September 1951, described as "In fairly good condition with the odd scuff and mark on the box and odd mark and crease on the document" sold on the 8th November 2007 for £301.00.
This one came complete with both wax seals intact and attached and had its box too. Signed by G. R. Bellew, Garter and Arthur Cochrane, Clarenceux.

Talbot coat of arms - eBay - again!

As recently as 29th October I reported the sale of the Letters Patent of the armorial bearings of Sir William John Talbot and now report that a library painting of the same arms has just fallen under the hammer for £74.00 - same seller but I regret to say that I did not make a note of the purchaser of the L's P so can't say if the painting has gone to the same owner.

Contacting Cheshire Heraldry

I receive quite a number of emails via the contact page but noticed this week that all seemed to have gone quite. A very brief investigation revealed that I mucked up the formatting after recent changes to the layout of said page!

All is now well and communications sent via the contact page actually reach me rather than being sent in ever decreasing circles until they disappear into the ether. My apologies if you have tried to reach me recently and have received no reply; if it is a genuine enquiry or comment I am usually only too pleased to respond but please note that I can not tell you if you are descended from anyone who had a coat of arms, nor can I tell you if you have a right to a particular coat of arms. Questions of this nature will not be answered.