Motorcycle Racing and Manorial History.

I often get requests from the uninitiated to translate blazons and more often than not, where it is a genuine plea for assistance, I am only too pleased to advise as long as it doesn't divert me too much away from earning a living. I do tend to get rather choosy when I am asked to provide illustrations; simply because they take time to prepare.

This month I have received two very different requests, one definitely heraldic, the other not strictly so but perhaps subconsciously prompted by the science. Of definite heraldic origin was the straightforward request by a gentleman who, for his own study and amusement, has produced a web site setting down the history of Cheswardine Manor in Shropshire and wished to actually see in full colour the armorial bearings awarded to Charles Donaldson-Hudson in 1862: I produced this illustration: 

My second request of the month came from a Cheshire motorcycle racer who wanted something that represented his county to display as a logo as an antidote to the many hundreds of fellow racers from Yorkshire and Lancashire who so proudly show their respective (heraldic) roses.



Rob Dixon, who made the request, in action.

Rob wanted to use the wheatsheaf (garb to us armorists) as the basis for the proposed logo but after some discussion where I mentioned that Hugh Lupus, the first earl of Chester, had used a wolf's head on his coat of arms and I felt that such a charge might appeal to the motorcycle fraternity, we came up with this: Rob has promised to send me a photo of the logo being used in anger.