Thomas Arthington Esq - Bookplate

The latest addition to my collection is the bookplate of Thomas Arthingron Esq (F. 753  Size: 10.5 x 8cm) from the Greenwood Album*

An 18th c. bookplate of Thomas Arthingron Esq of Arthington Yorkshire.

The Arthingtons were around in the 12th century , when Peter de Arthington gave a grant to fund the establishment of a Cluniac nunnery.

The seal of Arthington Priory ( National Archives)

The family history seems to be lost in the mists of time, although Thomas is listed as the Sheriff of Yorkshire 1767-1768 and that his will was proved in the Court of York 5 December 1801.

*Called the Greenwood Album, after the album’s manufacturer rather than the albums previous collector(s). This is because exact provenance is a little mixed. It is believed that many of the plates are duplicates from the John Simpson collection which sold at Bonhams in May 2005 and the album came to the present owner by way of Dr. Geoffrey Vevers, a past secretary of the Bookplate Society.

Non heraldic - heraldic pubs.

On my journey, now undertaken as often as I can, to Tywyn, I always pass a country inn called The Cross Foxes* and I often wonder whether its patrons are aware that the name has an heraldic, and therefore historic, significance. The name, Cross Foxes, refers to the charges in the armorial bearings of Wynnstay and whilst there is absolutely nothing on the facade of this particular inn to hint at its origins, there are, perhaps by way of compensation to us heraldry addicts, quite a few hotels and public houses in and around Wales illustrating the arms of this family.

As I write this note, The Wynnstay Arms Hotel, Heol Maengwyn, Machynlleth, is being advertised for sale by Rightmove. I hope it finds a good owner who will look after it and improve it (and retain the original armorial Inn Sign).

* Cross Foxes - Bar Grill Rooms, Dolgellau, Gwynedd LL40 2SG

A new armorial standard from South Africa (part 2)

Back in June I wrote a small piece about a new armorial standard from South Africa and I'm please to report that one of my readers, who wishes to remain anonymous, has provided me with a generous response. I can do no better than quote it in full:

"Residing in South Africa as I do, I have a keen interest in local heraldry and of course the work of the Bureau of Heraldry. An invaluable resource in this regard that you may not be aware of is the National Archives of South Africa’s† database of the Bureau of Heraldry on registered heraldic representations. This database is available and searchable online using the National Automated Archival Information Retrieval System (NAIRS).‡ NAIRS’ web interface is archaic and cumbersome by today’s standards, the database itself does not seem to be entirely complete and there seem occasionally to be some transcription errors, but it is a valuable resource nonetheless and certainly better than nothing at all.

In pursuit of your query I decided to search for ‘quast’ as it seemed to me, in the South African context at least, a rather rare name. As I had hoped, this turned up results belonging to but one person, a Mr Rudolph Andries Ulrich Juchter van Bergen Quast. However, there were only two records: the badge and standard with the references 3371 and 3372, respectively, presumably corresponding with the certificate numbers you mentioned. Both were registered in 2003, the record for the arms themselves unfortunately does not appear to be in the database. In any event the blazon for the badge in question is given in the record as:

‘Upon a [sic] oval, fesswise pean, an Indian elephant statant Or, armed Argent, strapped over the belly, hump and rump Sable, cottised Or, charged on the left flank with a rose Gules, barbed Vert, seeded Or; seated on his neck a mahout, in his sinister hand a stick in bend sinister Argent.’

The blazon for the standard is given as (all sic):

‘In the hoist the arms of Rudolph Andries Ulrich Juchter van Bergen Quast and in the fly pean, Gules and Gules, between two transverse bands Or, fimbriated Argent, bearing the motto NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT in letters Sable, cottised Or, charged on his left flank with a rose Gules, barbed Vert, seeded Or; seated on his neck a mahout, in his sinister hand a stick in bend sinister Argent; in the second compartment two leopard faces snarling in pale Or; in the third compartment a leopard face snarling Or; the sleeve Or and fringed compony Gules and Or.’

I can only surmise that there has been an error in transcribing the blazon of the standard into the database and that the blazon of the standard should in fact read:

In the hoist the arms of Rudolph Andries Ulrich Juchter van Bergen Quast and in the fly pean, Gules and Gules, between two transverse bands Or, fimbriated Argent, bearing the motto NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT in letters Sable, in the first compartment an Indian elephant statant Or, armed Argent, strapped over the belly, hump and rump Sable, cottised Or, charged on his left flank with a rose Gules, barbed Vert, seeded Or; seated on his neck a mahout, in his sinister hand a stick in bend sinister Argent; in the second compartment two leopard faces snarling in pale Or; in the third compartment a leopard face snarling Or; the sleeve Or and fringed compony Gules and Or.

Although there is some ambiguity as to whether the tincture of the letters really is sable, as the record could have been cut off after either the word ‘letters’ or the word ‘Sable’. Sable could refer the tincture of the elephant’s straps or the lettering.

This would be the most serious error that I have thus far encountered in the database, the others being minor typos, perhaps I should write to the relevant database administrator (I can keep you apprised of any updated if I do).

* http://cheshire-heraldry.org.uk/weblog/2015/06/19/a-new-armorial-standard-from-south-africa/
† http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za/
‡ Available at http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za/sm300cv/smws/sm300dl
select ‘HER’ for the heraldic database.
Submit = Submit"

I am most grateful to my reader.

Here's to "Nationhood"

As my reader will know, I'm spending as much time as I can nowadays at the seaside in Tywyn (Merioneth) and one of the things I notice when visiting Wales (it's the same in Scotland) is the preponderance of the national flag when compared with those flown in England, where we only tend to see the appearance of the English flag when there is the usual run of International football matches on the goggle box (and the odd one appearing on or around St.George's Day) and even then, for some inexplicable reason, it appears to be necessary that the actual word "England" is emblazoned upon the flag; possibly as a safeguard to ensure that it is identifiable as our national flag because we see so little of it.

When we drove down (or should that be across?) to Tywyn last weekend our route was noticeably strewn with Y Ddraig Goch, the national flag of Wales; it was the week of the National Eisteddfod which is the largest cultural event of its kind in Europe and takes place annually during the first week of August. This year it's being held in Meifod, Montgomeryshire, between 1-8 August.

The Welsh are not shy when it comes to flying their national flag and seeing all of those flags on our journey reminded me of the row over the replacement of the Welsh flag with one designed to represent the town of Tywyn by the Tywyn Tourist Organisation. I remember thinking at the time that at least they were flying a flag which is more than can be said for the majority of English towns.

While on the subject of flags, of which Tywyn should be commended, the Parish Church of Saint Cadfan, Tywyn, which contains the oldest known example of written Welsh, often flies the flag of Merioneth at the same time as the National flag of Wales.

https://britishcountyflags.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/merioneth-flag/



Whether it's a "weird concoction" or a national flag is, perhaps, somewhat irrelevant, the important thing is that at least there is a flag and it's being flown. Others could learn a lesson from such proud displays.

Now it really is set in stone

So now it is set in stone. (With thanks to Hamish Bell and all concerned)

All hand carved with no power tools used at all.

I haven't quite made my mind up whether it will live inside or out. If I decide to place it outside, it will first have a weatherproof coating.

Prince, of Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury.

As a slight diversion from Cheshire heraldry, and a little closer to home, I had occasion today to produce a version of the arms of Prince, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury.

Grant of Arms to Richard Prince of Abbey Foregate in the County of Salop under the hand and seal of Robert Cooke, Clarenceaux, of date 20th November 1584 and further confirmed in the Heraldic Visitations of Shropshire undertaken in the year 1623 by Robert Treswell, Somerset Herald, and Augustine Vincent, Rouge Croix Persuivant of Arms: Marshals and Deputies to William Camden, Clarenceux King of Arms, and are further recorded in The General Armory of Sir Burnard Burke, Ulster King of Arms, in the name of Prince, of Shrewsbury and Abbey Foregate.

Arms: Gules, a saltire Or surmounted by a cross engrailed Ermine. Crest: Out of a ducal coronet Or, a cubit arm erect, habited Gules, cuffed Ermine, in the hand Proper three pine-apples of the first, stalked and leaved Vert.