Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Delves

Delves, John, Sheriff, 1349.

Arms: Argent, a chevron Gules fretty Or between three delves (sods of turf) Sable.  

These arms have featured before in the section on Cheshire heraldic puns.

The arms of John Delves, Sheriff 1349

In what might be considered a slightly less obvious group might be placed those coats in which charges whose names are the whole names of the bearers are combined with other charges. Delves, so pleased to add the chevron of the Audley colours between the three black delves in his silver shield, could be included in this type of pun; here we see both the play on his name and his proclamation of his kinship with that Staffordshire squire whom James Audley delighted to honour for his valorous work at Poitiers.