Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - English

Not really a pun as such but one that clearly speaks of England given that the National Flag is Argent, a cross Gules.

English, Sir Thomas

Argent, a cross fleury, Gules 

(Visitations)

The arms of Sir Thomas English, Shropshire Visitations.

It is conjectured that this surname arose from parts of Great Britain near the borders of England with Scotland and Wales, it may have been applied to people who spoke English, or to distinguish people of English ancestry from Celts, while from the interior of England it may have referred to people who were English rather than Norman French in ancestry. Given that we are dealing with a shropshire family, it could be either the fact that Salop is on the border with Wales, to distinguish people of English ancestry from Celts, or to simply refer to an English, rather than a Norman French family.