Two Harries Hatchments

Last evening, Mrs Martin and I watched an episode of Agatha Christie's "Marple" titled "By The Pricking of My Thumbs" with Charles Dance playing the Vicar, Septimus Bligh. At one point, the Vicar is seen to ring the church bells so as to call everyone to church so that he may make a confession; in this scene, he is standing in front of a hatchment and I recognised the arms as those of Harries, having only a few days ago blazoned the Harries arms for my Shropshire's Punning Arms series.  It took some tracking down as my first port of call, a search of the film locations drew a blank, because although the church is said to be St. Mary The Virgin Church, Turville, my hatchments reference books, and a Google search of the Church, came up with no such hatchment recorded at that location. In fairness, I would have been surprised if the hatchment had been in that location because The Harries family are local to Shropshire. 

An internet search returned an auction sale of two painted canvas hatchments for Harries of Cruckton and Tong, Shropshire, 1848 and 1875, sold at a Christies Auction in December 2014 for £2,250. It would seem therefore that the bell ringing scene was entirely staged with the Harries hatchment being used as a stage prop and not filmed at an actual location. 

Thomas Harries, (1774-1848).

A hatchment with the arms of Thomas Harries Esq (1774-1848), J.P, D.L, of Cruckton Hall, Shropshire.

A painted canvas hatchment with the arms of Thomas Harries Esq (1774-1848), J.P, D.L, of Cruckton Hall, Shropshire.

Barry of eight Ermine and Azure, three annulets Or (Harries); in pretence: quarterly of six,

1 and 6, Vert three eagles close Argent (Smitheman);

2, Chequy Argent and Sable;

3, Argent a chevron Gules between three chapeaux Gules turned up Ermine (Brooke?);

4, Gules a talbot passant Argent (Comberford);

5, Azure, semée of fleurs-de-lis and a lion rampant Or (Beaumont).

These arms were borne in pretence by Thomas Harries (1774-1848) after his marriage to Barbara Mary Anne Smitheman in 1798.

Francis Harries, (1804-1875).

A painted canvas hatchment with the arms of Francis Harries Esq (1804-1875) of Cruckton Hall and Broseley Hall, Shropshire.

1. Barry of eight Ermine and Azure, three annulets Or (Harries).

2. Ermine, a fess Sable with a triple-towered castle Argent (Hill, Bt of Hawkstone, Shropshire).

3. Azure, a fesse between three falcons close Argent beaked and legged Or (Philips, Yarpole Co. Hereford).

4. Argent, on a fess Sable three escallopes Or. (Wallcott)

In pretence Gules, on achief Argent three grenades Proper. (Boycott, Hinton and Rudge, Co. Salop).

Here is my version of the arms of Harries:

Curiosity sattisfied.