Happy Heraldry Day 2026

 

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Tayleur

I have written a lot about the Tayleur Arms (public house) on this weblog charting first my concern over the incorrect Inn Sign, through to its new ownership, destruction by fire, and the eventual resurection of this fine Inn and eating house along with the replacement of the sign to one more fitting for a pub called the Tayleur Arms. Now, I have the pleasure of adding the arms to my gallery of Shropshire's Punning Arms. There is a slight difference in that the sword, in the MS of Mr. Morris, is recorded as being "imbued" that is to say blood stained at the point.

I bring to my reader's attention a rather scathing report of the so called pun by Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King of Arms. 

Tayleur

Tayleur, John, of Rodington, Sheriff, 1691.

Arms: Ermine, on a chief Sable, three escallop shells Argent.

Crest: Issuing out of a ducal coronet (Or) a dexter arm in armour embowed holding in the hand a sword point imbrued Proper.

The arms of John Tayleur, of Rodington, Sheriff, 1691.

There is a traditional heraldic joke associated with this coat of arms, though it is a historical misconception rather than a true intentional pun (canting arms). The armorial joke relies on a humorous, non-heraldic interpretation of the technical components of the shield. In traditional heraldic analysis, such as that famously remarked upon by Sir Bernard Burke in his Vicissitudes of Families, the elements are playfully stripped of their noble meaning to describe the literal tools of a tailor (Tayleur). The Ermine fur pattern of the field represents the expensive cloth or material being worked on. The Chief Sable (The black horizontal block at the top of the shield) represents a tailor's cutting board or heavy ironing table. Instead of the holy pilgrim symbols of the Crusades, the escallop shells are instead, jokingly, interpreted as "thrums", the discarded threads, scraps, or fringe left over at the edge of a piece of woven cloth after a tailor cuts a pattern. Burke noted that onlookers cracked this joke to poke fun at the trade origins implied by the family's name. He dryly added that it was "a pun, and not a very clever one".

 

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Singe

 Singe, of Bridgnorth (from Millington of Catstree).

Arms: Azure, three millstones 2 & 1 Argent each charged with a circular mill-rind Sable. Quartering Argent, a eagle displayed with two heads Sable.

Crest: out of a ducal coronet Or an eagle's claw Argent. 

The arms of Singe, of Bridgnorth (from Millington of Catstree).

There is indeed an heraldic pun (canting arms) here, but it isn't for the name Singe, it is a brilliant pun for their original surname Millington. The family that bears these arm, famously the ancestors of the Synge baronets and the celebrated Irish playwright John Millington Synge, originally bore the surname Millington.  The three millstones (each charged with an iron mill-rind) are a direct visual pun on the "Mill-" in Millington. On the crest, the eagle's claw emerging from a coronet, along with the second and third quarters of the full coat of arms (which depict a double-headed eagle), reflects the second half of the name, "-ington," representing an estate or farmstead, often associated with birds of prey in this lineage. 

The name change is a famous piece of family lore. The lineage traces back to the 16th century to a Thomas Millington, who was a choirboy at Bridgnorth. King Henry VIII reportedly heard him sing and commanded that he be called "Singe" instead. The family adopted the surname Synge (pronounced to rhyme with "sing") but rightfully kept their ancestral, pun-filled coat of arms.

Antiquaries write that the Synge family originated in England, tracing their male line to the sixteenth century in Shropshire, where Thomas Millington was known as 'corruptly* called Singe of Bridgnorth'. 

*Historically, the phrase "corruptly called" (or corruptè dictum in Latin) was used by ancient and medieval scholars—like cartographers, historians, and chroniclers, to indicate that a name, place, or term had been mistakenly altered over time. It meant a word was mispronounced, misspelled, or misunderstood.

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Ridley

 Ridley

Ridley, of Salop.

Arms: Gules, a chevron Argent between 3 hawks close Or. 

Crest: A greyhound courant Argent collared Gules.

The arms of Ridley, co. Salop.

There is a clear heraldic pun (known as canting arms or armes parlantes) in this coat of arms, but it lies in the hidden Old English etymology of the surname Ridley. While a modern observer might look at a chevron, hawks, and a greyhound and see no immediate connection to the word "Ridley," medieval heralds relied heavily on local dialects, wordplay, and archaic terminology. 

The name Ridley originates from Old English words meaning a "cleared glade" or "reedy ley" (field). However, in medieval hunting and regional dialects, a glade or clearing where hawks were flown or dogs were slipped to chase prey was intimately tied to the concept of "riding" (hunting on horseback) through the open leys. 

The crest of a greyhound courant (running at full speed) is the ultimate symbol of a swift pursuit or "riding down" prey. In medieval falconry, hawks were kept "close" (with wings folded) when they were resting on the falconer's fist while he was riding to the hunt.

Shropshire's Heraldic Puns - Proby

 Proby.

Proby, alias Ap Robyn.

Arms: Ermine, on a fesse gules a lion passant Or. 

Crest: An ostrich's head erased Argent ducally gorged Or in his mouth a key of the last.

Motto: Manus Haec Inimica Tyrannis ("This hand is hostile to tyrants").

The arms of Proby, alias Ap Robyn.

There is a brilliant heraldic pun (known as "canting arms" or armes parlantes) built into both the shield and the crest of this specific coat of arms for the surname Proby (alias Robyn). Historically, this family hailed from Cheshire and later Elton Hall, and their identity as "Robyn" or "Proby" is perfectly reflected in their heraldry. The Shield has a pun on "Robyn". Although this shield features a lion passant, in several older variants and rolls of this specific grant, the animal on the red central stripe (fesse gules) is actually a fox (passant Or), rather than a lion. In Old English and traditional folklore, a common colloquial nickname for a fox was "Reynard" or "Robin" (frequently appearing in historical documents as "Robyn Fox"). Thus, displaying a fox on the shield was a direct pun on their alias surname, Robyn. Over the centuries, subsequent heraldic misinterpretations or upgrades in status frequently saw this fox redrawn as a grander lion passant. 

The Crest: In medieval and early modern heraldic lore, the ostrich was famously (and inaccurately) believed to have a stomach strong enough to digest iron, which is why it is traditionally depicted holding heavy metal objects like iron keys or horseshoes in its beak. The Latin verb "to try", "to test", or "to prove" is probare. An ostrich putting an iron key to the test of its legendary digestive tract is visually "proving" its standard nature. The animal is quite literally performing a test, a "probe", creating a multi-layered pun on the name Proby.

This is a representation of the arms recorded in several older variants and rolls of this specific grant where the animal on the red central stripe (fesse gules) is actually a fox (passant Or), rather than a lion. 

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Praers

 Praers

Prayers

Arms: Gules, a scythe Argent.

The arms of Praers.

There is an historic heraldic pun (known as a canting coat of arms) in the bearings of the Praers family. The visual pun relies on medieval French and Old English vocabulary, playing on the meaning of the surname and heraldic wordplay. The surname Praers (also spelled Praerys or Pryeres) derives from the Anglo-Norman French word praer or praerie, meaning a meadow or pasture (the root of the modern English word prairie). The scythe is the primary agricultural tool used historically for mowing meadows and harvesting grass. By choosing a scythe as their knightly symbol, the Praers family created a delicate allusion to their own name. The coat of arms visually represents the action historically associated with their name's literal meaning: a tool to mow the meadows.

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Pointer

One more (selected out of the many) punning image:

Pointer

Pointer, Rev. John

Arms: Sable, three piles the points ending in crosses formée two in base and one in chief Or. 

Crest: A dexter arm bendways vested Sable cuffed Or pointing with the forefinger Proper Or. 

The arms of The Reverend John Pointer.

This is an excellent, and obvious, example of canting arms (or an heraldic pun), which relies on visual wordplay. The puns are woven into both parts of the achievement: The charges on the shield are piles, which are large, downward-pointing triangular shapes. Their downward "points" literalise the surname Pointer. Each of the three piles ends in (or points to) a cross and it is quite possible that the three crosses refer to The Holy Trinity. The crest features a pointing finger, making a second, direct visual reference to the surname. 

Shropshire's Punning Heraldry - Perton

 Perton

Perton, John, of Barndsley (sic).

Arms: Argent, on a chevron Gules three pears Or. 

Crest: On a mount Vert, a pear tree fructed all Proper.

The arms of John Perton, of Barnsley, Salop.

The surname Perton sounds very similar to the word "pear tree" or "pears." In Old French and Anglo-Norman contexts (which deeply influenced English heraldry), punning on Pear-tree or simply focusing on the pear motif was a clever way to visually announce the family's name to illiterate onlookers on the medieval battlefield. The chevron and the pears are often associated as visual shorthand for pears, tying directly into the phonetic pun. The crest reinforces this pun by featuring a literal pear tree on a mound.

The primary pun rests directly on the surname Perton: The surname Perton originates as an Anglo-Saxon locational name derived from the Old English words pere (pear) and tūn (an enclosure, farmstead, or orchard). It literally translates to "Pear Town" or "Pear Orchard". By filling the coat of arms with three golden pears and crowning it with a pear tree crest, the heralds created a direct, literal visual representation of the name's meaning (Pear-ton).In medieval and early modern England, heralds frequently designed arms based on a purely auditory pun rather than a strict historical meaning. The first syllable of Perton ("Per-") sounds identical or nearly identical to the word "pear" or the French word for pear, "poire". In old West Midlands dialects (where the village of Perton in Staffordshire is located), the distinction between spelling variations like Perton, Parton, and Pearton blurred together, making the auditory connection to the fruit immediate to anyone hearing the name. Perton in Staffordshire is just over the border with Shropshire.