Watson
Watson, William.
Arms: Azure, a hare courant Proper between three suns 2 & 1 Or.
There is a distinct heraldic pun (known as canting arms or armes parlantes) in this blazon, which was historically borne by John Watson, Bishop of Winchester (1580–1584). This specific coat of arms breaks down into a two-part phonetic and semantic joke on the surname Watson. The Hare (Wat); from the Middle Ages through to early modern English, "Wat" was a standard, affectionate colloquial nickname for a hare (much like "Tom" for a male cat or "Robin" for a redbreast). Therefore, the hare courant (running hare) directly represents "Wat". The Suns (Son): The three suns flanking the hare serve as a literal, visual play on the word "son". When you read the symbols together on the shield, the heraldic elements visually announce "Wat-Sun" (Watson).
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