Sep-05 Issue - The Heraldry Society

ISSN 0437 2980 

THE HERALDRY 

GAZETTE 

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER 

OF THE HERALDRY SOCIETY REGISTERED AT STATIONERS HALL 

HRH THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL 

NEW SERIES 97 

September 2005 

reproduced with permission 

The Duchess of Cornwall has been granted armorial bearings which reflect her position as 

consort to The Prince of Wales. The arms follow ample precedent in marshalling elements from 

the achievement of The Prince of Wales to the dexter and those relating to his wife’s family to 

the sinister. The shield is ensigned by the single arched coronet and supported by the dexter 

supporter of the Heir Apparent. 

The arms to the sinister are derived from the arms recorded for Major Bruce Shand, the 

Duchess’s father, except that a minor difference appears to have been made in the shield’s 

principal charge, the boar’s head depicted as erased rather than couped. Major Shand’s crest 

is ‘a boar statant Azure armed and langued Gules his dexter forefoot resting on a mullet Gules’ 

and the blue boar gorged with a royal coronet and chained appears as the sinister supporter. 

See the note ‘Shand Family’ on page 8. 

To contact the Membership Secretary, Ingrid Phillips, write to PO Box 772, Guildford, GU3 3ZX 

1

2 

CRANWELL HERALDRY 

PART ONE: THE ROYAL AIR FORCE BADGE 

Ceremonial Gates Cranwell Avenue Portico 

With the recent painting of the wrought-iron 

gates, and the re-gilding of the badges which 

adorn them, the Ceremonial Entrance to the 

Royal Air Force College has been restored to a 

state in which it would have been seen when 

College Hall was officially opened in 1934. By 

then the College had its own coat of arms but 

it was the badge of the Royal Air Force which 

was chosen for the gates, and the Cranwell 

version is made all the more impressive by the 

‘oversized’ eagle that flies out from the circlet 

and crown, which together complete the 

design. 

The Royal Air Force badge came into use in 

August 1918, when the circlet took the form of 

a garter and buckle. But in heraldry, this 

proved to be incorrect and it was replaced by a 

plain circlet when the badge was registered at 

the College of Arms on 26 January 1923. 

During the reigns of George V, Edward VIII 

and George VI the Tudor Crown had 

surmounted the circlet. But it seems that the 

crown, the circlet and the eagle were subject to 

a wide range of variations with regard to style, 

composition and proportion, and it was not until 

1949 that the design was standardised. From 

that date, the ‘oversized’ eagles, which 

dominate the badges on the gates of the 

College, gave way to a smaller version that 

dissects the circlet; in the form seen on the 

porticos, erected on Cranwell Avenue in 1997. 

The description of the Royal Air Force badge 

was promulgated in Air Ministry Orders 

A.666/49, which were published on 15 

September 1949, and it reads: “In front of a 

circle inscribed with the motto, ‘Per Ardua Ad 

Astra’, and ensigned with the Imperial Crown, 

an eagle volant and affronté, the head lowered 

and to the sinister”. 

By choosing the motto of the Royal Flying 

Corps and the emblem of the Royal Naval Air 

Service, it seems that the Air Council’s original 

intention was to demonstrate a clear lineage 

for the Royal Air Force; and yet these 

elements of the new badge have long given 

rise to conjecture and debate. 

The most persistent debate is to do with the 

emblem, which is supposed by some to be an 

albatross, because of its association with the 

Royal Naval Air Service. But it is precisely 

because of its association with the Royal 

Naval Air Service that the emblem is an eagle. 

In his book ‘Airmen or Noahs’, published by 

Pitman in 1928, Rear-Admiral Murray Sueter 

attributed the choice of the Royal Naval Air 

Service emblem to an item of jewellery owned 

by his wife. In a footnote he states, “Mr 

Winston Churchill wanted an eagle for a 

badge to be worn on the sleeve of the coat to 

distinguish the naval airmen. An artist was 

sent for and he produced a design like a 

goose. But Mrs Sueter had a gold eagle 

Items for inclusion in the Gazette post to: The Editor, The Heraldry Gazette, at the 

address given on page 10, or e-mail to: gazette@theheraldrysociety.com

ooch of French Imperial design that she had 

purchased in Paris. I took this eagle brooch to 

the Admiralty to show Mr Churchill and Admiral 

Prince Louis of Battenberg. They much 

preferred it to the goose design of the artist and 

adopted it for the badge of the Royal Naval Air 

Service.” 

The Royal Naval Air Service came into being 

on 1 July 1914, and the initial dress regulations 

were promulgated in Admiralty Weekly Order 

No 2, where there is a first official reference to 

the emblem of the navy’s new air arm: “The 

badge of an eagle will be worn by members of 

the Royal Naval Air Service at the top left 

sleeve”. Later, when it was felt that aircrew 

should be further differentiated, Admiralty 

Weekly Order 756/16, of 21 April 1916, stated 

that in addition to the eagle on the left sleeve a 

further eagle should be worn on the left 

shoulder strap. Then, on 8 June 1917, in 

Admiralty Weekly Order 2106/17, aircrew were 

required to wear the eagle on both sleeves and 

both shoulder straps. 

With so many references to the eagle, there 

can be no doubt as to its use by the Royal 

Naval Air Service, or to its subsequent use by 

the newly-formed Royal Air Force, which 

adopted the rank badges of the Royal Naval Air 

Service and the rank titles of the Royal Flying 

Corps. As such, a lieutenant colonel wore 

“three rows of distinguishing lace surmounted 

by bird (sic) and crown”, the latter being similar 

to the badge on an officer’s field service cap of 

today. It was not until 27 August 1919 that an 

Air Council Order replaced army titles of rank 

with Royal Air Force titles of rank, and 

consigned the ‘bird and crown’ device from the 

sleeve to the shoulder strap. 

Having used Admiralty Orders to establish 

that the Royal Naval Air Service emblem was 

an eagle, and Air Ministry Orders to confirm 

that the eagle had been adopted by the Royal 

Air Force, it would seem that these same 

orders could be used to reveal the genesis of 

the albatross debate. From 1 April 1918, the 

Royal Air Force undertook all Service flying 

training, and detached some of its air and 

ground crews for service with the Royal Navy. 

In April 1924 these detachments were 

designated the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air 

Force. Soon afterwards, naval officers began 

to train as pilots with the Royal Air Force, and 

they then joined its fleet air arm: but the 

Admiralty decided to award its own flying 

badge. So, when Admiralty Fleet Order No 

2793 was issued, on 2 October 1925, it 

described the new badge for navy pilots as: “A 

silver anchor and cable of silver embroidery 

surrounded by a laurel wreath of silver 

embroidery superimposed on the wings of an 

albatross”. 

So, with the albatross attributed to the Royal 

Navy of 1925, and the eagle established as the 

emblem of the Royal Air Force from 1918, 

attention now turns to the motto which is 

inscribed on the circlet. 

Having been approved by George V, ‘Per 

Ardua Ad Astra’ was promulgated as the motto 

for the Royal Flying Corps in Army Order No 3, 

on 15 March 1913. The motto had been 

suggested by Lieutenant J S Yule, of the Royal 

Engineers, who discovered the words in Sir 

Henry Rider Haggard’s novel ‘The People of 

the Mist’. In the first chapter there is a 

description of “two stone pillars on whose 

summit stood griffins of black marble 

embracing coats of arms and banners 

inscribed with the device Per Ardua Ad Astra”. 

According to Group Captain A H Stradling in 

his ‘Customs of the Services’, published by 

Gale and Polden in 1966, Rider Haggard’s 

source was the Irish family of Mulvany, whose 

motto it had been for centuries. But its 

meaning was in dispute. According to 

Squadron Leader P G Herring, in his ‘Customs 

and Traditions of the Royal Air Force’, 

published by Gale and Polden in 1961, the 

Mulvany family understood the meaning of the 

motto to be “Through Difficulties to the Skies”, 

whilst Rider Haggard believed it to be “Through 

Struggle to the Stars”. Seeking literal meaning 

of the motto, the Air Ministry approached the 

College of Arms, who declared that no 

authoritative translation was possible. So in 

the words of a contemporary postscript by the 

Air Council Member for Personnel, “Let 

everyone translate it as they think fit”. 

Group Captain P J Rodgers MBE FRAeS 

RAF (Retd) 

Items for inclusion in the Gazette: post to the Editor, The Heraldry Gazette, at the address 

given on page 10 or by e-mail to gazette@theheraldrysociety.com 

3

4 

THE HIGH SHERIFFS OF OXFORDSHIRE - PART ONE 

Martin Davies's recent appeal for information 

about court room heraldry made me dig in my 

files. He is quite right that photography is a 

problem in any court building as it is feared that 

photos may fall into the hands of violent 

criminals who then use them to plan their gang 

members' break out while on trial. Indeed, 

even access by the general public is 

sometimes difficult for similar reasons. Without 

good cause to be there it may be impossible to 

gain entry to certain court buildings. Whereas 

they were seen as prime targets for IRA 

terrorism for 30 years, that fear has now been 

supplanted by one of more global origins. 

As well as the depictions of current royal 

arms, certain courts display the arms of High 

Sheriffs or Lords Lieutenant of their county in 

an ante room. When I was approached by 

John Brooke-Little some years ago to produce 

a shield for the upcoming High Sheriff of 

Oxfordshire I was given the signal honour of 

being allowed to take a camera into the Oxford 

Crown Court, albeit carefully chaperoned, to 

John Thomson 1957 

Ermine an eagle displayed 

Sable charged on the breast 

and each wing with an 

escallop Or on a chief Gold a 

rose Gules barbed and 

seeded proper between two 

bulls' heads cabossed also 

Gules. 

The first shield in the series. 

This was painted many years 

later as Spurrier was only a 

schoolboy in 1957. It is a 

good example of his skill as 

an artist with well drawn 

charges, nicely balanced and 

filling their space. Strangely, 

he varnished the eagle and 

overlapped the varnish onto 

the white of the ermine field, a 

technique known as “pencil 

varnishing”. This is usually 

only done on glass to protect 

the artwork. Here the varnish 

has yellowed, inevitable over 

the years, and now shows up 

on the white. 

David Wills 1961 

Gules three estoiles of twelve 

points fesswise between two 

griffins passant Or beaked 

Azure that in chief charged 

with a crescent Gold on a 

mullet Gules for difference. 

(The stars are composed of 

alternating wavy and straight 

lines.) 

record the existing shields. There are now 

some 33 adorning the walls of this large room 

where witnesses and appellants sit waiting for 

their turn in front of a judge. Most before 1998 

were done by that most accomplished heraldic 

artist and one time herald Peter Spurrier, who 

is no longer with us. 

The arms on the wall are not a complete 

record of the High Sheriffs. The shields have to 

be paid for by the office holder, no public funds 

ever being made available. In recent years all 

have elected to join in and it can be assumed 

that the gaps relate to those who did not. Nonarmigers 

can use the badge of office on a blue 

hexagon with their name and year below. This 

can be blazoned as, ''Two swords in saltire 

blades uppermost Argent pommels and hilts Or 

that in bend broken.'' 

In this and the following part is a complete 

list of shields displayed up to the present 

incumbent of 2005. The post is held for one 

year starting in April. The names and dates are 

as written below each shield. 

Visit the website at www.theheraldrysociety.com 

J. Heyworth 1962 

Quarterly 1st & 4th: Argent six 

lions three two and one Sable; 

2nd & 3rd: Argent two 

barrulets wavy between three 

bats Sable. 

Alan Budgett 1965 

Azure on a cross invected 

between four water bougets 

Or an escallop between as 

many horseshoes of the field. 

Charles Radclyffe 1967 

Argent two bendlets engrailed 

Sable a label Gules. 

Miles Gosling 1970 

Gules on a chevron between 

three crescents Or a squirrel 

affronty cracking a nut 

between two like squirrels 

also cracking nuts respectant 

proper in chief a cinquefoil 

Gold. (The cinquefoil is an

oddity as it is in the position of 

a cadency mark, has been 

finely outlined to contrast 

against the boldly outlined 

crescents and yet has been 

drawn large enough to be a 

charge. The impression is that 

it should have been the 

double quatrefoil of a 9th son. 

As a charge it ruins the 

symmetry of the shield. 

Spurrier repeated this for 

Brunner of 1988, yet there is a 

correct cadency mark in this 

position for Parker of 1989 

also drawn quite large. Both 

can be viewed in part 2.) 

The 3 dainty squirrels of 

Gosling. Note the cinquefoil 

in chief. 

Peter Parker 1973 

Gules a chevron between 

three lions' heads affronty Or. 

W. Birch Reynardson 1974 

Quarterly 1st & 4th: Or two 

chevronels engrailed and in 

chief a rose Gules barbed and 

seeded proper on a canton 

also Gules a mascle Argent; 

2nd & 3rd Azure three fleursde-lis 

and a canton Argent. 

John Collins 1975 

Or on a pale Vert between two 

apples slipped and leaved 

proper three bezants on a 

chief also Vert as many 

anchors sans cables Gold. 

J. C. L. Fane 1977 

Azure three dexter close 

gauntlets Or. 

(This is the coat of the Earls of 

Westmorland who poetically 

blazon their charges as three 

dexter gauntlets backs 

affronty.) 

William Bell 1978 

Azure a chevron Ermine 

between in chief two bells and 

in base a fleam Or. 

The Hon. Charles Cecil 1979 

Barry of ten Argent and Azure 

six escutcheons three two and 

one Sable each charged with 

a lion rampant Argent in 

centre chief a crescent Argent 

on a like crescent Sable for 

difference. 

(These are the unquartered 

arms of the Marquesses of 

Salisbury.) 

Robert Fleming 1980 

Per chevron Sable and Argent 

in chief two goats' heads 

erased Argent armed and 

holding in the mouth a lily 

slipped Or in base a cross 

flory Gules. 

Thomas Hall 1981 

Argent three talbots' heads 

erased Sable between five 

crosses crosslet Azure on a 

chief Sable an eastern crown 

Or. (How three charges can 

satisfactorily be portrayed 

between a different number of 

charges is a challenge to 

artists. Burke records similar 

shields for Halls with nine 

crosslets and five, as here, 

with no indication of their 

layout. It is a rare example of 

artistic licence being allowed 

to be exercised in heraldry, 

with numerous alternatives 

suggesting themselves. Here 

Spurrier has placed the 

crosses and heads evenly on 

the field which ends up with 

two crosses being obscured 

beneath the heads. This 

stretches the term 'between' 

to the limit.) 

The challenging arms of Hall 

as explained in the text 

Sir Mark Norman Bt 1983 

Sable a thunderbolt and in 

chief two crosses formy 

pierced with the eight symbols 

of Fhohe or the Pa-qua and 

charged with a roundel 

containing the eastern symbol 

known as Tae Keigh all Or in 

centre chief a baronet's 

badge. (I am grateful to 

Debrett for this impossible 

blazon. The first armiger's 

obvious eastern interests may 

have been connected to the I- 

Ching: the crosses are 

charged with trigrams and 

pierced with the yin-yang 

symbol.) 

Baz Manning SHA 

. . . to be continued 

E-mail the editor at gazette@theheraldrysociety.com 5

ALMANAC OF EVENTS OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 2005 

Oct 1 Middlesex Heraldry of Bermuda Marjorie Kirby 

1 Manchester Ducal Heraldry Alan Fennely 

3 Lancashire Heraldry in East Anglia Gwyneth Hagen 

5 Norfolk Military Connections Iain Swinnerton 

7 Heraldry Society Visit to the College of Arms William Hunt 

15 Chilterns New Thoughts on Old Hatchments Andrew Gray 

15 Bath Nelson Heraldry Michael Furlong & 

Roland Symons 

19 Heraldry Society ‘The Heraldry of Trafalgar’ David White 

26 Yorkshire Duxbury Lecture Hugh Murray 

The Enamel Painters of York (1589-1792) 

26 Somerset Visit to St Cuthbert’s Church, Wells 

Nov 2 Norfolk The English Knights of St John Tony Sims 

5 Middlesex Cromwell’s Armorial Background Keith Lovell 

5 Manchester Welsh Heraldry Dorothy Lee-Fitchett 

7 Lancashire Royal Regalia Nigel Griffin 

12 Somerset Visit to North Cadbury Church and Court 

14 Heraldry Society The Society Dinner 

Principal Guest: The Earl Marshal 

19 Norfolk St Edmund’s Lunch 

19 Chilterns Afternoon with the Pierson Slide Collection John Titterton 

19 Bath Conserving the Records of the College Christopher Harvey 

of Arms 

23 Heraldry Society The Constance Egan Lecture Cecil Humphery- 

‘A Japanese Armorial’ Smith 

30 Manchester Manchester Town Hall 

30 Yorkshire Heraldry on the Right Lines Peter Marshall 

Dec 3 Manchester East Anglia Heraldry Gwynneth Hagen 

5 Lancashire Seasonal Fun Evening 

10 Bath Arcadian Heraldry Michael Messer 

13 Heraldry Society Annual General Meeting 

14 Yorkshire Mythical Beasts Jim Winstanley 

Please check details of meetings with the appropriate contact person shown on page 16 of the 

June issue. 

Please note that other heraldic events take place. This is not an exhaustive list. If you would like 

your events to appear please send details to: gazette@theheraldrysociety.com, including in the 

subject line - almanac entry. 

6 


AUTUMN DINNER 

2005 

A reminder that bookings for 

the Autumn Dinner must be 

received by 31 October. As 

announced previously in the 

Gazette, our Patron the Duke 

of Norfolk is to be the Guest of 

Honour, and the splendid 

setting will be Painters' Hall. A 

booking form is enclosed with 

this issue for members with 

UK addresses.

THE 2005-2006 LECTURES AND VISITS PROGRAMME 

The over-arching theme for the 2005-2006 

lecture season is Recording Heraldry. This 

takes the Basic Heraldry module of the 2004- 

2005 season a stage further and will give 

members an insight into British and foreign 

recording of heraldry. 

The sponsored lectures in the forthcoming 

season start with the Mark Elvins Lecture, 

traditionally on a religious theme: this will be on 

the impact of the Reformation on German 

heraldry. For the Constance Egan Lecture 

Cecil Humphery-Smith will talk on a Japanese 

Armorial. The John Brooke-Little lecture will be 

by Patrick Cracroft-Brennan on the stall plates 

of the Knights of the Garter. The final 

sponsored lecture, that of the Worshipful 

Company of Scriveners, will be given by the 

retiring Chairman of Council, Dr Malcolm Golin. 

This year being the 200th Anniversary of our 

greatest naval victory, Somerset Herald has 

kindly agreed to lecture in Trafalgar month on 

the heraldry of the victors of Trafalgar. 

NORFOLK HISTORY QUIZ 

Lectures are included in the annual 

subscription, but an informal retiring collection 

is made to help to defray the hire costs of the 

premises. 

Windsor Herald is kindly hosting an evening 

visit to the College of Arms and the Institute of 

Heraldic and Genealogical Studies is hosting a 

visit to Canterbury. The visit to St John's Gate 

was heavily over-subscribed last season so will 

be repeated early in 2006. These visits are 

self-financing and tickets are available in 

advance from the Programme Secretary. 

The Programme Secretary would very much 

appreciate help in advertising the lectures to a 

wider public and is looking for an Assistant 

Programme Secretary to take over this aspect. 

If you feel you could spare time and would like 

to help the Society in this way, please contact 

the Programme Secretary, Colonel Michael 

Phillips, either on 01483 237375 or through the 

Membership Secretary on 01483 237373 or email 

memsec@theheraldrysociety.com. 

Can you answer the following questions:- * (see answers at the end of the article) 

1. Who is the patron Saint of Russia ? 

2. Who succeeded Genghis as the Great Khan ? 

3. Who was the British Prime Minister during most of the American War of Independence ? 

No? I am not surprised, but it was the ability to answer these and approximately 90 similar 

questions, some even more difficult, that enabled the Norfolk Heraldry Society once again to win 

the Norfolk History Quiz. 

The Quiz takes place every year and teams of not more than three members can take part. The 

Norfolk Heraldry Society has won the Quiz 10 times in the last 15 years. A formidable 

achievement. This year the team consisted of Chairman Andy Anderson and John Dent, 

Hon.FHS, Founder Member and Vice-President of the Society. Although they had one member 

less than the permitted number of three per team, they were still able to fend off the considerable 

opposition provided by local teams from, among others, the Richard III Society and the 

Battlefields Trust. 

*1. St Andrew. 2. Ogadai, his third son 3. Lord North. 

PLEASE NOTE: 

The next deadline for 

contributions to the 

Gazette is 

1st November. 

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8 

CUHAGS PRESIDENT 

On 11th June the Cambridge 

University Heraldic and 

Genealogical Society installed 

its 2005 President, Antti 

Matikkala. Previously President 

of the Finnish Heraldry Society, 

Antti is well know in Heraldry 

Society circles since coming to 

Cambridge to pursue his postgraduate 

studies. The 

installation took place at the 

customary Accession Banquet 

in Clare College. An impressive 

guest list included Lord Slynn of 

Hadley, H.E. the Ambassador of 

Finland, and a number of 

Heraldry Society luminaries. It 

was also encouraging to meet 

Michael Burtscher and Marshal Walker, who are endeavouring 

to resurrect the Oxford University society. We stand ready to 

give them any help they need in that enterprise. Our warm 

congratulations go to Antti, and we wish him every success in 

his year of office. 


SHAND FAMILY 

The Shands of Craig, 

Aberdeenshire became 

opulent in the 16th and 17th 

centuries. There is a tradition 

that the Shands came to 

Aberdeenshire in the 14th 

century and it is possible that 

the boar's head indicates 

some feudal or similar 

connection with the Gordons 

whose ancient arms featured 

a single boar's head (current 

arms feature three). The 

three mullets gules featured 

on the chief of the Shand of 

Craig arms probably came 

from marriage alliances with 

families which featured them. 

The difference adopted by the 

Lord Lyon in Major Shand's 

arms is the replacement of the 

centre mullet by a cross 

crosslet fitchy. MJ

PRINCE OF WALES’ ARMS AT POUNDBURY, DORSET 

To enhance the Brownsword Hall at 

Poundbury, the Duchy of Cornwall 

Development on the edge of Dorchester in 

Dorset, HRH Prince Charles asked me to paint 

a 3 feet square panel depicting his arms as 

Prince of Wales. This, together with excellent 

scenic and Duchy Arms wallhangings 

executed by Monica Perry, has just been hung 

in the hall for permanent exhibition. 

The most immediate spin-off from the 

commission has been copious requests for 

both technical and historical information on 

every detail of the Arms, resulting in talks and 

necessitating the creation of a leaflet. The 

most unexpected question so far has come from 

a small boy at my talk to a local primary school: 

“Why wasn’t King James I and VI called King 

James VII?” 

Patrick Grove-White 

PERCY VANT Herald with a Difference by Peter Field 

The deadline for contributions to the next Gazette is 1st November 9

Crest of Bolton 

Alan Buckingham (June 

2005 number of the Gazette) 

wrote about the connection 

between the elephant and 

castle devices of Bolton and 

Coventry. The first known 

depiction of this as Bolton's 

crest appears on Baines's 

map of the town dated 1824. 

There are two versions of its 

adoption by the trustees of 

Great Bolton ; first that the 

'elite of Bolton adopted this 

splendid heraldic device in 

1799 at the suggestion of Pitt 

Hewitt', one of the original 

trustees and the other, that it 

was the suggeston of Ralph 

Boardman solicitor and clerk 

of the trustees, who had an 

old seal bearing the device. 

Bolton was incorporated in 

1838 and the borough 

continued to use this crest 

until 1890 when it was 

decided to apply for a grant of 

arms. The subscription list 

was opened in March and the 

letters patent were dated 5th 

June - such matters being 

effected more speedily than 

these days. Major Ottley Lane 

Perry, a former councillor was 

instrumental in the design and 

decided to commemorate 

Bolton's distant ecclesiastical 

link with Coventry by 

incorporating a mitre on the 

saddle cloth of the elephant. 

Incidentally is there any 

explanation of Coventry's 

elephant? Following the 

reorganisation of local 

government in 1974 the 

Metropolitan Borough of 

Bolton had a new grant of 

arms and the tenuous 

Coventry connection of the 

10 

CORRESPONDENCE 

mitre was replaced by the 

more appropriate Lancaster 

rose - see illustration in March 

2005 number of the Gazette. 

Malcolm Howe Chelsea 

(formerly of Bolton) 

I refer to Alan Buckingham's 

letter in the June 2005 edition 

of the Gazette and think he is 

right to be suspicious of 

Wilfrid Scott-Giles' 

explanation for the elephant 

and castle in Bolton's arms. 

That is also Bolton Council's 

official explanation and was 

adopted by H Ellis Tomlinson 

in 1974, but I believe it was 

the rationalisation of an 

heraldic enthusiast - excouncillor 

Major Otley Perry, 

who suggested the design for 

the County Borough Council 

in 1890 - for an existing use. 

Certainly there was already 

a connection between Bolton 

and the elephant and castle 

as early as 1831, when two 

coaches on Bolton's first 

railway were named 

'Elephant' and 'Castle'. A 

newspaper advertisement for 

a drapery business in 1838 

included a shield with two 

bends surmounted by an 

elephant and castle on a 

torse, but when the newlycreated 

Municipal Borough 

Council obtained its first seal 

in 1839, the elephant and 

castle, on a mound, were on 

the shield. From then until 

Please send your letters or articles to the Editor of 

the Gazette at the following address: The Head’s 

House, Fred Nicholson School, Westfield Road, 

Dereham, Norfolk NR19 1JB or by e-mail to 

gazette@theheraldrysociety.com 


1890 the Municipal Borough 

Council and then the County 

Borough Council used the 

elephant and castle in many 

different forms - on a shield, 

on a torse or as a free-floating 

object. 

In the discussions with the 

College of Arms in 1890 on 

the Council's application for a 

grant, the Council resolved 

that new arms should 

resemble as much as possible 

the device previously used 

and so the elephant and 

castle became the crest. On 

the creation of the 

Metropolitan Borough in 1974, 

the one feature of the old 

arms which council members 

insisted should be retained 

was the elephant and castle, 

so strong was its association 

with Bolton. My theory for that 

connection is that there was a 

representation of the elephant 

and castle in the mediaeval 

parish church since it was an 

important Christian symbol in 

view of the beneficent 

characteristics ascribed to it in 

the bestiaries, and that, 

therefore, it appears on the 

borough arms because of the 

strange sexual habits of 

mediaeval elephants. 

Incidentally, the elephant 

and castle borne on Fred 

Dibnah's coffin was borrowed 

from Bolton museum and is 

one of a pair of 19th century 

cast-iron elephants which

stood on the gate pillars of a 

bleachworks. It lay on the 

route to the Bolton Royal 

Infirmary and nervous children 

were distracted by being told 

that at midnight each New 

Year's Eve the elephants 

exchanged gateposts so that 

they had a slightly different 

view for the succeeding year. 

That's about as well 

evidenced as Perry's and my 

explanations. 

Mike Cresswell 

Seal Enquiry 

In reply to Frank Keirl's 

query the oldest surviving 

grant by an English officer of 

arms is that of William Bruges, 

Garter, to the Drapers' 

Company on 10 March 1439. 

The original still belongs to the 

Company. Not only is it 

signed and sealed by Bruges 

but very unusually for a patent 

also includes a notarial 

certificate of its execution. 

The seal is circular and 26mm 

in diameter. It displays 

Bruges' arms (checky of nine 

pieces [argent and sable] 

powdered with ermine spots 

countercoloured) and a crest 

of a woman's head in a hood 

or cowl. The legend reads 

SIGILLU[M] WILLIMI 

BRUGGES. There is nothing 

on the seal to denote Bruges' 

office as Garter. The seal is 

the same as that of his father, 

Richard, except that the 

legend on Richard's seal 

reads LANGCASTR ROY DE 

ARMYS. William's oval 

counter-seal or signet bears a 

crown which might well reflect 

his office as a king of arms. 

For further details and 

pictures see Hugh Stanford 

London, The Life of William 

Bruges, the first Garter King of 

Arms (Harleian Society, cxi 

and cxii [in one vol], for 1959 

and 1960 (London, 1970)). 

The seals of both men are 

not the earliest known for an 

English officer of arms. That 

honour belongs to Peter, King 

of the Heralds, whose 

jurisdiction, like modern-day 

Norroy, extended northwards 

beyond the Trent. His seal, 

attached to a charter now in 

the British Library and dated 

1276, bears three crowns, 

possibly a sign of his kingly 

office. Mr Keirl will find further 

details in Sir Anthony 

Wagner's Heralds of England 

(London, 1967), p.6. 

Adrian Ailes 

Arms of a Lady 

In answer to Bob Jones’s 

letter of the Gazette of June 

2005 re the arms granted to 

my wife Shirley Greenwood. 

In Canada a lady’s personal 

arms have always been borne 

on a shield ever since 4th 

June 1988 when H. M. the 

Queen transferred the 

exercise of her heraldic 

prerogative to the Governor- 

General of Canada, thus fully 

patriating heraldry. 

Pure socialism I suppose !? 

Alexander Greenwood B.C. 

Canada 

‘ABEL’ GRANT 

We have been approached 

by a lady who has the original 

grant of arms (1883) to Sir 

Frederick Augustus Abel. She 

would like to get in touch with 

his descendants. If one of 

them reads this, perhaps they 

would contact the 

Hon.Secretary. 

CANTERBURY 

HERALDRY 

WEEKEND 

Plans are well advanced for 

a Heraldry Weekend at 

Canterbury Christ Church 

University College in 

September next year. The 

subject will be "Heraldry and 

the Medieval Craftsman". It 

will be possible to book 

residential or non-residential 

places provided your booking 

is made early! Enclosed with 

this issue is a booking form for 

the event. Note that there is a 

discount of £10 per person for 

bookings received before 31st 

December 2005. 

IN MEMORIAM 

The death of David 

Sanctuary Howard was 

reported in the June edition of 

the "Gazette". There will be a 

Service of Thanksgiving for 

his life at 2.30 p.m. on 

Monday 7th November at the 

Guards Chapel, Wellington 

Barracks, Birdcage Walk, 

London SW1. 

Ann Bowen 

Calligraphy and 

Heraldic 

Illuminations 

1 DOODS PLACE, DOODS ROAD 

REIGATE SURREY RH2 0NS 

TELEPHONE/FAX 01737 246171 

All opinions expressed in the Heraldry Gazette are those of the authors and not 

necessarily those of the Editor or of the Heraldry Society. 

E-mail the editor at gazette@theheraldrysociety.com 11

12 

THE BOURBON-ANJOU ARMS IN SPANISH HERALDRY 

At a ceremony in Paris last December 8th, 

Henri d'Orléans, Count of Paris and claimant of 

the French throne, stated that he was creating 

one of his nephews Duc d'Anjou; and with 

great fanfare presented him with a card 

bearing the coat of arms historically associated 

with that title, a differenced version of France 

Modern: azure, three fleurs de lis or, a bordure 

gules, shown in figure 1. 

figure 1 

The heraldic element of the event, at least, 

may have annoyed more than one Spanish 

peer. One of the most recognisable images in 

all of heraldry, the fleur-de-lys arms flourish in 

the peerage of the last kingdom ruled by the 

dynasty. 

Undifferenced, they appear on the arms of 

the Dukes of Medinaceli quartering the arms of 

Castille and León to denote descent from King 

Louis IX, yet this appears to be anachronistic, 

for the France Modern arms blazoned above 

(versus the azure semy-de-lys or of Saint 

Louis' era) were first adopted by King Charles 

V in the late 1300s. 

The remainder of the arms of Spanish peers 

bearing France Modern all denote ultimate 

descent from a single individual: Philippe, 

Duke of Anjou (1683-1746) who in 1700 

became Spain's first Bourbon King as Felipe V. 

The bordure gules that he used as Duke of 

Anjou to difference his arms from those of his 

grandfather King Louis XIV has been 

consistently retained by his descendants to 

signal their ancestry. This is somewhat ironic 

for differencing has never been uniformly used 

in Spanish heraldry; an oft-mentioned royal 

decree of 1669 introducing it can be found in 

every Spanish heraldry primer and has been 

resolutely ignored. The result of this is naturally 

that in Spain a great many people bear 

identical arms, and so any given coat may 

identify an ancestor but not a specific bearer's 

line of descent. Hence the proliferation of the 

Bourbon-Anjou arms in Spanish heraldry 

outside the royal family. In addition, there is no 

rule concerning heraldic heiresses in Spanish 

heraldry and indeed many noble and gentry 

families quarter their arms with those of 

ancestral lineages more or less at will, 

regardless of whether or not those families 

have become extinct in the male line. 

The widowed Queen Regent María Cristina, 

also a descendant of Spain's King Carlos III, 

married her second husband, palace guard 

Fernando Muñoz on 28 December 1833, just 2 

months and 29 days after the death of her 

uncle and first husband, King Fernando VII. 

The births of children to the morganatic couple 

were more or less secret and they held no rank 

at court until their half-sister, Queen Isabel II, 

was declared of legal age in 1843. Over the 

next 5 years she showered her stepfather and 

half-siblings with an array of titles. Muñoz was 

created Duke of Riansares in 1844, and later 

Marquess of San Agustín; the couple's children 

eventually received the titles of Countess of 

Vista Alegre, Marchioness of Castillejo, Duke 

of Tarancón, Viscount of La Alborada, Count of 

Casa Muñoz, Viscount of Rostrollano, 

Marchioness of La Isabela, Viscountess of La 

Dehesilla, Conde del Recuerdo, Viscount of 

Villarubio, Count of Gracia and and Viscount of 

La Arboleda. Several of the children died 

young and their titles were redistributed among 

their siblings. Tracing the titles' lines of descent 

here would be complicated, but today the 

Chronicler of Arms' annual guide to the 

Spanish peerage shows that those who bear 

the titles use one of two coats of arms. Both 

varieties display the Bourbon-Anjou arms 

inherited from Queen María Cristina, but the 

present Viscount of La Alborada and Marquess 

of Castillejo impale them with some ancient 

Visit the website at www.theheraldrysociety.com

figure 2 

figure 3 

figure 4 

figure 5 

Muñoz arms as shown in figure 2 , while the 

Duke of Riansares, Marquess of San Agustín 

and Viscount of Rostrollano impale them with 

the arms used by Fernando Muñoz as Duke of 

Riansares, as shown in figure 3. 

In addition, the undifferenced Bourbon-Anjou 

arms have been used as the arms of the 

Dukes of Seville, Ansola, Dúrcal, Marchena, 

Hernani, and Santa Elena; all of these titles 

were granted to males of the Spanish line of 

the Bourbons between 1823 and 1917. The 

Hernani title has reverted to the crown but the 

remaining Dukes, though the titles are mostly 

in other families through female succession, 

use identical undifferenced Bourbon-Anjou 

arms with ducal coronets and mantles. 

Another title, that of Duke of Cádiz, was first 

granted to a male Bourbon dynast in 1822. In a 

2002 article Spain's Chronicler of Arms, 

Vicente de Cadenas y Vicent, argued that as 

the sole heir to this title Luís Alfonso de 

Borbón, who is also now the senior 

representative of the Bourbon dynasty by male 

primogeniture, should use the familiar Borbón- 

Anjou arms with an escutcheon of Bourbon 

proper. Cadenas illustrated this as shown in 

figure 4. 

Regardless of their 're-granting' by Henri 

d'Orléans it seems likely that the Bourbon- 

Anjou blazon will continue to feature 

prominently on the arms of armigerous 

descendants of Spanish Bourbon monarchs. 

Descendants of the King's sister the Infanta 

Pilar and her husband, Luís Gómez-Acebo, 

Viscount of La Torre, might quarter his arms 

with hers. And little Felipe Juan Froilán de 

Marichalar y Borbón, son of the Infanta Elena 

and eldest grandson of King Juan Carlos, may 

someday also pass on the Bourbon-Anjou 

arms as a heraldic inheritance, quartering the 

familiar French arms with his father Don 

Jaime's ancient arms of Marichalar of Navarre, 

Or, an oak tree proper on a mount vert, a wolf 

passant sable as shown in figure 5. 

Matthew Hovius 


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14 

BOOK BROWSER 

HERALDRY IN NORFOLK CHURCHES - Vol.4 SPARHAM 

DEANERY 

Ken Mourin FHS, Norfolk Heraldry Society ISBN 0- 

9506624-7-X £14.00 

This is the fourth part of the Norfolk Heraldry Society's opus 

on the heraldry to be found in the county's churches. In many 

ways the volumes get better and better, and this fourth volume 

is the best yet. As well as twenty-four churches in the Deanery 

it covers three houses, with fuller notes on one family (the 

Jodrells) and Peter le Neve. The illustrations are clear and the 

information on what is to be found in the individual churches 

and houses is supplemented with helpful photographs. There is 

an index of names and blazons at the back which will be of 

great assistance to researchers seeking a particular coat of 

arms. The one fault - and a surprising one - to be found is some 

erroneous descriptions of Royal Arms. James I and VI would be 

surprised to learn that his innovation of bringing Ireland into the 

Arms was seen as adding Wales, and Queen Anne would have 

been surprised to see that she became a Hanoverian following 

the Act of Union with Scotland. There is also a strange 

comment about an inn-sign for a hostelry called The Kings 

Arms showing the current Royal Arms, said to date from 1845: 

"presumably for King Edward or King George". Perhaps the 

date should be 1945? 

MANCHESTER HERALDRY STUDY 

The Greater Manchester Heraldry Society will be holding 

their eleventh heraldry study at Worsley Court House on 

October 14th. Speakers will include Peter Marshall, Diarmid 

Pattinson, John Titterton and Malcolm Howe - all on a variety 

of heraldic subjects "with a northern flavour". 

Tickets, inclusive of a light luncheon, are same as last year 

at £10 and may be obtained from our Treasurer, Alan Bacon, 

17 St Christopher’s Ave, Ashton under Lyne, OL6 9DT 

ADVERTISING RATES 


MEMBERSHIP 

NEWS 

We welcome the following 

new members: 

S C Allan New York 

N Whyberd W Sussex 

D Stephens Dublin 

Anglia Heraldry 

Group Essex 

S Cameron Yorkshire 

J Crowley USA 

G Ingham Gloucester 

G Ellis-Hughes Wales 

N Griffin Lancashire 

J Houston Beds 

Lord Norrys Ayrshire 

We have heard with regret 

of the death of the 

following members: 

Mr. E. G. B Crundwell 

April 2005 

Mr. Trevor Daintith 

May 2005 

Mr. H. W. P. Harrison 

June 2005 

Mr. W. G. Harris 

April 2005 

Mr. L. Leonard 

2005 

Mrs. Margaret Wood 

July 2005

THE 2005 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 

The 2005 Annual General Meeting will be held at the Society 

of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1 at 6.30 

pm on Tuesday, December 13th. A formal notice is enclosed 

with this mailing. 

The Council members retiring by rotation this year are Mr 

David White (Deputy Chairman) and Mr Geoff Robson. Both 

offer themselves for re-election. There is also one vacancy, 

which Council recommends should not be filled: a Resolution to 

this effect will be put to the Annual General Meeting. This will 

result in the Council having eight elected members; the Articles 

provide for a minimum of four. Experience has shown that 

working with eight elected and three non-elected members (the 

President, the Hon. Secretary and the Hon. Treasurer) is 

efficient and effective. The present intention is for Council to 

remain at that size. 

The Articles provide that a member of the Society may 

nominate another member for election to the Council provided 

the nomination is made not less than six weeks before the AGM 

(which this year would be 1st November) and accompanied by 

written consent to nomination signed by the person concerned. 

If no nominations are received the retiring members will be 

declared re-elected. 

PHOTOGRAPHIC 

COMPETITION 

Enclosed with this issue is 

the entry form for the Heraldry 

Society Photographic 

Competition 2005, which was 

announced in the two 

previous issues of the 

"Gazette". Council hopes that 

the competition will prove 

popular with members, and 

generate some striking 

photographic images of 

heraldic subjects. Please be 

sure to note the closing date 

for entries, which is 30th 

October 2005. 


Margaret Wood trained first as a librarian 

from 1967 to 1969 and gained her 

Associateship of the Library Association, Then 

as a professional caIligrapher, illuminator and 

heraldic artist, on a full-time three year course 

at Reigate School of Art and Design from 1977 

to 1980, where she gained a First Class 

Honours Diploma. In 1976 she was approved 

as a tutor by the Inner London Educational 

Authority and elected a Fellow of the Society of 

Scribes and Illuminators of London in 1977. 

She was a member of the Council of the 

Society of Heraldic Arts for ten years and 

Chairman of the Blackmore Vale Scribes for 

seven years. She retired from both Offices 

because of pressure of work. 

She worked for the Crown Office in the House 

of Lords at the Palace of Westminster, initially 

as a librarian and then as one of the five 

Queen's Scribes from 1978 to 1987, producing 

illuminated Letters Patent creating Notaries 

Public, Judges, Life Peers, Heralds and Kings 

of Arms. She also painted heraldry for several 

of the Officers at the College of Arms, including 

John Brooke-Little (Richmond Herald and later 

Clarenceux King of Arms), Rodney Dennys 

(Somerset Herald), and Sir Colin Cole 

(Windsor Herald and later Garter Principal King 

of Arms.) 

She returned as a tutor and visiting lecturer at 

Reigate School of Art and Design, now part of 

East Surrey College, from 1979 to 1987. She 

moved to Somerset in 1987 and established an 

enviable reputation as one of the best tutors of 

the Craft in the Country. She was much in 

demand at Colleges of Adult Education, 

Community Education Centres and 

Universities as a resident tutor and lecturer. 

Her ability as a teacher was extraordinary. She 

was able to encourage and inspire everyone 

she taught, and was regarded with enormous 

affection by all her students and everyone who 

met her. She had endless patience and 

understanding not only with her students' work 

16 

MARGARET JEAN WOOD 

ALA, SDAD (Hons), FSSI, SHA 

but with their problems as individuals. She was 

someone whom all felt able to turn to and 

confide in. Her work was sensitive and 

imaginative and is much prized by everyone 

who owns it. 

Her commissioned work included the design 

and execution of formal documents on vellum 

and paper, calligraphy, manuscript painting, 

gilding and heraldic design and painting. She 

also undertook commissions for Letters Patent, 

illuminated addresses and scrolls for the 

Armed Services, County and Municipal 

Boroughs and the Church. For private 

collectors, commissions included manuscript 

books, genealogical and armorial family trees 

and armorial library paintings. 

Her commercial work involved calligraphic 

and heraldic design for reproduction, 

publishers' book jackets and titling, greetings 

cards, book tokens, logo designs and graphics 

for television and advertising. Her death will 

create a very great loss both to the craft and to 

all who knew her. She was married to Anthony 

Wood and had a son by her previous marriage. 

The Society sends its condolences to 

Margaret’s family. 

Published by the Heraldry Society, Charity Reg No 24156, Reg Office, 53 High Street, Burnham, Slough, SL1 7JX. 

Printed by Masterprint Ltd, London, SE18 5NQ

Sep-05 Issue - The Heraldry Society

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