A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

366
OF VEGETABLES.
barony of Aikenhead, long possessed by his progenitors. He had several brothers
and younger sons, who carry the foresaid bearing with suitable differences. Some
of the name carry argent, an acorn between three oak leaves -vert. Font's MS.
In England, many families carry fruits relative to their names, as do several
families in other countries in Europe ;
as the family of POMERULE, in France^ azure,
a cheveron or, accompanied with three apples of the last.
The family of MORO, in Venice, has the Mulberry, and the city of ORANGE, an
orange.
Ears of corn, as they are said to represent plenty, are carried in arms likewise
in relation to the names of the bearers. Their stalks are either couped,
slipped, or eradicate ; and, when with leaves, we say bladed, which is from the
French; as Favin in his Blazon of Arms of Inigo Ximenes, to-named Ariosto King
of Navarre, in anno 860, because he carried gules, thirteen ears of corn bladed or.
De gueules a trois
epis.de
bled d'or, 4, 4, 4, and i.
With us the name of RIDDELL, argent, a cheveron gules, between three ears of
rye, slipped and bladed vert.
The original family of this name is RIDDEL of that Ilk, in the shire of Teviot-
dale. For its antiquity I shall add these observations :
Jervasus de Ridal is a witness in the inquisition made by
David Prince of Cumber-
land, for the old possessors belonging to the Church of Glasgow. (Dalr. Collect.)
And the same man is witness in the charters of that Prince, when King of Scot-
the name of David I.
land, by
I have also seen the transumpt of a charter granted by this King to Walter de
Ridal, of the lands of Whittunes, Eschecho, and Liliesleaf, and others, to be
holden of the king, per servitium unius militis, sicut unus baronwn eorum ; and which
fends are now called the Barony of Riddel, in which Anchitel de Riddel succeeded
his brother Walter, as by a bull of Pope Adrian IV. which I have seen, a part of
which here follows, " Adrianus Episcopus, servus servorum Dei, dilecto Anchitel-
"
lo militi, salutem et Apostolicam benedictionem, &c. sub beati Petri et nostri
" protectionis suscipimus, specialiter autem ea quae Walterus de Riddel, frater tu-
" us, testamentum ante obitum suum faciens, tibi noscitur reliquisse, viz. villas
" Wittuness, Lillislive, Brahebe, et castera bona a quibuscunque tibi juste col-
" lata ; nos devotionis tuae autoritate Sedis Apostolicae integre confirmamus, &c.
" Datum Beneventi 7010 idus Aprilis." This Pope Adrian sat in the papal chair
from the year 1154, to the year 1159,
I have seen another bull, (penes Riddel de eodetn) of Pope
Alexander III. who
succeeded the foresaid Adrian, confirming the foresaid testament of Walter, and
an agreement passed betwixt Anchitel de Riddel, and one Huctredum Sacerdotem,
anent the lands of Lillesclave, by the mediation of King William. In the year
1270, Galfredus de Riddel is to be found a witness in several charters in the Register
of Kelso ; and, in the Register of Melrose, Willielmus de Riddel is witness in a
charter granted by John de Vesci to William of Sprouston, de nova terra
de Mow. This John de Vesci was Dot/iinus de Sprouston, and a son of William de
Vesci, who was one of the number of those who set up at first to contend for the
crown of Scotland with the Bruce and the Baliol; but their claims were soon dis-
cussed. Sir Walter Riddel of that Ilk, Baronet, chief of the name, lineal representer
and possessor of the family of Riddel, was honoured with the title of Baronet,
the I4th of May 1628.
There was another old family of this name, designed of Cranston. Hugo
Riddel de Cranston, is witness in a charter of King William to the abbacy of Kelso ;
and in that chartulary, Hugo Riddell gave to the abbacy of Kelso the lands of
Preston, being the fourth part of Cranston, culled Little-Preston, and now Prestonhall
; and from him the lands of Cranston were called Cranston-Riddel ; which
family continued to the year 1468, and then these lands came to the Creightons,
und afterwards to the M'Gills, for which they are called Cranston-M'Gill ; as in
Sir James Dalrymple's Collections.
WALTER RIDDELL of Minto, designed Gentleman in our New Register of Arms
argent, a cheveron ingrailed gules, betwixt three ears of rye, slipped and bladed
-cert; crest, a dexter hand, proper, holding an ear of rye, slipped and bladed or:
motto, Vtrtus muturat.