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Please note that these pages are from our old (pre-2010) website; the presentation of these pages may now appear outdated and may not always comply with current accessibility guidelines. |
This month our featured item is a manuscript containing over 1200 hand-drawn, coloured illustrations of coats of arms. They represent nearly 600 years of history, from the reign of William I, King of England (1027/8-1087) to the reign of Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1600-1649). Although the author is currently unknown and the accuracy of some of the representations is doubtful, it is an interesting work which usefully demonstrates some aspects of heraldry. |
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The initial section of the manuscript is ordered chronologically;
individuals of the rank of duke, marquess, earl, viscount or baron
are grouped together under the monarch who granted them the title.
The first page is headed 'The Armes of the Noblemen
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Coats of arms developed as a means of
identification, it being crucial to distinguish between friends
and enemies in battle. They also came to serve as a means of
marking territory or property. Evidently, to avoid confusion, it was important
that each person's 'arms' were unique. A system and language
developed which standardised the colours and designs used and the means of
describing them, known as 'blazoning'. In effect, this
means that a coat of arms can be correctly drawn and coloured
based on a written or verbal description alone. Some of the terms
used are corruptions of early medieval French and descriptions of even very
simple shields can appear archaic and difficult to make sense of, for
example 'Azure a bend argent'. However, they can be broken down relatively
easily and interpreted. |
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Some coats of arms contain elements |
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Fetherston of Stanhop |
Hawkesworth of Hawkesworth |
Bowes |
Hedlamb |
Some coats of arms contain elements which reflect an
individual's position or relate to the history of their
predecessors. In his detailed, early eighteenth century work on
heraldry, Alexander Nisbet (1657-1725) of Edinburgh, states that
the type of charges found in the arms of 'ancient families'
represent '...the Acknowledgements and Services they were obliged
to perform to their Overlords and Superiors, as ... Bows and
Arrows, Hunting Horns, Ships, [etc]. Upon which Account such
Figures are frequent in Armories, all Europe over.' On the subject of ships as charges, Nisbet writes that they '...are frequently carried for the Arms of Maritime Countries and Towns, and by Families upon the Account of their Situation, and Trading by sea, or for the services they were obliged to perform to their Kings...' |
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Many of the coats of arms in the first section of the manuscript have a coronet placed above the shield. There are different kinds, to indicate rank. The three examples shown here are in line with the standard representations for dukes, earls and viscounts. A ducal coronet has three 'strawberry leaves' showing above the rim; the coronet of an earl has five pearls showing, set on high points above the rim; the coronet of a viscount has seven pearls showing, set just above the rim. |
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The manuscript contains examples of more unusual representations such as the use of the colour Vert (green). There are also some strange-looking creatures and implements, including battering rams and what might be bees or butterflies. It would be fair to say that the quality of the drawing is sometimes an obstacle to correct identification of the charges. |
Throughout the manuscript there are examples of coats of arms
which do not correspond with the descriptions given in various
standard reference works. Some appear completely at odds, others
contain relevant elements but perhaps have their tinctures
inverted. One of the coats of arms illustrated here, showing three
gold battering rams on a blue shield is labelled 'Barten, Lord
Willoughby'. However, it is possible that the illustrator has been
confused, or that the source from which they were working from was
inaccurate. Papworth's Ordinary of Arms lists the coat of arms for
'Bertie', (Marquess of Lindsay, Lord Willoughby) as a silver
shield bearing three battering rams 'proper' [used to denote that
a charge appears in its natural colour, in this case probably
gold], 'headed and garnished azure' [embellished with blue].
However, also listed is a silver shield
bearing three blue battering rams for 'Bartey' and a gold shield
bearing three blue battering rams for 'Eresby'. There are inaccuracies in some of the titles given, which are not just a result of irregular spelling. Geoffrey de Mandeville was created Earl of Essex under King Stephen, but is listed in the manuscript as the 'Earl of Sussex'. Also in the section for King Stephen is 'Baldwin, Earle of Devonshire'. However, this title was not created until the early seventeenth century. Baldwin de Redvers (c 1095-1155) was created Earl of Devon in 1141, during the conflict between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda. However, to be fair to the anonymous author there was contemporary confusion over the titles of Devon and Devonshire, the former being considered extinct in the seventeenth century. This may also explain the anomalous coat of arms illustrated. |
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At the end of the manuscript is an index, giving the names of
those whose coats of arms appear in the preceding pages.
Unfortunately, it is incomplete, only beginning at the letter F,
and the entries under each letter are not in strict alphabetical
order. It is possible that notes entered on the final few pages, regarding members of the Salvin family, may relate to the identity of the author, although they appear to be written in a different hand. There are a number of coats of arms alongside these notes, all impaled [the shield divided vertically in two] with the arms of Salvin. These are listed in Papworth as 'Argent on a chief sable two mullets or.' The various branches of the family have connections with the counties of Durham and Yorkshire and this may explain why the last part of the manuscript is concerned with the gentry in that part of England, although it is possible that other parts have not survived. However, the Salvin connection does not establish why the manuscript was compiled. There are different types of surviving English heraldic manuscripts, dating from the thirteenth century onwards, many of them now held in the British Library and the College of Arms. Many are described as 'rolls' and some of these are, literally, rolls of parchment while others have been bound into books. Those classified as 'occasional rolls' relate to a particular event such as a battle or tournament and are a record of the coats of arms of those present. 'Institutional rolls' may have been compiled over a long period of time, recording the changing membership of an organisation. 'Regional rolls' list the bearers of coats of arms within a particular area. The latter were often compiled as a result of visitations by the Crown's heralds who were responsible for regulating the use of coats of arms. There was concern, particularly from the fifteenth century, about the proliferation of coats of arms and the political, financial or social advantage which might be obtained through unauthorised use. There was also the danger of individuals, knowingly or otherwise, assuming coats of arms identical to someone else and committing a form of 'identity theft'. |
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In its entirety, this manuscript does not resemble one of these
types, but appears to be a compilation of information taken from
various sources. Given the increasing interest in
antiquarian matters during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, perhaps the most likely explanation is that it was compiled by
someone with a general interest in heraldry and in a particular
region and family. Evidently, given the errors it contains, it is not a wholly reliable or comprehensive reference tool for identifying coats of arms. However, it remains an intriguing and unusual item in our collections.
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Other items of interest
Some early works on heraldry,
held in Special Collections:
MS Hunter 390 (V.2.10) Gerald J Brault (ed) Eight
Thirteenth-Century Rolls of Arms in French and Anglo-Norman Blazon
London: Pennsylvania State University, 1973
Level 8
Main Lib History YR157 BRA |
Return to main Special Collections
Exhibition Page Sarah Hepworth February 2008
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