Cornish heraldry
Heraldic tradition | Gallo-British |
---|---|
Governing body | College of Arms |
Cornish heraldry is the form of
Officials and law
Carminow v. Scrope
One of the earliest heraldic law cases brought in England was the 1389 case of
Carminow, seeing Scrope's use of his arms, challenged the right of Scrope to bear the arms. In this case, the constable of England declared that both claimants had established their right to the arms. Carminow had proven that his family had borne the arms "from the time of King Arthur", while the Scrope family had only used the arms "from the Norman Conquest of England". (Neither of these claims to such antiquity were in fact possible as the era of heraldry did not start until the late 12th century). The two families were, however, considered of different heraldic nations, Scrope of England, Carminow of Cornwall, and as such could both bear the same arms. As stated in the records of the case, Cornwall was in effect deemed a separate nation, "a large land formerly bearing the name of a kingdom."[1]
Officials
There are few recorded instances of heraldic officials in the Cornish tradition, however,
Heraldic law
Cornish heraldry generally conformed with the rules and customs of English heraldry, and therefore with the Gallo-British tradition. However, the use of arms was far more widespread amongst the Cornish than the English and there was far less control over the use of heraldry. The antiquary Richard Carew wrote in the early 17th century, "The Cornish appear to change and diversify their arms at pleasure...The most Cornish gentlemen can better vaunt of their pedigree than their livelihood for that they derive from great antiquity, and I make question whether any shire in England of but equal quantitie can muster a like number of faire coate-armours".[3] Jewers in his Heraldic church notes from Cornwall, c. 1860-80, mentions the large number of landowners using arms never registered with the College of Arms in London. Every large farm or barton in Cornwall housed its own "Gentleman of Coat Armour".[4]
Historically primogeniture, the inheritance by the eldest son of the family estate, was not commonly practised in Cornwall. Amongst the Cornish, lands commonly were divided equally amongst all sons which resulted in smaller broken up estates, and if no sons existed lands were divided between daughters or closest relatives, male or female.[5][6] This practice may have influenced the working and development of the Cornish tradition of heraldry.[7] When primogeniture was practised, younger brothers were often married to an heiress. The heiress's arms were then adopted by the husband in place of his own family's.[3]
Duchy of Cornwall
The arms of the Duchy are blazoned sable, fifteen
The arms are today used as a
Duke of Cornwall
For further reading; Coat of arms of the Prince of Wales
Title | Escutcheon | Greater Version |
Blazon | Date of Creation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Duke of Cornwall | Sables, Fifteen bezants or, five, four, three, two, one | 1337 | ||
Duke of Cornwall (as the Prince of Wales) |
Quarterly, 1st and 4th Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or armed and langued Azure (for England), 2nd quarter Or a lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counter-flory Gules (for Scotland), 3rd quarter Azure a harp Or stringed Argent (for Ireland), with over all a label of three points Argent, and on an inescutcheon ensigned by the coronet of the heir-apparent, quarterly, Or and Gules four lions passant guardant counterchanged (for the Principality of Wales) | 1911 | ||
Shield of Peace | Sables, three feathers argent, slipped through scrolls inscribed 'Ich Dien' | 1337 |
Cornish Symbolism
There are several charges and tinctures (colourings) used frequently in Cornish heraldry. These are derived mainly from Cornish royal and national symbolism.
Common charges
- Chough: the Cornish Chough, Cornwall's national bird, is very widely used in Cornish heraldry.
- Double-headed eagle: eagles with two heads occur prominently in several Cornish arms, in contrast to the rest of Britain where they are rare. The popularity of this form of eagle is probably due to Richard, Earl of Cornwall, who bore such an eagle in his role as King of the Romans.[10]
- Bezants: Lower describes how Cornish families took the bezant from the arms of the ancient earls of Cornwall, "this coat is pretended to from Cadock or Cradock earl of Cornwall in the fifth century". The bezant in fact derives from the arms of Richard, Earl of Cornwall.
- Rose: the rose is an extremely common charge in Cornish heraldry, thought by Lower to originate in the Wars of the Roses. William Smith Ellis thought it might have been derived from an unknown Anglo-Norman family in Cornwall using it as an emblem and passing it on to their supporters. It is more likely, however, to derive from the Cornish placename element ros meaning a promontory or heathland, or res, a ford, Cornish gentry often using the name of their major estate as a surname. It is used by the family of Boscawen originally from Boscawen Rose.[10][11]
Mottoes
Many Cornish families from ancient times bore mottoes in the Cornish language, many of which were recorded in the 17th century. The practice of using Cornish language mottoes continues to this day. Examples include:
Familial examples
- Vaughan - Asgre lan dyogel ey pherchen (A good conscience is the best shield)
- Carminow - Cala rag whethlow (A straw for the talebearer)
- Glynn - Dre weres agan Dew ny (By the help of our God)
- Truscott and Gay - Gwir yn erbyn y byd (the truth against the world)
- Polwhele - Karenza wheelas Karenza (Love seeks out love)
- Tonkin - Kensol tra Tonkyn, ouna Dew mathern yn (Before all things Tonkin, fear God in the King)
- Williams - Meor vas tha dew (Gracious is thy God)
- Polkinghorne - Rag Matern a pow (For King and Country)
- Bolitho - Re deu (By God)
- Ruddle - Ruthek ha yagh (Ruddy and hearty)
- Tremenheere - Thrugscryssough ne Deu a nef (Do not disbelieve in God of Heaven)
- Tonkin - Yn ton kyn nyjyaf (In a wave I swim)
- Godolphin - Frank ha leal ettoga (Free and Loyal Forever) and Franc ha leal atho ve (Free and Loyal Am I)
- Boscawen -Bosco, Pasco, Karenza Venza (canting arms of unknown meaning, however Karensa a vynsa, covaytys ny vynsa (Love would, greed wouldn't) is a Cornish saying)
- Harris of Keneggy - Car Deu reyz pub tra (Love God above all)
- Noye of St Buryan - Teg yw hedhwch (Fair is peace)
- Gwavas - En Hav perkou Gwav (In summer remember winter)
- Sloggett of Tresloggett - Bethoh Dur (Be Bold)
- Harvey - Arva hep arveth (To arm without aggression)
- Tangye - Tangy an dorgallow
- Southcott - Nerth Dre Lelder (Strength Through Loyalty)
- Trenear-Harvey - "Harth mes Len" (Boldly but sincerely)
- Treen - A-barth an myghtern (For the King)[12]
Corporate examples
- Cornish Guild of Heralds - Tyr ha Tylu (Land and Family)
- Cornwall Council - Onen hag Oll (One and All)
- Old Cornwall societies - Myghtern Arthur nyns yu marrow (King Arthur is not dead)
- Federation of Old Cornwall Societies - Kyntelleugh an brewyon es gesys na vo kellys travyth (Gather ye the fragments that are left, that nothing be lost)
List of Cornish Arms
A
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Arundell | Sable, six martlets argent | • Trerice |
B
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Basset | Barry wavy of six or and gules | • Tehidy
| |
Bond | Argent, a chevron sables with three bezants or | • Saltash | |
Bodrugan | Argent, three bendlets gules a bordure engrailed sable | ||
Boscawen | Ermine, a rose gules barbed and seeded proper | • Falmouth | |
Buller | Sable, on a cross argent quarter pierced of the field four eagles displayed of the first | • Trenant Park[15] |
C
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Calmady | Azure, a chevron between three pears or | • Stoke Climsland | |
Carew | Or, three lions passant in pale sable | • Torpoint | |
Carwythan | Argent, a fleur-de-lys gules a bordure engrailed | ||
Coryton | Argent, a saltire sable | • Pentillie[16] | |
Curnow | Argent, lion rampant gules with a ducal crown or | ||
Cutts | Argent, a bend engrailed sables, three roundels argent. | • Calstock |
E
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Edgcumbe | • Cotehele • Mount Edgcumbe, Maker | ||
Elliot | Argent, a Fess Gules, between double-cotises wavy Azure | • Port Eliot |
F
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Fortescue | Azure, a bend engrailed argent plain cotised or | • Boconnoc | |
Flamank | Argent, a cross between four mullets pierced gules | • Nanstallon • Bodmin | |
Fox | Ermine, chevron azure, three foxes or, canton azure, fleur de lis or | • Falmouth | |
Friend | Gules, chevron ermine, three deer argent | • Calstock |
G
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Gilbert | Argent, a chevron gules with three roses argent. | ||
Godolphin | fleurs-de-lys, two and one, argent
|
• Godolphin House | |
Goss | Argent, mullet gules, two, two, one, two, two | • Goss's boatyard, Calstock | |
Gough | Sable, a chevron between three mermaids argent hair glass case and comb or | • Aldercombe • Kilkhampton | |
Glencross | Per saltire ermine and azure, a lion rampant or, holding in the dexter forepaw a cross patonce of the last, in chief three chaplets of oak proper, fructed gold. |
| |
Grenville | Gules, three clarions or | ||
Gross/Grosse | Quarterly argent and azure, on a bend sable three martlets or |
H
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Hender | Azure semée of escallops or, a lion rampant | ||
Hunkin | Argent, a mascle sable over all a fess |
K
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Killigrew | Argent, bordure sables, 15 bezants or, eagle sables |
M
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Molesworth-St Aubyn | Ermine, on a cross sable five bezants [17] | • Pencarrow |
P
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Pascoe | Argent, lion rampant sable | ||
Pawley | Argent, a lion rampant sable, on a chief dancetty of the second three mullets | ||
Pengelly | |||
Pennarth | Argent, a chevron between three bears' heads erased sables muzzled or | ||
Prideaux | Argent, a chevron sable in chief a label of three points gules [18] | • Prideaux Place |
R
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Rashleigh | [Text missing]Argent beaked and legged gules; in the second quarter: a text "T"; in the third and fourth quarters: a crescent all of the third | • Menabilly • Fowey | |
Robartes | Azure, three estoiles and a chief wavy or | • Lanhydrock |
S
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Scoble | Argent, lapel azure and three Fleur-de-lis gules | • Calstock | |
Southcott | Argent, chevron engrailed gules, three coots sable | • Calstock • Callington | |
Speccot | Or, on a bend gules three millrinds argent | • Penheale
| |
St Aubyns | Ermine on a Cross Gules five Bezants all within a Bordure wavy of the second | • St Michael's Mount |
T
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Thomas | Per pale nebuly argent and azure[19] | • St Just in Penwith | |
Treen | Per chevron embattled Or and Vert, in chief two oak trees and in base a garb counterchanged.[12]
|
||
Treffry | Sable, a Chevron between three Trees Argent [21] | • Place, Fowey | |
Trefusis | Argent, a chevron between three spindles sable | ||
Trelawny | Argent, chevron sable [22] | • Trelawny, Pelynt
| |
Tremayne | Gules, three dexter arms conjoined at the shoulders and flexed in triangle or the fists clenched argent | ||
Trethurffe | Azure, a buck's head cabossed argent attired or | • Ladock | |
Trevelyan | Gules, a demi-horse argent hoofed and maned or issuing out of water in base proper [23] | • St Veep |
V
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Vautort | Argent, three bends gules a bordure sable bezantee | • Trematon |
W
Name | Escutcheon | Blazon | Seat or Residence |
---|---|---|---|
Westlake | Azure, wavy argent | • Calstock • Gunnislake • Tavistock | |
Wilcox | Ermine, chief chequy or and sable | • Kelly House, Calstock | |
Williams | crescents or
|
• Harewood House, Calstock • St Michael Caerhays • Scorrier House; Burncoose | |
Worth | Argent, eagle sable | • Calstock |
Canting arms
As in other heraldic traditions, canting, punning on the surname, is frequently used in Cornish heraldry. Often this uses the Cornish language, suggesting it was considered a high status language. These may not reflect the true origin of the name. Examples include:
- Rose. Use is made of the rose as a charge for surnames containing ros and in mottoes can be a cant in English (rose) or Cornish (rosen, Cornish for rose).
- Cleather (Cornish - kledha, a sword) - Vert, a chevron between three swords pointed downwards Or.
- Keigwyn (Cornish - ki gwynn, a white dog) - Vert, a chevron between three greyhounds courant Argent
- Trembleth (Cornish - blyth, a wolf) - Sable, a wolf passant Argent
- Gregor (Cornish - gruk yar, partridge, lit. heather-hen) - Argent, a chevron Gules between three partridges proper.
- Molenick (Cornish - melynek, a goldfinch or greenfinch) - Argent, a chevron Sable between three goldfinches proper.
- Treen - Per chevron embattled Or and Vert, in chief two oak trees and in base a garb counterchanged: the trees make an English pun on the name.[12]
- Trenethyn (Cornish - edhen, a bird) - Argent, a Cornish Chough Sable
- Treweek (Cornish - whek, sweet) - Argent, a beehive surrounded with bees volant proper.
- Trevisa (Cornish - ys, corn) - Gules, a garb Or.
- Harvey (Cornish - havrek, arable land, harve, to harrow) - Argent, a chevron between three harrows Sable
- Whetter (Cornish - whether, blower) - Argent, a bellows between two garbs proper.
- Andean/Endean (Cornish - an den, the man) - Gules, a man statant naked proper holding in the dexter hand a cross fitchee Or, and in the sinister hand a sword Argent
- Penderill (Cornish - derow, oak trees) - Argent, on a mount an oak tree Vert, over all a fesse Purpure charged with three royal crowns Argent
- Penarth (Cornish - penn ors, bear head) - Argent, a chevron between three bears' heads erased Sable muzzled Or.
- Penwyn (Cornish - penn gwynn, white head) - Gules, three boars' heads erased in pale Argent
- Penberthy (Cornish - penn perthy, head bushes) - Argent, two choughs heads above a gorse bush proper.
- Gwyn (Cornish - gwynn, white) - Per pale Azure and Gules, three lions rampant Argent
- Pellavere/Pellover/Pellower/Pellor/Pellow (Cornish - pell owr, gold ball) - Sable, a chevron Or between three bezants.[13][14]
- Trenear - Three Cornish Choughs near to each other: 'Three Near'
Supporters and crests
Mythology
Attributed arms
- The heraldic achievements of the Vyvyan and Trevelyan families both reflect claims that they were descended from the only survivor of the destruction of Lyonesse who escaped on the back of a white horse. The Vyvyans having a horse for their crest and on their arms a lion rising out of the waves, whilst the Trevelyan's have a white horse rising out of the waves for their arms.[28]
- Cornish flag.
See also
There is another list of armorial blazons "from Late 16th/Early 17th C Cornwall" here
There is a compendium of West Country arms, including many Cornish arms, collated from numerous primary and secondary sources, here
Further reading
- Gilbert, Charles Sandoe, A Historical Survey of the County of Cornwall to which is added a Complete Heraldry of the same with Numerous Engravings, 2 vols., London, 1820. Vol.2
- Lysons, Daniel & Samuel, Magna Britannia, Vol. 3: Cornwall, "Extinct Gentry Families" [1]
References
- ISBN 1-850220-433(Source: Misc. Rolls of Chanc. Nos 311 and 312.)
- ^ Walter H. Godfrey with Sir Anthony Wagner, Survey of London Monograph 16: College of Arms, Queen Victoria Street, English Heritage, 1963 - http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=118267
- ^ a b Richard Carew, Survey of Cornwall, 1602
- ^ Michael Trinick, Trerice, guide book.
- ^ Julian Cornwall, Wealth and society in Early Sixteenth Century England, 1988
- June Z. Fullmer, Young Humphry Davy: the making of an experimental chemist, 2000
- ^ Mr. W. C. Wade, "Extinct Cornish Families", Transactions of the Plymouth Institution & Devon and Cornwall Natural History Society, 1890-1891.
- ^ Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry
- ^ Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles: The Book of Public Arms. A Complete Encyclopaedia of all Royal, Territorial, Municipal, Corporate Official and Impersonal Arms. London & Edunburgh: T. C. & E. C. Jack, 1915; pp. 210-212
- ^ a b Lower, Mark Antony (1845). The Curiosities of Heraldry. London: John Russell Smith.
- ^ William Smith Ellis, A Plea for the Antiquity of Heraldry: with an attempt to expound its theory and elucidate its history, 1853 - Cornish heraldry
- ^ a b c General, Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "Gwenneth Lucille Treen". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ a b W. H. Pascoe, A Cornish Armory, 1979
- ^ a b D. Endean Ivall, Cornish Heraldry and Symbolism, 1988
- ^ Burke's Landed Gentry, 1937, p.279, Buller of Downes
- ^ Pentillie Castle described in Devonshire & Cornwall illustrated, from original drawings by T. Allom (1832) p.16-17, on Google Books.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage, 1968, p. 709
- ^ Vivian (1895), p. 616
- ^ "The Visitations of Cornwall". ukga.org. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ "The Arms of Gwenneth Lucille Treen - The Armorial Register". www.armorial-register.com. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ Herald's Visitations of Cornwall 1620
- ^ Kidd, Charles, Debrett's peerage & Baronetage 2015 Edition, London, 2015, p.B796
- ^ Debrett's Peerage, 1968, p.798
- ^ D. Endean Ivall, Cornish Heraldry and Symbolism, 1988 (Sabine Baring-Gould)
- ^ John Burke, Encyclopædia of Heraldry: or General armory of England, Scotland, and Ireland, comprising a registry of all armorial bearings from the earliest to the present time, including the late grants by the College of arms, 1844
- ^ Thomas Woodcock; John Martin Robinson, The Oxford Guide to Heraldry, 1988
- ^ William Berry, Encyclopaedia Heraldica or complete dictionary of heraldry, Vol. 1, 1828
- ^ Richard Polwhele, The history of Cornwall, civil, military, religious, architectural, agricultural, commercial, biographical, and miscellaneous, 1816
- Joseph Biddulph, Heraldry East (English & Cornish Armorials), 2001
- Joseph Biddulph, Heraldry West: A Crop of Armory from Western Places in England and Cornwall, 2001
- Vivian, J.L. (1895). The Visitations of the County of Devon, Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564, to 1620. With additions by J.L. Vivian. Exeter: Henry S. Eland.