Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-01-29
ARMORIAL BEARINGS.
INCIDENTS WHICH GAVE RISE
TO SOME OF THEM.
Mr.. Morty, Hi, Duck, and His Cam on
"A Family Which Levies n Tribute
"f uorseshoes-A Man Hang
Ing on ssG.bbet.

/
adopted at the suggestion of coacf
painters or seal engravers. There is,
perhaps. some truth in this here. says
the Saturday Eyening Post but in
England no one is entitled to bear
arms without either a hereditary claim
to thom or a grant from the compe-
tent authorities-the Heralds College
in England the Lyons Court in Scot
land, ana the Office of Arms in Ire
land. The whims of individuals. how
ever, have been the means of orlgi-
mortal bearings.
A gentleman named Mortv, for ex-
ample mounted in his garden a num-
Der of cannon OF an Anticipated kind;
and soon afterwards had an armorlal
coat emblazoned on the panels of his
carriage. Keeping clear of heraldic
phraseology we may shortly describe
this as including two cannon. duck
and the motto 'Dux Morti A
friend, struck on observing these Pc
culiar devices, asked Mr.. Morty his
reason for assuming them We'll,
you see, was the reply, Il am very
fond OF ducks but they always nearly
kill me with Indigestion. and l ain
also very fond OF cannon. So | have
taken the cannon for my arms and the
duck for my crest; while the motto,
Leader to Death" applies equally
to the duck, to tho cannon and to
myself, because I'm called Morty"
Bishop Shirlaw of Durham, again.
after his appointment to that diocese.
emblazoned his escutcheon with six
willow wands, which were arranged SO
as TO represent a cross. For some
time this was supposed to indicate that
he had been schoolmaster; but on
inquiring it was found that the bishop
had adopted the osiers because he was
the son of basket maker. Bearings
of this kind are not uncommon. An
English nobleman had on his shield a
Greek cross entwined with ropes-a
device due to the fact that he had
commenced life as rope maker. In
similar way various trades have be-
queathed. from somewhat remote
times, armorial bearings which con-
tinue in vogue One Henry Ferrers,
for instance, the founder OF the Earl
dom of Ferrers, was Master OF the
Horse and Master Farrier to William
the Conquerer; hence the Ferrers OF
Rutlandshire bore three horseshoes on
their escutcheon. The horseshoe is
to the present day retained as the
family badge; and as lords OF the
manor of Oakham, the Ferrers have
a right to claim a horseshoe from any
prince or peer who enters their do
main. At Oakham there is an en-
trance gate studded with such tribute
shoes, some of them of great size;
and 80 recently as 1881 when the Prin-
cess OF Wales passed through the
manor she arrived provided with the
necessary horseshoe.
Italian historians say that the Me-
dici family was founded by a physi-
clan, who hung out a sign displaying
six golden pills by way of attracting
attention to his premises; hence, these
historians say. the six golden balls
which the crowned heads OF many
countries quartered with their own
arms Writing OF Italy reminds us,
too, of that strange heraldic freak"
: the well-known Legs of Man. which
: only differ from the ancient arms oil
n Sicily in being mail-clad and spurred.
= II seems at least possible that the one
!. badge was derived from the other.
4 With reference to this blanche says
/. THE classical symbol of the Island
: of Sicily (Trinacria) was formed o.
: three naked legs similarly conjoined.
!. and the triple mountained Isle oI
\ Man might have awakened in it:
: Norman sovereigns some recollections
of their Mediterranean conquests.
: Previous to 1870, the arms of Mar
were totally different-a ship with
her sails furled
Almost as curious. perhaps. as the
device OF the three legs is that of the
large saucepan or cauldron, SO com
mon in Spanish heraldry. Thi;
seems to have originated from the
fact that certain mobiles were privi
4 legged to levy troops to serve under
! their private banners; and as they
were obliged to feed all these men a
y their own expense, the barons added
Y the strange looking saucepan to their
Insignia.
A More startling. however than leg
4 or saucepans is the figure OF a mar
3 hanging from n gibbet. which is OF
A was, borne on the escutcheon OF ;
y Scottish family. According to thu
n late DIR. r. Chambers, King Kenneth
! IL. having expressed a regret tina
= one of his kinsmen had been hanged
( by his enemies and having offered I
D high reward to any one who would
K cut down the body and bring it Il
him, nobody could be found to under
take the task-from fear, no doubt o
the said enemies. At length man o
humble appearance came forward
saying. "Dal yell' I'll dare"). Thi
hitherto obscure individual succeeded
In rescuing the body and was honore'
with leave to bear in his armorial Goa
the figure of man hanging on glib
bet, together with the motto Il dare
''both of which" says DIR. Chambers
'the Dalyells still assume" Sixt
years however. have ELAPSED sine