The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-28

has been made. but 80 far as present
records go. very little is to be OBJ
tained In Virginia, though they bore
arms. and entered the State at on early
period.
The first OF the name in tho colony
were Humphrey and Randall Vest
wood. who. settled in York county
about 1920. Hening speaks OF Iumph-
rey. as well as William and Warlick
Westwood, and It is presumed that
Humphrey was tho first emigrant and
lproganitor OF the family in Virginia.
They seem to have remained In and
around Hampton and Elizabeth City
county. as we find William West wood,
Of Hampton, living there up to 1900,
about which time he died, leaving
daughter, Jennie, and a son, j ohn
S. Westwood
Bishop Meade says that warlick
(probably q SON Of Humphrey was
vestryman in the early church at
Hampton. Elizabeth City county, in
1851. also rs was William Westwood,
who seems to have been promo ter in
church affairs. After this the family
seems to have died out. or left the
State. as there appears no further
trace Of them. From their arms, how
ever 1t is to be inferred that they
were Of distinction in England, by the
significance of the various blazons,
which are thus given:
Arms: sable. q lion rampant! ar.
gent. crowned with mural crown, or;
three crosses-crosslet, fitchee, or.
Crest: stork's head. ppr.. erased
Eorged with q mural crown, orr" No
motto given.
/. Tho loin was usually granted only
to those who had served in the Kings
service. and thus In being also crown
cd with mural crown" (being ma
sonod. and the top embattled), proved
that some of the family had fought In
battle. These mural crowns were con-
ferred by the old Romans on the sol
der who first scaled the walls of
rampant or besieged town. The cross
too. was mark Of attestation, and
only conferred upon Officials" 1t Is
said, $50 superstitiously did those
times Civilian II think Of the crosse,
that thoy held all things sanctif,sd that
bore the signe of it; and therefore
used it religiously In their charters"
and this was the origin of persons
who could not write their names, to
make the sign Of a cross instead. The
cross as given here is called CROSS
crosslet. or one having its limbs also
crossed. which signifies that they are
to extend to the extremities OF the
Eschutcheon. When the cross is pointed
at the base, 1t is called "fitche, or
fixed. Crosses Of this description are
said to have been carried by the early
Christians in their pilgrimages so that
they might be readily fixed in the
ground whilst performing their devo-
tions.
The storlt In the crest is emblematic
If piety and gratitude, and were held
in great vencration by many of the
early Kings, and were prohibited by
law from being disturbed: hence, the
storks would build their nests on the
tops Of castles and other high build
tngs. where they were always well
coined and encoura ged. The one In the
Westwood arms is "gorged,' or have
around It's neck also mural
crown. and thus the whole Escutcheon
would read: That the early members
of the Westwood family were knights
in the Kings service, one OF whom
had been first in the capture of a
castle or walled town-that some Of
them had been pilgrims to the
Holy Land or in the wars of the
Crusades--and that they lived in
castles. over which flew the sacred |
stork