A Complete Guide to HeraldryFox-Davies, Arthur Charles
History
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles
Heraldry -- Great Britain
A mastiff will be found in the crest of Crawshay, and there is a {205}
well-known crest of a family named Phillips which is "a dog sejant
regardant surmounted by a bezant charged with a representation of a dog
saving a man from drowning." Whether this crest has any official authority
or not I do not know, but I should imagine it is highly doubtful.
Foxhounds appear as the supporters of Lord Hindlip; and when depicted with
its nose to the ground a dog is termed "a hound on scent."
A winged greyhound is stated to be the crest of a family of Benwell. A
greyhound "courant" will be found in the crests of Daly and Watney; and a
curious crest is that of Biscoe, which is a greyhound seizing a hare. The
crest of Anderson, until recently borne by the Earl of Yarborough, is a
water spaniel.
[Illustration: FIG. 374.--A sea-dog.]
[Illustration: FIG. 375.--Bull rampant.]
[Illustration: FIG. 376.--Bull passant.]
The sea-dog (Fig. 374) is a most curious animal. It is represented much as
the talbot, but with scales, webbed feet, and a broad scaly tail like a
beaver. In my mind there is very little doubt that the sea-dog is really
the early heraldic attempt to represent a beaver, and I am confirmed in
that opinion by the arms of the city of Oxford. There has been considerable
uncertainty as to what the sinister supporter was intended to represent. A
reference to the original record shows that a beaver is the real supporter,
but the representation of the animal, which in form has varied little, is
very similar to that of a sea-dog. The only instances I am aware of in
British heraldry in which it occurs under the name of a sea-dog are the
supporters of the Barony of Stourton and the crest of Dodge[17] (Plate
VI.).
BULLS
The bull (Figs. 375 and 376), and also the calf, and very occasionally the
cow and the buffalo, have their allotted place in heraldry. {206} They are
amongst the few animals which can never be represented proper, inasmuch as
in its natural state the bull is of very various colours. And yet there is
an exception to even this apparently obvious fact, for the bulls connected
with or used either as crests, badges, or supporters by the various
branches of the Nevill family are all pied bulls ["Arms of the Marquis of
Abergavenny: Gules, on a saltire argent, a rose of the field, barbed and
seeded proper. Crest: a bull statant argent, pied sable, collared and chain
reflexed over the back or. Supporters; two bulls argent, pied sable, armed,
unguled, collared and chained, and at the end of the chain two staples or.
Badges: on the dexter a rose gules, seeded or, barbed vert; on the sinister
a portcullis or. Motto: 'Ne vile velis.'"] The bull in the arms of the town
of Abergavenny, which are obviously based upon the arms and crest of the
Marquess of Abergavenny, is the same.
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