A Complete Guide to HeraldryFox-Davies, Arthur Charles
History
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles
Heraldry -- Great Britain
A very general misconception--which will be found stated in practically
every text-book of armory--is that when a crest issues from a coronet the
wreath must be omitted. There is not and never has been any such rule. The
rule is rather to the contrary. Instances where both occur are certainly
now uncommon, and the presence of a wreath is not in present-day practice
considered to be essential if a coronet occurs, but the use or absence of a
wreath when the crest issues from a coronet really depends entirely upon
the original grant. If no wreath is specified with the coronet, none will
be used or needed, but if both are granted both should be used. An instance
of the use of both will be found on the Garter Stall plate of Sir Walter
Devereux, Lord Ferrers. The crest (a talbot's head silver) issues from a
coronet or, which is placed upon a torse argent and sable. Another instance
will be found in the case of the grant of the crest of Hanbury.
A quite recent case was the grant by Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King of
Arms, of a crest to Sir Richard Quain, Bart., the blazon of which was: "On
a wreath argent and azure, and out of a mural coronet proper a demi-lion
rampant or, charged on the shoulder with a trefoil slipped vert, and
holding between the paws a battle-axe also proper, the blade gold."
Other instances are the crests of Hamilton of Sunningdale and Tarleton.
Another instance will be found in the grant to Ross-of-Bladensburg.
Possibly this blazon may be a clerical error in the engrossment, because it
will be noticed that the wreath does not appear in the emblazonment (Plate
II.).
I wonder how many of the officers of arms are aware of the {375} existence
of a warrant, dated in 1682, issued by the Deputy Earl-Marshal to the
Companies of Painters, Stainers, and Coachmakers, forbidding them to paint
crests which issue out of ducal coronets without putting them upon "wreaths
of their colours." The wording of the warrant very plainly shows that at
that date a wreath was always painted below a crest coronet. The warrant,
however, is not so worded that it can be accepted as determining the point
for the future, or that it would override a subsequent grant of a crest in
contrary form. But it is evidence of what the law then was.
No crest is now granted without either wreath, coronet, or chapeau.
An instance of the use of the coronet of a marquess as a crest coronet will
be found in the case of the Bentinck crest.[23]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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