Long, long ago, in the reign of Edward I., John Fitz-Thomas Fitzgerald (later first Earl of Kildare,[2] but at that time only an infant), was staying in the Castle of Woodstock, when the building suddenly broke into flames. In the first panic caused by the fire no one remembered the poor baby lying helpless in his cradle; but when, later on, some of the servants went back to search for him, they found only the smouldering remains of his cradle on the charred floor of the burnt-out nursery. Distracted with remorse, they wandered about the smoking ruins, vainly seeking for the child. Suddenly, a queer chattering attracted their attention to one of the high, blackened towers of the castle, and there, outlined against the sky, stood the pet ape of the household, holding the baby boy safe and sound in his long, hairy arms! On this occasion, the monkey had put his betters to shame, and had saved the helpless life which they had left to perish. [Footnote 2: The eldest son of the Duke of Leinster is the Marquess of Kildare.] In gratitude for that monkey's devotion, John Fitzgerald adopted a monkey for his crest, whilst two additional apes act as supporters to the Duke of Leinster's shield. Thus, you see, in this case it is the golden deed of a far-away monkey that heraldry keeps alive. The arms of the Marquess of Hertford are very pretty ones, and afford a good example of the use of the pile as an augmentation of honour. It is introduced into the first and fourth grand quarters, bearing the charge of three lions, whilst the second and third quarters are occupied by two wings conjoined by lure. These arms, being precisely the same as those of the Duke of Somerset, serve to remind us that the Marquess of Hertford, whose family name is also Seymour, is a descendant from one and the same ancestor. For whereas the wings in the coat of arms represent the armorial bearings of the Seymours, the pile was an augmentation of honour granted by Henry VIII. to Sir John Seymour on the occasion of the King's marriage with Lady Jane Seymour, his daughter. The same crest, a ph[oe]nix rising out of flames surmounting a ducal coronet, does duty for both achievements, but whereas the Duke of Somerset's supporters are a unicorn and a bull, the Marquess of Hertford has two blackamoors, which are blazoned--viz., "wreathed about the temples or, sa : habited in short golden garments; adorned about the waist with green and red feathers; each holding in his exterior hand a shield, az : garnished or, the dexter charged with the 'sun in splendour,' gold, the other with a crescent, silver. _Motto_, 'Fide et amore'--'With faith and love.'"