HERALDRY
Image: FAM volunteer 2021.
Fireplace in Music Room.
EXPLANATION OF HERALDIC SHIELDS ON MUSIC ROOM FIREPLACE
Research and image: FAM volunteer
SIR JOHN HENRY GREVILLE SMYTH – COATS OF ARMS
Research and image: FAM volunteer
Explanation of heraldic images on Great Hall staircase window.
A staircase window in the Great Hall shows three coats of arms which relate to this part of the history of Ashton Court Mansion and the Smyths.
They are (left to right):
Smyth;
Upton;
Smyth impaling Way (impaling - side by side with).
Sir John Henry Grevile Smyth (known as Sir Greville Smyth) was the 1st Baronet (created 25th April 1859) of Ashton Court and Wraxall Lodge, in the County of Somerset and Heath House in the County of Gloucestershire.
Son of Thomas Upton, Sir Greville assumed the surname and arms of Smyth (by Royal Licence) in place of his paternal surname (family name) Upton.
The second volume of “Armorial Families” says that this was in accordance with the wishes of Sir John’s maternal great grandfather, Thomas Smyth, and his great uncle Baronet Sir Hugh Smyth.
On 24 April 1884 Sir Greville married Emily Francis. Emily was the daughter of the Rev. Henry Hugh Way.
MORE ABOUT HERALDRY
Research: FAM volunteer
What is it and where did it start?
Throughout history, people have used various ways to identify themselves, and to distinguish one person from another. On historical documents we can see the use of seals which had a sign, or symbol, to identify an individual.
Use of full armour, by knights, including helmets which covered their faces (dating from the later 1100s), meant it was not easy to identify one from another. It became increasingly common for each knight to use a unique set of colours, and emblems, on their shields, surcoats, and banners, so that people could distinguish one knight from another. This is probably the origin of the phrase “coat of arms.
In ages long before the internet, or other electronic communication, it is thought that travelling messengers became increasingly important. They were a means of relaying news about, and the orders of, monarchs, rulers and other influential people. These messengers became skilled at identifying the signs and symbols used by different people, and they came to be known as heralds.
In 1484 Richard III founded the College of Arms (i.e. armorial bearings, the sort of arms we are talking about, not weapons). The Heralds undertook the recording of existing arms and granting of new ones.
Who can use it?
A coat of arms belongs to the person (or organisation) to which it was granted. In the case of an individual, the arms may pass to their descendants, but it is not the case that everyone with the same family name is entitled to use that coat of arms.
Crests
People sometimes refer to coats of arms as “crests”, but the crest is only a part of the coat of arms, the top part. Its origins lie in an ornament, or device, placed on top the helmet (of a suit of armour). Crests include crowns and coronets, birds, animals, and plants.
COLOURS
Traditionally heraldry uses five basic colours and two metals. The colours are referred to by Norman French names (Norman French being a language used by the early knights):
CHARGES
A variety of symbols are used, here are some of the most usual:
Cross. There are many different designs of the cross, each has its
own description.
Chevron
Pale
Pile
Bend
Fess
There are examples of some of these in Ashton Court Mansion – can you find them? Hint: some of the coats of arms here are not coloured, that can make them more difficult to identify.
Heraldry also uses a wide variety of birds, fish and animals (real and mythical), plants, trees, and flowers.
And today?
It is not all in the past. Today, individual people and organisations, continue to have, and to use, coats of arms as part of their identity. This includes civic authorities (e.g. town and county councils), companies, colleges, and the armed forces.
When you are out and about in the West Country, look for representations of coats of arms. Amongst others, you should be able to those of the City of Bristol and of the City of Bath. Hint: some of the places you can find them include civic buildings, bridges, lamp posts and even litter bins!
The granting of new arms is now done by Her Majesty’s College of Arms in London, the Court of Lord Lyon in Edinburgh, and the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland in Dublin.
© P. Gillard
Image: All permissions granted. CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
