The Hoby Church Heraldry

Heraldry

Heraldry is a science, art and craft whose origins can be traced back to the late 11^th century, at the dawn of the Middle Ages.  It has been defined by one expert as “a system of hereditary devices centered on the shield.”  What is striking about heraldry is its endurance and its adaptability.  Although the factors that led to its creation and expansion no longer operate, it is still with us; and new heraldry is still being created.

The idea of adorning shields with emblems or symbols pre-dates the time of heraldry.  There is pictorial evidence, dating back to ancient history, of warriors displaying symbols on their shields to identify themselves.  What is distinct about heraldry is that it is hereditary: the particular arrangement on an individual’s shield – an arrangement constituting the “coat of arms” – is unique and descends to his posterity forever.

It was the invention of the closed helm (helmet) which necessitated a form of instant recognition on the battle-field to distinquish friend from foe. Shades of Trooping the Colour and football team colours to this day. At a time when it was mainly the clergy who could read and write a document bearing the seals of the Arms of the sender could be instantly recognised.

Heraldry was first used by monarchs and great magnates but progressively was adopted by lesser nobles and knights, and eventually by institutions and non-combatants such as churchmen and women (who are not supposed to engage in combat).  But while it might appear that coats of arms are the exclusive province of royalty and nobility, in fact it was established early on in legal treatises, notably by Bartolo di Sassoferrato,  that any man may assume arms of his own making so long as they do not imitate another’s.  The same legal scholars do however distinguish between arms that are assumed (self-granted) and those that are granted by a ruler.  The granted arms are held to be superior to the assumed ones; but all are equally valid.  In fact many centuries-old European arms are those of burghers and peasants.

Although assumed Arms are the norm where no heraldic authority exists (e.g. the USA), woe betide anyone in Scotland where the Court of the Lord Lyon can strike them out and fine or imprison the offender. In England and Wales we have the College of Arms in London who are charged with the same job but do not have the same legislative clout (despite the Court of Chivalry) to do much about it.

Family shields

Husbands put their wife’s Arms side by side by impalement (on the left as you look at them) All heraldry is described as from the point of view of the bearer of the shield. Up until recently the fairer sex weren’t supposed to fight so they had their parental Arms on a lozenge or cartouche.

If the wife was an armorial heiress (i.e; no living male relatives) then the husband placed her Arms on a small shield of pretence (i.e. he is pretending to carry her Arms in her lifetime). Any children then quarter those Arms since they carry the blood of both families. (See de Houby family post.)

Sometimes the wife’s (or the husband’s) coat is also quartered so that adds to the complexity.

The Tinctures (colours)

Most of the colours are in Norman French, therefore we have: Azure (blue), Gules (red) this is an exception as the word Gules is Persian, Sable (black), Vert (green) these are the most generally used. Rarely used are Purpure ( purple) and Tawny (a rusty brown). To describe the colours without the use of a colour pencil, there are what are called “Hatchings”, which are different graphic lines denoting different colours.
Metals is the term used to describe Or (gold) and Argent (silver). There are also many furs, but the two mostly commonly used are Ermine and Vair (squirrel) and are used to indicate a pattern that was intended to look like the fur. The background of a Shield or Coat is called “The Field” and the patterns painted on are called “Charges”. The tinctures, metals and the many different designs make up a Coat of Arms. Obviously the very first devices were very simple and through the years got very much more complicated.
There are rules of colour and metal – “The Rules of Tincture”. One metal cannot be placed on another metal, and one colour cannot be placed on another colour, therefore you will see a colour on a metal and vice versa. Ultimately this whole area is a very complex subject but this is given here to enable the reader to understand the following.

The Hoby Church Heraldry

A register of all of the Hoby Church Heraldry to be found here was listed in Volume 1 of the “Heraldry in Leicestershire Churches” series of booklets. Published in 1990 by the East Midlands Heraldry Society they were written by Drusilla Armitage with illustrations by S. Brewin.

The majority of the heraldy can be found in the Chancel frieze and in the South Chancel Window.

Since that time several of the shields on the frieze have been changed or re-painted and this is a list of what is to be found there now.

The South Chancel Window (Beresford window).

Looking at the shield in the bottom middle of the South Chancel Window the four quarters are as follows:

1&4  Crusilly fitchy three fleurs-de-lys within a bordure engrailed Sable (Beresford)

2     Argent a bear rampant Sable armed gules, muzzled and chained Or (Beresford)

3     Per chevron Argent & Or three pheons Sable (Hassell).

Just above the shield there are two crests facing one another. A dragon’s head Azure pierced through the neck with a broken spear Or the broken point Argent thrust through the open jaw, and the bear rampant as in the Arms.

They are repeated on a stone wall plaque.

 

 

 

They are also repeated at each end of the raredos. See photograph above of the Hoby Church Chancel (looking west), top left and top right of the Chancel screen.

 

 

 

 

There are also some smaller shields in the window which are:

the Royal Coat of Arms
Royal Arms of France ancient (Azure semy de lys Or) and England quarterly
Note: In 1340, Edward III quartered the ancient arms of France, “Azure semy of fleurs-de-lis or,” as part of his claim to the French throne through his mother. Same arms continued for Richard II.

 

 

 

 

the arms of the See of Lichfield altough the colours have been reversed from the normal way namely:
Per pale Gules and Argent a Cross potent quadrate
between four Crosses formy all counterchanged as in

 

 

 

 

Argent a bear rampant Sable armed gules, muzzled and chained Or(Beresford)

Note: this is probably meant to be the coat of arms of Thomas Beresford (c.1425-75) shown on his tomb and in stained glass windows in St Edmunds Church, in Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire although it is not possible to see any red claws or collar.

 

 

 

Argent a bear rampant Sable armed gules, muzzled and chained Or, a crescent for difference (Beresford)

Note: this is probably meant to be the coat of arms of Thomas Beresford (c.1425-75) shown on his tomb and in stained glass windows in St Edmunds Church, in Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire although it is not possible to see any red claws or collar.

 

 

 

 

Per chevron Argent & Or three pheons Sable (Hassell)

 

 

 

Heraldry contained in the frieze around the Chancel

Text in frieze taken King James bible, Revelation 7:9 ” Lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands”.

Shields in the frieze (left to right):

This is the same as the shield in the bottom middle of the South Chancel Window the four quarters are as follows:
1&4  Beresford: Crusilly fitchy three fleurs-de-lys within a bordure engrailed Sable.
2   Beresford:  Argent a bear rampant Sable armed gules, muzzled and chained Or.
3    Hassell: Per chevron Argent & Or three pheons Sable.
Text above: Beresford
Text beneath: Grant of Arms 1632 of Hoby 1908

 

Beresford: Argent a bear rampant Sable armed gules, muzzled and chained Or.

Text above: Beresford
Text beneath: Grant of arms of Bentley 1475

Note: Beresfords are found at Rotherby (where the canting Arms of the bear is used on its own).

 

 

Beresford: Crusilly fitchy three fleurs-de-lys within a bordure engrailed Sable.

Text above: Beresford
Text beneath: 1597 of Beresford

 

 

 

Kirby: Argent, a cross and in chief two annulets Azure.

Text above: Kirby

Note: this should be a  white shield with the green cross and annulets but it appears to have oxidised to blue on the church frieze.

 

 

Basset:  Or, three piles conjoined in point, Gules a canton Ermine.

Text above: Basset

Note: Aparently Basset held the Manor of Ragdale at one time.

 

 

Spencer: Quarterly Argent and Gules in the second and third a fret Or, overall on a bend Sable three escallops of the first.

Text above: Spencer

 

 

 

Cantilupe: Gules a fess Vair between three leopard’s faces jessant de lys Or.

Text above: Cantelupe

 

 

 

Beauchamp: Gules a fess between six cross crosslets Or.

Text above: Beauchamp

 

 

 

DeWarren: Chequy Azure & Or.

Text above: DeWarrenne

Note: What is shown is Azure & Or. The original Arms born by John, Earl de Warren were Or and Azure but these colours were reversed on the Arden and Guillim.

 

 

Text in frieze taken King James bible, Revelation 7:10 “And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb” and Revelation 7:12 “Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever”.

Shields in the frieze (left to right):

Mowbray: Gules a lion rampant Argent.

No text

 

 

 

de Houby: Azure a bend between six mullets Argent (the bend and mullets are wrongly painted yellow).

Text above: Hoby

 

 

 

Belers quartering Houby:-
1&3 Belers: Per pale Gules and Sable a lion rampant Sable.
2&4 Houby: Azure a bend between six mullets Argent (correctly shown painted white).

Text above: – Hoby

 

 

Seagrave: Sable a lion rampant Argent.

Text above: Belers ancient.

Note: The text above is probably an error as no such Belers shield has been identified. Nicholas Segrave had a black shield with three silver wheat sheaves on it. (H III Roll). Sir John de Segrave 1296-1325 and his brother, Baron Nicholas bore the crowned lion. Nicole de Segrave (E I Roll) bore the uncrowned lion. Presumably this refers to the latter.

 

Belers: Per pale Gules and Sable a lion rampant Argent.

Text above: Belers modern

Note:An effigy that appears to be that of Sir Roger Belers, together with that of his wife, is in the church of St Peter at Kirby Bellers He carries a shield bearing, Per pale sable and gules a lion rampant argent.

 

 

Villers impaling Belers:-
Villers: Sable a fess between three cinquefoils Argent.
Belers: Per pale Gules and Sable a lion rampant Argent.

Text above: Villers

 

 

Villiers: Sable a fess between three cinquefoils Argent.

Text above: Villers ancient

Note: see Villers current coat of Arms in footnote below.

 

 

Villiers: Argent on cross Gules five escallops Or.

Text above: Villers modern

Note: see Villers current coat of Arms in footnote below.

 

 

Chaworth: Azure two chevronels Or.

Text above: Some letters are missing….MAWORT.. or ….HAWORT.. however some research indicates that this should be Chaworth (of Alfreton co Derby)

Note: Heraldry in Leicestershire Churches claims it is Alfreton. The shield should have gold(Or) chevronels but they are clearly silver (white/Argent) chevronels. Either the original gold has oxidised or the shield was over painted incorrectly.

 

 In addition we have Northern Ireland, Scotland and England 

 

 

 

Lastly the Royal Arms of Hanover (used until 1801) as seen in the George III arms:

 

There is recorded, by John Nichols’ “History of the County of Leicestershire,” an ancient brass in the south aisle purportedly of the Villiers family. This drawing by Tessa Fenner is from “A History of Hoby” by John Farrer.

Regrettably the identifying coats of Arms on the shields are missing.

See also Villiers Brass for more information on this brass.

 

 

See also de Houby family and Lords of the Manor of Houby for more understanding of the development of these shields.

Footnote:

the Villiers present coat of Arms

 

 

 

 

“Heraldry in Leicestershire Churches” records that the Arms of Kirby (actually Kirkby) were blue but they should be green. As observed above this could be due to oxidisation and orginally they were green. Several versions exist, the latter (below, on the right) are those to be seen in the Villiers present coat of Arms.

In ancient heraldry it was common for various vassals of a great local magnate to show their allegiance by styling their own Arms on his. Here we find variations of the Arms of Mowbray (Gules a lion rampant Argent) as the basis for those of Kirkby, Belers and Seagrave, all local families:

Section on Heraldry above taken from The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society with additional material from Dr Bernard Juby.

See  also College of Arms the official heraldic authority for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of the Commonwealth including Australia and New Zealand.