CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY......Part VIII AFTER DINNER – LOCAL HERALDRY continued........... >From the 6th volume of MACHAELL’s Collections in the Dean and Chapter Library, Carlisle, MR. FERGUSON has culled some interesting particulars as to DUGALE’s proceedings in Cumberland and Westmorland. In DUGDALE’s day, the power of the Heralds was on the wane, and at the Carlisle and Appleby Assizes of 1686 a large number of the country gentlemen were disclaimed because they would not pay the fee of 27s for entering their arms. The Cumberland list of persons disclaimed includes some of the best names in the county, but the Westmorland list includes a large proportion of obscure names. After enumeratingn all the kown heraldic visitations of Cumberland, MR. FERGUSON traced the history of heraldry, and proceeded to add a few remarks to his former paper. The name FLETCHER signifies an arrow make, and hence come, no doubt, the arrow-heads or pheons in their coat armaine. JOHN DENTON’s M.S. account of Cumberland gives a singular reason for the three greyhounds carried by the BRISCOS, – in his opinion the herald devised the arms in allusion to the old British word “ wriskegh “ which he says means “frisky”. MR. FERGUSON imagined that three kittens and a ball of thread would have been an neater allusion to the British friskiness of the BRISCOS. MACHELL also bears three greyhounds, and THOMAS MACHELL in his M.S. in the Dean and Chapter Library impresses on his readers that MACHELL is merely Malus catalus writ short, and that the first of the family was so named because he was an ill dog to his foes. In MR. PLANCHE’S new edition of his Pursuivant of Heraldry, MR. FERGUSON had found the origin of the cushions carried by some local families. These cushions, pillows, or oreilliers were called in Norman times correaux from their square or diamond shape. In KING JOHN’s reign, RANULPH de GREYSTOCK gave 300 marks for the wardship and marriage of the heir of WALTER de CARRO. Thus the cushions (correaux) borne by REDMAN and HUTTON were in all probability the canting arms of the CARROs, passing from them to the first barons of Greystoke, and from them to their subordinates, the REDMANS and HUTTONS. Turning to crests, MR. FERGUSON noted the peculiarities of some of those borne by local families, and pointed to the appropriateness of a few crests – orignally wooden or leather figures secured to the top of the helmet – of the dragon of the LOWTHERs, the lobster of the DYKESEs, the rising falcon ofo the EAGLESFIELDs. Among local crests, a human head was by no means uncommon; GOUCHE, of Cockermouth, bore a Saracen’s head, and probably decapitated some Paynim bold in the far east; so did IRTON; THRELKELD, of Melmerby, carried a maiden’s head proper, while ORFEUR bore a Magdalene’s head, full-faced, hair loose, couped proper. To these crests some long lost legends must have once belonged, as also the curious crest of the BLENCOWE’s “on a sword on pale, point downwards, a human heart pierced through between two wings, all proper”, and to the “blazing ball” of the WILSONs, of Dallam. MR. FERGUSON concluded by sketching the legends connected with the crests of the THRELKELDS and of DENTON of Cardew, and after relating the romantic incidents, made light of them in a humorously cynical manner, giving his conjectures of what the truths underlying the legends really were. ...........Day 2 of the Excursions will follow.................. ____________________ Barb, Ontario, Canada.