Janet, As I am sure you know, Mayfair is an old part of London. The stonemason Strong's owned property in London - Greenwich etc and the possibilities are very high that the herald was designed in the 1700's when status was attached to being a tradesman etc in London (a freeman). The stonemason Strong's carried an awful amount of clout in the 1700's and would have been inclined towards pampering themselves with social status actions of the time - manor in the country, family herald, and portraits in stained glass. If any one is interested in the latter - Edward Strong snr appears in a stained glass window in the church next to the Guildhall Library in London (he is seen standing with Grinley (sp?) Gibbons [well-respected carpenter] and Christopher Wren). The chances are also very high that the Valentine I mention is a relation of yours - it is an unusual name, and one that has been repeated in this particular line of the family. I would be most interested to know from you, if you have done any research into your more recent ancestors, as this might help me identify the missing link factor between my present Strong family and the stonemason Strong's (Valentine & Co.) Best wishes, Nicola &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Nicola Jenkin Projects Manager Best Foot Forward Ltd The Future Centre 115 Magdalen Road Oxford OX4 1RQ England Tel: 01865 250818 Fax: 01865 794586 Mobile: 0781 558 7707 E-mail: nicola@bestfootforward.com Website: www.bestfootforward.com City Limits Project: Ecological Footprint of Greater London: www.citylimitslondon.com 'Sharing Nature's Interest' & a lifestyle calculator: www.ecologicalfootprint.com -----Original Message----- From: Jan5G@aol.com [mailto:Jan5G@aol.com] Sent: 28 October 2001 16:37 To: STRONG-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: A brief - The Strong stonemasons-Attention Nicola and others interested I, too, have been told my family is descended from the Strong stonemasons. I have a family crest, which appears to be very old, that has on the back "...and of the Mayfair". Would anyone have any idea what this could mean? Another interesting note, aside from a long line of future masons, my g-g-grandfather was a Valentine Strong. Janet Strong Graves ______________________________