Cheshire, County of

Azure, a sword erect Or, between three garbs Or, 2 and 1.

Escudo de azur, una espada alzada de oro, acompañada de tres gavillas de trigo de oro, 2 y 1.

Coat of arms interpreted with: a rounded base; the field illuminated in Azure; the motto and charges illuminated in Or and outlined in Sable; and the whole with a leather texture.

In England, Wales and Ireland, the term «heraldic visitations» ~ «visitas heráldicas» referred to the inspection tours carried out by the officers of the kings of arms, or even by the kings of arms themselves, with the aim of recording and sanctioning the family trees and coats of arms of the nobility, the counties and the bourgeoisie who bore them.

These journeys took place mainly between the year 1530 and the year 1688. The results of these inspections were recorded in books that could be considered a roll or heraldic census of the upper classes. For this reason, and since then, these records have been a valuable source of information for historians, genealogists and heraldists.

The County of Cheshire received the following «heraldic visitations»:

• The 1^st in 1533 visited part of the county of Chester, as part of a journey covering other areas. It is a visitation ordered by the king of arms Thomas Benolte (Benalt) and carried out by the herald William Fellow. This visitation is recorded, for example, in the book [Langton, W.; 1876].
• The 2^nd in 1558, the visitation was carried out by the king of arms Lawrence Dalton himself, accompanied by William Colbarne, a pursuivant ~ official of arms.
• The 3^rd in 1566, by the herald Robert Glover.
• The 4^th in 1580, by the king of arms William Flower and the herald Robert Glover.
• The 5^th in 1591, visiting Chester, the capital, by Thomas Chaloner. This 5^th visitation and the earlier 1^st, 3^rd, 4^th, but not the 2^nd, are recorded in the book [Rylands, J. P.; 1882] and also in [Goldstraw, M. S. J.; 2013a].
• The 6^th in 1613, carried out by the king of arms himself Sir Richard Saint George accompanied by his son and pursuivant Henry Saint George. This visitation is recorded in the book [Armytage, G. J.; Rylands, J. P.; 1909] and also in [Goldstraw, M. S. J.; 2013b].
• The 7^th and last in 1663 by the king of arms William Dugdale. This visitation is recorded in the book [Adams, A.; 1941].

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Azure, Or, Sword, Point upwards, Between, Wheat, Garb and Ordered.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Leather.

Classification: Interpreted, Civic and Cheshire County.

Bearer: Cheshire, County of.

Heraldic art of the County of Cheshire.

Azure, a sword erect Or, between three garbs Or, 2 and 1. Motto: «Jure et dignitate gladii».

Escudo de azur, una espada alzada de oro, acompañada de tres gavillas de trigo de oro, 2 y 1. Lema: «Jure et dignitate gladii».

Coat of arms interpreted with: a rounded base; the field illuminated in Azure; the charges illuminated in Or and outlined in Sable; and the whole with a watercolour finish.

«The Cheshire Heraldry Trust» is a foundation whose specific aim is the promotion of the study and dissemination of the heraldry of Cheshire county and whose general purpose includes the study of heraldry and its related disciplines. To achieve these objectives it organises conferences, debates, visits and exhibitions, produces publications, cooperates with other bodies sharing common goals and promotes the heraldic art of the County of Cheshire through the internet.

The website Cheshire-Heraldry.org.uk is the public face on the internet of «The Cheshire Heraldry Trust», and among its extensive content, the following 4 sections are of particular interest:

• The Vale Royal de 1656, that follows and illustrates [King, D.; 1656].
• Las visitas de 1533 a 1580, which follows [Rylands, J. P.; 1882] and whose colour content can be consulted in [Goldstraw, M. S. J.; 2013a].
• Las visitas de 1613, which follows [Armytage, G. J.; Rylands, J. P.; 1909] and whose colour content can be consulted in [Goldstraw, M. S. J.; 2013b].
• Las visitas de 1663, which follows and illustrates [Adams, A.; 1941].

Martin S. J. Goldstraw is one of the founders of «The Cheshire Heraldry Trust» and is the author and illustrator of the website Cheshire-Heraldry.org.uk and of a series of heraldry books, for example, [Goldstraw, M. S. J.; 2013a] and [Goldstraw, M. S. J.; 2013b].

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Categories: Institution, Interpreted, Socioeconomic, Rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable, Watercolor, Cheshire County, Without divisions, Azure, Or, Sword, Point upwards, Between, Wheat, Garb, Ordered and Motto.

External link:

• Los libros en Lulu.com.

Root: Cheshire, County of.

Argent, on a chevron Gules three feathers Argent, between three swords erect Gules, 2 and 1.

Escudo de plata, un cabrio de gules cargado d tres plumas de plata, acompañado de tres espadas de gules, alzadas, 2 y 1.

Coat of arms interpreted with: a rounded base; the field illuminated in Argent; the chevron outlined in Sable, illuminated in Gules, with a wider angle than usual, one might say in the Cheshire style; the feathers illuminated in Argent and outlined in Sable; the swords outlined in Sable and illuminated in Gules; and the whole with a leather finish.

Martin S. J. Goldstraw was born in Leek, a town in the rural area of North Staffordshire, known as the «queen of the moors». His interest in the heraldry of the County of Cheshire began when he discovered that the origins of his surname Goldstraw lay in the surname and village of Goostrey in the County of Cheshire.

Martin S. J. Goldstraw writes that for him heraldry is something addictive, to which he was already devoted during his university years and in which he continues to work well into this third millennium. He is the author of the coats of arms presented on the website of Cheshire Heraldry and author of books on the heraldry of the County of Cheshire.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Gules, Chevron, Charged, Sword, Point upwards, Ordered, Between and Quill.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Leather.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal and Cheshire County.

Bearer: Goldstraw, Martin S. J..

Argent, on a chevron Gules three feathers Argent, between three swords erect Gules. Motto: «Ab Initio Goostrey».

Escudo de plata, un cabrio de gules cargado de tres plumas de plata, acompañado de tres espadas alzadas de gules, 2 y 1. Mote: «Ab Initio Goostrey».

Coat of arms interpreted by me as follows: with a rounded base; the motto and field illuminated in Argent; the chevron, with a wide angle in the Cheshire style, is illuminated in Gules and outlined in Sable; the swords and feathers illuminated in Gules and Argent respectively and all outlined in Sable; and the whole has a raised-stroke texture.

I have interpreted the coats of arms of the County of Cheshire produced by Martin Goldstraw with my own style, but I wished to preserve part of his in 2 of his most characteristic elements:

• his beautiful garbs ~ gavillas de trigo, which characterise the heraldry of the region and are present in the arms of this county, and
• his distinctive chevron, with a wider angle than the considered standard, almost necessary to leave space for the charges in many of the Cheshire shields.

Among the possible options of motto, device, mote and battle cry I have decided to classify «Ab Initio Goostrey» as a mote because it is not easy to understand without prior explanation. Martin Goldstraw's own biography provides this explanation when he states that his «interest in the heraldry of the County of Cheshire began when it became apparent that the origins of the surname Goldstraw lie in the surname of Goostrey». Goostrey is a small village in the county of Cheshire, of about 2,000 inhabitants, that was already a human settlement in the first millennium BC.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Gules, Chevron, Charged, Sword, Point upwards, Ordered, Between, Quill and Motto.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Freehand.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal and Cheshire County.

Bearer: Goldstraw, Martin S. J..

County of Cheshire, visitation of 1663.

Party per bend sinister: 1 Or, three martlets Sable; 2 Sable, three martlets Or.

Escudo tajado: 1^o de oro, tres marletas de sable; 2^o de sable, tres marletas de oro.

Coat of arms interpreted with: a rounded base; the field illuminated in Or and Sable; the martlets outlined of the field and illuminated in Sable and Or; and the whole with a leather finish.

A coat of arms recorded in [Adams, A.; 1941] which Cheshire Heraldry blazons as follows: «Per bend sinister Or and Sable, six martlets counterchanged», note that no specific arrangement is specified for the martlets.

There is also an entry for «Allen de Brindley» in [Armytage, G. J.; Rylands, J. P.; 1909], but it only records the family tree without specifying the coat of arms.

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Blazon keywords: Party per bend sinister, Or, Sable and Martlet.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in the field tincture and Leather.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal and Cheshire County.

Bearer: Allen de Brindley.

County of Cheshire, The Vale Royal, 1656.

Sable, a crozier Or, between three garbs Or.

Escudo de sable, un báculo de oro, acompañado de tres gavillas de trigo de oro.

Coat of arms interpreted with: a rounded base; the field illuminated in Sable; the crozier illuminated in Or, facing right on the shield and outlined in Sable; the garbs illuminated in Or and outlined in Sable; and the whole with a leather texture.

A coat of arms recorded in [King, D.; 1656] which in Cheshire Heraldry is blazoned as follows: «Sable a crozier in pale between three garbs Or».

As a curiosity, it can be observed that in [King, D.; 1656] and in Cheshire Heraldry, the croziers ~ báculos are depicted with their head facing left on the shield, whereas, in general, it is more common to represent them facing right; for my interpretation I have chosen this latter arrangement.

Since the three garbs are arranged in the usual heraldic manner, it is possible to omit the expression «2 y 1» or «ordered», though it may also be included to avoid any doubt.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Sable, Or, Crozier, Between, Wheat, Garb and Ordered.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Leather.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Cheshire County.

Bearer: Delacres, Abbey of.

Cheshire, visitation of 1613.

Argent, on a bend Azure three garbs Or, bendwise.

Escudo de plata, una banda de azur cargada de tres gavillas de trigo de oro, puestas en banda.

Coat of arms interpreted as follows: with a rounded base; the field and the bend illuminated in Or and Azure; the garbs outlined in Sable and illuminated in Or; and with a leather texture.

A coat of arms recorded in [Armytage, G. J.; Rylands, J. P.; 1909] and in [Goldstraw, M. S. J.; 2013b], blazoned as «Argent, on a bend Azure, three garbs Or».

It is the norm in heraldry that charges upon a bend are arranged bendwise, so since the three garbs are disposed in this way it is possible to omit the expression «bendwise», though it may also be included to avoid any doubt, as I have done in this instance.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Or, Azure, Bend, Charged, Wheat, Garb, In bend and Bendwise.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Leather.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal and Cheshire County.

Bearer: Fitton de Carden, Clutton and Chester.

County of Cheshire.

Sable, three crescents Argent.

Escudo de sable, tres crecientes de plata.

Coat of arms whose bearer belongs to the County of Cheshire, interpreted with the following characteristics: the base of the coat of arms is rounded; the field is illuminated in Sable; the 3 crescents are illuminated in Argent and outlined in Sable using circular arcs; and the whole has a leather finish.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Sable, Argent, Crescent and Ordered.

Style keywords: Rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Leather.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal and Cheshire County.

Bearer: Gleave de High Lea.

Continue with: Gleyve de High Ligh and Gleave de High Lea.