Unidentified Stamps

Fairbairn’s Crests (plate 121/2) lists 243 families using this crest

There is nothing in Papworth matching these arms.

The bird represented here resembles a falcon, though it is not certain. There is nothing in Fairbairn’s Crests that matches the stamp exactly. It is possible that it belongs to Stanley Williams, as the book by Sir Charles Hanbury Williams suggests, but the surname is very common and it is nearly impossible to verify with any certainty.

The bird represented here resembles a falcon, though it is not certain. There is nothing in Fairbairn’s Crests that matches the stamp exactly. It is possible that it belongs to Stanley Williams, as the book by Sir Charles Hanbury Williams suggests, but the surname is very common and it is nearly impossible to verify with any certainty.

Fairbairn’s Crests, plate 105/6: Angesteen; Broese; Brockman; Denham; Gatty [Gattie]; Hall; Harris; Heris; Pettit [Pettyt]; Shore; Sotheram. Of there only 3 correspond to the bookplate which is labelled W R H; it is listed in the Franks Bequest catalogue (no. 15955) as unidentified. Burke’s General armory lists Hall of Ramelton, co. Donegal (On a mount a stork argent holding in her dexter claw a pellet); and Heris (On a mount vert a crane holding in the dexter claw a stone).

Not in Fairbairn’s Crests. Papworth lists 10 tigers passant, but none of them are gorged, or have their foot on a cross crosslet.

The crest shown in Fairbairn’s Crests, plate 304/9 is slightly different from that displayed here. Fairbairn lists Sir Godfrey Vignoles Thomas, Bart [9th Baronet Thomas of Wenvoe (1856-1919)]; John Wellesley Thomas; George Hunter Mac-Thomas Thoms (1831-1903); and Thomas H. Thoms, of Tay-Bank, Withington, but none of these is a likely candidate for the stamp.

Fairbairn’s Crests cite seven persons who used this or similar crests, but only three names match: Hall; Horsman; McLaughlan.

There is nothing in Papworth that matches this stamp. In Burke’s General armory, or Fairbairn’s Crests there is no entry for Tasker.

The Heraldry of Crests (London, 1829) on plate 13 gives this crest as Howard. The 1860 edition of Fairbairn copies this without offering any further information; later editions simply omit it. Burke's General armory does not give this crest for any family of Howard.

There are two possibilities listed in Hazlitt’s A Roll of honour under “V”: John Gladwell Vernon; and George John Vulliamy (1817-1886), architect and civil engineer. More information is required before making an identification.

If the monogram in the stamp is “M”, then seventeenth-century and eighteenth-century Scottish Earls were: Morton (1458); Mar (1565); Moray (1562); March (1697). In the peerage of Great Britain they were: Macclesfield (1721); Mansfield (1776). And in Ireland: Meath (1627); and Mexborough (1766).

It is assumed that the J of the initials stands for Johnson, but no further identification can be given at this stage. Crest matches that of the bookplate of R.A. Johnson [Franks 16561]. There is no J N J in Hazlitt’s Roll of honour. There is also nothing in Fairbairn’s Crests, nor in Papworth.

Fairbairn's Crests identifies the crest as belonging to James Gray-Farquhar (ca. 1778-1828), but he has no association with Somerville House. There is a Somerville House, also known as the Drum, near Edinburgh, seat of the Lairds of Somerville, and another in Navan, Meath, Ireland, the seat of the Right Hon. Lord Athlumney. None of these seems likely.

Fairbairn’s Crests plate 94/5 gives: Ackers; Andrews; Blair; Cobbett; Colvill; Dalbiac; Davy; Delafield; Doughty; Dove; Finnan; Moore; Over; Peace; Pockley; Stokes; Stowell; Tarpley; Taverner; Taylor; Wentworth-Shields; Wenyeve.

Fairbairn’s Crests: Odell, Herbert Francis Edward, of Carriglea, co Waterford (A dexter arm in armour embowed the hand grasping a sword, the blade passing through a chaplet of red roses and trefoils). Motto: Quantum in rebus inane. The motto is taken from Aulus Persius Flaccus.

This may not be a crest, but a binders' tool.

There are many entries for 2 bends in Papworth, but none of them are tinctured purpure.

Fairbairn’s Crests plate 96/5: Appleyard; Barton; Bayford; Bermingham; Boucher; Bouchier; Bredel; Broughton; Burton; Byford; Calverley; Catt; Catton; Clutton; Dover; Esmond; Fowler; Gaston; Gottington; Greseley; Harbin; Harwood; Horn[e]; Jennoway; Kirkland; McTaggart; Massey [Massie]; Midford; Minnoch; Nicholas; O’Dugenan; Oldham; Oulry; Ramus; Rumsey; Savell; Saville; Scott; Thorn; Willoughby; Wilton; Witton; Woodley; Wynall.

Fairbairn’s Crests pl 109/8: Bass; Bulteel; Eredy; Folion; Gipp; Johnson; Sonibanck; Tanke; Van Straubenzee. This is very close to the stamp for Maurice Johnson (1688-1745), but he had been dead for 50 years when this book was published. It could be the stamp of one of his sons or grandsons.

Fairbairn’s Crests: plate 157/7: Delaland; Deland; Dickson; Hichcoke; Higge[i]ns. Plate 157/9: Dekener; Dekewer; Hagne; Lamborne; Viel; Vieler.

Fairbairn’s Crests plates 64/2 and 64/5 list 143 families who used this crest

Fairbairn’s Crests (plate 72/11) lists 15 families who used a similar crest, but only two of them provide details of the collar: Deynes, of Suffolk (out of a mural coronet or a dragon’s head sable gorged with two bars of the first); and Williamson, of Durham, Oxon., and Yorks (out of a mural coronet gules a demi-dragon argent collared of the first).

In 1669, the year of the printing of the book, there were only two Dukes in England - Norfolk (created 1483); and Somerset (1547), and another two in Scotland - Hamilton (created 1643), and Buccleuch (1663). Up to the end of the seventeenth century, six more dukedoms were created in England, and one in Scotland. They were in England: Richmond (1675); Grafton (1675); Beaufort (1682); St. Albans (1684); Bedford (1694); and Devonshire (1694). In Scotland there was the Duke of Lennox (1675). Within this brief time span there are no dukes or duchesses who match the monogram. Monograms are notoriously difficult to decipher. Those represented in the stamp could be C C or S C.

The stamp is composed of two separate elements. It belongs to one of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne. It could be Patrick Lyon, 3rd Earl (1643–1695); John Lyon, 4th Earl (1633-1712); John Lyon, 5th Earl (1696–1715); Charles Lyon, 6th Earl (c. 1699–1728); James Lyon, 7th Earl (c. 1702–1735); Thomas Lyon, 8th Earl (c. 1702–1735); or John Bowes, 9th Earl (1737-1796). The “G” in the stamp probably signifies “Glamis” [i.e Glamis Castle] the ancestral home of the Bowes-Lyon family.

The stamp is composed of two separate elements. It belongs to one of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne. It could be Patrick Lyon, 3rd Earl (1643–1695); John Lyon, 4th Earl (1633-1712); John Lyon, 5th Earl (1696–1715); Charles Lyon, 6th Earl (c. 1699–1728); James Lyon, 7th Earl (c. 1702–1735); Thomas Lyon, 8th Earl (c. 1702–1735); or John Bowes, 9th Earl (1737-1796). The “G” in the stamp probably signifies “Glamis” [i.e Glamis Castle] the ancestral home of the Bowes-Lyon family.

The stamp is composed of two separate elements. It belongs to one of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne. It could be Patrick Lyon, 3rd Earl (1643–1695); John Lyon, 4th Earl (1633-1712); John Lyon, 5th Earl (1696–1715); Charles Lyon, 6th Earl (c. 1699–1728); James Lyon, 7th Earl (c. 1702–1735); Thomas Lyon, 8th Earl (c. 1702–1735); or John Bowes, 9th Earl (1737-1796). The “G” in the stamp probably signifies “Glamis” [i.e Glamis Castle] the ancestral home of the Bowes-Lyon family.

The most likely candidate of this stamp is Caroline, Countess Bessborough. In 1849 John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough (1809-1890) married as his second wife Lady Caroline Amelia, (1819-1890), eldest daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond.

Fairbairn’s Crest, plate 224/2: Alexander; Buchanan; Haulton; Hurot; Hurt; Le Strange; Liston; Strange; Wayland; Wedgewood.

There are 54 crests in Fairbairn's Crests that describe an arm embowed holding a battleaxe. However, 44 of them represent an arm in armour and may be discounted. Of the remaining 10 only 4 are without armour and are simply vested, and one of these match our stamp. They are: Browning; Cooper; Mactier; and Norton.

Papworth identifies a number of possibilities, though there is not enough detail to make a definitive identity: Atwell, Devon; Atwood; Barnes, William, Bishop of London; Barney, Kent; Dorman; Flint; Hayes, London; Herbright, Ireland; Langton, Berwick; Larkins, Cambridgeshire; Linde; Lyndon (Lyndonne); Lyndown (Lyndowne); Mooke (Monck), Devon; Parsons, Earl of Rosse; Reton, and Wantell, Sussex.

Fairbairn’s Crests, plate 162/3 provides four possible owners: Blunt; Crowley; Firbank; Pawson. Blunt Crowley X Firbank X Pawson

Fairbairn’s Crests plates 64/2 and 64/5 list 143 families who used this crest

This is possibly a binder's tool and not a crest

The arms Azure three garvine fishes naiant fessways in pale argent the middlemost one conturned were granted to George Garvine, writer of Irvine (Lyon Register 1672 77). The arms of Peebles are Gules three salmon counternaiant in pale proper. Though the present grant only dates to 18 December 1894, the arms have been used by the borough since the middle ages. Adam Girdwood died at Peebles in 1838 aged 1831, so it seems likely that the arms on the stamp are those of Peebles.