The (Kenelm) Digby family
Lyra
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The (Kenelm) Digby family
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I'm starting a new thread for this,
and will copy on all that I wrote on another thread.
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Oldest ancestor that I've found.
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Almar or Almarus Digby
Birth: abt 1128
Tilton, Leicestershire, England
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Everard Digby (Sir)
Birth: abt 1156
Tilton, Leicestershire, England
Father: Almar or Almarus Digby
Mother: Mrs Almar or Almarus Digby
m. Amicia Bretton
Marriage: abt 1180
Leicestershire, England
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Lyra
Lyra wrote:
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>
> The (Kenelm) Digby family
>
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>
> I'm starting a new thread for this,
> and will copy on all that I wrote on another thread.
And add more.
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(quote, excerpts)
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DIGBY
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DIG-bee
From a surname which was derived from the name of an English town,
itself derived from a combination of Old English dic "dyke, ditch" and
Old Norse byr "farm, town".
http://www.behindthename.com/name/digby
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Digby. Azure a fleur de lis argent.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62596
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This was a temporary arrangement during the exile of his father, Sir
Kenelm Digby, (fn. 61) who died in 1665. (fn. 62)
62 Musgrave's Obit. (Harl. Soc.), ii, 183.
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Lyra
Lyra wrote:
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Why an Ostrich, and why a horseshoe ?
An ostrich proper with a horseshoe in it's mouth forms the crest on
the Digby family coat of arms.
The origins of this symbol date back to a century BC , and Jugurthine
War between the Romans and Numidians. By ordering his warriors to
mount ostriches, Jugurtha, King of the Numidians, was able to out
flank the Roman cavalry and win victory.
The horseshoe celebrates the ostrich's dominance, and is held upside
down, traditionally unlucky, as this way up the luck falls out. This
point ties to the Digby family motto, 'Deo non Fortuna' - 'God and not
Fortune'.
It is believed that the crest came to the family via the Angevin Kings
of Hungary. Charles Robert, the first King of the Angevin dynasty,
adopted the ostrich as a symbol of strength as part of his struggle to
restore order to Hungary after his disputed succession.
In Heraldry the Ostrich is traditionally used as a symbol of
watchfulness. An alternative explanation given for the horseshoe in
its beak is that the horseshoe will fall from the ostrich's beak
should it ever fall asleep, and by landing on its foot, wake it to
once again resume its watch.
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Digby coat of arms
http://www.heraldry.ws/html/digby-england.html
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Lyra
Lyra wrote:
(quote)
The battlements, sickles and oak tree with golden acorns represent the
rural and agricultural nature of the Forest of Arden.
The black griffin is taken from the arms of the Earls of Aylesford who
are associated with Meriden;
the silver fleur-de-lys comes from the Digby family who were
associated with Fordbridge
and the black greyhound is taken from the arms of the Greswolds, the
family who built the 15th-century house called the Manor House in the
High Street, Solihull.
http://www.solihull.gov.uk/about/solihullshistory_12443.htm
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
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Alchemy-Digby-RareSecrets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Alchemy-Digby-RareSecrets.png
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Ken elm? dig by...
> (a secret message...)
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Venetia Digby
Venetia...dig by...
(another secret message, giving the place
at which to dig
as the burial place of Venetia.)
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Venetia (and Kenelm) Digby's burial place.
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(quote, excerpts)
Christ Church Greyfriars
Christ Church Greyfriars, also known as Christ Church Newgate, was an
Anglican church located on Newgate Street, opposite St Paul's
Cathedral in the City of London.
Built first in the gothic style, then in the English Baroque style by
Sir Christopher Wren, it ranked among the City's most notable pieces
of architecture and places of worship.
The church was destroyed in the Second World War; the ruins are now a
public garden.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church_Greyfriars
Home
External Photos
Internal Photos
History
Plans
Links
Contact Us
Credits
Welcome to the official website for the Christchurch Tower, situated
just a few hundred yards from St Paul's Cathedral in London. This is
one of Sir Christopher Wren's towers, is over 400 years old and still
has a Wren dome inside.
http://christchurchtower.com/index.html
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Lyra
Lyra wrote:
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sealing wax: Encyclopedia II - Kenelm Digby - Character and works
Digby was regarded as an eccentric even by his contemporaries, partly
because of his effusive personality, and partly because of his
interests in scientific matters. He lived in a time when scientific
enquiry was very much in the air, but had not settled down in any
disciplined way, or broken completely with earlier ideologies. Notable
among his pursuits was the concept of the Powder of Sympathy. This was
a kind of sympathetic magic; one manufactured a powder (using
appropriate astrological techniques), and daubed it, not on the
injur ...
See also:
Kenelm Digby, Kenelm Digby - Early life and career, Kenelm Digby -
Catholicism and Civil War, Kenelm Digby - Character and works
Read more here: » Kenelm Digby: Encyclopedia II - Kenelm Digby -
Character and works
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sealing wax: Encyclopedia II - Kenelm Digby - Catholicism and Civil
War
Digby became a Roman Catholic once more in 1635, publishing A
Conference with a Lady about choice of a Religion, in which he argued
that the Roman Catholic Church, possessing alone the qualifications of
universality, unity of doctrine and uninterrupted apostolic
succession, is the only true church, and that the intrusion of error
into it is impossible. He therefore exiled himself voluntarily to the
France of Cardinal Richelieu. Returning to support Charles I in his
struggle to establish episcopacy in Scotland (the Bishops' Wars), he
f ...
See also:
Kenelm Digby, Kenelm Digby - Early life and career, Kenelm Digby -
Catholicism and Civil War, Kenelm Digby - Character and works
Read more here: » Kenelm Digby: Encyclopedia II - Kenelm Digby -
Catholicism and Civil War
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
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The Fleur-de-lis of Ideas & Images
The Fleur-de-Lis
In Heraldry and History
Legend
The English translation of "fleur-de-lis" (sometimes spelled "fleur-de-
lys") is "flower of the lily." This symbol, depicting a stylized lily
or lotus flower, has many meanings.
Traditionally, it has been used to represent French royalty, and in
that sense it is said to signify perfection, light, and life.
Legend has it that an angel presented Clovis, the Merovingian king of
the Franks, with a golden lily as a symbol of his purification upon
his conversion to Christianity. Others claim that Clovis adopted the
symbol when waterlilies showed him how to safely cross a river and
thus succeed in battle.
Heraldry
In the twelfth century, either King Louis VI or King Louis VII
(sources disagree) became the first French monarch to use the fleur-de-
lis on his shield.
English kings later used the symbol on their coats of arms to
emphasize their claims to the throne of France.
In the 14th century, the fleur-de-lis was often incorporated into the
family insignia that was sewn on the knight's surcoat, which was worn
over their coat of mail, thus the term, "coat of arms."
The original purpose of identification in battle developed into a
system of social status designations after 1483 when King Edmund IV
established the Heralds' College to supervise the granting of armor
insignia.
Religion and War
* Joan of Arc carried a white banner that showed God blessing the
French royal emblem, the fleur-de-lis, when she led French troops to
victory over the English in support of the Dauphin, Charles VII, in
his quest for the French throne.
* The Roman Catholic Church ascribed the lily as the special
emblem of the Virgin Mary.
* Due to its three "petals," the fleur-de-lis has also been used
to represent the Holy Trinity.
* Military units, including divisions of the United States Army,
have used the symbol's resemblance to a spearhead to identify martial
power and strength.
http://www.fleurdelis.com/fleur.htm
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Lyra
Lyra wrote:
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SIR KENELM DIGBY
Everard Digby & Wife
Sir Kenelm Digby & His Wife Venetia
Kenelm Digby, "The ornament of England", who was one of the most
picturesque and versatile of historical figures, combining the roles
of Courtier, Naval Commander, Statesman, Philosopher and Scientist,
was born on llth July 1603 at Gayhurst.
This splendid and stately Tudor mansion had come into the Digby family
through Kenelm's mother. She was the daughter and heir of William
Mulsho and she married Sir Everard Digby, one of the ill-fated
conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot.
Gayhurst stood in a wooded park of two hundred acres with two small
lakes, some hillocks, travel paths and geometrical hedges, with
dovecotes and stables beyond. The River Ouse runs out to the East and
to the north there was a long avenue of very tall oak trees.
The main house was built in Henry Vlll's time. Later, Queen Elizabeth
evidently made a gift of it to Drake before it came into the Mulsho
family. It changed a little; the traditional squat H-shape was filled
out into a heavy U but its warm cream grey stone and the facade were
the same and the proportions which gave it distinction among
Elizabethan mansions remained essentially unchanged.
Amongst the thirty rooms there was the Drake Room, the Burleigh Room,
the Prince's Room (which a Prince of Wales had occupied); and there
was a room of delicate colouring, modelled on Catherine de Medici's
poisoning room in Blois Castle, which had long panels exquisitely
painted with the flowers of the county.
In Kenelm's childhood stranger parts of the house were also used, the
priest-holes and the secret room on the east where his father and the
other plotters were thought to have concealed themselves at some of
their meetings after passing through a hidden door or behind a
revolving fireplace.. These and the secret passages running throughout
the house must have been very familiar to Kenelm. It was here that he
wandered as a boy, through the well-planted grounds, out into the
meadow lands, by the water and out toward the main road which ran from
Northampton to London.
Kenelm was only three years old when his father died on the scaffold
on 31st January 1606, aged twenty-eight. At an early age Kenelm was
taken from the care of his mother, a fervent Roman Catholic and placed
under the tuition of Archbishop Laud. Opinions differ as to whether he
ever renounced the faith of his parents, for as early as 1625 he
describes himself in his Memoirs as being a Roman Catholic. He went to
Oxford when he was fourteen and entered Gloucester Hall (now Worcester
College). There he came under the influence of Dr Thomas Allen, one of
the most learned scholars of his day, who inspired him to study
science and philosophy, interests which he preserved throughout his
life.
Dr. Alien died about fifteen years later, and left his books to
Kenelm, who presented them to the Bodleian Library
Venetia,
Lady Digby
During his vacations Kenelm became the constant companion of the
beautiful Venetia Stanley, She was the daughter of Sir Edward Stanley
of Tonge Castle, Shropshire and grand-daughter of Thomas Percy,
seventh Earl of Northumberland. Her mother died when she was only a
few months old and her father retreated into a life of solitude so
Venetia was sent to relatives who lived in the neighborhood of
Gayhurst. Kenelm fell deeply in love with Venetia but his mother, Lady
Digby, was strongly opposed to an alliance, mostly because of
Venetia's "dubious reputation"; she was involved with at least four
other suitors besides Kenelm.
Kenelm completed his four years at Oxford in 1620, without taking a
degree and was then sent abroad. He often returned to Gayhurst to
visit his mother over the years but he never really lived there again.
At their farewell meeting Kenelm presented Venetia with a diamond ring
"Entreating her, whensoever she did cast her eyes upon it, to conceive
that it told her in his behalf, that his heart would prove as hard us
that stone in the admittance of any new affection." Venetia, in
return, gave him a lock of her hair.
Kenelm first went to Paris to study but he found the University in the
midst of changes and the summer months bringing the plague to the city
so he retreated to the provinces. He arrived at Angers, where Marie de
Medici, widow of Henri IV and regent for her son Louis X11, held
court. There at a masqued Ball the Queen Mother of France fell
passionately in love with the handsome but bewildered young man.
Kenelm fled as his heart remained ever constant to Venetia.
Kenelm traveled to Italy. 'Whilst in Florence in l622 he met Vandyck
and the two became intimate friends. Vandyck painted Kenelm and
Venetia over the years. In England Venetia heard rumours that Kenelm
had died and was heartbroken; Kenelm's letters, telling her the true
facts, never reached her and she became engaged to a former suitor.
When Kenelm heard of this he was furiously angry "This much will I
swear, And call heaven to witness, that for the future I will have
irreconcilable wars with that perfidious sex; and so blaze through the
world their unworthiness and falsehood, that I hope their turn will
come to sue men for their love, and being denied, despair and die."
Not long after Venetia discovered that her new lover was unfaithful
and she broke off the engagement. On Kenelm's return to London he and
Venetia met and resolved all the misunderstandings.
However, before he returned to England, Kenelm went from Italy to
Madrid to visit his cousin Sir John Digby, afterwards created Earl of
Bristol. Sir John was trying to negotiate, on behalf of King James 1,
a marriage between Prince Charles and the Infanta of Spain.
The subsequent arrival of Prince Charles and Buckingham did not help
matters. Buckingham made himself most unpopular and the Infanta did
not reciprocate the Prince's advances. Kenelm, because of his
religious persuasions, was selected to confer with the Archbishop of
Toledo, the Primate of Spain. Finally, in September l623, Prince
Charles disconsolately sailed for England and Kenelm accompanied him
as one of his suite.
The following month the King knighted Kenelm at Hinchinbrook. The
ceremony, had it not been for the timely intervention of Buckingham,
might have had disastrous consequences. The King was looking elsewhere
and pointed the blade of his sword directly at Sir Kenelm's eyes.
Buckingham was now planning an alliance between Prince Charles and the
sister of the King of France and was anxious to have Sir Kenelm's
assistance and company on a projected visit to Paris. Kenelm could not
raise the expenses but Venetia offered to supply the necessary money.
Her generosity so touched him that he proposed to her; they were
secretly married in l625 and they did not make their marriage public
until after the birth of their second son,
Kenelm now held a Court appointment and was a great favourite of King
James, who was especially attracted to him because of his knowledge of
alchemy and science. His position was not an easy one, as he owed much
to the unscrupulous Buckingham, who was very jealous of Sir John Digby
1st Earl of Bristol.
During a temporary absence of Buckingham, Kenelm, always keen for
adventure, persuaded the King to give him the command of a
privateering expedition. The ulterior motive of which the capture of
French was trading vessels. The two ships selected for this venture,
the Eagle and the George end Elizabeth set sail in December 1627.
After many excitements and skirmishes Kenelm won a victory over the
French and Venetians at Scanderoon. On their return, after an absence
of thirteen months, the victors had a great reception and Kenelm
"received gracious entertainment from the King and a happy welcome
from all his friends". Whilst away he had studied archaeology on the
Greek islands and he had proved himself an able naval commander.
Venetia died in 1635 and was buried in Christ Church, Newgate. It was
rumoured that her death was caused by "Viper-wine" invented and
prescribed by Kenelm to retain her beautiful complexion. Kenelm was
inconsolable after her death and retired to live at Gresham College
where he studied chemistry and "wore there along mourning cloak, a
high-cornered hat, his beard unshorn, looked like a hermit, as signs
of sorrow for his beloved wife".
The portraits of him by Vandyck before Venetia's deaths depict him as
a courtier in velvet and lace and those after she died as a recluse in
a black gown.
In 1640 the House of Commons pressed the King to remove all Roman
Catholics from his Court - Sir Kenelm being especially mentioned. He
was exiled in France and whilst there fought a duel with a French lord
who insulted the name of the King of England.
During the Civil War Sir Kenelm fought with the Royalists and was
imprisoned. His old admirer Marie de Medici interceded on his behalf
and he was released in 1643. He returned to France until the
declaration of the Protectorate and then started negotiations with
Cromwell for the reinstatement of Roman Catholics.
He wrote on a wide variety of subjects including his Memoir." which
was first published in 1827. He wrote on philosophy, religion,
cookery, medicine and spent the later years of his life writing,
studying and traveling.
He died on his birthday, 11th June 1665 at his house in Covent Garden
and was buried by the side of his wife in the vault in Christ Church,
Newgate. He left no Digby descendants. His elder son, Kenelm, was
killed fighting for the Royalists at the Battle of St. Neots; his
younger son had only two daughters.
Sir Kenelm Digby's epitaph reads:
Under this tomb the matchless Digby lies,
Digby the great, the valiant, and the wise:
This age's wonder for his noble parts,
Skilled in nix tongues, and learned in all the arts:
Born on the day he died, the eleventh of June,
On which he bravely fought at Scanderoon;
'Tis rare that one and the same day should be
His day of birth, of death and victory.
I have compiled this short account of Gayhurst and Sir Kenelm Digby
from my own two books:
"My Ancestors: Being the History of the Digby and Strutt Families" by
Lettice Digby. Privately Printed by Spottiswoode, Ballantyne and Co
Ltd ,1928.
"Sir Kenelm Digby: The Ornament of England: 1603-1665" by R.T.
Petersson. Published by Jonathan Cape. 1956
http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/sga/Gayhurst/sir-kenelm-digby.html
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> > >
> > > Alchemy-Digby-RareSecrets
> > >
> > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Alchemy-Digby-RareSecrets.png
> > >
> > > ```````````````````
> > >
> > > Ken elm? dig by...
> > >
> > > > (a secret message...)
> > >
> > > ```````````````````
> > >
> > > Venetia Digby
> > >
> > > Venetia...dig by...
> > >
> > > (another secret message, giving the place
> > > at which to dig
> > > as the burial place of Venetia.)
> > >
> > > ```````````````````
> > >
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> > > > > > >
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
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KENELM & HIS WICKED SISTER
Here's a tale from Winchcombe in Gloucestershire, England. It is the
story of St Kenelm and his wicked sister.
Long long ago, when England was divided into several Saxon kingdoms,
in the Kingdom of Mercia there was a ruthless woman called Quendreda.
She wanted to be Queen of Mercia, but in her way stood her little
brother Kenelm.
This wasn't going to stop Quendreda, so she bribed Kenelm's tutor,
Askbert, to take Kenelm on a hunting trip to Clent in Worcestershire,
far from his home in Winchcombe, and whilst he was there to murder the
boy. And so Askbert and Kenelm set out and when they got there Askbert
took out his sword to do the ghastly deed. But Kenelm said "This is
not the place ordained for you to kill me." and stuck his walking
stick in the ground which turned into a thorntree. This would have
scared most men, but not Askbert who managed to slice off the boy's
head. A dove flew out of the boy's head and flew away. Askbert buried
the boy's body and went to tell the triumphant Quendreda of his
success.
The dove flew to the Rome and dropped a letter into the lap of the
Pope. The message read:
"In Clent cow-pasture under a thorn;
Of head bereft lies Kenelm, king-born."
The Pope sent to England to find what had happened and sure enough the
searchers were led to the grave under a thorn by a white cow. When the
body was lifted from the grave a light shone and healing water sprang
from the ground. The monks of Winchcombe Abbey carried the body back
to his home and everywhere they put down the body healing waters
sprang. Eventually the bearers brought the body into Winchcombe.
Quendreda was standing at her window when they arrived. She swore that
"May God blind me, if ever I harmed my brother", whereupon her eyes
fell out.
Kenelm was made a Saint and buried at Winchcombe Abbey and Quendreda
was executed for her crime. For many hundreds of years pilgrims would
come to the town to worship at the Saint's tomb and ask for healing.
You can see a coffin, said to be that of Kenelm in Winchcombe Church
to this day.
All of this makes a great story - but it isn't true. Kenelm did live,
but died of natural causes and poor Quendreda was innocent.
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/conker/conkers-and-ghosts/kenelm.htm
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
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The Fleur-de-lis
Stained glass window in the shape of a fleur-de-lys, Bourges
cathedral, 15th c. Note the various themes: the Trinity, which the 3
petals were understood to recall, is represented; angels are bearing
the shield as they are supporters of the arms of France, the dove
descending from heaven recalls the legend of the baptism of Clovis
when a dove brought the sacred ointment to Saint Remigius.
The origin of the fleur de lis has been debated for centuries. There
are a number of inter-related questions with respect to the fleur-de-
lis:
* what is the origin of the design which we know by that name?
* how old is it, and when was it first adopted by the kings of
France?
* why did they adopt it?
* what is a fleur-de-lys: that is, to what flower or real object
does it correspond?
* where does the name itself come from?
This article provides answers and clues. My personal opinion is as
follows:
* the design can be found in many places long before heraldic
times, as far back as Mesopotamia. It is essentially a stylized
flower, and served as a decorative element and became associated over
time with royalty, especially in the High Middle Ages.
* As a heraldic charge, it dates from the 12th c. It is first
adopted as a semis on a field by the French king Philippe II
(1180-1214) with certainty, perhaps already by his father Louis VII
(1137-80). At a minimum, the arms "azure, a semis of fleur-de-lis or"
are associated with French kings from 1200.
* the fleur-de-lys, as emblem (as opposed to heraldic charge)
appears on coins and seals from the 10th c. at least. Typically, it
forms the end of a scepter, or decorates the rim of a crown, or is
held, over-sized, by the king along with a scepter. So there is, by
the 11th-12th c., a strong association with royal sovereignty. In
fact, coins of the Emperor Frederic I show him holding such a scepter.
Moreover, supposing that it was already called a fleur-de-lys at the
time, the lilly flower had strong religious connotations, especially
with the Virgin Mary, and later (in the 14th c.) with the Trinity.
seal of Philip II, 1180
Seal of Philip II Augustus, king of France, 1180.
Legend: Philippus Dei gratia Francorum rex".
From the French Ministry of Culture's Banques d'images CARIM.
* what it is, or initially was, is hotly debated. I dismiss all
non-floral origins as fanciful. It is a stylized flower, but which
flower? It looks more like an iris than a lilly. Moreover, lillies are
never yellow in the wild, whereas some irises are. Could there have
been confusion between the two flowers? The word "lis" appears in
French in 1150, whereas the word "iris" designates the flower in the
13th c. The term "fleur de lis" in the heraldic sense is attested in
1225. A confusion seems implausible.
* However, a hypothesis ventured in the 17th c. sounds very
plausible to me. One species of wild iris, the Iris pseudacorus,
yellow flag in English, is yellow and grows in marshes (cf. the azure
field, for water). Its name in German is Lieschblume (also gelbe
Schwertlilie), but Liesch was also spelled Lies and Leys in the Middle
Ages. It is easy to imagine that, in Northern France, the Lieschblume
would have been called "fleur-de-lis." This would explain the name and
the formal origin of the design, as a stylized yellow flag. There is a
fanciful legend about Clovis which links the yellow flag explicitly
with the French coat of arms.
A bonus of this theory is that the yellow flag is also called "flambe"
or "flamme" in old French, which links it very nicely to the
oriflamme.
The French Arms
As will be shown later, they were Azure, a semis of fleur-de-lis or
since 1200 or perhaps even 1170-80. They were changed to Azure, 3
fleur-de-lis or in 1376, by order of Charles V the Wise. It is
sometimes said that the reason was to spite the English King, who bore
quarterly France Ancient and England, and differentiate the arms of
France from that claimed by England. I am pretty sure the arms of
France were shown with 3 fleur-de-lys prior to that, and possibly
prior to the Hundred Years War, for esthetic reasons. But it's an
interesting idea.
Pastoureau on the fleur-de-lis
Here is a loose translation from translation Michel Pastoureau: Traité
d'Héraldique, Paris, 1979.
"The use for ornamental or symbolic purposes of the stylised flower
usually called fleur de lis is common to all eras and all
civilisations. It is an essentially graphic theme found on
Mesopotamian cylinders, Egyptian bas-reliefs, Mycenean potteries,
Sassanid textiles, Gaulish coins, Mameluk coins, Indonesian clothes,
Japanese emblems and Dogon totems. The many writers who have discussed
the topic agree that it has little to do graphically with the lily,
but disagree on whether it derives from the iris, the broom, the lotus
or the furze, or whether it represents a trident, an arrowhead, a
double axe, or even a dove or a pigeon. It is in our opinion a problem
of little importance. The essential point is that it is a very
stylised figure, probably a flower, that has been used as an ornament
or an emblem by almost all civilisations of the old and new worlds.
The oldest known examples of fleur-de-lis similar to those used in the
Medieval Western world and in modern times can be found on assyrian
bas-reliefs from the 3d millenium BC. It is found on tiaras,
necklaces, scepters, and seems already to play the role of royal
attribute. Those found a little later in Crete, India and Egypt
probably have a similar meaning. In numismatics, we find the fleur-de-
lis on a few Greek coins and on several Roman coins from the Republic
(mark of monetary magistrates) or the Empire (attribute of Hope) and
especially on Gaulish coins. [The book shows three coins: a Gaulish
coin (1st c. AD), a Mameluk coin (1390) and a coin of Louis VI of
France (1110-30), all displaying an unmistakable fleur-de-lis (at
least the upper-half of one, and a sort of triangle in the lower-
half).] Whereas, in Greek and Roman coins, it is a fleuron of variable
shape, in the Celtic case it is a true heraldic fleur-de-lis as it
reappears in the 13th c.
While retaining its value as royal attribute, the fleur-de-lis
acquires in the high Middle Ages a strong Christic meaning, stemming
from (among others) the famous verse of the Song of Solomon (2:1):
"ego flos campi et lilium convallium" many times repeated and
commented from Saint Jerome to Saint Bernard. Therefore it is not
rare, until the end of the 12th c., to see Christ represented amidst
more or less stylised lilies or fleurons, whose design could also
recall the Trinity of the Chrismon (Christ's monogram). Then, slowly,
on this Christic content is added a Marial symbolic, linked to the
development of the Cult of Mary, and to which the next verse of the
Song of Solomon is related (2:2): "sicut lilium inter spinas, sic
amica mea inter lilias" as well as many parts of the Scriptures and
the Fathers of the Church, where the lily is presented as symbol of
purity, virginity and chastity. In iconography, the lily becomes a
favorite attribute of the Virgin Mary and will remain so until the
16th c.
The origin of fleur-de-lis adopted as heraldic emblems by the Kings of
France is a problem that has elicited much discussion. From the middle
of the 14th c, several works (mostly designed to legitimize the Valois
claims on the throne, against Edward III of England), explain that the
king of France "bears arms of three fleur-de-lis as sign of the
blessed Trinity, sent by God through His angel to Clovis, first
Christian king... telling him to erase the three crescents he bore on
his arms and replace them with the fleur-de-lis." This legend
reappears at the end of the 15th c, but this time the alleged arms
born by Clovis before his baptism are not azure, three crescents or
but azure, three toads or. Significantly, at the end of the Middle
Ages, Clovis' paganism is not represented by a Muslim symbol
(crescent) but a demonic one (toad). In any case, it is only in the
17th c that this legendary origin of the fleur-de-lys began to be
subject to the criticism of scholars. The famous Scevole de Sainte-
Marthe seems to be the first to assert that the fleur-de-lys appeared
on the shield only under Philippe Auguste (1180-1223) or Louis VIII
(1223-26). However, until the end of the 19th c writers continued to
profer the most fanciful opinions on the subject. Today, Sainte-
Marthe's opinion cannot be denied anymore: it is known that there are
no coats of arms before 1130-1140, and the king of France was no the
first to adopt a coat. H. Pinoteau's work of the past 30 years have
shed definitive light on the subject: although we have no iconographic
testimony of the coat azure, semy of fleur-de-lys or by a king of
France before Louis VIII (on a stained glass window in Chartres of
1230; Louis VIII did bear the coat before becoming king, on a seal of
1211), several chroniclers contemporary of Philippe Auguste report
that he used a banner with these arms, and his seal shows that as
early as 1180 he used a fleur-de-lys as emblem. [example of an
official of the royal demesne bearing the coat on his 1207 seal, and a
cousin of the king augmenting Courtenay with a shield of France
Ancient on a 1210 seal. It may even have been adopted by Louis VII
(1154-80).]
[The seals of Philip Augustus clearly have a single fleur-de-lys on
the reverse as of 1180. Before that, from 1050 at least, the seals of
French kings show them sitting, holding a sceptre in their left hand
and what looks like a fleur-de-lis in their right hand. The head of
the sceptre is a lozenge, but often the fleurons on the crown (3 of
them) look like fleur-de-lys.]
It remains to know why the king of France adopted the fleur-de-lys as
an emblem when all other sovereigns of Europe chose animals. The
reason seems twofold: on the one hand this flower had always retained
its role as attribute of sovereignty: it is in this capacity that it
appears on several royal Carolingian and Ottonian attributes, on the
scepter of Capetian kings since Robert (996-1031), on the reverse of
Louis VI coins (early 12th c) and even on coins of Lothaire (954-986).
On the other hand, the flower acquired a strong religious meaning,
either Christic or Marial; it is probably under the influence of saint
Bernard and Suger that Louis VII (who was with Saint Louis the most
pious king of France) adopeted this emblem which symbolized both the
royal dignity and Christian piety of his person and his lineage.
[discussion of other families with the fleur-de-lys on their coat.]
The design of the fleur-de-lys has always been relatively stable and
since the 13th c the heraldic vocabulary used adjectives or phrases to
specify the design when it varied from the usual one. The most ancient
variation is the fleur-de-lys 'au pied nourri', i.e. without the lower
part, everything under the horizontal bar apparently cut off. Old
French also calls this fleur-de-lys 'en lonc' or 'a pié coupé'.
Sometimes the lower part is represented but in a triangular shape: it
is then called 'au pied posé'. These two variants appear in the North
of France and the Netherlands. Towards the middle of the 13th c, some
seals represent the fleur-de-lys in a more naturalistic fashion: it
has stamina between the petals, and the petals end with arabesques, as
if one was trying to evoke the last stage of bloom. Such a flower is
called épanouie or florencée, that of Florence being the most famous
example [Lille also bears the fleur-de-lys épanouie]."
Woodward on the fleur-de-lis
"Of all the floral devices used in Heraldry the most famous is the
fleur-de-lis now generally identified with the iris. Its floral
character has been altogether denied by some writers who have
professed to trace its origin to the head of a lance, spear or
sceptre, to an architectural finial; to a frog, bee, a sacred
monogram, etc. (The student who is interested will find all
suggestions stated, and refuited, in the excellent work of M. Rey:
Histoire du Drapeau, Paris, 1837, and can hardly failed to be
surprised at the prodigious number of treatises which have been
published on the subject).
It is at first sight so difficult to explain the reason why, when
other great potentates were assuming for their armorial emblems the
lion, the eagle, etc, the sovereigns of France should have preferred
the apparently humble iris-flower, that we are hardly surprised to
find the fact accounted for by the tradition that it was brought from
heaven itself by an angel to Clovis, King of France, on the occasion
of his baptism, as a special mark of favor on the part of the Blessed
Virgin, whose peculiar symbol the lily has always been, The tradition
has many variations of place and circumstance. It is, however,
somewhat surprising to find that the French bishops at the Council of
Trent, when disputing for the precedence of their sovereign, fortified
their claim by alleging that the King of France had received the fleur-
de-lis direct from heaven: Gallorum regem unctum esse et lilia
divinitus accepisse!
The most probable explanation of the origin of the fleur-de-lis as a
device of the Kings of France is that put forth by M. Rey, which has
received the approval of Mr Planche, "that the fleur de lys, or flower
de luce was merely a rebus signifying fleur de Louis." Up to the time
of Louis VII the kings of that name (identical with Clovis) called
themselves, and signed themselves, Loi"s or Loys. Even after the name
had settled into its present form, Loys was still the signature of the
kings of France up to the time of Louis XIII (1610-43). Loys, or Louis
VII received from his father the surname Florus.
The coins of Louis VI and Louis VII are the earliest on which the
fleur-de-lys appears. But it also appears at that time on the coins of
Florence (a city which wad the mint of many European sovereigns, and
whence the name florin is derived). M. Rey, in view of these facts,
inquires: "Can we not say then, that the coincidence of the surname
Florus with the name of Loys or lis, of that of Florence with that of
fleur de lis, of all these names and surnames, gave rise to the
formation of the name of our illustrious emblem?"
M. Rey traces the fleur-de-lys as an artistic ornament to very early
times; centuries antecedent to its adoption as an armorial design. (It
is curious that on a coin of Hadrian, Gaul is personified by a woman
bearing in her hand a lily: the legend is restitutori Galliae.) On a
medal of Galba the fleur-de-lis forms the head of a sceptre.
Montfaucon gives an example from an ancient diptych in which the crown
of the empress Placidia (daughter of the emperor Theodosius the
Great), who died in 450, is enseigned with a fleur-de-lys. These, and
a multitude of other early instances, are given in the plates by M.
Rey, to whose work I refer again the curious reader. In France, as in
many other countries, the sceptre borne by the prince was, at a very
early date, ornamented by a flora lemblem, varying in detail but
bearing a general resemblance to the fleur-de-lys of later times.
The seals of the emperors Henry I (d. 1024) and Conrad II (d. 1039)
afford early illustrations of the custom (see Glafey, specimen decadem
sigillorum, Leipzig 1749; Roemer-Büchner, Die Siegel der deutschen
Kaiser, Frankfurt am Main, 1851). In France the germ of the armorial
fleur-de-lys can be traced to the fleurons which adorn the sceptres
and crowns of Henri I, Philippe I and Louis VI (11-12th c.). A signet
of Louis VII bears a fleur-de-lys florencee, but the charge first
takes a definite heraldic shape on the seals of Philippe Augustus (d.
1223); whose great seal represents him crowned with an open crown of
fleurons and holding in his right hand a fleur-de-lys (several of his
successors are similaryl represented), in his left a sceptre
surmounted by a lozenge charged with the like emblem. On his
counterseal is engraved in an oval a fleur-de-lis entirely of the
heraldic shape. (M. Demay, in his book vited in previous pages, points
out, pp. 194-196, the analogy which exists between the fleurons, held
in the hand, or surmounting the sceptre as well as adorning the crown,
to the effigies of the blessed Virgin depicted on the seal of the
Chapter of Notre Dame at Paris in 1146, and on that of the abbey of
Faremoutiers in 1197, with those born by St.Louis in 1226). On the
occasion of the coronation of his son Philip (in his own lifetime) the
king, Louis VII, regulated the details of the ceremony, and among
other things prescribed that the prince should wear "ses chausses...en
soye couleur bleu azure semée en moult endroit de fleurs de lys d'or,
puis aussi sa dalmatique de meme couleur et oeuvre" (Gourdon de
Genouilhac, l'Art Héraldique, p.224)."
The Clovis Legend
I will mention an amusing legend, according to which Clovis, on his
way to fight the king of Aquitania Alaric, and defeat him at Vouille
near Poitiers (in 507), was searching in vain for a ford to cross a
river, when a doe, frightened by the soldiers, jumped across the river
along a ford that it only knew. The whole army then followed. On the
banks, wild yellow irises grew in abundance: Clovis came off his
horse, picked one and put it on his helmet as a symbol of his future
victory. Thereafter did the kings of France use the fleur de lis as
their emblem. The story is of course fanciful, but a nice one
(somewhat reminiscent of the manner in which Attila found his way to
Europe, actually).
Of Flowers
from Henry Correvon: Fleur des eaux et des marais; Neuchâtel (Suisse),
1961: Editions Delachaux & Niestle.
"Let us discuss now the iris, of which there are very interesting
aquatic species. The marsh plant par excellence, at least in our
regions, is the Water iris (iris des eaux), Iris Pseudoacorus, whose
bright yellow large flowers bloom from June to September all across
Europe, Western Asia and North Africa.... [He goes on to tell the
story of Clovis fording the river which I narrated previously and
concludes:] the flag of the Kings of France then represented three of
these iris flowers. In England this flower is known as 'flagflower'. "
Separated at birth: a fleur-de-lys and an iris, both spotted in
Florence, Italy.
Lis and Iris in French
The first use of the word "iris" in French is in a 13th c. manuscript,
Le Livre des Medecines Simples, where it says: "iris porte roge flor
et ireos blanches." The word existed before, to name a prism, or rock
through which the light diffracts into a rainbow (here the etymology
is clear: Iris, messenger of the Gods). How it came to designate the
plant I don't know (ref: Godefroy: Dictionnaire de l'Ancienne Langue
Francaise, vol. 10, Kraus reprints, 1969).
The first instance of the word "lis", plural of an unattested "lil"
from Latin lilium, is around 1150 for the flower. The word is often
found as metonymy for the lily flower, and used in numerous metaphors
for whiteness, purity, etc. For example, in Erec et Enéide by
Chrestien de Troyes (ca. 1170): "plus ot que n'est la flor de lis,
Cler et blanc le front et le vis" (forehead and face pale and white
more than the lily flower) (example taken from: Tobler-Lommatzsch:
Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch). The word fleur de lis is also used as
metaphor for the Virgin Mary (1223). First clear-cut use of the word
"fleur de lis" in its heraldic acception is in 1225 in Durmart le
Gallois, although Victor Gay (Glossaire Archéologique du Moyen-Âge,
vol. 1, Paris, 1887) claims that the word is used in an ordnance of
Louis VII (1137-1180), without giving any reference.
What is really strange is that the lily was such a constant metaphor
for whiteness, and would become a golden charge. As mentioned before,
lilies are usually white, not yellow.
Lillies and Irises in English
What about the English language? What follows are edited OED entries.
It appears that:
* in English, the iris was often called fleur-de-lis or flower-de-
luce, since the 16th century.
* Fleur-de-lis, to designate the heraldic charge, appears as early
as 1400.
* the yellow iris, or common British species (Iris pseudacorus) is
also called Yellow Flag.
What to make of it? The late date for the use of fleur-de-lis in
English to designate the flower makes me suspect that, here, the
charge came first and the name was applied to the flower because of
the formal resemblance.
iris , sb. Pl. irides , irises. [a. Gr. iris, stem
irid-. The senses (except 3 and 6) correspond to those of the Gr.
word;
so also Fr. iris. The pl. irides is chiefly used in sense 4.]
1. Gr. Myth. The goddess who acted as the messenger of the gods, and
was held
to display as her sign, or appear as, the rainbow; hence, allusively,
a messenger.
2. a. A rainbow; a many-coloured refraction of light from drops of
water.
b. transf. A rainbow-like or iridescent appearance; a circle or halo
of
prismatic colours; a combination or alternation of brilliant colours.
c. fig.
3. a. A hexagonal prismatic crystal (mentioned by Pliny Nat. Hist.)
4. a. Anat. b. (transf.) Entom. c. Photogr. = iris-diaphragm;
5. Bot. A genus of plants, the type of the natural order Iridaceae,
natives of
Europe, N. Africa, and the temperate regions of Asia and America; most
of the
species have tuberous (less commonly bulbous or fibrous) roots, sword-
shaped
equitant leaves, and showy flowers; formerly often called Fleur-de-lis
or
Flower-de-luce. Also, a plant of this genus.blue iris, Iris
germanica, the
German Flag, a common cultivated species; fetid iris, the Gladden,
Iris
foetidissima; Florentine iris = white iris; stinking iris = fetid
iris;
white iris, Iris florentina, from which orrisroot is obtained; yellow
iris, the
Yellow Flag, Iris Pseudacorus, the common British species.
1562 Turner Herbal. ii. 23 a, Iris is knowen both of the Grecianes
and Latines
by that name; it is called..in Englishe flour de lyce. 1578 Lyte
Dodoens ii.
xxxv. 192 There be many kindes of Iris, or floure Deluce. 1578 Lyte
Dodoens 193
The Irides or flower Deluces do most commonly flower about May.
fleur-de-lis , flower-de-luce . Forms: &ia.. 4-6 flour(e-de-
lys(e, -lice,
-lyce, (pl. -lycis), 7 -lis, 5-7 -luce, pl. -luces, 6 floredelise, Sc.
5
flour(e-the-lis, -lys. &ib.. 6-9 flower-, (6 flowre-)de-luce, (pl. -
luces),
6-7 -lice, (pl. -lices), 6 -lyce, 8 -lys, 7-9 -lis. &ig.. 8-9 fleur-
de-lys, 9
-lis, pl. 7 fleur-de-lysses, -lyzes, 9 fleurs-de-lis, -lys, -luce.
[The
prevailing form is a. mod.Fr. fleur de lis , formerly lys; but this
form is
scarcely found in Eng. before the 19th c.; see above. The form flower-
de-luce
survives as a poetical archaism and in U.S. The Fr. is literally
`lily-flower'
from lis, formerly lys, in OFr. liz for lils lily, the s of the nom.
sing.
being retained in the oblique cases; the English spelling de-lice, de-
lyce, was
in its origin merely graphic (cf. price, mice, syce, etc.), but in the
16th c.
was associated with a fanciful etymology flos deliciae, and the form
deluce, de
luce apparently also leaned upon a fanciful derivation. Occasional
English
forms were deluce, delyce flowre.]
1. The flower of a plant of the genus Iris (esp. I. pseudacorus); the
plant
itself. Cf. flag sb.1 1.
13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 752 &Th.y colour passez &th.e flour-de-lys. A.
1400
Hymn Virg. vi. in Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry x. (1840) II. 110 Heil
fairer then
the flour de lys. C. 1475 Rauf Coil&ygh.ear 670 Flowris with
Flourdelycis
formest in feir. 1500-20 Dunbar Thistle & Rose 138 Lat no netill
vyle..Hir
fallow to the gudly flour delyce. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. vi. 16 The
lilly, lady
of the flowring field, The flowre-deluce, her lovely paramoure. 1699
Bentley
Phal. Pref. 104 The Muses are invited to come under the shadow of
Flower-de-luces. 1731-37 Miller Gard. Dict. (ed. 3) s.v. Iris, Iris
purpurea..Common purple Fleur-de-Lys. 1837 Campbell Lines in La
Perouse's Voy.
Poet. Wks. 298 When, rapt in fancy..I..plucked the fleur-de-lys by
Jesso's
streams. 1866 Longf. Flower-de-luce viii, O flower-de-luce, bloom on,
and let
the river linger to kiss thy feet!
b. fig.
1500-20 Dunbar Ballat Our Lady 42 Haile, fair fresche flour-de-lyce!
2. The heraldic lily; a device supposed by some to have originally
represented
an iris, by others the top of a sceptre, of a battle-axe or other
weapon. It
is best known from having been borne upon the royal arms of France
under the
old monarchy.
C. 1400 Melayne 94 Wende thy waye..To Charles that beris the flour
delyce.
1488 in Ld. Treas. Acc. Scotl. I. 81 Item ane vche of gold like a
flourethelis
of diamantis. 1529 Rastell Pastyme (1811) 75, .iii. floure delyse in a
feld
asure was sent to Kyng Clouys from hevyn for his armys. 1622 Malynes
Anc.
Law-Merch. 189 The French Kings Tent with the three Flowerdeluces.
1709 Addison
Tatler No. 161 &page.9 A bloody Flag, embroidered with Flower-de
Luces. 1843
Lytton Last Bar. ii. ii, A lofty head-gear, embroidered with fleur-de-
lis. 1851
Layard Pop. Acc. Discov. Nineveh vii. 163 The first god wears the
square horned
cap, surmounted by a point, or fleur-de-lys.
b. The royal arms of France; hence also the French royal family, the
French
flag (before 1789), the French nation or government.
flag , sb.1 Also 4-7 flagg(e, (5 flegge). [Of obscure origin; cf.
Dutch
flag, occurring in Bible 1637, Job viii. 11 margin (the Eng. Bible has
the same
word in this passage), also mod.Da. flaeg (in Dansk Ordb. 1802, but
not found in
MDa., which has flae, flaede in the same sense).]
1. a. One of various endogenous plants, with a bladed or ensiform
leaf, mostly
growing in moist places. Now regarded as properly denoting a member
of the
genus Iris (esp. I. pseudacorus) but sometimes (as in early use)
applied to any
reed or rush. [cited 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) IV. 157]
b. With words indicating the species, as garden flag (Iris
germanica); sweet
smelling flag, spicewort (Acorus Calamus); water flag, yellow flag
(Iris
pseudacorus). Also corn-flag. 1580 Baret Alv. F 639 The water
Flagge, or
the yellowe wild Iris.
The Yellow Flag Hypothesis
In his dictionary (s.v. fleur-de-lis) Furetière mentions a hypothesis
put forth by Godefridus Henschenius, a Flemish Jesuit priest
(1601-81): he claims that the fleur-de-lis represents the yellow flag
(Iris Pseudacorus) and mentions that the name of that flower in German
is "Lieskblume": that's how Furetière writes it.
It took me a while to figure out that he meant Lieschblume. As it
turns out, according to the Brockhaus Encyclopedia, the word Liesch
(also found as Leesch and Lees) designates a number of plants of the
reed family, and also reed-shaped plants, like (among others) the
gelbe Schwertlilie. Now Lilie is lilly, Schwertlilie is iris, and
gelbe Schwertlilie (yellow iris literally) is the Iris Pseudacorus,
the native wild iris of Europe. In Grimm's Deutsches Wörterbuch
(Leipzig, 1885, vol. 7), liesch is said to have appeared in many forms
in the Middle Ages and in dialects: lisch, lüsch, lies, liesz, liesze,
lieyes, leys (the last two in "niederrheinisch", Lower-Rhine dialect I
presume). Also, Grimm translate Lieschblume as "flos iridis, flos
gladioli".
So Lieschblume is iris flower, and the Liesch is one of the names of
the yellow flag, I. pseudacorus. Moerover, Liesch was variously
written as Lees, Lies, Liesz, Leys, Lieyes. That's enough to let me
believe that, in pre-heraldic times (say 10th-11th c.) a confusion
could have arisen in the North of France between Lieschblume,
translated as fleur-de-lis and the iris flower.
Other interesting details:
* according to Brockhaus, the lilium of Old Testament is none
other than the Iris pseudacorus.
* the Iris pseudacorus, as the lilly, was an emblem of Mary, and
Brockhaus cites Dürer and Hugo van der Goes.
* another name for the yellow flag in French is "flambe" or (in
some dialects) "flamme". The word comes from flamma or flammula. There
is a 14th c. citation in Godefroy: "Yreos est flambe qui a la fleur
blanche" (H. de Mandeville). Littré says: "Flambe: nom donné à l'iris
Germanica et à l'iris des marais (iris pseudacorus), dite aussi flamme
dans quelques provinces." (name given to i. Germanica [which is blue]
and to the yellow flag, also called Flamme in some provinces.)
This makes it quite interesting, because the French "flag" or banner
of the Middle Ages, the oriflamme, aurea flammula, can become... the
golden fleur-de-lis. Nice pun...
http://www.heraldica.org/topics/fdl.htm
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Monuments and Memorials
Note that in addition to the monuments recorded here, certain of the
windows in the church have memorial inscriptions.
Lady Chapel
Digby Monument and Plaque
The Digby memorial
The Digby plaque
The most notable feature in the Lady Chapel is the memorial to Sir
John Digby, who died in 1684, aged 81 and his wife, Lucie, who died a
short time after aged 89. The life-size figures are standing in a
stone frame with a curved stone pediment-like top. He is dressed in a
full suit of armour of the period with a sash about his shoulder and a
helmet at his feet. His wife is wearing a long flowing gown with
puffed sleeves and her head-dress is tied beneath her chin. In her
hand she holds a pat of butter supposedly to grease St Peter's palm at
the gates of Heaven. At one time Sir Digby was depicted holding his
own sword, by the hilt, with the point to the ground. This has long
since disappeared. Pevsner comments that the memorial is atrociously
provincial.
It seems probable that the memorial is not in its original position.
If, before the extension of the sanctuary, the Lady Chapel had been
its present size, the unusual situation would have existed where it
would have projected beyond the chancel. A smaller chapel would not
have provided enough room for the memorial.
Sir John Digby lived in the 15th century building adjacent to the
church, known as the Manor House. During the English Civil War he was
a supporter of the Royalists and King Charles I. He became High
Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1641 and received a knighthood in 1642.
There are two inscriptions, one in Latin beneath the memorial and one
in English on the south wall relating to their family.
The Latin inscription translates:
Sacred to the Almighty and the most great God, and to the memory of
John Digby, knight and Lucy his wife.
This
Of famed birth and of greater ...... allow none equal in dignity in
any way, nevertheless by virtue more famed than any other knight; at
the same time a man born into the example of goodness, notable by
virtue as much in private life as in public in the instruction of
sinners as much in prudence as in principal for his native country; of
singular faith, advanced to the ordering of the most powerful and
honourable office in the counties of York, Notts and Lincs and by his
office thus discharged ..... by his memory..... of wishes, and at
length sitting in the place granted by fate to his descendants ....
from the most ancient and splendid family of Trygotts in the county of
York came his wife, faithful in public life and in things domestic,
mother of the family and most careful in the pious education of
children able in all things.
He died in the 82nd year of his life and was survived five months by
his wife in the 92nd year of her life.
NB there is a discrepancy in the historical notes relating to their
ages and length of time she survived him.
The south wall inscription reads:
THAT IT MAY BE KNOWN WHERE THE REMAINS OF THE WORTHY
PERSONS DECEASED ARE DEPOSITED
JOHN DIGBY ESQUIRE
Son and heir of Sir John Digby of Mansfield Woodhouse, Knight. Married
Frances; soul daughter of Leonard Pinkney, of Westminster, Esquire; by
whom he issue, Kenelm, John, George, Lucy, Elizabeth and Frances; who
all except John, died young. The first named John died in the 58th
year of his age, leaving Frances his widow who afterwards married
Charles Osborne Esquire, soul brother to Thomas Duke of Leeds and died
in the 80th year of her age, 1725.
John the surviving son and heir of John Digby, July 2, 1696, married
Anne, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Sir Edward Ayscough of South
Kelsey in the county of Lincoln, Knight, who died the 14th of October
following (as appears by the adjoining monument) he afterwards married
Jane, the youngest daughter to Sir Thomas Wharton, of Edlington,
Knight in the county of York, Knight of the Bath.
At the coronation of King Charles 1 which Sir Thomas was grandson of
Philip by Sir Thomas Wharton his sons and heir, the soul brother to
another Philip, both Lords Wharton. By her he had issue Frances,
Fyotier, The Grange, near Grantham in the county of Lincoln, Esquire;
Lucy, Anne, Elizabeth, who all died young; John who died August 11
1728, in the 23rd year of his age, Philadelphia, married to Sir George
Cayley of Brompton in the county of York, BAR, Rosamond and Thomas,
who died young; Mary, married to George Cartwright, of Ossington, in
the county of Nottingham, Esquire; Priscilla, Henrietta and Lucy.
John Digby, the Father, died August 16th 1722 to whose memory, and of
his ancestors here named and of his eldest son, His widow Jane Digby,
and his daughter Legard, in testimony of their duty and affection have
erected this monument.
MDCC XLVII
http://southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/m01/hmonumnt.html
> Here is a loose translation from translation Michel Pastoureau: Trait�
> d'H�raldique, Paris, 1979.
> French also calls this fleur-de-lys 'en lonc' or 'a pi� coup�'.
> Sometimes the lower part is represented but in a triangular shape: it
> is then called 'au pied pos�'. These two variants appear in the North
> of France and the Netherlands. Towards the middle of the 13th c, some
> seals represent the fleur-de-lys in a more naturalistic fashion: it
> has stamina between the petals, and the petals end with arabesques, as
> if one was trying to evoke the last stage of bloom. Such a flower is
> called �panouie or florenc�e, that of Florence being the most famous
> example [Lille also bears the fleur-de-lys �panouie]."
> sigillorum, Leipzig 1749; Roemer-B�chner, Die Siegel der deutschen
> Kaiser, Frankfurt am Main, 1851). In France the germ of the armorial
> fleur-de-lys can be traced to the fleurons which adorn the sceptres
> and crowns of Henri I, Philippe I and Louis VI (11-12th c.). A signet
> of Louis VII bears a fleur-de-lys florencee, but the charge first
> takes a definite heraldic shape on the seals of Philippe Augustus (d.
> 1223); whose great seal represents him crowned with an open crown of
> fleurons and holding in his right hand a fleur-de-lys (several of his
> successors are similaryl represented), in his left a sceptre
> surmounted by a lozenge charged with the like emblem. On his
> counterseal is engraved in an oval a fleur-de-lis entirely of the
> heraldic shape. (M. Demay, in his book vited in previous pages, points
> out, pp. 194-196, the analogy which exists between the fleurons, held
> in the hand, or surmounting the sceptre as well as adorning the crown,
> to the effigies of the blessed Virgin depicted on the seal of the
> Chapter of Notre Dame at Paris in 1146, and on that of the abbey of
> Faremoutiers in 1197, with those born by St.Louis in 1226). On the
> occasion of the coronation of his son Philip (in his own lifetime) the
> king, Louis VII, regulated the details of the ceremony, and among
> other things prescribed that the prince should wear "ses chausses...en
> soye couleur bleu azure sem�e en moult endroit de fleurs de lys d'or,
> puis aussi sa dalmatique de meme couleur et oeuvre" (Gourdon de
> Genouilhac, l'Art H�raldique, p.224)."
> The Clovis Legend
>
> I will mention an amusing legend, according to which Clovis, on his
> way to fight the king of Aquitania Alaric, and defeat him at Vouille
> near Poitiers (in 507), was searching in vain for a ford to cross a
> river, when a doe, frightened by the soldiers, jumped across the river
> along a ford that it only knew. The whole army then followed. On the
> banks, wild yellow irises grew in abundance: Clovis came off his
> horse, picked one and put it on his helmet as a symbol of his future
> victory. Thereafter did the kings of France use the fleur de lis as
> their emblem. The story is of course fanciful, but a nice one
> (somewhat reminiscent of the manner in which Attila found his way to
> Europe, actually).
> Of Flowers
>
> from Henry Correvon: Fleur des eaux et des marais; Neuch�tel (Suisse),
> 1961: Editions Delachaux & Niestle.
>
> "Let us discuss now the iris, of which there are very interesting
> aquatic species. The marsh plant par excellence, at least in our
> regions, is the Water iris (iris des eaux), Iris Pseudoacorus, whose
> bright yellow large flowers bloom from June to September all across
> Europe, Western Asia and North Africa.... [He goes on to tell the
> story of Clovis fording the river which I narrated previously and
> concludes:] the flag of the Kings of France then represented three of
> these iris flowers. In England this flower is known as 'flagflower'. "
>
> Separated at birth: a fleur-de-lys and an iris, both spotted in
> Florence, Italy.
> Lis and Iris in French
>
> The first use of the word "iris" in French is in a 13th c. manuscript,
> Le Livre des Medecines Simples, where it says: "iris porte roge flor
> et ireos blanches." The word existed before, to name a prism, or rock
> through which the light diffracts into a rainbow (here the etymology
> is clear: Iris, messenger of the Gods). How it came to designate the
> plant I don't know (ref: Godefroy: Dictionnaire de l'Ancienne Langue
> Francaise, vol. 10, Kraus reprints, 1969).
>
> The first instance of the word "lis", plural of an unattested "lil"
> from Latin lilium, is around 1150 for the flower. The word is often
> found as metonymy for the lily flower, and used in numerous metaphors
> for whiteness, purity, etc. For example, in Erec et En�ide by
> Chrestien de Troyes (ca. 1170): "plus ot que n'est la flor de lis,
> Cler et blanc le front et le vis" (forehead and face pale and white
> more than the lily flower) (example taken from: Tobler-Lommatzsch:
> Altfranz�sisches W�rterbuch). The word fleur de lis is also used as
> metaphor for the Virgin Mary (1223). First clear-cut use of the word
> "fleur de lis" in its heraldic acception is in 1225 in Durmart le
> Gallois, although Victor Gay (Glossaire Arch�ologique du Moyen-�ge,
> In his dictionary (s.v. fleur-de-lis) Fureti�re mentions a hypothesis
> put forth by Godefridus Henschenius, a Flemish Jesuit priest
> (1601-81): he claims that the fleur-de-lis represents the yellow flag
> (Iris Pseudacorus) and mentions that the name of that flower in German
> is "Lieskblume": that's how Fureti�re writes it.
>
> It took me a while to figure out that he meant Lieschblume. As it
> turns out, according to the Brockhaus Encyclopedia, the word Liesch
> (also found as Leesch and Lees) designates a number of plants of the
> reed family, and also reed-shaped plants, like (among others) the
> gelbe Schwertlilie. Now Lilie is lilly, Schwertlilie is iris, and
> gelbe Schwertlilie (yellow iris literally) is the Iris Pseudacorus,
> the native wild iris of Europe. In Grimm's Deutsches W�rterbuch
> (Leipzig, 1885, vol. 7), liesch is said to have appeared in many forms
> in the Middle Ages and in dialects: lisch, l�sch, lies, liesz, liesze,
> lieyes, leys (the last two in "niederrheinisch", Lower-Rhine dialect I
> presume). Also, Grimm translate Lieschblume as "flos iridis, flos
> gladioli".
>
> So Lieschblume is iris flower, and the Liesch is one of the names of
> the yellow flag, I. pseudacorus. Moerover, Liesch was variously
> written as Lees, Lies, Liesz, Leys, Lieyes. That's enough to let me
> believe that, in pre-heraldic times (say 10th-11th c.) a confusion
> could have arisen in the North of France between Lieschblume,
> translated as fleur-de-lis and the iris flower.
>
> Other interesting details:
>
> * according to Brockhaus, the lilium of Old Testament is none
> other than the Iris pseudacorus.
> * the Iris pseudacorus, as the lilly, was an emblem of Mary, and
> Brockhaus cites D�rer and Hugo van der Goes.
> * another name for the yellow flag in French is "flambe" or (in
> some dialects) "flamme". The word comes from flamma or flammula. There
> is a 14th c. citation in Godefroy: "Yreos est flambe qui a la fleur
> blanche" (H. de Mandeville). Littr� says: "Flambe: nom donn� � l'iris
> Germanica et � l'iris des marais (iris pseudacorus), dite aussi flamme
> dans quelques provinces." (name given to i. Germanica [which is blue]
> and to the yellow flag, also called Flamme in some provinces.)
>
> This makes it quite interesting, because the French "flag" or banner
> of the Middle Ages, the oriflamme, aurea flammula, can become... the
> golden fleur-de-lis. Nice pun...
>
> http://www.heraldica.org/topics/fdl.htm
> > > >
> > > > ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > ```````````````````
> > > > > >
> > > > > > (quote)
> > > > > >
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
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(quote)
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Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis (or fleur-de-lys; plural: fleurs-de-lis) is a
stylized design of either an iris or a lily and is used both
decoratively and symbolically.
It may be purely ornamental or it may be "at one and the same time
political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic and symbolic",[1] especially
in heraldry.
While it has appeared on countless European coats of arms and flags
over the centuries, the fleur-de-lis is particularly associated with
the French monarchy on a historical context, and nowadays with the
Spanish monarchy as the only remaining monarchs of the House of
Bourbon (Anjou Bourbon).
It is an enduring symbol of France, but, being regarded most notably
as the emblem of the monarchy, was not adopted officially by any of
the French republics. On the contrary, as Spain is a constitutional
monarchy, the fleur-de-lis symbol is associated with the Spanish King
Juan Carlos I (of French dynasty origin) and the Kingdom of Spain.
In North America, the fleur-de-lis is often associated with areas
formerly settled by France, such as Quebec and Louisiana and with the
Francophones in other Canadian provinces. It is also the emblem of the
Swiss Municipality of Schlieren, Zürich.
It appears on military insignia and the logos of many different
organizations, and during the 20th century it was adopted by various
Scouting organizations worldwide for their badges.
Architects and designers may use it alone or as a repeated motif in a
wide range of contexts, from ironwork to bookbinding.
As a religious symbol it may represent the Holy Trinity, or be an
iconographic attribute of the archangel Gabriel, notably in
representations of the Annunciation.[2] It is also associated with the
Virgin Mary.
The symbol is also often used on a compass rose to mark the north
direction, a tradition started by Flavio Gioja.
It is represented in Unicode at U+269C (⚜).
Contents
* 1 Earliest usage
* 2 Royal symbol
o 2.1 King Clovis I
o 2.2 From Frankish to French kings
o 2.3 Other European monarchs and rulers
o 2.4 North America
* 3 Symbolism in religion and art
* 4 Modern usage
o 4.1 Symbol of Scouting
* 5 In literature
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links
Earliest usage
Fleur-de-lis is literally translated from French as "flower of lily",
and is widely thought to be a stylized version of the species Iris
pseudacorus. Decorative ornaments that resemble the fleur-de-lis have
appeared in the artwork from the earliest civilizations.
"The use for ornamental or symbolic purposes of the stylised
flower usually called fleur de lis is common to all eras and all
civilizations. It is an essentially graphic theme found on
Mesopotamian cylinders, Egyptian bas-reliefs, Mycenean potteries,
Sassanid textiles, Gaulish coins, Mameluk coins, Indonesian clothes,
Japanese emblems and Dogon totems. The many writers who have discussed
the topic agree that it has little to do graphically with the lily,
but disagree on whether it derives from the iris, the broom, the lotus
or the furze, or whether it represents a trident, an arrowhead, a
double axe, or even a dove or a pigeon. It is in our opinion a problem
of little importance. The essential point is that it is a very
stylised figure, probably a flower, that has been used as an ornament
or an emblem by almost all civilizations of the old and new
worlds."[3]
It has consistently been used as a royal emblem, though different
cultures have interpreted its meaning in varying ways. Gaulish coins
show the first Western designs which look similar to modern fleurs-de-
lis.[4] In the East it was found on the gold helmet of a Scythian king
uncovered at the Ak-Burun kurgan. This helmet now resides in St.
Petersburg's Ermitage museum.[5]
Royal symbol
15th century picture of an angel sending the fleurs-de-lis to Clovis
15th century picture of an angel sending the fleurs-de-lis to Clovis
Charlemagne, by Albrecht Dürer, the coat of arms above him show the
German eagle and the French Fleur-de-lis.
Charlemagne, by Albrecht Dürer, the coat of arms above him show the
German eagle and the French Fleur-de-lis.
King Clovis I
According to legend, the French monarchy first adopted the fleur-de-
lis for their royal coat of arms as a symbol of purity on the
conversion of the Frankish King Clovis I to the Christian religion in
493.[6] The story takes various forms, many of which relate to Clovis'
conversion, and support the claim of the anointed Kings of France that
their authority came directly from God, without the mediation of
either the Emperor or the Pope.
Some versions of the legend enhance the mystique of royalty by
describing a vial of oil sent from heaven to anoint and sanctify
Clovis as king,[7] perhaps brought by a dove to Saint Remigius.
Another variation says a lily appeared at Clovis' baptismal ceremony
as a gift of blessing from an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
who is often associated with the flower.[8] Clovis' Burgundian wife,
Clothilda, later to be Saint Clothilda, is usually significant in
these stories. As well as her part in encouraging her husband to
become a Christian, her presence helps emphasise the importance of
Burgundy's support for the monarch.[9]
A story which places less emphasis on Christianity and the divine
right of the French kings tells of Clovis putting a flower in his
helmet just before his victory at the Battle of Vouillé, leading him
to choose the fleur-de-lis as a royal symbol.[10]
From Frankish to French kings
French arms before 1376
French arms before 1376
Through this connection to Clovis, the fleur-de-lis has been taken to
symbolize all the Christian Frankish kings, most famously Charlemagne.
In the 14th century French writers asserted that the monarchy of
France, which developed from the Kingdom of the West Franks, could
trace its heritage back to the divine gift of royal arms received by
Clovis. This story has remained popular, even though scepticism
started in the 17th century and modern scholarship has established
that the fleur-de-lis was a religious symbol before it was a true
heraldic symbol.[11]
Along with true lilies, it was associated with the Virgin Mary, and in
the 12th century Louis VI and Louis VII started to use the emblem, on
sceptres for example, so connecting their rulership with this symbol
of saintliness. Louis VII ordered the use of fleur-de-lis clothing in
his son Philip's coronation in 1179,[12] while the first visual
evidence of clearly heraldic use dates from 1211: a seal showing the
future Louis VIII and his shield strewn with the "flowers".
[13] Until the late 14th century the French royal coat of arms was
Azure semé-de-lys Or (a blue shield "seeded" (semé) with small golden
fleurs-de-lis), but Charles V of France changed the design from an all-
over scattering to a group of three in about 1376. These two coats are
known in heraldic jargon as France Ancient and France Modern
respectively.
The arms of Edward III, including the fleur-de-lis; similar arms were
used by subsequent English monarchs.
The arms of Edward III, including the fleur-de-lis; similar arms were
used by subsequent English monarchs.
In the reign of King Louis IX (St. Louis) the three petals of the
flower were said to represent faith, wisdom and chivalry, and to be a
sign of divine favour bestowed on France.[14] During the next century,
the 14th, the tradition of Trinity symbolism was established in
France, and then spread elsewhere.
In 1328, King Edward III of England inherited a claim to the crown of
France, and about 1340 he accordingly quartered France Ancient with
the arms of the Kingdom of England. After the kings of France adopted
France Modern, the kings of England imitated them from about 1411.[15]
The monarchs of England (and later of Great Britain) continued to
quarter the French arms until 1801, when George III abandoned his
formal claim to the French throne (see English claims to the French
throne).
French arms after 1376
French arms after 1376
King Charles VII ennobled Joan of Arc's family on 29 December 1429
with an inheritable symbolic denomination. The Chamber of Accounts in
France registered the family's designation to nobility on 20 January,
1430. The grant permitted the family to change their surname to du
Lys.
Royal (not national) flag of the Kingdom of France prior to 1789 and
from 1815 to 1830
Royal (not national) flag of the Kingdom of France prior to 1789 and
from 1815 to 1830
France Modern remained the French royal standard, and with a white
background was the French national flag until the French Revolution,
when it was replaced by the tricolor of modern-day France. The fleur-
de-lis was restored to the French flag in 1814, but replaced once
again after the revolution against Charles X of France in 1830.
In a very strange turn of events after the end of the French Second
Empire, where a flag apparently influenced the course of history,
Henri, Comte de Chambord, was offered the throne as King of France,
but he would agree only on condition that the French give up the
tricolor and bring back the white flag with fleurs-de-lis.[16] His
condition was rejected and France became a republic.
France Modern was also on the coat of arms of the old French province
of ÃŽle-de-France (for instance, as a badge on the uniforms of the
local gendarmerie).
Other European monarchs and rulers
Scottish royal arms
Scottish royal arms
Fleurs-de-lis feature prominently in the Crown Jewels of England and
Scotland. In English heraldry, they are used in many different ways,
and can be the cadency mark of the sixth son. The tressure flory-
counterflory (flowered border) has been a prominent part of the design
of the Scottish royal arms and flag since James I of Scotland.
The treasured fleur-de-luce he claims
To wreathe his shield, since royal James
–Sir Walter Scott, The Lay of the Last Minstrel[17]
Fleur-de-lis of Florence
Fleur-de-lis of Florence
Fleur-de-lis in the coat of arms of Pope Paul VI
Fleur-de-lis in the coat of arms of Pope Paul VI
In Florentine fleurs-de-lis, the stamens are always posed between the
petals. This heraldic charge is often known as the Florentine lily to
distinguish it from the conventional design. As an emblem of the city,
it is therefore found in icons of the bishop Zenobius.[18] The
currency of Florence, the fiorino, was decorated with it, and it
influenced the appearance and name of the Hungarian forint and other
florins. Elsewhere in Italy, fleurs-de-lis have been used for some
papal crowns and coats of arms, Farnese Dukes of Parma, and by some
doges of Venice.
Fleur-de-lis of Bosnia
Fleur-de-lis of Bosnia
The fleur-de-lis was also the symbol of the house of Kotromanic, a
ruling house in medieval Bosnia allegedly in recognition of the
Angevin, where the flower is thought of as a Lilium bosniacum. It was
used on the Bosnia and Herzegovina flag between 1992 and 1998. Today,
fleur-de-lis is a national symbol of Bosniaks, one of three Bosnian
constitutive ethnic groups (other two being Serbs and Croats).
National symbol of Bosniaks
National symbol of Bosniaks
Other countries using the emblem heraldically include Serbia and Spain
in recognition of the Bourbons.
The heraldic fleur-de-lis is widespread: among the numerous cities
which use it as a symbol are some whose names echo the word 'lily',
for example, Lille, France and Liljendahl, Finland. This is called
canting arms in heraldic terminology. As a dynastic emblem it has also
been very widely used: not only by noble families but also, for
example, by the Fuggers medieval banking family.
North America
Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec
Flag of Acadiana
Flag of Acadiana
Fleurs-de-lis crossed the Atlantic along with Europeans going to the
New World, especially with French settlers. Their presence on North
American flags and coats of arms usually recalls the involvement of
French settlers in the history of the town or region concerend, and in
some cases the persisting presence there of a population descended
from such settlers.
The Fleur-de-lis appears on the flags of Quebec and Nova Scotia in
Canada, and south of the border on that of Detroit (originally a
French name, though at present pronounced quite differently) and
elsewhere. The Acadiana region and various cities in southern
Louisiana, such as Lafayette, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, also use
the fleur-de-lis.
So do several places whose name came from one of the French King
Louis: amongst them, Louisville, Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri
where the three-petalled symbol also denotes the convergence of three
rivers (the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois).
Symbolism in religion and art
Fleur-de-lis on 14th century Syrian albarello.
Fleur-de-lis on 14th century Syrian albarello.
In the Middle Ages the symbols of lily and fleur-de-lis (lis is French
for "lily") overlapped considerably in religious art. Michel
Pastoureau, the historian, says that until about 1300 they were found
in depictions of Jesus, but gradually they took on Marian symbolism
and were associated with the Song of Solomon's "lily among
thorns" (lilium inter spinas), understood as a reference to Mary.
Other scripture and religious literature in which the lily symbolizes
purity and chastity also helped establish the flower as an
iconographic attribute of the Virgin. The fleur could also draw its
design from Jewish tradition. The design is very similar to a lulav,
made with a palm frond which sticks up straight and the branches of
willow and myrtle trees, which are not as rigid.
In medieval England, from the mid-12th century, a noblewoman's seal
often showed the lady with a fleur-de-lis, drawing on the Marian
connotations of "female virtue and spirituality".[19] Images of Mary
holding the flower first appeared in the 11th century on coins issued
by cathedrals dedicated to her, and next on the seals of cathedral
chapters, starting with Notre Dame de Paris in 1146. A standard
portrayal was of Mary carrying the flower in her right hand, just as
she is shown in that church's Virgin of Paris statue (with lily), and
in the centre of the stained glass rose window (with fleur-de-lis
sceptre) above its main entrance. The flowers may be "simple fleurons,
sometimes garden lilies, sometimes genuine heraldic fleurs-de-lis".
[20] As attributes of the Madonna, they are often seen in pictures of
the Annunciation, famously in those of Botticelli and Filippo Lippi.
Lippi also uses both flowers in other related contexts: for instance,
in his Madonna in the Forest.
The three petals of the heraldic design reflect a widespread
association with the Holy Trinity,[21] a tradition going back to 14th
century France,[22] added onto the earlier belief that they also
represented faith, wisdom and chivalry.
"Flower of light" symbolism has sometimes been understood from the
archaic variant fleur-de-luce (see Latin lux, luc- = "light"), but the
Oxford English Dictionary suggests this arose from the spelling, not
from the etymology.[23]
Modern usage
Fleurs-de-lis in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, 2005
Fleurs-de-lis in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, 2005
Also see North America section above.
Fleur-de-lis on an old concrete wall
Fleur-de-lis on an old concrete wall
Some modern usage of the fleur-de-lis reflects "the continuing
presence of heraldry in everyday life", often intentionally, but also
when users are not aware that they are "prolonging the life of
centuries-old insignia and emblems".[24]
Fleurs-de-lis feature on military badges like those of the Israeli
Intelligence Corps and the First World War Canadian Expeditionary
Force. They may be chosen for sports teams, especially when it echoes
a local flag, as with the former Quebec Nordiques NHL hockey team, the
Fiorentina soccer team and the New Orleans Saints football team, and
in coats of arms and logos for universities (like the University of
Louisiana at Lafayette and Saint Louis University and Washington
University in Missouri), schools (in St. Peter, Minnesota) and
companies (like the Royal Elastics shoe company). The Madison Scouts
Drum and Bugle Corps have a fleur-de-lis as their official logo, with
members and past members sporting exclusive fleur-de-lis tattoos. The
Lincolnshire, England flag has a fleur-de-lis in the middle. It is
also one of the symbols of the national women's fraternity Kappa Kappa
Gamma, as well as the international coed service fraternity Alpha Phi
Omega.
The symbol may be used in less traditional ways. After Hurricane
Katrina many New Orleanians of varying ages and backgrounds were
tattooed with "one of its cultural emblems" as a "memorial" of the
storm, according to a researcher at Tulane University.[25] The US Navy
Blue Angels have named an elegant looping flight demonstration
manoeuvre after the flower as well, and there are even two surgical
procedures called "after the fleur."
The Chevrolet Corvette also takes note of the fleur-de-lis and
incorporated it into the original Corvette emblem. "Where did the
fleur-de-lis come from? At the time, Chevrolet was conducting research
on various emblem designs for the 1953 and 1954 passenger cars. They
looked at the Louis Chevrolet family history in an attempt to discover
a crest or some type of heraldry that they could utilize.
Unfortunately, they came up empty, but they did realize that Chevrolet
is a French name and the fleur-de-lis (flower of the lily) is a French
symbol meaning peace and purity.[26]
Symbol of Scouting
Main article: Fleur-de-lis in Scouting
The World Crest
The World Crest
The fleur-de-lis is the main element in the logo of most Scouting
organizations, representing a major theme in Scouting: the outdoors
and wilderness. The World Crest of the World Organization of the Scout
Movement, has elements of which are used by most national Scout
organizations. The symbol was chosen by Baden-Powell as it had been
the arm-badge of those soldiers qualified as "Scouts" (reconnaissance
specialists) when BP served in the British Army.
In literature
The symbol has featured in modern fiction on historical and mystical
themes, as in the bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code and other books
discussing the Priory of Sion. It recurs in French literature, where
examples well-known in English translation include the fleur-de-lis
character in the Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, and the
reference in Dumas' The Three Musketeers to the old custom of branding
a criminal with the sign. (Fleurdeliser in French). In Elizabethan
English literature it is a standard name for an iris, a usage which
lasted for centuries,[27] but occasionally refers to lilies or other
flowers. It also appeared in the novel A Confederacy of Dunces by John
Kennedy Toole on a sign composed by the main character.
The lilly, Ladie of the flowring field,
The Flowre-deluce, her louely Paramoure
Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene, 1590[28]
See also
* Flag of Quebec
* Flag of Detroit, Michigan
* Flag of St. Louis, Missouri
* Flag of Louisville, Kentucky
* Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Flag of Lincolnshire, England
* 256th Infantry Brigade, Louisiana Army National Guard
* Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps
* Black Madonna of Częstochowa
* Kappa Kappa Gamma
* Welsh Feathers
* Tree of life
* Palmette
References
1. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning
translated by Francisca Garvie (Thames and Hudson 1997), ISBN
0-500-30074-7, p.98
2. ^ Hall, James (1974). Dictionary of Subjects & Symbols in Art.
Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-433316-7. p.124.
3. ^ Michel Pastoureau (2006) Traité d'Héraldique, "Treatise on
Heraldry", translated by François R. Velde
4. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p.99
5. ^ Gold helmet of Scythian tsar found at Ak Burun, 6th century
B.C.
6. ^ Lewis, Philippa & Darley, Gillian (1986) Dictionary of
Ornament
7. ^ Ralph E. Giesey, Models of Rulership in French Royal
Ceremonial in Rites of Power: Symbolism, Ritual, and Politics Since
the Middle Ages ed. Wilentz (Princeton 1985) p43
8. ^ A.C. Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry (London 1909)
p273
9. ^ British Library commentary on the legend presented in the
Bedford Book of Hours.
10. ^ François R. Velde
11. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p.99-100
12. ^ Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry p274
13. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p.100
14. ^ Chronicles of Guillaume de Nangis quoted in Nouvelle
collection des mémoires pour servir a l'histoire de France (1839)]
15. ^ Fox-Davies
16. ^ Pierre Goubert, The Course of French History, translator
Maarten Ultee, (Routledge 1991) p.267
17. ^ Sir Walter Scott (1833) The Complete Works of Sir Walter
Scott, Volume 1 of 7, Canto Fourth, VIII, NY: Conner and Cooke
18. ^ Hall, James (1974). Dictionary of Subjects & Symbols in Art.
Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-433316-7. p.124.
19. ^ Susan M. Johns, Noblewomen, Aristocracy and Power in the
Twelfth-Century Anglo-Norman Realm (Manchester 2003) p130
20. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p.100
21. ^ F.R.Webber, Church Symbolism 1938 (Kessinger 2003) p.178
22. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p.99
23. ^ A "fanciful derivation", Oxford English Dictionary (1989)
24. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p.93-94
25. ^ Times-Picayune, July 16 2006
26. ^ http://triadcorvetteclub.com/Clipart/Logos/Corvette_logo_1953.jpg
27. ^ OED
28. ^ Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene 2:vi
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Fleur-de-lis
* Heraldica.org
* Baronage.co.uk
* Paintings of Mary, Gabriel, Annunciation and lilies
* Stained glass Madonna with fleur-de-lis at Notre Dame de Paris
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur-de-lis"
Categories: Christian symbols | Heraldic charges | History of France |
French words and phrases | Ornaments | Visual motifs | Scouting
uniform | Provincial symbols of Quebec
Lyra
```````````````````
(quote, excerpts)
```````````````````
Introduction
The whole area in which the wards of Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood,
Fordbridge, Kingshurst and Smiths Wood stand today was once a northern
part of the Forest of Arden.
This ancient and relatively impenetrable
woodland covered some 200 square miles to the north and west of the
river Avon. covered some 200 square miles to the north and west of the
river Avon, thus stretching beyond Coventry to the east and to
Stratford in the south.
Shakespeare set his 'As You Like It in the
Forest of Arden.
```````````````````
The Manor of Coleshill is known to have been in the ownership of the
de Clinton family in the 12th century but passed by marriage to the
Mountford family by the 14th century. In the 16th century, ownership
had passed again to the Digby family.
http://www.colebridge.org/Local/locy_history.htm
```````````````````
> (quote)
```````````````````
> Fleur-de-lis
> Earliest usage
> King Clovis I
> Symbol of Scouting
> In literature
> See also
> References
> Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur-de-lis"
> > > > > > ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
(quote, excerpts)
The manor was given in December 1495 by the king to Simon Digby,
deputy Constable of the Tower, who had brought Simon de Montfort to
his trial, (fn. 54) and Coleshill has been in the Digby family ever
since.
Digby. Azure a fleur de lis argent.
Simon Digby died on 24 February 1520, (fn. 55) and is buried in a
tomb, made in his lifetime, bearing superb effigies of himself and his
wife, in the sanctuary of Coleshill Church. Simon Digby was succeeded
by his son Reginald, (fn. 56) whose mother Alice in her will dated
November 1496 left a messuage valued at £1 10s. 8d. and certain rents
to be distributed on the following conditions: (fn. 57)
Reginald Digby married Ann Danvers (fn. 59) and died on 25 February
1549. (fn. 60) Like his parents he is buried at Coleshill. His son
John, who married
Anne Throgmorton of Coughton,
(fn. 61) died in 1558, (fn. 62) and was succeeded by Sir George, who
married Abigail Henningham. (fn. 63) They had several children. The
eldest, George, died young, in 1586, and the heir was his brother Sir
Robert. (fn. 64)
This Sir Robert made a very judicious marriage with Lettice, grand-
daughter of Gerald, Earl of Kildare and Baron Offaly, and herself in
1620 created Baroness Offaly, (fn. 65) who, as the large memorial on
the north wall of the sanctuary at Coleshill points out, was 'Heir
General to that Antient Family of Earls of Kildare in Ireland', and
brought to the Digby family the vast estates of the Earls of Kildare.
Though Sir Robert and his children lie buried at St. Patrick's
Cathedral, Dublin, memorials to them were erected at Coleshill as
well, a practice that was also followed in the case of Kildare, Lord
Digby.
Sir Robert, who died in 1618, was succeeded by his son Robert, (fn.
66) who in 1620 was created Baron Digby of Geashill in Ireland. (fn.
67) Like his father he married very well, for his first wife was Sarah
second daughter of the 1st Earl of Cork. Robert died on 7 June 1642
and was buried with his father in St. Patrick's, Dublin, and his son
Kildare, then a minor, succeeded him. (fn. 68)
Kildare, Lord Digby, although Lord Lieutenant of King's County in
Ireland, seems to have spent much of his time at Coleshill
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42654
> ```````````````````
>
> (quote, excerpts)
>
> ```````````````````
>
> Introduction
>
> The whole area in which the wards of Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood,
> Fordbridge, Kingshurst and Smiths Wood stand today was once a northern
> part of the Forest of Arden.
>
> This ancient and relatively impenetrable
> woodland covered some 200 square miles to the north and west of the
> river Avon. covered some 200 square miles to the north and west of the
> river Avon, thus stretching beyond Coventry to the east and to
> Stratford in the south.
>
> Shakespeare set his 'As You Like It in the
> Forest of Arden.
>
> ```````````````````
>
> The Manor of Coleshill is known to have been in the ownership of the
> de Clinton family in the 12th century but passed by marriage to the
> Mountford family by the 14th century. In the 16th century, ownership
> had passed again to the Digby family.
>
> http://www.colebridge.org/Local/locy_history.htm
>
> ```````````````````
> >
> > > > > > > ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
>
> > > > > > > > > ```````````````````
>
> > > > > > > > > (quote)
>
> > > > > > > > > ```````````````````
>
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
> Oldest ancestor that I've found.
```````````````````
> Almar or Almarus Digby
> Birth: abt 1128
> Tilton, Leicestershire, England
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
(quote, excerpts)
`````````
Names
`````````
--noble--
Almar
`````````
Leonardo/Spanish/Lion-bold, Creative. Leonardo da Vinci is considered
by many to be the most brilliant and creative men who ever lived.
Berenger/French/Male/Courage of a bear
Ferdinand/German/Male/To be Courageous
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070427223347AAljsUe
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
More finds! -
very interesting to research this.
```````````````````
Note the close relationship by marriages of
``````
Bessy Throgmorton - married Sir Walter Raleigh
John Digby - married Anne Throgmorton
(great grandparents of Sir Kenelm Digby - married Venetia Stanley)
Sir Nicholas Throckmorton,
diplomat under Elizabeth I, ambassador to France and to Scotland
Francis Throckmorton, born 1554,
led Catholic plot against Elizabeth I in favour of the
imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, 1583,
executed 1584, age 30 yrs.
Thomas Throckmorton, born est c.1540,
of Coughton, Warwickshire,
constantly suffered for his Catholic beliefs during reign
of Elizabeth I,
Coughton became a focus for post-Reformation Catholic
resistance, has priests' hiding places,
one of the chief plotters of the Catholic Gunpowder plot
of 1605,
Sir Everard Digby,
was then in residence at Coughton (though Throckmorton was not
directly implicated), see history,
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
> ```````````````````
>
> More finds! -
> very interesting to research this.
```````````````````
>
> Note the close relationship by marriages of
>
> ``````
>
> Bessy Throgmorton - married Sir Walter Raleigh
``````````````````
(quote)
Family tree - Throckmorton - Sir George Throckmorton, Kt., of Coughton
Sir George Throckmorton, Kt.
of Coughton, Warwickshire,
born est c.1485, NOT John,
mar est c.1510 to Hon. Catherine Vaux [born est c.1490, descendant of
Edward III],
succ 1519,
High Sheriff of Cos. Warwick and Leicester 1527 and 1544 (18th and
35th Henry VIII),
the Tudor gatehouse in the centre of Coughton Court was constructed c.
1530,
he died 1552, age est c.67 yrs,
she died 1571, age est c.81 yrs,
had issue:
1. Sir Robert Throckmorton, Kt. of Coughton, Co.Warwick, born 1512,
High Sheriff of Cos. Warwick and Leicester 1554 (1st Queen
Mary),
died 1570 (12th Elizabeth I), age 58 yrs (poss. died 1581),
had issue:
1. Anne Throckmorton, mar Ralph Sheldon and had issue.
2. Thomas Throckmorton, born est c.1540,
of Coughton, Warwickshire,
constantly suffered for his Catholic beliefs during reign
of Elizabeth I,
Coughton became a focus for post-Reformation Catholic
resistance, has priests' hiding places,
one of the chief plotters of the Catholic Gunpowder plot
of 1605, Sir Everard Digby, was then in residence at Coughton (though
Throckmorton was not directly implicated), see history,
died 1614, age est c.74 yrs,
had issue:
1. Ancestor of Throckmorton, Baronets, of Coughton,
Warwickshire (cr 1642, extinct 1994).
"The Throgmortons were one of the small number of
English Catholic families to survive the Reformation and the
confiscation of estates."
2. Clement Throckmorton born est c.1513,
of Haseley, Co.Warwick.
3. Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, the diplomat, born 1515,
mar Anne Carew,
staunch Protestant (even though others in family were staunch
Catholics),
associate of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland,
held positions under Edward VI,
supporter of Lady Jane Grey,
diplomat under Elizabeth I, ambassador to France and to
Scotland,
died 1571, age 56 yrs, bur church of St. Catherine Cree,
Aldgate, London, (todo) see monument,
had issue:
1. Bessy Throckmorton,
Elizabeth, born 1565,
in 1584 she became a Lady of the Privy Chamber to Queen
Elizabeth I [born 1533, reigned 1558-1603],
she mar secretly 1591 to Sir Walter Raleigh [born 1552]
and had issue,
he was sent to the Tower 1592 for this secret affair and
marriage,
she was expelled from court, but was NOT sent to the
Tower, rather she obtained quarters so she could be near her husband
at the Tower,
he was excluded from the Queen's presence for more than 4
years after.
She features in the movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age
(2007).
4. Sir John Throckmorton,
died 22nd May 1580, had issue:
1. Francis Throckmorton, born 1554,
led Catholic plot against Elizabeth I in favour of the
imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, 1583,
executed 1584, age 30 yrs.
5. Anne Throckmorton, born c.1532,
mar John Digby and had issue:
1. Agnes Digby, born c.1554,
she is NOT the Agnes Digby, dau of John Digby, who mar
John Villiers in the previous century.
```````````````````
* Throgmorton St and Throgmorton Ave in the City in London (see
map) are after Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, the diplomat.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Send me additions and corrections to this site
Updates (please include your name and contacts):
Send me a file from your computer:
If you don't understand this form, use the long version.
Or just email me.
Enter this password:
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
http://humphrysfamilytree.com/Throckmorton/sir.george.html
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
(quote)
```````````````````
John DIGBY & Anne THROGMORTON
Husband: John DIGBY
Born: ABT 1658
Father: Reginald DIGBY
Mother: Anne DANVERS
Spouses: Anne THROGMORTON
/--Kenelm DIGBY
/--Simon DIGBY
/ \--Venetia STANLEY
/--Reginald DIGBY
/ \ /--
/ \--Alice WALLEYS
/ \--
|--John DIGBY
\ /--
\ /--
\ / \--
\--Anne DANVERS
\ /--
\--
\--
Wife: Anne THROGMORTON
http://illian.org/places/FamilySheets/d0358/F94102.html#I248500
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
(quote, excerpts)
```````````````````
The third in point of date is the western on the north side to
'John Dyggeby of Colleshull', (fn. 134)
died 15 November 1558,
and Anne his wife,
daughter of Sir George Throgmorton,
who died 21 December in the same year.
Their recumbent effigies are of painted alabaster. The man's head,
with long hair, moustache, and forked beard, rests on his mantled helm
which bears the Digby crest, an ostrich painted black, now headless.
He wears full armour, with three chains about his neck and resting on
his cuirass, pleated wristlets, a girdle of twisted cord, a guige with
a sword on his left, &c. His feet rest on a lion.
The woman has a close cap, beaded and jewelled, close collar with a
frilled edge and bound by a chain necklet, close bodice and tight
sleeves with crimped cuffs, and a mantle tied in front from neck to
waist with cord tags but open below to show the skirt, and having long
false sleeves with puffed shoulders, cheveron ornament, and slashes
held together by knotted tags. A tiny dog bites the end of the mantle.
The base has square pilasters at the angles and intermediate twisted
shafts. At the east end are the small standing figures of four sons,
one in armour, two in boys' gowns, and the fourth a swaddled baby.
At the west end is a shield with the arms of Digby (five quarterings)
impaling Throgmorton (seven quarterings), set in a circlet.
On the south side are three shields charged 1 Digby, 3 Throgmorton,
and 2 the two impaled in the remains of a similar circlet.
The inscription is in English.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42654
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
A first look at the Gunpowder plot...
``````````````````
(quote, excerpts)
```````````````````
The Digbys and Throckmortons
Coughton Court
Coughton Court is the ancestral home of the Throckmorton Family. Four
of the chief plotters were members of the Throckmorton family and Sir
Everard Digby was living at the Court with his wife Lady Digby at the
time of the Plot. A new exhibition planned for 2005 will detail this
historical event.
```````````````````
The Percys
Syon House
Special Events at Syon House to commemorate the links between Henry
Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, and Thomas Percy, with the
Gunpowder Plot. From 29 May 2005.
Petworth House
Home of the 'Wizard' Earl imprisoned in the Tower of London for his
alleged role in the Gunpowder Plot.
```````````````````
Warwickshire
'A Little Local Treason': Warwickshire and the Gunpowder Plot
'A Little Local Treason', a study day organised by the Shakespeare
Birthplace Trust, takes place on 29 October 2005. Download the leaflet
for the study day. PDF file
Events in Warwickshire
Warwickshire played an important part in the Gunpowder Plot and events
to mark the anniversary are being held across the county.
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
Interesting links to Shakespeare's Warwickshire,
and to the Forest of Arden.........
also to Kit Marlowe - who claimed to be well-known to
Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, [****]
and is associated with Sir Walter Raleigh.
```````````````````
[****] and to Ferdinando Stanley, Earl of Derby -
a family link to Venetia Stanley. (Sir Kenelm Digby's wife)
and Henry Percy is the first cousin to Lucy Stanley -
Venetia's mother.
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
>
> ```````````````````
>
> Interesting links to Shakespeare's Warwickshire,
> and to the Forest of Arden.........
>
> also to Kit Marlowe - who claimed to be well-known to
> Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, [****]
> and is associated with Sir Walter Raleigh.
>
> ```````````````````
>
> [****] and to Ferdinando Stanley, Earl of Derby -
> a family link to Venetia Stanley. (Sir Kenelm Digby's wife)
>
> and Henry Percy is the first cousin to Lucy Stanley -
> Venetia's mother.
```````````````````
TWO Wizard earls! does everything come in threes? ...
so where's the third...
```````````````````
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
> >
> > ```````````````````
> >
> > Interesting links to Shakespeare's Warwickshire,
> > and to the Forest of Arden.........
> >
> > also to Kit Marlowe - who claimed to be well-known to
> > Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, [****]
> > and is associated with Sir Walter Raleigh.
> >
> > ```````````````````
> >
> > [****] and to Ferdinando Stanley, Earl of Derby -
> > a family link to Venetia Stanley. (Sir Kenelm Digby's wife)
> >
> > and Henry Percy is the first cousin to Lucy Stanley -
> > Venetia's mother.
>
> ```````````````````
>
> TWO Wizard earls! does everything come in threes? ...
>
> so where's the third...
>
> ```````````````````
Note, that Lucy Stanley may be the "Dark Lady" - I don't think so
myself... -
of the Shakespeare Sonnets.
```````````````````
I also wish to say that
Peter Zenner claimed Marlowe is Venetia's father,
and wrote The Tempest about her...
I've not had time to look for this yet,
and have done the research about the Digbys straight from the web,
before I recalled it.
I wonder if Zenner had any special reason to link Marlowe and the
Digbys.
Maybe the reasons I've given, above.
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
> > >
> > > ```````````````````
> > >
> > > Interesting links to Shakespeare's Warwickshire,
> > > and to the Forest of Arden.........
> > >
> > > also to Kit Marlowe - who claimed to be well-known to
> > > Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, [****]
> > > and is associated with Sir Walter Raleigh.
> > >
> > > ```````````````````
> > >
> > > [****] and to Ferdinando Stanley, Earl of Derby -
> > > a family link to Venetia Stanley. (Sir Kenelm Digby's wife)
> > >
> > > and Henry Percy is the first cousin to Lucy Stanley -
> > > Venetia's mother.
> >
> > ```````````````````
> >
> > TWO Wizard earls!
*********
Northumberland and Kildare
*********
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
(quote, excerpts)
```````````````````
Moreover, in 1602 and 1612, it passed bye-laws to restrict the
activities of travelling players, and in 1605, much anti-Catholic
fervour erupted when it was discovered
that one of the Gunpowder Plotters had been living at nearby Clopton
House.
On the other hand, the demands of Puritan extremists, who sought to
use the law to regulate private morals, eventually proved too much for
the Corporation, leading, in the 1620s and '30s, to a serious quarrel
with the vicar.
http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/content/view/13/487/
```````````````````
"People say I look weary
But that 's just the company I keep"
(Pilot Of The Airwaves)
``````````````````
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
Martin Marprelate is linked to
the Throckmortons...
to Job Throckmorton.
(my own view is still that Kit Marlowe is the writer of Marprelate)
```````````````````
(quote, excerpts)
The true identity of "Martin" has long been speculated upon. For many
years, the main candidate was seen as John Penry, a Welsh preacher and
author of several impassioned polemics against the state of the
church. In fact the likely main author is now recognised to be
a Warwickshire squire and MP, Job Throckmorton
(who earned the appropriate nickname "jibing Job").
The Marprelate tracts are important documents in the history of
English satire: critics from C. S. Lewis to Patrick Nikodem to John
Carey have recognised their originality. In particular, the pamphlets
show concern with the status of the text, wittily guying conventions
such as the colophon and marginalia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Marprelate
The authorship of the tracts has been attributed to several persons:
to Penry himself, who however emphatically denied it and whose
acknowIedged works have little resemblance in style to those of
Martin,
to Job Throckmorton,
and to Henry Barrow.
`````````````````````
References
References
For a list and full titles of the tracts, related documents, and
discussion of the authorship, see Edward Arber's Introductory Sketch
to the Martin Marprelate Controversy (1880) (which, however, gives no
connected account of the matter).
A good summary, with quotations from the pamphlets, will be found in
H. M. Dexter's Congregationalism (New York, 1880), pp. 129-202.
See also articles on John Penry and Job Throckmorton
in Dictionary of National Biography; and for the history of the
press, Bibliographica, ii. 172180.
William Maskell's Martin Marprelate Controversy (1845) is of little
service. The more important tracts have been reprinted by John
Petheram in his series of Puritan Discipline Tracts (1842-1860), in
Arber's English Scholars' Library (1879-1880), in R. W. Bond's edition
of Lyly and in the editions of Nashe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marprelate_Controversy
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
Another interesting link is
of the
Arden
and
Throckmorton
families.
```````````````````
(Shakespeare's mother Mary Arden
is of the same family -
there is only one Arden family of the era.)
```````````````````
Edward Arden of Park Hall, Sheriff of Warwickshire (d 20.12.1583)
m. Mary Throckmorton
(dau of Sir Robert Throckmorton of Coughton)
http://www.stirnet.com/HTML/genie/british/aa/arden2.htm
```````````````````
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
(quote, excerpts)
```````````````````
GUNPOWDER PLOT
Coughton Court, while leased to the Digbys, had a role in the escape
of the plotters. This was a conspiracy to blow up the English
Parliament and James I on Nov. 5, 1605. An uprising of English
Catholics followed. Throckmorton grandchildren (Tresham and Catesby)
were among the accused. On Nov. 5, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated with
merrymaking. For more information, click on to these links:
http://www.gunpowder-plot.org/
http://www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~cbladey/guy/html/new.html
http://www.worldbook.com/fun/holidays/html/fawkes.htm
THROCKMORTON PLOT
Francis Throckmorton was arrested in November 1583 by Sir Francis
Walsingham’s agents.
Read about it here:
http://www.pro.gov.uk/virtualmuseum/spies/ciphers/mary/ma3.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0848621.html
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/T/TH/THROCKMORTON_F_.htm
http://www.throckmortonfamily.com/historiceventsassociatedwith.htm
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
There are very close links of the Throckmortons, Vaux,
Parrs, and the Herbert
Earls of Pembroke.
(who are linked to the First Folio, and the acting company
Lord Pembroke's Men)
```````````````````
(Anne Parr, Queen Katherine Parr's sister, married
William Herbert)
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
(quote, excerpts)
Sir Nicholas THROCKMORTON
Born: 1515, London and Paulerspury, Northants
Died: 12 Feb 1570, London, Middlesex, England
Buried: 21 Feb 1569/70, London, Middlesex, England
Father: George THROCKMORTON of Coughton (Sir Knight)
Mother: Catherine VAUX
Married: Anne CAREW 1541
As ‘a brother fourth and far from hope of land’
Nicholas Throckmorton
began his career in the service of Henry VIII's illegitimate son the
Duke of Richmond, presumably with the help of
his uncle Sir William Parr,
who was Richmond's chamberlain. In 1532 he accompanied Richmond to
France for the meeting of the King with Francois I at Calais and
stayed on there with his master for nearly a year, learning French
‘though nothing readily’. After Richmond's death in 1536
Throckmorton's prospects were slender until his mother persuaded
Parr's nephew and namesake
to take him into service: it was under the younger Parr that he
served on the Scottish border in 1543. He had obtained a small annuity
from Pipewell abbey before the Dissolution, and when
his cousin Catherine Parr
married the King he and his brother Clement received appointments in
her household. In 1544 he returned to France, this time as a captain
in the army which took Boulogne. His election to the Parliament of the
following year he doubtless owed to the Queen, who was the principal
landowner in the neighbourhood of Maldon. It was also through her
favour that in 1546 he was granted a lease of two Hertfordshire
manors.
In the Parliament of Oct 1553 he and his brother John sat for Old
Sarum, presumably on the nomination of their
kinsman William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke.
He died in London on 12 Feb 1571 and was buried in the church of St.
Catherine Cree, Aldgate.
Sources:
R. G. Strong, Tudor and Jacobean Portraits
A. L. Rowse, Ralegh and the Throckmortons
D. M. Loades, Two Tudor Conspiracies
http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/NicholasThrockmorton1.htm
>
> ```````````````````
>
> (quote, excerpts)
>
> ```````````````````
>
>
>
> GUNPOWDER PLOT
>
> Coughton Court, while leased to the Digbys, had a role in the escape
> of the plotters. This was a conspiracy to blow up the English
> Parliament and James I on Nov. 5, 1605. An uprising of English
> Catholics followed. Throckmorton grandchildren (Tresham and Catesby)
> were among the accused. On Nov. 5, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated with
> merrymaking. For more information, click on to these links:
>
> http://www.gunpowder-plot.org/
>
> http://www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~cbladey/guy/html/new.html
>
> http://www.worldbook.com/fun/holidays/html/fawkes.htm
>
>
>
> THROCKMORTON PLOT
>
> Francis Throckmorton was arrested in November 1583 by Sir Francis
> Walsingham�s agents.
>
> Read about it here:
>
> http://www.pro.gov.uk/virtualmuseum/spies/ciphers/mary/ma3.htm
>
> http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0848621.html
>
> http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/T/TH/THROCKMORTON_F_.htm
>
> http://www.throckmortonfamily.com/historiceventsassociatedwith.htm
>
> ```````````````````
> > > > > > > ```````````````````
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Interesting links to Shakespeare's Warwickshire,
> > > > > > > and to the Forest of Arden.........
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > also to Kit Marlowe - who claimed to be well-known to
> > > > > > > Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, [****]
> > > > > > > and is associated with Sir Walter Raleigh.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ```````````````````
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > [****] and to Ferdinando Stanley, Earl of Derby -
> > > > > > > a family link to Venetia Stanley. (Sir Kenelm Digby's wife)
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > and Henry Percy is the first cousin to Lucy Stanley -
> > > > > > > Venetia's mother.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ```````````````````
> > > > > >
> > > > > > TWO Wizard earls!
> > > >
> > > > *********
> > > >
> > > > Northumberland and Kildare
> > > >
> > > > *********
> > > >
> > > > > > does everything come in threes? ...
> > > > > >
> > > > > > so where's the third...
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ```````````````````
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
CRANE/ HUSSEY/ PARR/ VAUX/ THROCKMORTON CONNECTIONS
```````````````````
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:-YLC9zzZOLsJ:
www.oxford-shakespeare.com/drk/marprelate/Marprelate_Charts.pdf
+throckmorton+vaux+parr&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=uk
> > > > > > > ```````````````````
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Interesting links to Shakespeare's Warwickshire,
> > > > > > > and to the Forest of Arden.........
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > also to Kit Marlowe - who claimed to be well-known to
> > > > > > > Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, [****]
> > > > > > > and is associated with Sir Walter Raleigh.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ```````````````````
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > [****] and to Ferdinando Stanley, Earl of Derby -
> > > > > > > a family link to Venetia Stanley. (Sir Kenelm Digby's wife)
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > and Henry Percy is the first cousin to Lucy Stanley -
> > > > > > > Venetia's mother.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ```````````````````
> > > > > >
> > > > > > TWO Wizard earls!
> > > >
> > > > *********
> > > >
> > > > Northumberland and Kildare
> > > >
> > > > *********
> > > >
> > > > > > does everything come in threes? ...
> > > > > >
> > > > > > so where's the third...
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ```````````````````
> > > > >
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
Job THROCKMORTON
Birth: 28 Jan 1545
Of Haseley, Warwickshire, England
Death: 1600/1601
Ashby Canons, Northamptonshire, England
Burial: 23 Feb 1600/1601
Haseley, Warwickshire, England
`````````
Father: Clement THROCKMORTON
Mother: Katherine (Catherine) NEVILLE
`````````
m. Dorothy VERNON
Marriage: Abt 1577
Of Hownell, Staffordshire, England
```````````````````
Clement THROCKMORTON
Birth: Abt 1514
Of Haseley, Warwickshire, England
Death: 11 Dec 1573
Burial:
Church, Haseley, Warwickshire, England
`````````
Father: George THROCKMORTON ;[Sir Knight]
Mother: Anna Catherine VAUX
`````````
m. Katherine (Catherine) NEVILLE
Marriage: Abt 1541
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
I don't think I shall be writing more on this thread -
here are some more ancestors...
```````````````````
George THROCKMORTON ;[Sir Knight]
Birth: Bef 1480
Of Coughton, Warwickshire, England
Christening:
Eng
Death: 16 Aug 1552
Coughton Court, Warwickshire, England
Burial:
Church, Coughton, Warwickshire, England
Father: Robert THROCKMORTON
Mother: Katherine MARROW
m. Anna Catherine VAUX
Marriage: 1510
Harrowden, Northamptonshire, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Robert THROCKMORTON
Birth: Abt 1450/1451
Coughton Court, Warwickshire, England
Christening:
Also Of Coughton Court, Warwickshire, England
Death: 12 Aug 1518
Beyond The Sea While On Crusade To Holy Land
Burial:
Memorial Tomb, Coughton Church, Coughton, Warwickshire, England
Father: Thomas THROCKMORTON
Mother: Margaret OLNEY
m. also Elizabeth RUSSELL
Marriage: By 1470
Coughton Court, Warwickshire, England
m. Katherine MARROW
Marriage: 1487
Coughton Court, Warwickshire, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Katherine MARROW
Birth: 1459
London, Middlesex, England
Death: 1503
Coughton Court, Warwickshire, England
Father: William MARROW
Mother: Margaret RICH
m. Robert THROCKMORTON
Marriage: 1487
Coughton Court, Warwickshire, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Katherine (Catherine) NEVILLE
Birth: Abt 1522
Addington Park, Kent, England
Death: 1578
Father: Edward NEVILLE ;[SIR KNIGHT]
Mother: Eleanor WINDSOR
m. Clement THROCKMORTON
Marriage: Abt 1541
m. also George ROYDEN
Marriage: Jul 1536
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Edward NEVILLE ;[SIR KNIGHT]
Birth: Abt 1471
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, England
Death: 9/12 Jan 1538
Beheaded Tower Hill, London, Middlesex, England
Father: George NEVILLE
Mother: Margaret FENNE
m. Eleanor WINDSOR
Marriage: Abt 1516
Of Stanwell, Middlesex, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Eleanor WINDSOR
Birth: Abt 1479
Of Stanwell, Middlesex, England
Death: 25 Mar 1531
Father: Andrew WINDSOR
Mother: Elizabeth BLOUNT ;[Baroness Windsor]
m. Edward NEVILLE ;[SIR KNIGHT]
Marriage: Abt 1516
Of Stanwell, Middlesex, England
m. also George PAULETT
Marriage:
m.
Marriage: Abt 1522
Of Stanwell, Middlesex, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Elizabeth BLOUNT ;[Baroness Windsor]
Birth: Abt 1469
Of Rock, Worcestershire, England
Burial:
Hounslow, Middlesex, England
Father: William BLOUNT
Mother: Margaret ECHINGHAM
m. Andrew WINDSOR
Marriage: 1556
Of Rock, Worcester, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
William BLOUNT
Birth: Abt 1442
Of Rock, Worcestershire, England
Death: 14 Apr 1471
Vp Battle Of, Barnet, Hertfordshire, England
Father: Walter BLOUNT
Mother: Ellen Or Helena BYRON
m . Margaret ECHINGHAM
Marriage: Abt 1463
Of Rocks, Worcester, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Dorothy VERNON
Birth: Abt 1549
Of Hownell, Staffordshire, England
Burial: 24 Dec 1620
Haseley, Warwickshire, England
Father: Thomas VERNON
Mother:
m. Job THROCKMORTON
Marriage: Abt 1577
Of Hownell, Staffordshire, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Anna Catherine VAUX
Birth: 1488
Harrowden, Northamptonshire, England
Death: 1571
Coughton Court, Warwickshire, England
Burial:
Church, Coughton, Warwickshire, England
Father: Nicholas VAUX
Mother: Elizabeth FITZHUGH
m. George THROCKMORTON ;[Sir Knight]
Marriage: 1510
Harrowden, Northamptonshire, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Nicholas VAUX
Birth: Abt 1460
Of Harrowden, Northamptonshire, England
Death: 14 May 1523
Father: William VAUX
Mother: Catherine PENISTONE
m. also Anne GREENE
Marriage: Abt 1508
Of Greens Norton, Northamptonshire, England
m. Elizabeth FITZHUGH
Marriage: 1484
Harrowden, Northamptonshire, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Elizabeth FITZHUGH
Birth: Abt 1465
Of Ravensworth, Yorkshire, England
Christening: Abt 1503
Foxley, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England
Death: 28 Feb 1513
Harrowden, Northamptonshire, England
Father: Henry FITZHUGH
Mother: Alice NEVILLE
m. also William PARR
Marriage:
m. Nicholas VAUX
Marriage: 1484
Harrowden, Northamptonshire, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Henry FITZHUGH
Birth: 1424
Of Ravensworth, Yorkshire, England
Death: 8 Jun 1472
Ravensworth, Yorkshire, England
Father: William FITZHUGH
Mother: Margaret (Margery) WILLOUGHBY
m. Alice NEVILLE
Marriage:
Of Ravensworth, Yorkshire, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Margaret (Margery) WILLOUGHBY
Birth: Abt 1389/1405
Of Eresby, Lincolnshire, England
Death: Bef 22 1452 Oct
Yorkshire, Englnad
Father: William WILLOUGHBY
Mother: Lucy Le STRANGE
m. William FITZHUGH
Marriage: Bef 18 1406 Nov
Of Ravensworth, Yorkshire, England
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Bellatrix Lestrange
Lyra wrote:
>
> ```````````````````
>
> I don't think I shall be writing more on this thread -
>
> here are some more ancestors...
>
> ```````````````````
Margaret (Margery) WILLOUGHBY
>
> Birth: Abt 1389/1405
> Of Eresby, Lincolnshire, England
>
> Death: Bef 22 1452 Oct
> Yorkshire, Englnad
>
> Father: William WILLOUGHBY
>
> Mother: Lucy Le STRANGE
>
> m. William FITZHUGH
>
> Marriage: Bef 18 1406 Nov
> Of Ravensworth, Yorkshire, England
> ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
Lucy Le Strange...
I don't know where she fits into the
Lestrange family tree...
I notice Nevilles...are they the Nevilles of SNAPE?
Is Englnad a mis-typing?
Is Venetia one of the Undead?
I should be glad of the answers to these questions.
' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
Bellatrix Lestrange
' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
> > `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
> > >
> > > There are very close links of the Throckmortons, Vaux,
> > > Parrs, and the Herbert
> > > Earls of Pembroke.
> > >
> > > (who are linked to the First Folio, and the acting company
> > > Lord Pembroke's Men)
> > >
> > > ```````````````````
> > >
> > > (Anne Parr, Queen Katherine Parr's sister, married
> > > William Herbert)
> > >
> > > ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Interesting links to Shakespeare's Warwickshire,
> > > > > > > > > > and to the Forest of Arden.........
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > also to Kit Marlowe - who claimed to be well-known to
> > > > > > > > > > Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, [****]
> > > > > > > > > > and is associated with Sir Walter Raleigh.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > ```````````````````
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > [****] and to Ferdinando Stanley, Earl of Derby -
> > > > > > > > > > a family link to Venetia Stanley. (Sir Kenelm Digby's wife)
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > and Henry Percy is the first cousin to Lucy Stanley -
> > > > > > > > > > Venetia's mother.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > ```````````````````
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
>
> ```````````````````
>
> I don't think I shall be writing more on this thread -
>
> here are some more ancestors...
>
> ```````````````````
>
> George THROCKMORTON ;[Sir Knight]
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
(quote, excerpts)
```````````````````
Sir George THROCKMORTON of Coughton, Knight
Born: BEF 1489, Coughton, Warwickshire, England
Died: 6 Aug 1552
Father: Robert THROCKMORTON of Coughton
Mother: Catherine MARROW
Married: Catherine VAUX BEF 1512
`````````
The details in this biography come from the History of Parliament, a
biographical dictionary of Members of the House of Commons.
`````````
Born by 1489, first son of Sir Robert Throckmorton of Coughton by
Catherine, dau. of William Marrow of London. Educated at Middle
Temple, admitted 1 May 1505.
Married by 1512, Catherine, dau. of Sir Nicholas Vaux, 1st Lord Vaux
of Harrowden, and had 8 sons, including Anthony, Clement, George,
John, Kenelm, Nicholas and Robert; and 11 daughters.
Succeeded father 1519; knighted 1523. Justice of Peace, Warws. 1510-
death, Bucks. 1525-32, Worcs. 1531-1544; esquire of the body by 1511,
knight by 1533;
Worcs1535-death, Balsall, Warws.
1539-death; King's spear by 1513;
sheriff, Warws. and Leic. 1526-1527, 1543-1544, Worcs.
1542-1543; steward, lands of bishopric of Worcester in Warws. and
Worcs.
1528-1540, for Thomas Seymour, Baron Seymour of Sudeley, unknown
property by 1548;
custos rot. Warws. in 1547.
`````````
The Throckmortons took their name from a manor in the parish of
Fladbury, Worcestershire, where in the 12th century they were tenants
of the Bishop of Worcester: they acquired Coughton, Warwickshire, by
marriage in the early 15th century.
George Throckmorton was born in Worcestershire and was to claim when
seeking office there that the greater part of his inheritance lay in
that shire, but his father seems to have made Coughton the family seat
and George was to be the first of his line to sit in Parliament as
knight of the shire for Warwickshire; his grandfather had done so for
Worcestershire.
Sir Robert Throckmorton, soldier, courtier and Councillor to Henry
VII, sent his eldest son to the Middle Temple, which George entered on
the same day as a Northamptonshire kinsman, Edmund Knightley; before
his death in Italy while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Sir Robert
had seen his son launched at court and in local government and in
enjoyment of numerous leases and stewardships.
This early advancement may have owed something to Throckmorton's
marriage to a daughter of another courtier, Sir Nicholas Vaux, whose
stepson Sir Thomas Parr, comptroller of the Household to Henry VIII,
was furhter related to him by marriage.
Throckmorton served with his father in the French war of 1513 as
captain of the Great New Spainard. Seven years later he was present at
the Field of the Cloth of Gold, which he had been in part devised by
his father-in-law.
Vaux appointed Throckmorton one of his executors and as such in Sep
1523 he was commissioned to deliver Guisnes to William, first Baron
Sandys of the Vyne.
During the 1520s Throckmorton seems to have attached himself to Wolsey
although the first notice of their connection does not suggest a happy
relationship; in Jul 1524 Throckmorton, styled of Olney,
Buckinghamshire, was bound in 100 pounds to appear before the Council
and to pay whatever fine the Cardinal should impose. The connection
may have been made through his uncle Dr. William Throckmorton, a
trusted servant of the Cardinal whose name appears on important papers
relating to embassies and treaties and who was a master in Chancery by
1528.
He evidently felt that he deserved well of the Cardinal, for in Apr
1528 on the death of Sir Giles Greville - and curiously, at a time
when his own imminent death was rumoured- he asked for Greville's
office of comptroller to Princess Mary, and three months later, on the
death of Sir William Compton, he sought to become sheriff and custos
rotulorum of Worcestershire, steward of the see of Worcester and (as
his great-grandfather Sir John Throckmorton had been) under treasurer
of England. Although the shrievalty went to Sir Edward Ferrers, later
Throckmorton's fellow-knight for Warwickshire, he was successful in
respect of the stewardship.
It cannot have been, as he says it was, 'shortly after' receiving this
[sic] tribute from More that he discussed the Acts of Annates, Appeals
and Supremacy, and the Petrine claims, with Bishop Fisher, who
referred him to Nicholas Wilson, once the King's confessor, although
it may well have been after the Act of Supremacy (26 Hen. VIII, c.I)
that he made his own confession to Richard Reynolds, 'the Angel of
Syon',
(Throckmorton had at least one other connection with the Bridgettines
of Syon Abbey, his kinswoman Clemence Tresham, sister of Sir Thomas,
having entered the order by 1518).
Both Fisher and Wilson conceded that if he were sure nothing was to be
gained by his speaking out in Parliament, 'then I might hold my peace
and not offend', but Reynolds added that that he could not know
beforehand whether others might not follow his example if he should
'stick in the right way'.
Robert Beale, clerk of the Privy Council, added a note on his copy of
a letter from Cromwell, 'I have heard that the cause was touching the
denouncing of the Queen Catherine dowager first wife to King Henry the
8th'. It is interesting to speculate on the source of Cromwell's (and
Beale's) knowledge of the episode.
During the interval of 50 years no less than a dozen of Throckmorton's
descendants sat in the Commons, although only one of them, his
grandson Job Throckmorton, was a Member in 1586.
At the time of Cromwell's intervention Job Throckmorton was himself in
deep trouble for having maligned James VI of Scotland in a speech to
the House, a misfortune which could have well have revived the memory
of his grandfather's brush with an earlier monarch.
There was even one Member in 1586, Sir Francis Knollys, whose career
in the Commons had begun in the Parliament of 1529 (to which he had
been by-elected by 1533) and who could have remembered the episode.
Sir George Throckmorton opposed the King's break with Rome. Of the
King's divorce and pending marriage to Anne Boleyn, Sir George said
that the King had 'meddled with both the mother and the sister'.
He had to bring his aunt Elizabeth, Abbess of Denny, to live with him
when her convent was closed in 1537 under the Dissolution of the
Monasteries, making 25 nuns homeless. She brought with her a dole-
gate, through which help was given to the poor, and upon which her
name is carved. This can still beseen today in the Dining-Room.
He consistently opposed the changes in religion, and although the vast
majority of his 19 children and 112 grandchilden were ardent
Catholics, there were some who were staunch Protestants, including his
sons Clement, who founded a puritan family branch, and Sir Nicholas,
who was unfortunate enough to be an avid champion of Protestantism
during the reign of Mary I (althoughit is written that his
Protestantism was said to wax and wane).
Sir Nicholas was found not guilty on a charge of treason in connection
with Thomas Wyatt's rebellion (he was freed, but the jury was
arrested), and went on to be a minor player in the court of Queen
Elizabeth, bringing her the ring as proof of her sister's death, and
acting as an emissary to Mary, Queen of Scots.
BEF 1536 was out, Throckmorton was in worse trouble. He had come to
London in Nov to transact legal business and falling in with an old
friend, Sir John Clarke, had rashly discussed the demands of the
rebels in the North; whereas Throckmorton had only seen the printed
answer to the Lincolnshire rebels, Clarke had a manuscript account of
Aske's new demands and sent Throckmorton a copy of it.
While on the way to keep an appointment with Sir Anthony Hungerford at
Essex's house in Berkshire, Throckmorton met Thomas Vachell who
convinced him of the danger of possessing the document, which he
thereupon burned at Reading. Passing the night at Englefield, he
received a further warning and then went on to Essex's house where he
learned the full story of Gunter's foolhardiness. Both he and Essex
were soon in the Tower. Cromwell then sat out to collect all possible
evidence of their treasonable behavior. For a while both his life and
Essex's hung in the balance.
The charges, however, could not be sustained and Throckmorton was
released. Sir Thomas Dingley, whose execution two years later makes
him accounted a Catholic martyr, revealed what Throckmorton had told
him of the earlier episodes. When Throckmorton was again taken into
custody, his wife appealed for advice to her half-brother
Sir William Parr,
who may have persuaded him to make a confession.
As early as Jul 1538 his kinsmen Richard Rich could suggest that he
should receive building materials from the dissolved abbey of
Bordesley, Worcestershire.
Throckmorton lived to see some of his younger sons occupy high office
in the state and others comfortably established. During his lifetime
he settled small freehold estates on most of his younger sons and by
his will of 20 Jul 1552 he left Kenelm an annuity of £40, Nicholas and
Clement annuities of £20 each, and Clement a further £400 for land
purchase.
The eldest son Robert had control of part of his inheritance, the
manors of Sheldon and Solihull, from his second marriage in 1542, and
by the will he obtained a full third of the estate and the reversion
of two manors after the executors had held them for three years for
the payment of debts: the residue was settled on the widow for life.
At his death, Throckmorton is said to have had 116 living descendants,
including among his grandsons such diverse figures as Job Throckmorton
and William Gifford, Archbishop of Rheims and first Peer of France.
Throckmorton died on 6 Aug 1552 and was buried in the stately marble
tomb which he had prepared for himself in Coughton church.
The most impressive monument which he left, however, was the gatehouse
of Coughton court. Throckmorton spent most of his life rebuilding the
house: in 1535 he wrote to Cromwell that he and his wife had lived in
Buckinghamshire for most of the year, ‘for great part of my house here
is taken down’.
In 1549, when he was planning the windows in the great hall, he asked
his son Nicholas to obtain from the heralds the correct tricking of
the arms of his ancestors’ wives
and his own cousin by marriage Queen Catherine Parr.
The costly recusancy of Robert Throckmorton and his heirs kept down
later rebuilding, so that much of the house still stands largely as he
left it.
http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/GeorgeThrockmortonofCoughton.htm
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
> > > There are very close links of the Throckmortons, Vaux,
> > > Parrs, and the Herbert
> > > Earls of Pembroke.
> > >
> > > (who are linked to the First Folio, and the acting company
> > > Lord Pembroke's Men)
> > >
> > > ```````````````````
> > >
> > > (Anne Parr, Queen Katherine Parr's sister, married
> > > William Herbert)
> > >
> > >
> > > ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
> > > > > > > > > >
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
```````````````````
(quote, excerpts)
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Coughton Court has been the home of the Throckmorton family since
1409. It holds a unique place in English history with its close
connections with the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Behind the Tudor Gatehouse house you will find the courtyard with its
fine Elizabethan half-timbering, where a knot garden leads to lawns
and fine vistas of the Warwickshire countryside.
http://www.coughtoncourt.co.uk/page.cfm?pageid=133
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The Throckmortons have lived at Coughton since 1409 when the first
Throckmorton came here from Throckmorton village near Fladbury,
Worcestershire in 1409. It is believed that there was a medieval house
on this site then and the church next to the house was built in about
1450.
The Throckmortons were royalists during the Civil War (1630 - 1637)
but the house was captured and occupied by the Parliamentarians who
sacked it when they left. The baronetcy was granted to the family in
1642.
The family amassed fortune, land and royal power during the Tudor
times but lost Royal Favour during the reign of James I.
http://www.coughtoncourt.co.uk/page.cfm?LANGUAGE=eng&pageid=142
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The Throckmorton family have lived (or had their principal residence)
at Coughton since the early fifteenth century and continue there today
caring for the house, its contents, and the gardens.
In Tudor times they served the Court in various posts from Henry V
onwards, such as Under Treasurer, but after the Reformation they lost
favour due to their continued adherence to the Catholic faith, then
the younger members became leading instigators of the Catholic
emancipation following the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 in which they were
heavily involved.
The first Catholic MP to take his seat in the house of commons was Sir
John Throckmorton.
http://www.coughtoncourt.co.uk/page.cfm?LANGUAGE=eng&CFNoCache=TRUE&pageid=143
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One Faith
The family have remained Roman Catholic since before the Reformation
and during Elizabethan times there was an illegal chapel in the house
and a priest's hiding hole which can still be seen today from the
Tower room.
The original church next to the house was "anglicised" after the
reformation but the family built a new Catholic church in 1853 and
both churches are still in use today. Another chapel in the house was
set on fire by an angry Protestant mob from Alcester in 1688.
A celebration of the continuation of the Catholic Faith was held at
Coughton in April 2005 to coincide with the beginning of the 400th
anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
A secret chapel was found by English Hertiage in 1990 on the family's
Molland Estate near Exmoor.
http://www.coughtoncourt.co.uk/page.cfm?LANGUAGE=eng&CFNoCache=TRUE&pageid=144
Lyra
Lyra wrote:
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"Coughton stands in richly timbered countryside close to the forest of
Arden."
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(quote, excerpts)
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Coughton Court, Warwickshire
In the cold early hours of November 6th, 1605 Thomas Bates,
servant to Robert Catesby, rode over the moat bridge of Coughton Court
and climbed the stairs to the Drawing Room on the first floor of the
Gatehouse, with its wide view of the surrounding countryside.
The group of people he found there were all closely involved in
the then illegal Catholic community and were all used to danger and
the fear of discovery. But what they were about to hear meant peril
beyond anything they had experienced, and was to change their lives
forever.
There were two Jesuit priests - Father Henry Garnet, who had
celebrated a clandestine mass for the Feast of All Saints in the house
just a few days before, and Father Oswald Tesimond, the confessor to
Robert Catesby.
There was the family of Sir Everard Digby who had rented the house,
Nicholas Owen, the famous priest-hide builder, and finally the Vaux
sisters who aided Father Garnet, and who were related to the
Throckmorton owners of the house, to Bates' master Robert Catesby, and
to several of the men they were about to hear of.
Thomas Bates did not have good news. He had to tell those gathered
there of the details of the Gunpowder Plot, the plan to blow up the
Houses of Parliament, of its failure, and that the conspirators
included Robert Catesby, Sir Everard Digby, and the Wintour brothers
among others, were now all running for their lives.
Lady Digby was overcome with distress at the danger her young
husband found himself in, while Father Garnet was angered at such an
action that he had warned against in principle, and in failure could
only mean extreme hardship for the already beleagured Catholic
community.
But no matter their thoughts of the Plot, they all must have felt
extreme anxiety and fear for their friends and relations with whom
they had a close relationship for many years, as well as for
themselves.
Father Tesimond left with Bates to join the conspirators, and
later managed to flee to the continent. Although the women managed to
escape with just questioning, the others were not so lucky.
Although the moat is now gone and the carriageway into the
courtyard now converted to an entrance hall, this beautiful gatehouse
is still intact along with much of the original building work of Sir
George Throckmorton in the early 16th century, and you can envision
see the place much as these people did 400 years ago.
Coughton stands in richly timbered countryside close to the forest
of Arden.
Described by the 17th Century historian Dugdale as a 'stetely castle-
like Gate-house of freestone', it is three storeys high with mullioned
oriels and octagonal battlemented turrets, and soars above the
entrance archway which is surmounted by the Royal Arms of Henry VIII
and the arms of the Throckmorton family.
You can still visit the Drawing Room, which was reopened in 1956
after being blocked up for some 130 years. Although now decorated in a
much later style, it maintains the original stone chimney-piece, and
the windows contain heraldic glass commemorating the marriages of the
Throckmortons to the leading catholic families, including the Catesbys
and Treshams.
The mothers of two of the conspirators, Robert Catesby and Francis
Tresham were the sisters Anne and Muriel Throckmorton, grandaughters
of the original builder, Sir George Throckmorton, and sisters as well
of the lord of the manor in 1605, Thomas Throckmorton. Two other
conspirators, Robert and Thomas Wintour, were also great-grandchilden
of Sir George Throckmorton.
This was not the first, and far from the only time the
Throckmortons and Coughton Court have been embroiled in Catholic
events. The house has been continuously in their hands for over 600
years, and since the Reformation they have been notable in their deep
and continuous adherence to the Catholic faith, in spite of the costs.
The History of the Throckmortons and Coughton Court
Sir George Throckmorton (d. 1553) was a knight in King Henry
VIII's household, but opposed the King's break with Rome. Of the
King's divorce and pending marriage to Anne Boleyn, Sir George said
that the King had 'meddled with both the mother and the sister'. He
had to bring his aunt Elizabeth, the abbess of Denny, to live with him
when her convent was closed in 1537 under the Dissolution of the
Monasteries, making 25 nuns homeless. She brought with her a dole-
gate, through which help was given to the poor, and upon which her
name is carved. This can still be seen today in the Dining-Room.
Sir George married Catherine Vaux, daughter of Nicholas, 1st Baron
Vaux of Harrowden, and became Lord of Coughton in 1519. He
consistently opposed the changes in religion, and although the vast
majority of his 19 children and 112 grandchilden were ardent
Catholics, there were some who were staunch Protestants, including his
sons Clement, who founded a puritan family branch, and Sir Nicholas,
who was unfortunate enough to be an avid champion of Protestantism
during the reign of Mary I (although it is written that his
Protestantism was said to wax and wane). Sir Nicholas was found not
guilty on a charge of treason in connection with Thomas Wyatt's
rebellion (he was freed, but the jury was arrested!), and went on to
be a minor player in the court of Queen Elizabeth, bringing her the
ring as proof of her sister's death, and acting as an emissary to
Mary, Queen of Scots.
Sir George's son and heir, Sir Robert Throckmorton (d.1581),
continued the family in the Catholic tradition. He married his
children into the leading Catholic families, and in these generations
the increased persecution of the Catholic spawned many relatives who
became involved in plots against the throne. The sons of his daughters
Anne and Muriel, Robert Catesby and Francis Tresham have been
previously mentioned,
and a third daughter Mary was married to Edward Arden,
who was also convicted of treason and executed for his part in a plot
to assasinate Queen Elizabeth in 1583. This daughter kept an excellent
record of a woman persecuted for recusancy, documenting the fines and
searches made at Coughton Court, that is still in the family archives.
A nephew, Francis Throckmorton, was executed in 1584 for acting as a
go-between for Mary Queen of Scots and the Spanish Ambassador in an
attempt to invade England and place Mary on the throne.
A niece Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir Nicholas and lady-in-waiting to
Queen Elizabeth, also got into trouble by secretly marrying Sir Walter
Ralegh.
In the time of Sir Robert Throckmorton, and his son and heir
Thomas (1533-1614), Coughton became a centre for Catholic recusants.
The Tower Room of Coughton Court with its panoramic view for
monitoring any approach to the house made it an ideal location for the
secret celebration of the Mass, and there was also an ingenious double
hiding place built by Nicholas Owen in one of the turrets for the
priests in the event of a raid. The Throckmortons not only provided a
relatively safe place for people to worship; they also assisted in the
underground movements of the priests and established colleges abroad
for training English clergy. They were a crucial part of the network
of families that enabled Catholicism to remain alive throughout the
reformation.
Thomas Throckmorton, along with his brothers-in-law Sir William
Catesby and Sir Thomas Tresham, were amongst the leading recusants of
their time. He was frequently fined and spent sixteen years in prison
for his non-attendance at church. In the Tower Room you can see a
painted tapestry called the Tabula Eliensis, dated 1596, that notes
his coat of arms and the arms of all the Catholic gentry who were
imprisoned for recusancy during Elizabeth I's reign, grouped by their
places of imprisonment.
His grandson Robert was made a baronet by Charles I in 1642 and
was a Royalist, as were succeeding generations. Coughton Court was
occupied by the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War, and was
bombarded byby the Royalist armies in order to drive the
Parliamentarians out. As they were being driven out, they set the
house on fire. Robert died during the war and left a son of nine and
Coughton Court under sequestration. Many years of neglect passed
before young Francis could start to repair the damage. The restoration
continued with his son Sir Robert, 3rd Baronet, who unfortunately met
with a setback in 1688 when a Protestant mob destroyed a 'newly
erected Catholic Church', taking the east wing of the house with it.
The ruins remained for 100 years.
Subsequent generations of the Throckmortons maintained their
Catholic faith, with many of the daughters becoming nuns. The family
continued to marry only into other prominent Catholic families, and
continued to hear mass at Coughton Court, although with time their
situation became easier than those of their ancestors. The recusancy
laws were repealed in 1792, and members of teh family were accepted
into the command ranks of the armed forces in 1819. The Catholic
Emancipation Act of 1829 allowed them into national office for the
first time in almost three hundred years, which Sir Robert George
Throckmorton, 8th Baronet, took quick advantage of, becoming one of
the first Catholic MPs in 1831. He also built the new Catholic church
at the end of the south drive, alongside the ruin of the church built
by the earlier Sir Robert in the 15th century and confiscated from the
family during the Reformation.
...a collection of family documents on display many dealing with
recusant issues the family had to face, and other reminders of their
catholic history, such as a 17th century veneered cabinet that reveals
a secret recess for the Host during Mass, a chemise which has stitched
upon it 'of the holy martyr, Mary, Queen of Scots' (later tests prove
that the linen was woven in the year of Mary's death), a garter ribbon
of Prince Charles Edward, a glove of the Old Pretender, James III as
well as locks of their hair, and a perfectly preserved and beautiful
velvet cope embroidered in gold by Queen Catherine of Aragon and her
ladies-in-waiting, as well as several hiding places throughout the
house.
In addition you will find a chair reputed to be made of the wood
of the bed where Richard III spent his last night before the Battle of
Bosworth
http://www.gunpowder-plot.org/houses/coughton.htm