MMDF Notes on the Danvers Shield

The coloured representation of the shield below, with slight alterations as regards a few of the tinctures, is taken from that of Sir John Danvers of Culworth, as given in Harleian MS. 6066, page 24.  The Pigott quarterings have been omitted as they were acquired by the family after the branch to which the present family belongs had diverged from the Culworth stem.  Another representation of the shield, through differing in some respects from that shown below, will be found on page 5 of Additional MS. 4354 (British Museum).  The representation below is supported by the history of the alliances of the family as given in Memorials of the Danvers Family as well as by seals which have been preserved, and by shields extant upon monuments of the family. (Refer to the chart facing page 5-6 showing the arms of the families of 1. Danvers, 2. Brancestre, 3. Verney and 4. Stradling.)

Arms of Danvers of Culworth

The coloured representation of the shield above, with slight alterations as regards a few of the tinctures, is taken from that of Sir John Danvers of Culworth, as given in Harleian MS. 6066, page 24.  The Pigott quarterings have been omitted as they were acquired by the family after the branch to which the present family belongs had diverged from the Culworth stem.  Another representation of the shield, through differing in some respects from that shown, will be found on page 5 of Additional MS. 4354 (British Museum).  The representation below is supported by the history of the alliances of the family as given in Memorials of the Danvers Family as well as by seals which have been preserved, and by shields extant upon monuments of the family. (Refer chart facing page 5-6.)

Quarterings:

No. 1.  Danvers - The mullets are sometimes represented with five, sometimes with six, points.  The former is the more correct form, as witness a fine seal of William Danvers attached to Harleian Charter 49, c. 16, dated A.D. 1426.

No. 2.  Brancestre - See pages 4-2 and 4-3.

No. 3.  Verney - Vincent, in his pedigree of the Danvers family, at the College of Arms, states that this is the shield of Verney.  In support of his statement see pages 7-1, 7-3 and 8-10, where it is shown that Verney took this shield on marriage with the heiress of de Langelee.

No. 4.  Stradling - These were the arms most commonly used by Stradling, but members of the family also used a chevron instead of the bend - see page 8-9, and Burke’s Armorial, ‘Stradling’.

Then follow (Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, see page 8-9) the quarterings of the heiresses whom the Stradlings married: (5) of Julia Hawey; then (6) of Eleanor, the daughter of Gilbert Strongbow, who married the heiress of Gernon or Garnon (7); next (8) of Wenllian Berkerolles, who brought to the family the quarterings of Turberville (9), and of Justyn (10).  Then follows the shield (11) which Isabel St Barbe introduced by her marriage with Sir William Stradling.

The next shield (12) is that of Dauntsey of Dauntsey.  The shield is represented with three bars wavy, as it appears upon the monument of Joan Dauntsey in Dauntsey Church, upon the central shield of the Dauntsey or Stradling tomb on the south side of the chancel, and upon the impression of Dame Ann Danvers’ shield, which is attached to Additional Charter 38881.  But the family (Canon Jackson thinks the Winterbourne Dauntsey branch) also used three bars dancetty, while upon the monumental brasses of Dame Ann Danvers and her husband, Sir John, the bars are nebuly.  Probably the oldest form of the bar was wavy, then the younger branch, by way of difference, took dancetty, and, possibly in later days, Dame Ann, merely as a matter of fashion, altered the form of the bar to nebuly.  The West Lavington Dauntseys used the bars dancetty till Sir John Dauntsey (1559-1632) altered the arms, first, to a lion and a dragon rampant combatant, and afterwards to gules a lion rampant argent chasing a wyvern vert.  which are entered in the Heralds’ Visitation of Wilts, A.D. 1623.

Following the Dauntsey shield are the quarterings (Nos. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, see page 8-2) brought to that family by marriages with heiresses. No. 13 is that of Bavent.  To this follows the shield of Elizabeth Arundell, who married Edmund Stradling.  Arundell brings in Carminow (15), Lovestoft, or Lestecot (16) and Colshill (17).  Colshill finally adds to the shield the quarterings of Blanchminster and Huys, or Hiwis.  Additional MS. 4354 gives Lovestoft as the name of the bearer of No. 16, but Lovestoft appears to be one of the many variations of the spelling of Lestecot, and the quartering occupies in the shield a place appropriate to that of Lestecot.  As regards the tinctures of the chief, with its charge, of Colshill (17), most authorities give argent guttée de sang: but in the arms of Lord Danby in Brinkworth Church (Aubrey’s Wilts’), the chief is tinctured as represented and these appear to have been the tinctures upon the Colshill shield impaled by Dauntsey in Dauntsey Church, see page 8-2.  That shield is evidently a very ancient one, and the colours have almost entirely disappeared, but we found traces which seem to warrant those represented, gules and or.  Blanchminster and Hiwis are in their proper places following Colshill.  Papworth, in his ordinary arms, gives their shields as presented.

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Digital edition first published: 1 Mar 2020             Updated: 12 Jul 2023                garydanvers@gmail.com