Dimensions: Crest An eagle displayed holding a serpent Motto LITEM • NATVRA DIREMIT
Possibilities for Identification:
This crest appears on English books. The heraldry of crests. London, 1829 shows it for Backhouse (Plate 66 no 21). Fairbairn's Crests (Edinburgh, 1860) has an entry for Backhouse of Durham, Cumberland and Kent, but gives the motto as Confido in Deo. Burke's General Armory 1884 gives the eagle as wings close. Fairbairn (1860) in its illustration gives the eagle, wings elevated not displayed (Plate 75 Crest 11), but Backhouse is not mentioned in the descriptions to the plate.
The motto is from Ovid Metamorphoses
Dimensions: Arms Sable on a chevron argent between in chief two griffins heads couped and in base a lion rampant an anchor between two estoiles (unidentified) impaling Sable a greyhound courant between two bars argent (unidentified) Crest A cubit arm in armour with a serpent wound round it holding a spear in fess Motto VALET PRUDENTIA VIRTUS
Possibilities for Identification:
Neither stamp nor motto are in Fairbairn’s Crests, Burke’s General armory, nor Papworth.
Dimensions: Monogram T W R within a serpent encircled
Possibilities for Identification:
W. C. Hazlitt's A roll of honour lists the following collectors whose initials are a combination of W, T, and R: Theodore Woolman Rathbone, of Allerton Priory (1798-1863); Richard Wogan Talbot, 2nd Baron Talbot of Malahide Castle (1766-1849); William Robert Taylor (1805-1874); and Robert Townley Woodman (1825-1897).
Dimensions: Initial D Crest An arm in armour embowed holding a serpent Motto BY MY ANCESTORS MERIT
Possibilities for Identification:
Not in Fairbairn’s Crests.
Clements identifies the stamp as belonging to the Denis family.
Burke’s General armory: Peter Denis – a hand grasping a snake, but not an arm in armour embowed
Dimensions: Arms On a cross engrailed an imperial crown between two anchors in pale and two portcullises in fess between in the first and fourth quarters a serpent coiled in the second and third a lion couchant gardant Crest An eagle close regardant Legend ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS LONDON
Dimensions: Crests 1. Out of a ducal coronet three arrows points downwards one in pale and two in saltire entwined by a serpent (Ponsonby) 2. On a chapeau turned up ermine a bull statant gorged with a ducal coronet (Ashley) Monogram A A P P
Dimensions: Arms A fess surmounted by a bend charged with a martlet (Elwes) Crest A sheaf of five arrows points downwards entwined by a serpent Helmet of an Esquire
The Bibliographical Society