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Double Crests, Unicorn and Arrowed Deer or Hart

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 8:15 am
by robert12
Hi, help needed please on this Dublin spoon.
These 2 crests are on a John Pittar 1809 Dublin assayed large table/serving spoon.
There is also a monogram just below the assay marks on the reverse so a few different family connections over the years.
Thanks in advance.
Robert
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Re: Double Crests, Unicorn and Arrowed Deer or Hart

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 5:06 pm
by davidappleton
Going through my copy of Fairbairn's Crests, I find the following:

A horse’s head in complete armour bridled; A horse’s head in armour. (The depictions of these in Fairbairn's show the spike issuant from the chamfron that make it look more than a little bit like a unicorn's head, but the bridle makes it certain that this is a horse's head and not a unicorn's head.)

This crest was borne variously by: Blaney, Blayney, Boston, Cary, Coulthart, Darley, Dartey, Horsey, Maleverer

A hind’s head transfixed through the neck by an arrow.

This crest was borne by Shaw. Different Shaws have different tinctures for the hind’s head and the arrow, e.g., A hind’s head sable transfixed through the neck by an arrow or (Sir Eyre M. Shaw); A hind’s head transfixed through the neck by an arrow or headed and feathered argent (Shaw of London and Colchester, Essex).

There is also an Anderson who uses a crest of a hind’s head transfixed through the neck by an arrow, but the hind's head for Anderson is also issuant from a crest coronet.

I hope that this information is helpful.

David

Re: Double Crests, Unicorn and Arrowed Deer or Hart

Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2018 3:53 am
by robert12
Thank you for the information David.
I can of course see that it is a horses head and not a Unicorn now it has been pointed out to me !
Nice spoons that the families thought highly enough of to add these nice crests.
Sad to think that some are erased.

Robert