I have received a request for assistance from Julia Jackson, a cataloguer and provenance researcher at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne. They have portrait of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester dated to around 1565. It was in a British private collection in Kent from 1890 until its sale in 1951 when it was purchased by a dealer and subsequently acquired by the NGV. The paintings conservators found a wax seal ,previously uncatalogued, on the reverse of a wood panel portrait.

The detail of the seal:

The dexter side of the seal:

The motto:

Arms were granted to Henry Harben of Seaford Lodge, Hampstead, London in 1877 – Vol. LIX fol. 317.

Arms: Azure a saltire parted and fretty between two spear heads in pale and as many spurs with leathers in fess Or.

Crest: A cubit arm in armour the hand in a gauntlet proper holding a spur leathered Or between two roses Gules leaved and slipped also proper.

Henry Harben was the driving force behind the Prudential Insurance Company and was knighted in 1897.

His family:

1. Sir Henry Harben b.1823 d.1811 m1.1846 Ann Such [d.1883]

1.1. Henry Andrade Harben b.1849 d.1910 m.1873 Mary Frances James

1.1.1. Henry Devenish Harben b.1874 d.1967 m.1899 Agnes Helen Bostock

1.1.1.1.Major Henry Eric Southey Harben b.1900 d.1971 m. Iris Constance Kathleen Stacpoole

1.1.1.1.1. John Bostock Harben b.1951

1.1.1.1.2. Sally Anne Harben b.1948

1.1.1.1.3. Julia Eileen Harben b.1953

1.1.1.2.Edward Harben b.1901

1.1.1.3.Agnes Mary

1.1.1.4.Naomi

1.1.1.5.Eve

1.1.2. Guy Philip Harben b.1881 m2. Marie Hamilton

1.1.2.1.Guy Wilfrid Harben b.1906

1.1.3. Annie b.1876

1.1.4. Edith Mary b.1878

1.1.5. Dorothy b.1880

1.1.6. Katherine Winfred b.1890

1.2. Mary Woodgate Harben b.1848 m.1899 Thomas Wharrie

Sources:

Armorial Families 1905 & 1929

Ancestry.co.uk

London Gazette

A new “One Name” Armorial is in production for Shank and Shanks. The blazons for the Arms are online and I hope to add the various images as time permits.

If there are any errors or omissions, please do let me know.

Whilst watching a recent episode of the BBC’s “Waking the Dead” I noticed some heraldic stained glass in one scene. Using the marvellous BBC iPlayer I managed to get this screenshot;

The story line has the location as a convent in Ireland. However, I dare say the BBC’s location budget puts the building a bit closer to London.

Now to identify the five sets of Arms and the building.

My start;

A request for assistance from Mark Aronson, Chief Conservator of Paintings, at the Yale Center of British Art. One of the pictures on display in their current exhibition – Seascapes: Paintings and Watercolors from the U Collection is;

Adam Silo (ca. 1674–1772), Dutch shipping off the Low Countries, 18th century, oil on panel

On the back is a seal they would like help in identifying.

An update regarding the earlier topic “Wax Seals”;

I made posts about the seals at rec.heraldry, the Heraldry society of Scotland and the International Association of Amateur Heralds. My colleague, John Tunesi of Liongam, identified the Arms as those of DAUBUZ.

Arms: Ermine a chevron gules between three acorns slipped and pendent proper [in chief a crescent for difference]
Crest: A griffin’s head with wings addorsed [no tinctures given for the crest]

Source: Burke’s General Armory – p. 264 & Papworth’s Ordinary – p. 428

An email from Mark Aronson of Yale University advised that their Curator of Paintings, Angus Trumble, had found a connection to John Claude Daubuz of Killiow, Cornwall. He also kindly provided a photograph of Gainsborough’s “The Cottage Door”

I have been contacted by Andrea Guidi di Bagno, the Chief Paintings Conservator for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, to see if I can assist in identifying three wax seals. The seals were found on the back of a painting by Thomas Gainsborough.

Seal A

Seal B

Seal C

Seal C is the only one that is obviously heraldic.

The game is afoot!

A new “One Name” Armorial is in production for Morison and Morrison. The blazons for the Arms are online and I hope to add the various images as time permits.

If there are any errors or omissions, please do let me know.

I have been researching Plowman family genealogy and heraldry on and off for some years now. Back in 1989 I had a search of their records by the College of Arms the result of which can be seen HERE. Recently I have been pondering various Arms listed in Burke’s General Armory (BGA) that do not appear in the records of the College of Arms. The one “used” by the multitude of heraldic bucket shop is “Vert a cross voided Argent.” I recalled that in 2001 a post at Genforum advised that there was a monument to John Bellamy Plowman in St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, London. Was this perhaps the source of the entry in BGA?

On Thursday 6th August 2009 James Drabble very kindly undertook a visit to the church on my behalf. He provided some photographs of the monument.

Unfortunately, the Arms displayed bear no resemblance to anything associated with the name Plowman.

Recently I was looking at the Arms for Pope – Azure three griffins’ heads erased Or. In my attempt to narrow things down I seem to have found that the field has widened!

Papworth reveals a number of surnames/families “using” those Arms: Baconsthorpe

Cutler of Lechlade,Glos

Garnatt,Garnet(t)

Garunt [shown as listed in Glover's Ordinary.]

Gurnut,

Pope of Cornwall

Whitwell of Northants.

Edmondson’s; A Complete Body of Heraldry (1780):

Baconthorpe – Azure three griffins’ heads erased Or

Cutler [Suffolk] – Azure three dragons’ heads erased Or langued Gules.

Garnatt or Garnet [Westmoreland & Essex] – Azure three griffins’ heads erased Or two and one

Garunt – Azure three griffins’ heads erased Or

Pope – Azure three griffins’ heads erased Or two and one.

Using the search facility at Armigerous Ancestors it came back with;

Cutler, Garnet and Wethill.

I had a look in the Visitations.

Walter Metcalfe’s 1882 “Visitation of Suffolk 1561″.

Nicholas Cutler of Eye – Quarterly 1st & 4th Azure three griffins’ heads erased Or (Cutler) 2nd & 3rd Argent three tridents erect Sable (Worthington).

Harleian Society’s 1981 “Visitation of Suffolk 1561″ Cutler of Eye – Quarterly 1st & 4th On a fess cotised between three dragons’ heads erased Or a cock between two birds rising (or doves rising) 2nd & 3rd Argent three tridents erect Sable

Also

Harleian Society’s 1887 “Durham Visitation Pedigrees 1666″ John Garnett of Eaglescliffe – Azure three griffins’ heads erased Or.

Do we assume that the 1981 edition for Visitation of Suffolk is more accurate and that the Arms “Azure three griffins’ heads erased Or” are actually those of Garnett?

Edited to add:
The College of Arms believe the Arms are those of Garnet. My thanks to Michael Pope for the transcription of the letter sent to his father. Link to the letter.