Anecdotes of the Aristocracy and Episodes of Ancestral Story; Second Series in Two Volumes
by J Bernard Burke (9781150641152)

General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1850 Original Publisher: Herry Colburn Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: TRADITIONS OF HERALDRY. Much curious traditional and historical information is associated with the origin and assumption of armorial bearings. The singular cognizances used as crests, the peculiar charges on the shield, and the pointed allusive mottoes recall, in many instances, the achievements of some renowned ancestor, and perpetuate, in others, some remarkable event or illustrious alliance. The cross, the crescent, and the escallop, are the symbols of the Crusaders; the red and the white roses commemorate the wars of York and Lancaster; and the crown and the oak-tree indicate the loyalty of those to whom King Charles II. owed his preservation. We will instance a few of the arms, crests, and mottoes, the derivation of which may be traced to some interesting exploit or well- founded tradition: -- In the reign of Kenneth III., about the year 980, the Danes, having invaded Scotland, were encountered by that Prince near Longcarty, in Perthshire: the Scots at first gave way, and fled through a narrow pass, where they were stopped by a countryman of great strength and courage, and his two sons, with no other weapons than the yokes of their ploughs: upbraiding the fugitives for their cowardice, he succeeded in rallying them; thebattle was renewed, and the Danes totally discomfited. It is said that, after the victory was achieved, the old man lying on the ground, wounded and fatigued, cried: " Hat Hay " which word became the surname of his posterity. Tradition further relates that the king, as a reward for the signal service rendered, gave the aged husbandman as much...

USD $36.56

   Dispatch: 3 to 7 business days, stock levels permitting