Heald's Coats of Arms
HEALD'S COAT OF ARMS - by Bill Heald
For some strange reason people have been associating John Heald of Concord, with a Coat of Arms he was neither entitled to, nor connected with.
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Let us skip from John, forward two hundred years to London of 1849,when a younge woman in Hyde Park, saw a handsome young Army officer. within two months, on July 19th, 1849, this young woman, who,s name was Maria Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, but better known to the world as 'Lola Montez', was married to Sub-Lieutenant George Trafford Heald,Cornet,2nd Regiment, Life Guards, memeber of a good Horncastle, Lincoln, family and very wealthy.
(Note: Cornet= George Trafford Heald, as a Sub-Lieutenant was responsible for bearing the 'guidon', a special flag used to guide cavalry troop in battle. It has no connection with the musical instrument, and the term has been incorrectly noted as "Coronet', which is a crown or any type, but lesser than Royalty)
Because of the suspicions of Lt. Heald's Aunt Susanna, and the controversy over Lola's previous marriage at the age of 19 to Lt Thomas James, who ran away with another officers wife, and the possibility of her not being divorced, she was arrested and put on trial, on 7 August 1849.The court session was adjourned for lack of evidence, and within a few days the young couple left London for the Continent.
They eventually separated when the money ran out. Lola left. George was a hopeless alcoholic, and was said to have drowned, in Lisbon in 1853, when his boat tipped over.
One story says Lola was responsible for Edward VII's loss of the Crown, when in reality. Edward VII was born in 1841, and was 8 years old at the time of the sstory above. Edward was king from 1901 to 1910, succeeding his mother Queen Victoria, forty years after Lola Montez died.
Correctly the story concerns Ludwig the First of Bavaria, who's kingdom crumbled due to the meddling of Lola in the country's affairs, bringing about the collapse of his government in 1848. Whereupon Lola skipped the country for England.
George Trafford Heald was granted armorial bearing, which were quite elaborated, as described below;
Arms:Argent, two bars engrailed and in Chief as many escutcheons gules, each charged with a Mullet of the Field.
(On a silver shield, two horizontal red bars with an escalloped edge. In the upper part of the shield are two small red shields, each charged with a silver star.)
Crest: An Eagle, wings elevated, argent, each charged with two bars engrailed, Gules, gorged with a plain collar and pendant therefrom and escutcheon also gules, charged with a Mullet argent.
(A silver Eagle with it's wings elevated. Each wing is charged with two red bars as in the arms. Round it's neck is a red collar from which hangs a small red shield, charged with a silver star.)
Motto: Nemo-Sibi-Nascitur (No one is born for himself)
The most interesting about the above, is that it was granted 8 August 1849.
The grant would expire if George Trafford Heald died intestate.
Lola died in poverty,of a stroke, in New York City, 17 January 1861.
The following is a general synopsis of the lineage of George Trafford Heald;
George Trafford Heald
b. ca 1825, Horcastle. Lincoln
d. ca 1853, Lisbon, Portugal
f. George Heald, K.C.
King's Council, George IV
m. Emma Trafford
gf. Sigismund Trafford
gm. Margaret Crowe
etc.etc
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The second Coat of Arms which is of interest was granted 21 May 1824 to James Heald of Parr's Wood, Parish of Manchester, county of Lancaster, who was the son of James Heald of Portwood,Parish of Stockport, county of Chester. This grant was applicable only to James Heald, his descendants or other descendants of his father,
Arms: Quarterly, gules and azure, in the 1st and 4th quarters an Eagle with wings elevated Or, in the 2nd and 3rd quarters a Fret of the last,over all a Fess Argent thereon between 2 crosses Patee a Rose of the First barbed and seeded proper.
(A shield divided four quarters. Top left and bottom right, red; and top right and bottom left, blue; a gold Eagle with raised wings on each red quarter, and a gold fret on
each blue one. Across the middle of the shield is a broad silver band, charged with a red rose, between two red crosses patee.)
Crest: Upon a Mount Vert, a bundle of Arrows fesswise, the points towards the dexter proper, bound gules, thereupon an Eagle with wings elevated Erminois, in the beak a sprig of Oak also proper, the dexter claw resting on a cross pattee as in the Arms.
(On a green mountain, a bundle of arrows crossed and bound in red, the points to the left. Sitting theron an eagle with wings raised, with an ermine pattern {gold background with black spots}, its left claw on a red cross patee, and in its beak a sprig of Oak in natural color.)
Motto: Mea Gloria Crux - The Cross is My Glory
The following is a general synopsis of the James Heald lineage;
father- James Heald of Disley, co, Cheshire
1. James Heald, Portwood,co Cheshire
JP & Dep.Lt,MP Stockport
b. 1796d. 1871
Arms granted 1824
2. George Heald,Garston (Liverpool)
1. William Norris Heald,Parr's Wood
JP, Lancs and Cheshire
b. 1830d. 1919
1. James Heald,Parr's Wood
b. 1859d. 1921
1. William Arthur Heald
2. Brian Heald
3. Sir Lionel Frederick
(Note: Sir Lionel was the Attorney General under Winston Churchill and is best remembered for leading the investigation into the crash of the BOAC "Comet" )
Portwood and Parr's Wood are with in the boundaries of Greater Manchester, about 3 miles from Heald's Green and less than 10 miles from Mobberley. There are similarities between the two arms and crest above. Could we assume that George Trafford Heald was related to James Heald ?
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Now that we have covered Healds of the 19th Century, let us return to the 17th, and our illustrious 'John of Concord'. One 'writer' says that "an ancestor was the scribe and treasurer of Edward III, therefore the Crest of the crossed key and sword, and the
'scroll' below".
Now the so-called 'scroll' is in reality a 'wreath', used as a supporter for the key and sword and is in the colors of the arms, probably in this instance silver and red.
And Crests are not normally granted as a separate 'bearing'or attachment. They are in addition to, or supplemental to the Arms.
The earliest mention we have of a Heald is about 1526, in Lancashire, which is 200 years after the reign of Edward III, who was King from 1327 to 1377. And whoever was in the 'Court of the Exchequer' during his reign would surely have been recorded.
In the book "American Armoury and Blue Book", by Mathews, 1908, is shown the 'coat of arms' of John Heald, Berwick, Northumberland. Yet if we look at Burke's 'Peerage', written about 30 years earlier, we find the same coat of arms granted to one of the Healds of Parr's Wood in the 1850's, 200 years after John of Concord.
The description of the arms is as follows:
Arms: Argent; on a chevron gules, between three bombs sable fired proper, as many bezants, a chief of the second.
(A silver shield; on a red chevron, between three black bombs (grenades) fired, in natural colors, 3 gold roundels (disks), the upper third in red)
Crest: A sword and key in saltire
(A sword and key crossed, the wreath supporter would show the two primary colors of the arms, silver and red, altho I have seen black in place of the red)
It has been 'written' that John may, and I repeat 'may', have gone to London and dome some 'special favor' for the King, and was therefore granted a coat of arms which he registered in 1636, before he came to Massachusetts. Now John was born ca 1611, and was said to have gone to Massachusetts in 1630 with Governor Winthrop (?), then to Concord in the fall of 1635 with Willard.
We can be almost certain that John, a husbandman, never traveled to London and did service to the Crown, or was granted a coat of arms, in just a couple of years, before setting off for the Colonies at the age of 19
(Note= 'husbandman',from the Anglo-Saxon,'husbonda' meaning 'husband, householder or peasant'. A tenant farmer or one who cultivates the land.)
The 1600's were probably one of the most turbulent eras in English history, with wars, religious dissent and revolution. Those years would have been rather hectic in London; James I was crowned in 1603, and Bubonic Plague swept the City that same year killing 38000 people. A few years later a group of dissenters fled to Holland, then to America in 1620. In the year 1625, James I was executed, Bubonic Plague once again struck London, killing 35000 more and Charles I, was crowned King.
England was hit with Civil War in 1645, Charles was deposed and executed in 1649. Oliver Cromwell proclaimed himself "Protector",ruling from 1653 to 1658. After he died his son Richard tried to govern and finally fled the country in 1659.
Charles II, returned in 1660 and the Monarchy was restored. Then in 1665, the Plague returned with a vengeance, killing almost 75000, and the next year in 1666, London was devastated by the Great Fire. And during this time England was also at war with Holland from 1664 to 1667.
And how could John have registered his 'arms' in 1636, before he came to Massachusetts, when he was supposed to have been in Concord at the time.
What is amazing, is how John was able in late 1635, to go to Concord, help survey the land,clear off his piece of property, plant
his crops and tend them, build a tremporary dwelling, then take a ship to England, marry Dorothy Royle at Alderley in December 1636, and have a child by March of 1637 (John Jr, would have been concieved around the Middle of June 1636). Then catch a ship, head back to Boston,and go on to Concord with a wife and new born child.
Torry doesn't seem to think John came to America until about 1640 !
(See my previous article)
One final note before we leave the subject of Coats of Arms, or as they are properly known, "Armorial Bearings" or "attachments".
It was up to the individual to select what ever device were on the Arms. Usually some item that pertains to their life, or profession, their ancestry or their surname. After selecting the items, and a description of the arms is made, then the College of Arms, checks to see that there is no conflict with an existing design. If there is none, and the individual is entitled to 'arms', then they would be granted.
However in this case there is no evidence to support the claim that John Heald of Concrod was granted any sort of 'Armorial Bearings'.
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