Page 14 - 3rdPub1

The Blaker Society © of Families in the County of Sussex, taken at a Visitation A. D. 1634.’ A

manuscript note says ‘very beautifully written on the best vellum but the
information is scanty, and the pedigrees very short’. This suggests that it
23
is an early, unelaborated, version.

Bla(c)ker of Salisbury: 1613
Pean chevron: men’s heads: black hair

This coat was granted in 1613: these are the descriptions in
English, Latin and French from Aspidora Segariana :
24

E. O a chevron pean between 3 mens heads side faced couped pp crined S.
L. In campo aureo cantherium nigrum macu[lis] ad instar illarum muris pontici
25
atqui deaur[at’] interstinctum inter tria humana capita impositum Quæ sunt e native
26
colore ad collu[m] plane secta & nigri comata
F. D’Or au chevron de Sable semé de mouchelar[d’] d’Hermines d’Or
acompagné de trois têtes d’ho’m[e] de profil coupées de carnation chevelées du
second.
27
r
e
To William Blaker of y City of Salisbury in Com’ Wilts Esq son of William B
descended of y Blakers of Com’ Derb’
e
t
e
Grant of y abovesd Arms & Crest viz . Out of a wreath a demi horse issuant S
[char]ged w a ducal Crown. O.
th

Bla(c)ker of Salisbury: 1614
Erminois chevron: moors’ heads: black hair

Revision 12 July 1614 :
28

a Chevron erminois between 3 Negros heads cou[ped] pp

In the first version the men’s heads would be normal, i.e. of fair
complexion, with black hair. In this revised version they are negroes. The
chevron in the first version is pean, i. e. black with gold ermine spots; the

23
It would be interesting to know who produced it - whether there is any colophon or bookplate: it is
clearly a special copy, expensive to produce. What is the style of the writing? Does it suggest an early
date? Ken thought that it might have been an early draft. It is not impossible that this was the original
or close to the original version of the visitation, and that the other six manuscripts were revisions with
additions. Going back to Nicolas, his list says that 1076 is a copy ‘with a few additions’, and 1084 is a
copy ‘with extracts from deeds, &c.’; 1406 is ‘another copy, hastily written’; and 1194 ‘has some
additions and notes not to be found in 1135’.
24 48
25 the ends of these lines are lost in the binding
26 on a gold field, a black chevron chequered with spots like those of a Pontic mouse [ermine] but gold,
placed between three human heads which are of natural colour, cut off straight at the neck, and with
black hair
27 of gold, with a chevron of black scattered with ermine marks of gold, together with three men’s
heads in profile, cut off in the flesh, with hair of the second [i. e., black].
28 Aspidora Segariana 48