Nairn coat of arms

[clontarf]

Not sure if this should be a new topic but I now want to follow up on the Nairn arms.

The reference on The National Archive website to the arms of William Aveling/Nairn is a catalogue entry.  The actual photo is at the Sussex Record Office.   Does someone live near there and wouldn't mind having a look for me, and compare it with the following descriptions?

I found two English Nairn(e) arms in the General Armoury of England, Wales etc:

Nairn (cos. Kent and Sussex).  Paly of three sa. and ar. a chaplet of four roses leaved ppr.
Nairne (England).   Per pale sa. and ar. on a chaplet betw. three cinquefoils four roundels all counterchanged.

Because of the Sussex connection the first seems a likely candidate to be those of Fasham Nairn.  Paly normally means an equal number of vertical stripes, so not sure what a paly of three means.  Basically this is a shield of vertical silver and black stripes with a garland or wreath of leaves centrally placed with four equally spaced roses (N, S, E, W) on the garland.

I think the second description means a shield with silver left half and black right half,  garland with roundels instead of roses and surrounded by three five petalled flowers.

In the will Fasham Nairn says that in the event of William Aveling or his two sisters become entitled to inherit the estate they should "apply for and obtain an Act of Parliament or the King's Sign Manual or take such other means as may be necessary for assuming and taking upon him her or them respectively my surname (and arms) of Nairn".  I am fairly sure you cannot simply take over another person's arms, hence the King's decree that "That he may bear the arms of Nairn quarterly with those of Aveling;  and that the said surname and arms may also be taken and borne by his issue; such arms being first duly exemplified according to the laws of arms, and recorded in the Heralds’ Office".

Would there be any significance in the order of the quartering?  If Nairn is on the top left (and bottom right) quarter is this because William now bears the name Nairn?  If Aveling is in the top left quarter would this be treating William as the product of an Aveling father and a Nairn mother?

How do I engage the Royal College of Arms to give me details of the grants to Fasham Nairn and William Aveling Nairn (I know it can be very expensive)?   I read somewhere that a pedigree of several generations had to be supplied when registering arms.  I am hoping to discover what the surname Fasham Nairn's mother Susannah was.   I think it is probably Fasham - related to the family that lived in the Isle of Thanet in Kent.  Fasham Nairn's ancestors lived at Wingham, Barham and Sandwich in Kent.

[sillgen]

See http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,640992.10.html   for further information on the family.

[clontarf]

I have attached my idea of what the two English Nairn arms might look like as well as a potential quartering.

[Liz_in_Sussex]

Hi clontarf,

I will be going to Chichester (WSRO) either next week or the week after and will have a look at the arms for you - unless someone else gets there first! 

I wonder if it might be worth putting a link to this thread on the heraldry board - the people there have loads of knowledge of these things and would be able to answer your questions about the significance of the order of the quartering.  I'm only a beginner at heraldry - but it is a fascinating area!

Liz

[clontarf]

Thank you Liz.  Much appreciated.

I will put this on the Heraldry board as well.  I have some other speculations about what the design might tell me about when the arms were granted.

The reference for the document in the West Sussex Record Office is

"A photograph of a grant of arms to William Nairn Aveling of Barnets Place, West Hoathly 1834.  Par/379/7/66"

 

[Liz_in_Sussex]

  Hi,

I was at the WSRO today and had a look at the photo.   Oh dear - it was quite indistinct in places and being in black and white didn't help!

However, here is as much of the tricking as I could read and I have made a sketch of the actual arms (which was less than 2cm square) which I will send you tomorrow when I have had a chance to tidy it up a bit.

I am putting the tricking here as someone else may recognise it?  .

With regard to your sketches - it isn't actually any of them - but your first arms (Nairn Kent / Sussex) - imagine that as 1 & 4 but instead of stripes, it is quartered. 

Liz

… Prince Edward do give and grant to William Nairn heretofore William Aveling of Barnets Place in the Parish of West Hoathly in the County of Sussex, Gentleman this Royal Licence and Authority that he may with a compliance with a Proviso contained in the Last Will and Testament of Fasham Nairn of Bury Street in the Parish of St James Westminster in the County of Middlesex and of Barnets Place aforesaid Esquire deceased to continue to use the surname of Nairn only that he may bear the Arms of Nairn quarterly with those of Aveling and that the said surname and Arms always be taken and be borne by his issue such Arms be first duly axemplified according to the Laws of Arms and recorded in the Heralds Office otherwise the said Licence and penison to be void and of none effect.  And foreasmuch as the said Earl Marshal did by warrant under his hand and seal bearing date the fifteenth day of August last authorize and direct us to grant and axemplify the Arms of Nairn and Aveling accordingly know ye therefore that the said GARTER and CLARENCEUX in obedience to the Royal command ….
... unto the said William Nairn the Arms following that is to say Quarterly First and Fourth Quarterly Sable and Argent a Chaplet charged with four Quarter foils counterchanged for Nairn second and third azure a Gryphon passant Or on a Chrel engrailed of the last A Crois Croislet atchee of the field for Aveling And for the Crest of Nairn on a wreath of the colours a dexter arm embowed in armour properthe hand holding a chaplet vert charged with four quarter foils argent encircling an estoile or for the crest of Aveling on a wreath of the colours a gryphon passant or wings azure with a pied coronet and the dexter foreclaw resting on a croi crosslet fitchee of the last

[clontarf]

Thank you Liz, that is wonderful! 

Lots of food for thought in the description of the Nairn arms and crest.  They are, to me, closely related to other two English arms in my sketch; and all are obviously based on the arms of Lord Nairn.  Whether this is based on actual kinship or a desire to be associated with Lord Nairn is an interesting question.  The same basic design motif of a silver and black shield with a wreath with four charges (rose, quarterfoil, cinque-foil, roundel) on the wreath with everything generally counterchanged (ie. the wreath, rose etc is silver where the background is black and vice versa - see my second drawing).

The similarity in designs lends weight to the suggestion that the Nairns may have been Jacobite supporters. (see - www.sussexhistory.co.uk/history-east-grinstead/east-grinstead-history%20-%200218.htm).  However countering that argument is the fact that Capt Fasham Nairn voted at least twice for the Whig leader Charles Edward Fox in the elections for Westminster St James.

Given that the two arms I drew are not those of Fasham, whose are they?  Probably relations - I can show plausible connections between almost all the Nairns in southern England pre 1800.  Possibilities would be:

Charles Nairn (d. 1797)m, gentleman of Cranbrook - first cousin of Capt Fasham Nairn and son of Rev. Richard Nairn dean of Battle;
Rev. Fasham Nairn (1756-1845) - nephew of Capt Fasham Nairn;
Rev. John Nairn (1729-1806) of Wingham in Kent - prob first cousin of Capt Fasham Nairn;
Fasham's brothers Rev. John Nairn and Capt Henry Nairn.

The mention of the estoile (a star) in the Nairn crest is intriguing.  A star is the cadency mark of a third son.  Could this be a hint that the arms date back to Fasham Nairn's great grandfather Richard Nairn/Nearn (d. 1670) of Wingham?

[Liz_in_Sussex]

Good Morning!

It is snowing again  and my printer / scanner is not working so my little sketches cannot be uploaded.  I have to venture out now but will have a go at fixing the scanner when I get home this evening.

Actually though - given that I was looking at a very small bad photo, the written description is actually better... 

Liz

[Kerry Nairn]

Having read some of the posts for Fasham Nairn, i have a direct interest now in the NEARNS - NEARNES - NAIRNS of County Kent , England.
My Nairn Family Ancestors came from County Sligo in Ireland , where my Gt Grandfather David John Nairn(1871- 1933) came from.
The Earliest mention of  Nairns/ Nearns in Co Sligo , is that of a John Nairn & wife , in 1749.Havent been able to find any Nairns before this date  & id always pondered on when & how they came to be there in 1749 ?Theories included ,they arrived with various Armies from Scotland/ England, & that they may have escaped after Culloden to Ireland as some escaped to the Continent after 1746.
I now have a DNA Link for The Nairns of Sligo that links them back to County Kent in the mid 18th century, to a  David Nairn who married Hannah Gibbs in Westbere , Kent 20 July 1754. 
From a little research ive found ''English'' Nairnes in Co Kent from at least the Early 1600s.As far as the Scottish  Chiefly House goes the Nairnes were staunch Stewart Supporters from at least the time of Robert Third , King of Scotland.  David Nairne of the House of Sandford, Fifeshire spent his entire Career as a Jacobite in French exile, being a Courtier to the Stuarts in Exile at St Germaine en laye, near Paris, and    the Lords Nairne of the House of Nairne , Perthshire were Jacobites , John, 3rd Lord Nairne escaped to France after Culloden where he & his sons lived in exile.Several Sons were Officers in the French Army , but others were in the British army , so there were divided loyalties within the Clan. 
 The Nairns/Nearns apparently first arrived in Londonderry in Plantation times , ie 1609 onwards.records for Early Nairns in Ireland are very few !, but i have found ''Heraldic evidence'' for where some of the Earliest Nairns came from !. Burkes General armoury 1895 - NEARN (Reg,Ulsters office) IRELAND Az.a Griffin rampant.holding in each paw a key all or. The ''Crest'' being - a Lions head erased or.
NEARNE (Co Kent) Quarterly or and az. four Lions Heads erased counterchanged.
Both these  are very different from the Nairns of Scotlands , Chaplet, but we still see the use of ''Counterchanging'' with NEARNE OF KENT which is The Scottish Nairns Heraldic system !
Both NEARN & NEARNE are variants of Nairn & Nairne.
One of the Co Sligo Nairn Families was still using ''NEARN' as their Family Surname  well into the 20th century.