Help requested - short text from approx. 1540.

[SiGr]

I would be grateful if someone could please correct/complete the attached from Stowe MS 692 (from about 1540).

In ‘The Genealogist’, 1893, Vol. XIII, p. 3 the author transcribes this as, “Byrkhed, of Crouton, co. Chester. Sa. three barley sheaves Or, within a bord. Arg. pallettée. Crest - A goat’s head erased Arg., horns and beard Or, browsing on a garb of the last, on the neck three gouttes de poix". He also notes after, "Gr[anted]. by Barker, Stowe 692" [i.e. Sir Christopher Barker, Garter Principal King of Arms from 1536-1550].

When I compare the two they are not quite the same - Lines 4 and 6 seems especially  different.

Here is my ‘effort’.

1. John Byrkhened of Crowton in the countie of
2. Chester, sable iii barley sheaves gold & border
3. silver pollared [?] his crest a gote’s hed xxsed 
4. silver xxxxx and xxxxx broxxsing upon a
5. barley xxx gold, upon the hed iii gouttes
6. sable, xxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Also, to the side is a small diagram of a bugle horn and a fleur-de-lys. I cannot confidently transcribe (let alone translate) any of the text. Can someone please also help with this ?

Thanks as always in advance for any help/comments/suggestions.

Simon

[horselydown86]

My thoughts on the first image:

John Byrkhned of Crouton in the contie of

Chester sables iij barley shiefes golde A borde?

Silver pellated his crest a gotes hed Rased

silver horned and [crin(n)ed?] broosenge upon a

Barley shefe golde, upon the hed iij goutes

sables [wr?] ar & s, in g l ar, B or

CORRECTION:

In the last line, perhaps m g l ar is more likely.

ADDED:

The [wr?] in the last line is (IMO) a contracted word beginning with wr___.

[horselydown86]

From the other image, the text may begin:  ijd cote dawney

The second line may finish with:  iij Abyldyn

[Vance Mead]

I think his surname would have been Byrkheved rather than Byrkhened. Heved meaning head is of Scandinavian origin. Huvud in modern Swedish.

His executors were plaintiffs in Common Pleas in 1578.

London. Richard Bromelowe, of Manley, Cheshire, husbandman, was summoned to answer George Irelande, esquire, and Elizabeth his wife, the executors of John Byrkheved or Brekenhed or Byrkenhed, of Crouton or Crowton, Cheshire, esquire, for a debt of 20 pounds.

Index
https://waalt.uh.edu/index.php/CP40/1352-4:_A-J

Original, first entry
http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT5/Eliz/CP40no1354/aCP40no1354fronts/IMG_0006.htm

[SiGr]

Hi, both,

A big thank you for your messages.

Vance, How the surname was written is a bit of a standing joke in my tree. I keep a list - to date I have a total of 79 different spellings. Doubtless it will continue to rise. Thank you also for the links which I will dig into.

Horselydown, TVM for the help with the text. Would you be willing to take a stab at what the letters to the left and below the bugle horn are ? The dawney and Abyldyn don't fit into any of my research either but I know there is a bugle horn connection to the Birkenheads of Crowton at that time as John used one on his seal.

Thanks once again to you both for your help - it is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Simon

[horselydown86]

From the other image, the text may begin:  ijd cote dawney

This word is possibly:  Tawney

Would that make better sense?

ADDED:

Although Tawney is possible, it should be noted that the same apparent letter is doing service as the d in Abyldyn.  So both probably can't be right.

[horselydown86]

Would you be willing to take a stab at what the letters to the left and below the bugle horn are ?

Below might be:  ar  iij  *  s

However the confidence level  is low.

[SiGr]

Hi, again, horselydown

It looks like Tawney is correct.

In early heraldry, there was a colour ‘Tawney’ - similar to orange. So, it looks like you were spot on.

I now realise also that the mark above the horn is the letter ‘g’ with a line connecting it to the string of the horn; it means ‘gules’, i.e. ‘red’ in heraldry.

Also the mark at the right of the horn is ‘b’ for ‘blue’’ this was in early heraldry, and it was later replaced by ‘Az[ure]. The same applies to the fleur-de-lys symbol in the third line.

So, I think it maybe now reads something like:

iid cote Tawney xx
xx [Horn]-g-b iij Abyldyn
ar iij [fleur-de-lys]-b

or in a longer version:

ijd [second ?] cote [coat] Tawney xx
xx [bugle horn] [string]-g [horn]-b [i.e. blue] iij [third] Abyldyn
ar iij [third] fleur-de-lys -b [i.e.  blue]

I think the numbering isn’t quite there yet - there seems to be several ‘thirds’. If you have any thoughts there, please let me know.

Once this is as good as it can be deciphered, I will then post this part on the Heraldry board and see if the folks there can help further.

ATB

Simon