Blennerhassett Family Tree - BLENNERHASSETT HERALDRY ILLUSTRATED

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1816 PRINT by COTMAN

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1820 STAINED GLASS

The title of the print is very faint on this copy:

Sir Thomas Blenerhasset Knt, Frense Ch. Norf'k

Drawn, Etched & Published by J.S.Cotman, Yar[mouth] 1816

Cotman's drawing of 1816 reproduced in painted glass, on a window panel of 1820 at St Peter's Church, Nowton

Print from a drawing by John Sell Cotman (pub. in his “Sepulchral Brasses of Norfolk & Suffolk”, 2 vols, 1839)

of monumental portrait brass on the tomb of Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, Knt (d.27-June-1531) of Frenze Hall

at the 14th century Church of St.Andrew, Frenze Co.Norfolk [COTMAN vol.1, frontpiece pl.63, with notes on p.35].

An exceptionally fine effigy, lying in full armour with sword, dagger, gauntlets & spurs, wearing a tabard of arms.
His head rests on a helm with the Blennerhassett crest shown, unusually, as a wolf passant

He is wearing a surcoat or tabard of arms, with Quarterly:

1st

Blennerhassett

2nd

Lowdham

3rd

Orton

4th

Kelvedon

There were four shields of arms, all now lost:

	1. Quarterly: 1st & 4th Blennerhassett, 2nd & 3rd Orton (for his grandfather Ralph Blennerhassett, who descended from Orton) impaling quarterly: 1st & 4th Lowdham, 2nd & 3rd Kelvedon (for his grandmother Joan Lowdham who descended from Kelvedon)
	2. Quarterly: 1st & 4th Blennerhassett, 2nd & 3rd Lowdham (for his father John Blennerhassett whose mother was Joan Lowdham) impaling Heigham (for his mother Jane Heigham)
	3. Quarterly: 1st Blennerhassett, 2nd Lowdham, 3rd Orton, 4th Kelvedon (for himself, Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, descended from Lowdham, Orton & Kelvedon) impaling Braham, with a crescent for difference (for his 2nd wife Margaret Braham)
	4. Quarterly: 1st Blennerhassett, 2nd Lowdham, 3rd Orton, 4th Kelvedon (for himself, Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, descended from Lowdham, Orton & Kelvedon) impaling Le Strange two lions passant (for his 1st wife Jane Le Strange) arms of Le Strange (L'Estrange, L'Strange) of Hunstanton/Hunston Hall, Co.Norfolk NOTE: A similar brass shield of arms is believed to have been one of four (all now lost) on the tomb of their son, George Blennerhassett, interred in St.Mary's Church, Kenninghall, Norfolk. Jane Le Strange (L'Estrange), first wife of Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, Knight Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, Knight, of Frenze, Norfolk (b.c1461 d.27-Jun-1531) was Minister (Seneschal, Steward, Principal Household Officer) for the 2nd and 3rd Duke of Norfolk. He married est.c1495, as his first wife Jane Le Strange, probably of the family of Le Strange of Hunstanton (Hunston) Hall, Co.Norfolk (arms "two lions passant"), not Jane Sutton of the family of Sutton, Barons Dudley (arms "a lion rampant") as many sources state. In 1492 Thomas' wife Jane is described as cousin-german to Lady Surrey [SRO HD 1538/297/21 24-Jan-1492]. The term cousin-german derives from cousin-germain, of which the modern definition is 1st cousin but in the 15th century meant simply "closely akin". NOTE: Lady Surrey at that date was Elizabeth Tilney (d.4-Apr-1497) who married 2ndly to Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Surrey (from 1483) and 2nd Duke of Norfolk (from 1514), the employer of Sir Thomas Blennerhassett. Elizabeth was daughter of Sir Frederick Tylney & Elizabeth Cheney, granddaughter of Sir Philip Tilney (b.bef.1437 d.c1453) & Elizabeth Thorp (d.10-Nov-1435, dau. of Edmund Thorp). Who is Jane Le Strange, where does she fit into the Le Strange of Hunstanton Hall family tree? How is she relate to Elizabeth Howard, nee Tilney, Duchess of Norfolk? NOTE: The Le Strange connection is supported to some extent by [BLOMEFIELD vol. 1 KENNINGHALL pp.223-224] who correctly gives George Blennerhassett two marriages but incorrectly names his 2nd wife Margaret Jernegan as the 1st wife, and an otherwise unknown <???> Le Strange (L'Estrange, L'Strange) as a 2nd wife. [BIFR 1976 p.133] has read [BLOMEFIELD] and lists all three, making <???> L'Strange the third wife(!). This cannot be, as George Blennerhassett's real 2nd wife Margaret Jernegan outlived him and remarried. George Blennerhassett's portrait "a large brass effigies and four shields" in St.Mary's Ch., Kenninghall were already lost by [BLOMEFIELD's] time, leaving only the indented stone (still there); [BLOMEFIELD's] source was [ANSTIS E.26, f.29], who had seen the portrait brass "with his arms quartered" decorating George's tomb; It appears one of the shields of arms seen by [ANSTIS] had carried Blennerhassett arms impaled with Le Strange "two lions passant" and [BLOMEFIELD], on reading [ANSTIS], took the Le Strange arms to indicate a wife of George Blennerhassett instead of his mother. NOTE: In ["Extarneus" vol.II "Le Strange of Anglia and Eire" by John R. Mayer, 2nd Ed. 2002] is found "The Le Strange of Hunstanton family maintains intimate connections with certain affines, such as Hastings, Calthorpe and Spelman". Jane Blennerhassett, sister of Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, m. Sir Philip Calthorpe, Knt of Calthorp, Norfolk; also Margaret Blennerhassett, daughter of Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, m.1st Sir John Spelman of Narborough, Norfolk. These show the Blennerhassetts had similar family connections to Le Strange. NOTE: [BLOMEFIELD vol.1 KILVERSTONE p.542] states, about a later Le Strange, "...Sir Nicholas L'Strange was Kat. Chamberlain of the Duke's household...", which shows Le Strange connections with the Duke of Norfolk. Sources describing this brass shield of arms: 1805 - [BLOMEFIELD vol.1 1805 Frense p.143] correctly describes the shield as "Hasset, and the three quartered as in the last (i.e. Lowdon, Orton, and Kelvedon), impaling two lions passant" but does not mention the name Sutton. 1816 - [COTMAN - “Sepulchral Brasses of Norfolk & Suffolk” by John Sell Cotman, 1839 (vol.1 Norfolk, vol.2 Suffolk) vol.1, frontpiece pl.63, illustration dated 1816] correctly illustrates "two lions passant", the illustration shown here, and does not mention the name Sutton <double-check this>. c1840 - [DAVY - Ms. notes on the Blennerhassett family by Suffolk antiquarian David Elisha Davy c1840, 37 pages] in the Davy Collection at [BL Add. Ms.19118 f.353]. He has Sir Thomas m. "...Jane, daughter of _____ Sutton...". c18?? - [SPURDENS - "Historical Notes by W.T. Spurdens, NRO Ms.4576 p.241 p.139A, "Diss", "Family Tree of Blennerhassett Family" p.252]. He has Sir Thomas married to his "...1st wife Jane, daughter of Sutton...". The notes of [DAVY] and [SPURDENS] are so similar, one must have been copied from the other. 1857 - [L'ESTRANGE - "The Eastern Counties Collectanea: Notes and Queries on Subjects Relating to the Counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridge" edited by John L'Estrange, Norwich 1872-3, pp.265-7] correctly describes the shield he saw in 1857 as "Blennerhasset, Lowdham, Orton, and Keldon, quarterly; impaling two lions passant". 1919 - [BOK - "The Blennerhassetts of Kerry: Earlier English Stock” by S.M.] in [KAM - “Kerry Archaeological Magazine”, vol.5 No.21 July 1919 p.38]. This states Sir Thomas "...married 1stly Jane, daughter of Sutton..." This article is a summary of [DAVY] therefore unsurprising that he repeats [DAVY] here. 1944 - [MORIARTY/1 -“Genealogical Research in England - East Anglian Blennerhassets” by G.Andrews Moriarty pub. in NEHGR vol.98 No.1 Jan.1944, pp.67-73; vol.98 No.3 July 1944, p.277] states Sir Thomas "...married first Jane Sutton..." and makes it worse by describing the arms as "...2 lions rampant (probably Sutton)..." 1976 - [BIFR -"Burke's Irish Family Records" 1976, republished 2007, p.133] describes the first wife of Sir Thomas as "...Jane Sutton (who bore arms similar to those of the Suttons, Barons Dudley - see BURKE'S Dormant and Extinct Peerages)..." but this is not the case, the arms of Sutton, Baron Dudley are "a lion rampant" not "two lions passant" as on this Blennerhassett shield. 1984 - [VoS - "The Visitation of Suffolk 1561", part II, p.358, as edited by Joan Corder 1984, published by The Harleian Society, New Series, vol.3, 1984] the editor states that Sir Thomas married "1st., Jane, daughter of _____ Sutton" and copying [BIFR 1976 p.133] describes these arms as "similar to those of Sutton Barons Dudley" but without any justification or illustration - she is relying on the earlier sources. NOTE: These two statements are not in the original 1561 text, they were added by the editor in 1984, knowledge obtained from her reading other sources, but her sources for these two items are not specified.

The brass remained intact at Frenze when described in 1739 & 1805 by Francis Blomefield, and in 1816 when illustrated by the engravings of John Sell Cotman, but the portrait brass and four brass shields were subsequently stolen. John Le Strange in 1857 saw two shields, No's 1 & 4, but no portrait brass. Today only the inscription brass survives, mounted on the East wall of the nave with a modern replica of the portrait brass. The four brass shields are all missing.
Warning

who made the replica brass and what drawing was used as the model?

A rubbing from the original brass is at [NRO, PD 476/17].

Another portrait brass at Frenze was also stolen, that of Ralph Blenerhayset (d.1475), grandfather of Sir Thomas. That brass, broken into three pieces by the theives, is said to have been recovered from a curio shop at Munich, Germany and acquired by one of Blennerhassett family. This may have been Sir Rowland Blennerhassett, Bart. (b.1839 d.1909), as Munich was the family home of wife, Charlotte Lady Blennerhassett, and they visited often. The brass was restored to the church of St.Andrew at Frenze a few years ago <when?> by a descendant of the finder <who?>.

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photo: courtesy of <???>

The the earliest known representation of the Blennerhassett coat-of-arms appears for John de Blenerhasset on Thomas Jenyn's Book (sometimes called "Thomas Jenyn's Roll"), Queen Margaret's version. This bound Ms. volume Roll of Arms is by some dated temp. Edward III (1327-1377) but by others c1410.

Thomas Jenyn's Book is archived at the British Library Department of Manuscripts, document ref: Add. Ms. 40851, f.68 (p.126). The individual shield is numbered, No.1498. The roll has been microfilmed.

[BL Add.Ms.40581, f.68 (p.126)] [BL microfilm M2105 (monochrome)] [Boos TJ] [FCA] [HUDDLESTON p.28] [TG vol.5 p.98]

The arms are represented as: gules three dolphins hauriant embowed argent with a description in French: "1498 John de Blenerhasset port de gules a trois dolphins argent", 1498 being the number of the shield not a date.

This is a rare instance of Blennerhassett arms displayed without a chevron. The chevron that has appeared on all Blennerhasett arms since 1390 was probably added to differentiate the family of a younger son from the family of the eldest son, at a time before use of Marks of Cadency had become standard. There can be little doubt that the arms shown here, without a chevron, are the original form.

seal of Alan de Blenerhayset of Carlisle,

Co.Cumberland (b.est.c1330 d.c1407).

Blennerhassett arms inside the legend"sigillum halani de blenerhay"

"the seal of Alan de Blenerhayset"

red wax seal 27mm diameter

attached to a deed in Latin dated

25-May-1390 (13 Richard II);

a lease by "Alano de Blenerhayset"

of waste ground by Carlisle Castle,

endorsed "Alanus Blenerhayset in fossa versus castrum"

Cumbria Record Office, Carlisle HQ

[CRO Ca/3/5/1/12]

Illustration from "Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society" vol.6 1883 pp.317-8

Blennerhassett arms carved on a stone set

into an exterior wall of St.Michael's church,

Workington, Co.Cumberland

Clay tile or brick displaying the Blennerhassett arms between initials J M (John & Mary), the date 1563 above. Set into the exterior wall over a door to the old banqueting hall at Barsham Hall, Barsham, Co.Suffolk. The door has recently been converted to a window.

Barsham Hall was home to John Blennerhassett (b.c1515 d.1573) and his wife Mary Echingham. John was Treasurer and Minister (chief household officer) to the 3rd & 4th Dukes of Norfolk

Arms of John Blennerhassett of Barsham, Co.Suffolk (b.c1515 d.1573) from his will

dated 29-Jun-1573 (15 Eliz. I),

proved 3-Feb-1573/4 London [PCC]

His arms are charged with an annulet,

a Mark of Cadency indicating a fifth son,

or as in this case, descent from a fifth son

Arms of Blennerhassett

c1554 to 1599

Barsham, Co.Suffolk

in Barsham Church

from [SUCKLING/1]

and

[Holy Trinity Barsham Church Guide,

2000 edition, inner front cover]

Arms on tomb of

John Blennerhassett

(d.27-Nov-1510) at the church of St.Andrew the Apostle, Frenze, Co.Norfolk.

Drawn 1816 by John Sell Cotman

[COTMAN vol.1, pl.50]

Arms on tomb of

Jane Tindall Blennerhassett

(d.6-Oct-1521), widow of John Blennerhassett, at the church of St.Andrew the Apostle, Frenze, Co.Norfolk.

Her arms charged with an annulet, a mark of cadency indicating descent from a fifth son.

Drawn 1816 by John Sell Cotman

[COTMAN vol.1, appendix pl.5,

notes on p.60]

Arms on tomb of

Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, Knt

(d.27-Jun-1531) at the church of St.Andrew the Apostle, Frenze, Co.Norfolk

Drawn 1816 by John Sell Cotman

[COTMAN vol.1, frontpiece pl.63,

notes on p.35]

photo: courtesy of Joan Peck

Arms on tomb of

Mary Blennerhassett Culpepper Bacon

(d.17-Sep-1587) at the church of

St.Andrew the Apostle, Frenze, Co.Norfolk.

Drawn 1816 by John Sell Cotman

[COTMAN vol.1, pl.83]

Arms of Blennerhassett of Pockthorpe, Norwich, Co.Norfolk; showing vertical hatching lines used in heraldry to indicate the field is colour gules (red)

["Norfolk Genealogy" vol.6,

"Norfolk Pedigrees" p.18]

Arms on the tomb of Edward Blennerhassett (d. June 1641)

in Campsea Ash church,

Campsea Ash, near Loudham, Co.Suffolk

Arms of Blennerhassett from a Garvey and Blennerhassett pedigree in

[Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica

v4 New Series 1884 pp.329-334]

Illustration from a plate illustrating a volume of coats-of-arms, shield 329, plate 15.

engraved 1898 by R. W. Joyce and printed 1903 by Murphy & McCarthy.

arms embossed on the cover of

"The Life of Harman Blennerhassett"

by William Harrison Safford, 1850.

These arms also appear on Safford's

“The Blennerhassett Papers” 1861 & 1864

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Blennerhassett crest set into an exterior wall, over the main entrance door to Ballyseedy Castle

the wreath is coloured

azure & argent (blue & white)

Crest on tomb of Mary Blennerhassett Culpepper Bacon (d.17-Sep-1587),

part of a monumental brass on a marble slab set into the nave floor at the church of St.Andrew, Frenze, Co.Norfolk.

Drawing of the 1587 Blennerhassett crest on Mary Bacon's tomb at St.Andrew, Frenze, Co.Norfolk (left)

by John Sell Cotman 1816

[COTMAN vol.1 pl.83]

Blennerhassett crest

"a wolf sejant gules"

Co.Norfolk & Co.Suffolk

1860/1911 ed. plate 110 No.4

1905 ed. plate 29 No.3

(continuation of "The Book of Family Crests"

2 vols which 11th ed. 1875

had this on plate 44 No.23)

Blennerhassett crest

"a fox sejant gules"

Co.Suffolk

1860/1911 ed. plate 87 No.4

does not appear in 1905 edition.

(continuation of "The Book of Family Crests"

2 vols. which 11th ed. 1875

had this on plate 31 No.28)

This is NOT a Blennerhassett crest, but in error is described as such: "BLAVERHASSET, English, in dexter hand a hunting horn, sans strings, proper, veruled, or" in:

1860/1911 ed. plate 109 No.3

1905 ed. plate 217 No.4

(continuation of "The Book of Family Crests"

2 vols. which 11th ed. 1875

had this on plate 60 No.24)

photo: courtesy of Monina Rogers

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Blennerhassett crest and motto on the 1863 silver christening cup of

Irvine Rowland Blennerhassett

Blennerhassett crest on a Davenport porcelain dish of c1820

This is NOT a Blennerhassett crest, but in error is described as such: "BLENNERHASSET, Irish,

in the sea a pillar, proper" in:

1860/1911 ed. plate 14, No.3

1905 ed. plate 176, No.2

(continuation of "The Book of Family Crests"

2 vols. but this crest did not appear there)

Two wooden panels, set amongst other wall panelling covering the lower inside walls of the library (now hotel bar) of Ballyseedy Castle (now Ballyseede Castle Hotel). The panel on the left displays the bust of a man wearing helmet with fleur-de-lys crest. The panel on the right displays the Blennerhassett arms, impaled, with Blennerhassett crest above and date 1627 below.

The year 1627 significantly pre-dating the building of Elm Grove in 1721, one could be forgiven for assuming the panels were brought here from "old" Ballyseedy, now a ruin at the west end of Ballyseedy Wood. However, despite their primitive style of carving the concensus of opinion is that they are of more recent date, perhaps made to add interest and give the appearance of age to the library. The panel on the right probably commemorates the marriage of John Blennerhassett of Ballycarty & Ballyseedy (b.c1595 d.1676) with Martha Lynn (b.c1595/1600) who married "about 1630", but there is a difficulty with this attribution.

Martha was the daughter of George Lynne of Southwick Hall, Northamptonshire and his wife Isabella Forrest, daughter of Sir Myles Forrest of Morburn, Huntingdonshire. The arms of the Lynn (Lynne, Lyn) family are a single lion rampant (upright), described "gules, a demi lion rampant argent within a bordure sable bezantee”, but these arms are not used here. Instead the panel displays a shield bearing the arms of Blennerhassett impaling three lions passant (walking) - most probably (although not clear) is three lions passant guardant (walking, facing viewer), the arms of England.

Use of the arms of England by an individual is not valid and officially such use was and is prohibited by the College of Arms. However, Martha Lynne was 10th in descent from King Edward III of England, through the families of Plantagenet, le Despencer, Beauchamp, Nevill, Throckmorton, and Lynn. Because of this every living bearer of the name Blennerhassett has a royal descent, a source of pride for the Blennerhassett family then and now, and it appears the person who commissioned the panel wished to show this pride publically, by representing the marriage to Martha Lynn by the arms of England.

That the family was proud of their Royal descent is demonstrated by Maj. Arthur Blennerhassett (b.1856 d.1939) of Ballyseedy, who paid an advance subscription to "Royal Descents" by Joseph Foster (published in 2 volumes 1887) [FOSTER/2] which ensured the book documented his Blennerhassett descent from Edward III via Martha Lynn. Thus it may be Arthur Blennerhassett who had these two panels made for his library, but no proof of this has been found.

NOTE: It was the same Arthur Blennerhassett who commissioned a "mock castle" refacing of the house, as was popular during the mid Victorian period, these changes causing what had previously been the front elevation and main entrance to become the rear of the house. This work, executed by Kerry architect, historian and Blennerhassett descendant James Franklin Fuller, caused the house to lose its Georgian elegance and simplicity but resulted in the impressive building we see today. Following these changes the house was referred to as "Ballyseedy House" or as "Ballyseedy Castle" in more-or-less equal measure.

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Blennerhassett crest & arms carved side by side on a dark oak fireplace surround in the great hall at Ballyseedy Castle (formerly Elm Grove) Co.Kerry. A Foundation Stone set in the wall above the fireplace carries a date 1721, when Elm Grove is believed to have been built. This fireplace surround was probably removed to Elm Grove from "Old Ballyseedy", now a ruin at the west end of Ballyseedy Wood

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Blennerhassett arms and crest decorating the rear (west face) of Ballyseedy Castle.

Prior to the 1880s remodelling by architect James Franklin Fuller, the west face was the front of the house, not the rear.

A ♦ B

1821

Two identical shields on "foundation stones" are set into exterior walls of the north wing of Ballyseedy Castle, one by each carriage entrance into the stable yard. These record the remodelling initiated by Arthur Blennerhassett (b.1779 d.1815) and completed in 1821 by his son Arthur Blennerhassett (b.1799 d.1843), 100 years after the house was built.

1821 was also the year of Arthur Jr's marriage to Frances Deane Grady, daughter of Henry Deane Grady, but his wife's initials do not appear so cannot be commemorating the marriage.

This coat-of-arms, a shield with "a chevron reversed between in chief one lozenge and in base three lozenges" is on a stone set into the east facing exterior wall of a square tower at the front of Ballyseedy Castle, Co.Kerry. This tower appears to to have been added during the remodelling by Kerry architect James Franklin Fuller in the 1880s.

These arms (and the 1821 shield to the left) are unusual in having a reversed chevron, pointing down rather than up. They are not the arms of any family the Ballyseedy Blennerhassetts married into. Robert Noel, Lancaster Herald at the College of Arms in London tells me he can find no trace of these arms and suspects they are imaginary. This part of the 1880s remodelling of the house may have taken place in the absence of the owner, Charles Blennerhassett; it is possible his rough sketch indicating the intended position of the Blennerhassett coat of arms, on what was about to become the new "front" of the house, was interpreted literally by the builder who had no drawing of the correct arms. It certainly is curious that no Blennerhassett arms appear at the front but these highly visible but meaningless arms do. Blennerhassett arms do appear at the back (see far left), high up on the main body of the house.

the tower at Ballyseedy in 2004 and in 2006

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Blennerhassett of Ballyseedy, Co.Kerry

by Sir Bernard Burke, 1899, 1904, 1912

reproduced in "Irish Book of Arms" I.G.F. 2001

Headstone for Sir Rowland Blennerhassett of London, 4th Bart. of Blennerville in Co.Kerry (died 22-Mar-1909) in St. Benedict's churchyard, adjoining the main gate to Downside Abbey & School, Co.Wiltshire

Blennerhassett of Blennerville,

with Baronetcy badge