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and of the olden time. It is their peculiar office to grant, and to enroll, arms, and pedigrees, (an important consideration to every family of rank,) and no arms are legally held, unless by prior grant, or subsequent confirmation.

Having thus descanted generally on the origin and progress of heraldry, I must (recollecting the many subjects before me) omit several things connected with the inquiry, as the origin of crests, cognizances, supporters, mottoes, &c., and I do this with the greater willingness, as the consideration of these will occasionally arise in the progress of my work.

If then, gentle reader, you are not satisfied with this very brief, and imperfect, sketch, I beg to refer you to the ponderous quarto of Dallaway on the same subject, and to the elaborate dissertation by Sir Joseph Ayloffe, Bart., prefixed to the "Complete Body of Heraldry," by Edmondson.

Saying thus much, I must now pass on to the description of the

Arms of John Halle.

Edmondson, in his " Complete Body of Heraldry," thus describes the arms of Halle of Salisbury: "Argent, on a chevron between three columbines azure, stalked and leaved vert, a mullet of six points or."

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Guillim, in his " Display of Heraldry," states the following to be the arms of Hall of Coven

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try: Argent, a chevron sable between three columbines slipped proper."

In a roll of grants, and confirmations, deposited in the archives of the heralds' col= lege, of the times of the Henries, the Seventh, and Eighth, appears the following coat under the name of William Halle of Shipton: "Argent: on a chevron sable between three columbines azure, slipped vert, an etoile or."

As these arms vary from each other, and yet, without doubt, pertain to the same family, you will permit me, gentle reader, thus to point out their differences, and to set before you the correct description.

In the first account given by Edmondson, he speaks of a chevron between three columbines azure. As no colour is here assigned to the chevron, we must in heraldic language read, that both the chevron and the columbine are azure. Here Edmondson is clearly in error. It is very true, that the ordinaries and charges (when the latter are not placed on the former) usually assimilate in colour, but there are many exceptions, of which this is one. Further, Edmondson incorrectly places on the chevron a mullet of six points; but a mullet more usually is a distinctive difference of Houses than a charge on the field. It is supposed to denote the arms of a third son by the rowel of a spur, and, originally, that he should devote himself to chivalry It is usually, and properly, pierced.

In the second description, Guillim agrees in other respects with the correct arms, but omits the bearing on the chevron. He assigns the

arms to Hall of Coventry; but it must be remembered, that in my last essay I proved, that no family of the name of Hall could be found at Coventry, which he or his transcriber must erroneously have named for Salisbury.

Now we arrive at the last, and correct, description. Here we have the chevron sable, but on the chevron, instead of the mullet, we have an etoile (or star) or. This etoile is a charge, and not, as the mullet, a mark of difference. These are the arms of John Halle, as presented in the windows of his ancient halle, and impaled with his merchant's mark. Through the kindness of my friend, G. F. Beltz, Esq., I am informed, (as before observed,) that these arms thus appropriated, are amongst a roll of grants, and confirmations, of the times of the Henries, the Seventh, and Eighth, which is now lying in the archives of the heralds' college, and they are described as the arms of William Halle of Shipton. That he was the son of John Halle appears from the pedigree, p. 16. His daughter married, as there stated, Sir Thomas Wriothesley, Garter principal King of Arms, and in the pedigree of the family of Wriothesley, also in the herald's college, this daughter, Joan, is described, "Johanna, filia et hæres Willmi Halle de Sarum vel Shipton." I mention this circumstance for the satisfactory identification both of him and the arms.

In further elucidation of the arms of John Halle, I find it necessary in this place to enter into the question, as to the date of this interesting halle; and, I trust, that I shall prove,

gentle reader, to your satisfaction, as well as my own, that its erection must have been between the years 1467 and 1484. That it was built by John Halle we may justly conclude, as not only his arms, but his initials, appear in the window, and his arms appear not only in the window, but also in their most proper place, and where (as he was the builder) we might have expected to find them-on the transomstone of the chimney-piece. Having thus given cogent reasons in proof, that the room was built by John Halle, I will now state equally valid arguments, that it was erected between the years 1467 and 1484. The premises were purchased by him in the year 1467 (the seventh year of Edward, the Fourth) from William Hore, senior, of the City of Salisbury, merchant, and we cannot consequently assign a prior date to the building. Now as to the other limit-Chrys= tian, the daughter of John Halle, married Sir Thomas Hungerford, the eldest son of Sir Edmund, the third son of Sir Walter Hungerford, of Down Ampney, Knight. In the window are the arms of Sir Edmund, the father, marked with the mullet to show the third House, and in the window also are the arms of Sir Thomas Hungerford, the son, (impaled with those of his wife, Chrystian,) surmounted with the label of three points to show, that he was the eldest son, and that his father was then living. The father, Sir Edmund Hungerford, it appears from the pedigree of the family, died in the year 1484, and therefore the Halle was not built posterior to that year. I have thus proved, gentle

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