Having finished reviewing the armorial tombstones and headstones that I saw in Copp's Hill Burying Ground in Boston, Massachusetts, we now walk a few blocks to King's Chapel Burying Ground.
If you walk in the front gate of the burying ground and make an immediate left turn, along the front fence you will find three tombstones carved with coats of arms. In today's post, we're going to look at the first of these, Tomb Number 9. In our next two posts, we'll see Tombs Numbers 7 and 6, before moving on to the other armorial tombs and headstones in the burying ground.
Tomb Number 9 is that of Bartholomew Gedney, whose name is carved at the top. (You can click on the image below to go to the full-size photograph, which shows everything in greater detail.)
The arms carved into this headstone is Three eagles displayed (facing to sinister). And the crest, An eagle displayed (facing to sinister).
Burke’s General Armory gives us the colors on the shield: “Gedney (co. Suffolk). Or three eagles displayed sable.”
Burke’s General Armory gives us the colors on the shield: “Gedney (co. Suffolk). Or three eagles displayed sable.”
The crest does not appear in Fairbairn's Crests.
I am not sure why all of the eagles, both on the shield and the crest, face to sinister. The expected default would be to dexter. Is it an error on the part of the stonecarver, or did the Gedney family bear these arms and crest this way?
The Heraldic Journal, vol. II, p. 20: “The Gedney tomb has these arms [illustration] upon it. This was a branch of the Salem [Massachusetts] family, which commenced with John, who had sons John, Bartholomew, Eleazur [sic], and Eli.”
Preachers, Patriots & Plain Folks, Boston’s Burying Ground Guide, p. 54, gives us some more information about Mr. Gedney: “Bartholomew Gedney (1698-1762) …, A[cient and] H[onorable] A[rtillery] C[ompany]. He was a wharf manager and his gravestone is one of the few heraldic ones here. His uncle Maj. Bartholomew Gedney of Salem was an associate judge at the Salem Witch Trials, May 27-Oct. 29, 1692.”
It is much easier to find information about Bartholomew’s uncle Bartholomew (owing to his relation to the Salem witch trials) than this Bartholomew. A genealogy website gives us only the briefest thumbnail sketch of his life. Bartholomew Gedney was born on 22 March 1698, in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, to Major William and Hannah (Gardner) Gedney. He married Abigail Mason in 1720 in Boston. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He died on 16 July 1762, in Boston, at the age of 64, and was buried in Kings Chapel Burying Ground there (thus leading to his inclusion in today's post).
The Heraldic Journal, vol. II, p. 20: “The Gedney tomb has these arms [illustration] upon it. This was a branch of the Salem [Massachusetts] family, which commenced with John, who had sons John, Bartholomew, Eleazur [sic], and Eli.”
Preachers, Patriots & Plain Folks, Boston’s Burying Ground Guide, p. 54, gives us some more information about Mr. Gedney: “Bartholomew Gedney (1698-1762) …, A[cient and] H[onorable] A[rtillery] C[ompany]. He was a wharf manager and his gravestone is one of the few heraldic ones here. His uncle Maj. Bartholomew Gedney of Salem was an associate judge at the Salem Witch Trials, May 27-Oct. 29, 1692.”
It is much easier to find information about Bartholomew’s uncle Bartholomew (owing to his relation to the Salem witch trials) than this Bartholomew. A genealogy website gives us only the briefest thumbnail sketch of his life. Bartholomew Gedney was born on 22 March 1698, in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, to Major William and Hannah (Gardner) Gedney. He married Abigail Mason in 1720 in Boston. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He died on 16 July 1762, in Boston, at the age of 64, and was buried in Kings Chapel Burying Ground there (thus leading to his inclusion in today's post).
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