The Next Armorial Memorial in King's Chapel, Boston, Massachusetts

Our next memorial with a coat of arms on it is that of Frances Shirley, née Barker, the wife of Massachusetts Governor William Shirley.

The Heraldic Journal, Vol. II, pp. 12-13, gives a clean drawing of the arms shown here, and a transcription of the very long Latin text on the memorial.

That same volume, on pp. 116-118, gives us some of the family background of Governor Shirley, and goes to state:

His first wife was Frances, dau. of Francis Barker, and the arms on her monument (Vol. II, p. 12) show she was probably of the Yorkshire family of that name.

The Heraldic Journal then goes on to list their children.

But now for the impaled arms:

Bolton’s American Armory cites: Shirley. Paly of six argent and sable (properly or and azure) a canton ermine. Impaling: Argent three bear’s heads erased gules muzzled or in chief three torteaux (Barker). Crest: A bearded face couped at the shoulders. Wall tablet to Frances, wife of Gov. Shirley. King’s Chapel, Boston, south aisle.

It's always a bit annoying when someone paints a carved coat of arms in incorrect colors. But I've seen it just about everywhere I have found such painted coats.

Burke's General Armory cites: Shirley (Shirley, co. Derby, Staunton Harold, co. Leicerster, and Chartley, co. Stafford ...). Paly of six or and azure a quarter ermine, reduced during the 17th and 18th centuries to a canton, but the older arms were Paly of six or and sable, without any quarter. Crest--The head of a Saracen proper couped at the neck wreathed round the temples or and azure.

And for Barker, Burke gives us: Barker (Newbury). Argent three bear's heads erased gules muzzled or in chief as many torteaux.

I just love it when you go looking for confirmation of a (or in this case, two) coat of arms in the General Armory and they just pop right up for you.

This is not to say that I can say with any certainty that either of these two marshaled coats was borne by either family right; even in the pre-Revolutionary War period here in America, there were people who were using arms based solely on their use by someone else of the same or similar surname. For example, many of clients of the Gore family, carriage and sign painters and producers of patterns for heraldic embroideries in Boston. See, e.g., the Gore Roll of Arms.

But I also can't say with any certainty that they were not borne by right. And in either case, they were certainly used by the Shirleys and the Barkers, whether by inheritance or not. And in the end, a lot of what I look at is that usage, which can tell us a lot about the people who bore coats of arms and the period in which they lived.

And isn't that part of the attraction? To see how heraldry can add to our knowledge of history?