Grant of a Badge to Sir John Carre of Hart co. Durham: The White Lion Society has generously given the College of Arms one of the earliest surviving patents granting a livery badge. Purchased at the Morningthorpe Manor sale on 9 September 2016, it is the grant of a badge to Sir John Carre of Hart in the Bishopric of Durham made by Thomas Wriothesley, Garter King of Arms, and John Yonge, Norroy, dated 14 March 1515/16 and bearing their armorial seals. Described as a device or cognizance, the badge is the head of a cerf (hart), so a clear pun on Sir John Carre's place of residence. It is depicted on a standard, a tapering flag with the Cross of St George in the hoist.
The patent is known to have been in the possession of the Marquess of Bristol in the 20th century, and is presumed to have been inherited by his family through the marriage in 1688 of his ancestor John Hervey, Earl of Bristol, to Isabella, daughter of Sir Robert Carr, Bt., of Sleaford in Lincolnshire. However, the link between the Carrs of Sleaford and Sir John Carre of Hart has not been established with certainty.
A grant of Supporters was made to ASTON UNIVERSITY by Letters Patent of Garter King of Arms dated 29 June 2016. College reference: Grants 179/265. The Supporters (illustrated with the Arms and Crest right), are blazoned as:
A grant of Arms, Crest and Supporters was made by Letters Patent of Garter King of Arms dated 15 September 2016 to Clive (Brooke), Baron BROOKE OF ALVERTHORPE, of Alverthorpe, West Yorkshire, son of John Brooke late of Alverthorpe, deceased. The Arms and Crest had the limitations extended to include the other descendants of his late father; the Supporters to be borne for life. College reference: Grants 179/325. The blazon reads:
James Robinson Planché (1796-1880), Somerset Herald, was a prolific playwright who wrote and adapted a great many plays for the British stage in the nineteenth century. He introduced historically accurate costumes to the stage, becoming an expert in this field; this interest draw him into wider antiquarian and historical research. He was appointed Rouge Croix Pursuivant in 1854, and promoted to Somerset Herald in 1866. His heraldic publications include The Pursuivant of Arms, or, Heraldry founded upon Facts (1851), which was one of the first works of modern heraldic scholarship to rely upon the citation of documentary sources.