Anyone know about heraldry or crests ?

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Howard

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Hi gang,

Is there anyone who knows anything about heraldic crests ? I am trying to find out about a ring .

It's a signet ring , one you would use to imprint a wax seal .

It has a crown with 4 feathers through it , the prince of wales has 3 , a crown and the words' Ich Dien' underneath , i beleive this ring may have royal origin , but want to discover whose the crest is first ....

The back is stamped with LW&G which i beleive is the makers mark , but i have been unable to find out who this is ...

It is stamped 375 , which i think is 9ct gold , and some other stamps , but i can't see them as i haven't got a magnifying glass :rolleyes: i will try and get one soon , presumably they are the assay marks .... and i will be able to date it from this.

Really though , i just want to know about the crest ...

Thanks in advance
 
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Congratulations Howard you are now the heir apparent to the throne of England :bannana:

- do you think he dropped it in the river (bit like how King James lost his crown jewels??)

Seriously the motto is right but the feathers are clearly wrong so either the maker can't count or the crest is meant to be someone else's.

The only four feathers referenced online (unfortunately using a US database) are the nicely named Aelfgifu of the Hazel Thicket
 
Thanks Neil ,

I was really wondering whether anyone had any interest it in and might have reference books that they could have a look at.

That site , as with others , all require you to pay for the info or to buy expensive books , and as i only have a passing interest, i don't want to be spending loads of money on it.

If there was a site (or a book) that had photos and descriptions , that would be perfect , but it doesn't seem to exist ...

I'm a cheapskate i guess .... ;)
 
Congratulations Howard you are now the heir apparent to the throne of England :bannana:

- do you think he dropped it in the river (bit like how King James lost his crown jewels??)

Seriously the motto is right but the feathers are clearly wrong so either the maker can't count or the crest is meant to be someone else's.

The only four feathers referenced online (unfortunately using a US database) are the nicely named Aelfgifu of the Hazel Thicket


Initially i thought it was the crest of the heir apparent , but as you say it is four feathers and there is no 'Ich Dien' .... :(
 
9/24 = 37.5% correct
The assay marks will tell where and when it was assayed.
I suspect a good antique jewellery business would be able to help as they have all the books on the assay marks - its their living.
The college of arms is a good place to start - certainly some sort of heraldry expert is required.
Once you know the assay office, they should be able (for a fee i expect) to identify the sponsor's (maker's) mark 'LW&G'
Les
 
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Joking apart - have a look at the crest on top of the right side of this coat of arms:
arms.gif

The right side is the arms of Battenberg (the left Hesse) & this is the family crest of Earl Mountbatten
 
Hmmmm ... thats interesting ....

Who would have worn this ring then ? Obviously not Earl Mountbatten as he is dead .... who would it have been passed to after him ?
 
Howard

Just a thought,

Public Records Office in Kew. Just down the road, may be of some help.
 
But who would it have gone to afterwards ?

About 10 years ago , who would have worn it then ?

It was a very small size , too small for my little finger even
 
Woah Howard.

Don't get too exited yet as it could be a let down. Have low expectations then you will be pleasently surprised IF the ring turns outto be historic.

Good luck.
 
The Crown (Coronet) of the style shown is designed for nobility, The feathers (Ostrich) are supposed to be quite common, passed on from knights regalia through some family trees, although there nothing on the net for 4 other than the Mounbatten link. If there is a letter stamped in check out this site http://www.theassayoffice.co.uk/date_letters.html
 
Lets keep things in proportion.
To use an analogy, charles' and Diana's photos have been on zillions of plates, plaques,mugs, etc...doesn't mean they owned them all does it! No room for a start! Though they did catch some flack for letting their servants sell stuff they didn't want like unwanted gifts to the trade a few years back!
Your best bet is the assay markings. Find out which assay office and then get them to identify the sponsor's mark 'LW&G' - all marks have to be registered and they supposedly have been keeping records an awfully long time. If the maker still exists then contact them. Else its the heraldry route though I suspect they will only be able to describe the 'crest' in flowery heraldic terms.
Les
 
My dad has a jewellers eye glass , i'll have peek at the marks this weekend and report back gang !
 
My dad has a jewellers eye glass , i'll have peek at the marks this weekend and report back gang !

no need, just take a macro digital shot and zoom into the photo on your PC, you'll be able to read it fine.

I must say, it doesnt look old.
 
It's just been cleaned and polished the other day .... ;)
 
It could of course be Tex Tuckers ring. Who, you may ask?





















The Sherriff at Four Feather Falls:D :D
 

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