Typewritten heraldry sheet on the FitzSimons arms, laid over a hand-colored coat of arms (showing through)
Book 1, Page 123
Transcription
A typewritten sheet, single-spaced on plain paper, mounted at the top of the album page by a paperclip. Behind the thin typescript, a colored printed heraldic plate shows through — visible are helms or crest ornaments at the upper left, the shield with crescents in the centre, and a blackletter banner motto Fitz Simons near the lower edge of the underlying plate. The clean mounting of the same coat-of-arms plate appears on the facing page 125.
F I T Z S I M O N S
From: Fox-Davies—“A Complete Guide to Heraldry”: Fairbairn’s Crests.
Arms: Sable, three crescents, in Chief a label of two drops and in fess another of one drop argent. (Harl.MS 1441 & 5866). (Papworth).
Crest: A Bear, passant, regardant, pulling from his shoulder an arrow.
Fitz—means “Son”. (Fitz Simons—Son of Simons)
Colors: Are represenative of the personal characteristics of the original bearer, and are granted only if he be worthy.
Sable—(Sa.)—black—The fur lining of Royal robes; constancy and nobility.
Argent—(Ar.)—silver—sincerity and peace; purity and constancy.
Label: “The label as a charge must be distinguished from the label as a mark of difference for the eldest son, though there is no doubt that in those cases in which it now exists as a charge, the origin must be traced ot its earlier use as a difference.”
Fesse: A military belt or girdle of honour.
Crescent: signifies one who has been “enlightened and honored by the gracious aspect of his sovereigh”; symbol of “Hope of greater Glory.” (for difference — indicates a second son.)
Boar: A boar is sharp and fierce in conflict with his foe. Bearing one betokens a man of a bold spirit, skilful, politic in warlike feats, and one of that high resolution that he will rather die valorously in the field than he will secure himself by ignominious flight. With the introduction of the boars-head in the Christmas festivities, it is ascr- ibed by some heraldists to be a token of hospitality.
(The meanings of the Label, Fesse, Crescent, and Boar—are taken from Hobbies Magazine.)
[Below the typewritten sheet a colored coat of arms is partially visible through the paper; the blackletter banner reads]: Fitz Simons
AI Notes
A typewritten sheet headed ‘FITZ SIMONS’ summarizing heraldic notes drawn from Fox-Davies’s A Complete Guide to Heraldry and Fairbairn’s Book of Crests, held to the album page by a paperclip at the top. Beneath the sheet a colored printed coat of arms (the same one mounted cleanly on the facing page 125) shows through the thin paper, including helms or crest ornaments at the upper left, the shield motif in the center, and the inked banner motto Fitz Simons near the lower edge. The typescript itself is identical to the cleanly-mounted typescript on the facing page 124 — page 123 is the same typescript laid over the coat of arms to display them together. The typist’s ‘sovereigh’ overstrike (intended sovereign, n→h substitution) is visible, as is the faded ‘Hobbies Magazine’ attribution at the bottom. The typescript blazons a bear crest while the show-through plate depicts an eagle — the same discrepancy seen between pages 124 and 125.
This page presents the same typescript laid over the same heraldic plate that appear separately on the facing pages 124 (clean typescript) and 125 (clean colored plate). The typescript blazons a bear crest from Fox-Davies / Fairbairn, while the underlying colored plate — visible through the paper here and clean on page 125 — depicts an eagle crest, indicating the two sources drew from different rolls of arms for the FitzSimons name.