Pierpont Family Coat of Arms – Part 2

Since I published part one on this topic a few days ago, I’ve done quite a bit more research into the topic of coats of arms. There have been several legs of this research which I’d like to document here.

 

Additional Confirmation of the Pierrepont COA and the Crest

The example I gave of the full COA for Evelyn Pierrepont, Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull was published in 1764 when Evelyn was the second Duke (from 1726-1773). I recently discovered another publication from Guillam in 1724 which also had the crest of the Duke of Kingston.

[Guillam 1724]

 

This publication was during the time of the first Duke, also Evelyn (grandfather of the 2^nd Duke), who held that title from 1706-1726. Prior to 1706, he had been Earl of Kingston as well as Baron Pierrepont and Viscount Newark from 1690. As you can see here, the COA during his time also had the crest of a “lion rampant sable”.  

The Guillim publication has COAs for all the Dukes of England at the time. There are only 24 of them, giving some indication of how important Evelyn Pierrepont was in society. The writing below the COA identifies him as “The most Noble Prince Evelin Duke of Kingston, Lord Privy Seal, and Knight of the most Noble Order of the Garter.”

Evelyn held the title Lord Privy Seal twice, from 1716-1719 and again from 1720-1726, one of only a few who had two terms of that title. That position is the 5^th of the Great Officers of the State, following the Lord High Steward of England, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, Lord High Treasurer of the United Kingdom, and Lord President of the Council. In the past this person was responsible for the personal (privy) seal of the King and thus would have had a lot of regular interaction with him. Evelyn served in this position under King George I. In recent years the Lord Privy Seal title is more honorary and has been given to the Leader of the House of Lords or the Leader of the House of Commons.

 

The Russell Coat of Arms

Several years ago, someone gave me a gift of a set of drink coasters which were labeled “Heraldic Coasters”. These had on them a family COA with the name “Russell” underneath.

[coaster]

The shield on the very fancy COA has a red lion on a white background (what I now know is “argent, lion rampant gules”) and a motto of “Che sera sera”. There is no crest above the shield. The label on the back of the package says, “The name Russell has been known in Ireland since the Middle Ages, and although of English origin it is now found in many parts of the country. There was never a Russell clan as such, but many individual Russells have left their mark on Irish history. Famous family members include the artist and poet George Russell, or AE.”

This is a great example of what scholars call “misappropriated coats of arms”, i.e. the practice of taking a coat of arms associated with one person with a particular surname and saying that it thus belongs to everyone with that surname. In many cases, even the COA is just made up as well.

My Russell surname has been handed down to me over several generations with the earliest ancestor I have been able to confirm as being Robert Russell who was an immigrant from Scotland to the US around 1750. He was an illiterate Scottish farmer, and certainly not the possessor of a COA. And he was not from Ireland as this “Heraldic Coaster” gives as the origin of the name.

In fact, you can find these kinds of coasters/mugs/sweatshirts, and much other merchandise available all over – and attributed not just to Ireland, but also to Scotland and England. Just a big marketing ploy to sell you merchandise, with no real genealogical connections at all!

But as you look at the hundreds of images that pop up when you type “Russell coat of arms” into a search engine, there is a similarity to them. They all have a red lion on the shield – usually standing (rampant) but sometime not. Some of the shields have a black bar across the top with three stylized shells. Those that have a crest generally have a goat. Many do not have a motto, but when they do it is “Che sera sera”.

I am well aware that this are simply a marketing ploy and that they have no real meaning to me. So these coasters sit unused in a desk drawer. But what it the basis for the design?

In searching, I have found that this plain shield with a standing red lion and a black bar with three shells is the shield of the Duke of Bedford. The first creation of that title dates back to 1414, but after several other creations, the title went extinct in 1495. The most recent creation began with the title of Baron Russell in 1539, followed by the Earl of Bedford title in 1551 and the current Duke of Bedford title in 1694. Thus, it’s been in the Russell family for over 300 years with the current Duke being the 15^th. But unless one is descended from one of that specific Russell line, any uses (such as the mention of this coaster being Irish), is definitely a misappropriation.

Interestingly, in Guillim’s book, the COA for the Duke of Bedford is just a few pages before the COA for the Duke of Kingston and is also one 24 Dukes from 1724, with the then holder being “The most Noble Prince Wriothesley Duke of Bedford” who was the 3^rd Duke.

 

Other Russell Ancestors

While my direct Russell lineage is quite definitely not traceable to the Dukes of Bedford and my coasters are a good example of misappropriate of a COA, there are other individuals in my family tree – on the Pierpont side – who carry that surname. Might they have been entitled to the use of that COA?

 

Noadiah Russell (1659-1713)

It is well documented that Joseph Pierpont, a son of the Rev. James and my great*6 grandfather, married Mary Russell, the daughter of Noadiah Russell, the pastor of the Middletown, CT, church and a contemporary and friend of the Rev. James Russell. Where did his Russell ancestors come from?

Noadiah’s father was William Russell (1611-1665). He had come to New Haven in 1639 as a ship’s carpenter. There he married Sarah Davis in 1644. Noadiah was born in 1659 and was sent by his parents to Harvard where he graduated in 1681 and began his life of service in the ministry.

There are hundreds of family trees in ancestry.com that indicate that the father of William Russell (1611-1665) was Sir William Russell (1558-1613), the 3^rd Earl of Bedford. But this makes little sense for two reasons. First, the father of a ship’s carpenter is not likely to be an Earl. And second, Sir William was only known to have had one son, Francis, born in 1587. Thus, we need to ignore all the incorrect family trees that have been proliferating.

 

Riverius Russell (1756-1834)

Much closer genealogically, and through my grandmother, Sara [Blackman] Pierpont, my great*4 grandfather, Moses Sperry, married Mary Russell, the daughter of Riverius Russell. Riverius was also from a long-time New England line of Russells and traces his ancestry back to William Russell (1605-1661) who was an immigrant from Herefordshire to Cambridge, MA. [All these William Russells are getting a little confusing, aren’t they?] But, very like the case of Noadiah’s ancestry, there are then hundreds of family trees in ancestry.com that link this William back to the Bedford Russells, albeit through several different routes.

Some say that William was the son of Lord Edward (1572-1627). But Edward died without issue, so this is obviously incorrect. Others say that William was descended from Lord Francis (1527-1585) through his son William, but that is not correct either. Finally, others say that William is the son of John Russell (1553-1584) who was the 3^rd Baron Russell. This one is possible and I am still investigating it. But not being a 1^st son, John had been bypassed with all the Earl/Duke titles and thus he was not entitled to use the Russell COA.

It seems that Americans have a penchant for wanting to link their family trees back to titled families in England. Is this like their obsession with coats of arms?!