Kindly sent to us by Charles Newton
"I attach a jpg of an etching by John Frederick Lewis (1804-1876). He made a series of etchings of animals belonging to King George IV at Windsor, and this head of a wild boar (1826) is one of the best in the set. The inscription in the lower margin is interesting [One of the animals belonging to his majesty in Windsor Gt Park], but it does not say where George obtained his pet boar. My guess is that one of his German relatives gave it to him, but I don't know. I hope it might be of interest to you."
A three-centimetre badge depicting a wild boar - the mark of Richard III - found at Wharram Percy, a deserted medieval village, near Malton, North Yorkshire, in the 1930s.
Request for information.
Annie Bonifant (nee Clark-Hall) emails:
My great grandfather, Col Robert Dundas Elliot Lockhart won this cup/trophy for Wild Boar hunting in India in 1885. We read in the April edition of the Field Magazine about Baden Powell winning a similar trophy, the Kadir Cup in 1883. The family still own this magnificent 2 foot high trophy here in New Zealand. The inscription reads:-
Muttra Cup, 1885, Won by Major R Eliot-Lockhart RHA B.A.H. Poacher.
We have found this badge or brooch (with a boar's head and spear) amongst
the family archives and have no idea where it comes from. Is there anyone
who can enlighten us. The badge is two and a half inches long and has no
inscription on it. If anyone has any further information on either of these we would be very
grateful to hear from them.
If you can help, please email the site (British Wild Boar) and we will pass it on to Annie.
Alan emailed: 'I have an interest in the issue of reintroductions of native species (I'm a wildlife artist), and I thought you might like to see the coat of arms of my home town of Grimsby. It is believed the coat of arms dates from the seventeenth century when It is reported that the boars' heads commemorate an ancient right of the Mayor and Corporation to hunt boar in Bradley Woods (this is just south of Grimsby).
Clarence House has announced a new Coat of Arms for Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall (i.e. Camilla - HRH Prince Charles' new squeeze).
The crest shows both the Coat of Arms of her husband, HRH The Prince of Wales, and her father, Major Bruce Shand. On the left-hand side of the central shield is the Royal lion Supporter of The Prince of Wales while on the right-hand side is a boar taken from Major Shand’s Crest.
Coat of Arms for HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.
Richard Keatinge emails: "We have as the Keatinge / Keating crest a picture of the wild boar holding a nettle in its mouth. On a couple of family items I have a related picture, described in family tradition as a wild boar going through a holly bush. I suppose that either could indicate the family claims to toughness."
Richards draws attention to the following quote from the book: Foras Feasa Ar Eirinn Do Réir an Athar Seathrun Céiting, Ollamh Ré Diadhachta (The History of Ireland): by Geoffrey Keating. 1857. (on-line http://books.google.co.uk/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=OCLC03646696&id=SMNqz8NF4WUC&pg=PR4&lpg=PR4&dq=According+to+the+traditions+of+the+family,+adopted+and,+so+to+say,)
"According to the traditions of the family, adopted and, so to say,
legalised by the books of Heraldry in Ireland, the founder of the house,
whose original name is now unknown, was one of the pioneers of the
Norman Invaders, who kindled the beacon fire that lit the way of
Fitzstephens into Cuan-an-Bhainbh. The story goes, that as he lay by his
watchfire, a wild boar chancing to prowl that way, was proceeding to
attack him, until frightened by the sparkling of the fire, when he fled
in dismay. The watcher, thus providentially saved, adopted for his crest
a wild boar rampant, rushing through a brake, with the motto, "fortis et
fidelis," and his name became, we are not told how, Keating or Keting"
Trevor Jones kindly draws our attention to the Grimsby Morris Men, whose badge carries a Boars head in relation to Grimsby’s Boar hunting tradition of time gone by.
Stan the wild boar.
photo reproduced with permission
For more information about the fascinating tradition of Morris Dancing visit the Grimsby Morris Men's website at:
http://www.grimsby-mm.fsnet.co.uk/