Arms of Shirley, quarterly of 50. As seen at Ragdale Hall, Leicestershire (inherited from the Bassett family) "Over the entrance the Saracen's head still frowns above a large shield, with fifty quarterings, now partly gone to decay" (Stemmata Shirleiana, p.113[1]). (Source of drawing: Evelyn Philip Shirley, Stemmata Shirleiana, Annals of the Shirley Family, revised (second) edition, 1873, pp.135-7[2]). Part of the family pedigree produced by the antiquary and "Popish Recusant" Sir Thomas Shirley (1590-1654), Knight, of "Bottle Bridge / St Botolph's Bridge" (Botolphbridge, Orton Longueville, near Peterborough), Huntingdonshire, younger brother of Sir Henry Shirley, 2nd Baronet (1589–1633) of Staunton Harold, Leicestershire. "It remains only now to notice, in the catalogue of Sir Thomas Shirley's genealogical labours, the great family Pedigree drawn up under his direction, and finished in the year 1632. This magnificent family muniment, measuring 30 feet in length by 12 in breadth, is illustrated with drawings of tombs and a complete series of copies of antient deeds, the originals of some being no longer extant. At the end of the pedigree is a large shield with fifty quarterings" (Stemmata Shirleiana, p.135). Sir Thomas Shirley (who referred to himself by the Greek name "Thomastos Cololeimon Philopatron") was the author of "The Catholique Armourist," (collection of Queen's College, Oxford) "a singular attempt to unite the science of heraldry with the peculiar doctrines of the Church of Rome", and "from the general tenour of his writings elsewhere, it appears that Sir Thomas was not only an Antiquary, but a violent and bigoted Roman Catholic, and from his own account be suffered in consequence " losses, dishonours, disgraces pecuniary, (which were very great,) and imprisonment for the love of God". Sir Thomas Shirley, knighted at Whitehall, married Mary Harpur, daughter of Thomas Harpur of Rushall, in the county of Stafford, esq. he had a numerous issue (viz. Henry, born before 1629, George, John, Francis, Thomas, Mary, and Anne,) "but little has been preserved concerning them. Their fates have merged in the oblivion which attends the ruined fortunes of this branch of the house of Shirley". (Stemmata Shirleiana, p.121).

Bottle-Bridge

" The place where the antient house (Bottle-Bridge Hall) was, is now," continues Sir Robert Cotton, " converted into a wood ground (anno 1669), and the chapel near adjoining is gone to decay ; this place, as many others, may shew unto men the variations and mutabilities of all earthly structures ; in a window of the chancell are still to be seen two coats, viz. B. 3 arrowes or. A. a cross lozengy Gules (To these may be added the kneeling figure of a woman with a surcoat of the arms of Drayton (A. a cross engr. G.), bearing a shield with the same coat, which in the year 1632 was extant in a window of this chapel, as appears by a drawing in the Shirley Pedigree penes Com. F.). The few remains of this place which existed in Sir Robert Cotton's time are now obliterated ; the chapel is no longer standing ; its site, however, is yet pointed out surrounded on three sides by a stone wall. One large slab of free-stone, with an illegible inscription in black letter, remains ; it was dug up in the centre of the inclosure. The parish of Bottle-bridge J having been consolidated by the bishop's licence in 1720 with the adjoining parish of Orton Longville, the ruins mentioned by Sir Robert were at that time taken down, and according to tradition the east window of the chancel, and the windows of the south aisle of Orton church, are said to have been brought from thence. The foundations of " the ancient house," the seat of Sir Thomas Shirley, which stood between the chapel and the River Nen, have been dug up, and not even the " wood ground " remains to mark the site (Stemmata Shirleiana, p.125).

Heraldry

Quarterly of 50:

• 1: Paly of six or and azure, a quarter ermine (Shirley)
• 2: Azure, three bars gemelles and a chief or (Meynell/Meysnyl/Meignell) (Stemmata Shirleiana, p.15) (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.682 "Meynell")
• 3: Gules, a chevron argent between three garbs or (Waldershef) (Burke, 1884, p.1064 "Waldsheafe of Huntingdonshire"). Effigies of Sir Ralph Shirley (died 1327) of Ettington, and of his wife Margaret de Waldershef, a daughter and co-heiress of Walter de Waldershef, survive in the Shirley Chapel, Holy Trinity Church, Lower Ettington, Warwickshire
• 4: Or, six eaglets sable a canton ermine (Basing)
• 5: Or, three piles gules a canton ermine (Basset of Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire) Sir Thomas Shirley (d.1363) of Ettington, married Isabella Bassett, daughter of Ralph Bassett (son and heir apparent of w:Ralph Basset, 2nd Baron Basset of Drayton (died 1343)) and sister and heiress of w:Ralph Basset, 3rd Baron Basset of Drayton (1335–1390). In the church next to Ragdale Hall, Leicestershire, was formerly "An old monument in the window, of one kneeling, who holdeth in his hand a banner, wherein is G. three piles or, a canton ermine, Basset de Rakedale, his shield on his back, and in mail." (Stemmata Shirleiana, p.114)
• 6: Barry nebulée of six or and gules (Basset of Coleston)
• 7: Or, three piles gules a bend azure (Ridel)
• 8: Argent, three bars sable (Bussy)
• 9: Gules, a lion rampant or (De Albini/d'Aubigny) Arms of d'Aubigny, Earls of Arundel, as blazoned in Charles's roll of arms (13th century), for w:Hugh d'Aubigny, 5th Earl of Arundel (d.1243): Gules, a lion rampant or. These arms were adopted by the family of FitzAlan, successors in the Earldom of Arundel; They were recorded as the arms of Richard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel (1266–1302), in the Falkirk Roll, Glover's Roll and in the Caerlaverock Poem (1300). They are today shown in the 4th quarter of the arms of the Duke of Norfolk, of the family of Fitz-Alan Howard, who holds the subsidiary title Earl of Arundel
• 10: Argent, three fleurs de lis between nine crosses-crosslet sable within a border gules (St. Hillary); w:William d'Aubigny, 2nd Earl of Arundel (d. 1193) married Matilda (or Maud) de St. Hilary/de Saint Hilaire, daughter (and heiress) of James FitzEudo, de Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët (de St Hilary) (Burke, 1884, p.888: Sable, three leopard's faces jessant-de-lis argent between nine crosses crosslet fitchée of the second ("St Hillary"); also Burke, 1884, p.888: Argent, on a chief azure two saltires or ("St Hillary"), as quartered by FitzAlan-Howard, Duke of Norfolk
• 11: Azure, three garbs or (w:Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester). w:William d'Aubigny, 3rd Earl of Arundel (c. 1174–1221) married Mabel of Chester (born c. 1173), the second daughter of Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester (aliter "Hugh le Meschin")
• 12: Or, a lion rampant gules (Meschines Earl of Chester)
• 13: Azure, a wolf's head erased argent (Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester)
• 14: Sable, an eagle displayed or (Algar Earl of Leicester)
• 15: Azure semée of crosses-crosslet, a lion rampant or crowned gules (Braose of Gower, Wales); Sir Hugh Shirley (d.1403) of Ettington, married Beatrice de Braose (d.1440), daughter of Sir Peter de Braose, and sister and heiress of Sir John de Braose of Wiston, Sussex
• 16: Azure, three bars vair ermine and gules (Braose, arms of uncertain origin)
• 17: Gules, an eagle displayed within a border argent (Attributed arms of de Totnes, for w:Juhel de Totnes (died 1123/30), the first w:feudal baron of Totnes and w:feudal baron of Barnstaple, both in Devon. One of his two daughters and co-heiresses, Aenor de Totnes, married w:Philip de Braose (d. 1134/55), feudal baron of Bramber, Sussex and a marcher lord, son of William I de Braose (d. 1093/6)
• 18: Gules, two bendlets or and argent (Attributed arms of w:Miles of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford (d.1143), who in 1121 married w:Sibyl de Neufmarché, daughter and heiress of w:Bernard de Neufmarché (d.1125), feudal baron of w:Brecon, Wales. One of his three daughters and eventual co-heiresses was w:Bertha of Hereford, whose share of her fraternal inheritance was the Lordships of Brecon and Abergavenny in Wales. At some time before she 1150 married William de Braose (fl.1135–79), feudal baron of Bramber in Sussex)
• 19: Gules, five fusils conjoined in fess or (Attributed arms of w:Bernard de Neufmarché (d.1125), feudal baron of w:Brecon, Wales)
• 20: Azure, a lion rampant or (Meredith)
• 21: Argent, a chief indented sable (Bavent)
• 22: Ermine, on a bend azure three lion's heads erased or (Wistoneston)
• 23: Gules, two bars or (Harcourt)
• 24: Argent, two bars gules (Weston)
• 25: Gules, three stirrups with their leathers or (Scudamore)
• 26: Or, a cross patee fitchée gules (Scudamore)
• 27: Gules, three lions passant in pale argent (Gifford)
• 28: Or, two chevrons azure (Musard)
• 29: Or, three piles gules a canton ermine charged with a griffin segreant sable (Basset of Brailesford, a difference of quarter 5 (Basset of Drayton)))
• 30: Or, a cinquefoil sable (Brailesford)
• 31: Argent, two bars sable a canton of the last charged with a cinquefoil or (Twyford)
• 32: Vair argent and sable, a quarter gules (Staunton of Staunton Harold)
• 33: Sable, a bend between six martlets or (Eccleshall)
• 34: Paly of six argent and gules, on a bend azure three horse-shoes or (Meignell)
• 35: Argent, six lions rampant sable, three, two, one (Savage)
• 36: Vair argent and sable (De la Ward)
• 37: Sable, a lion rampant argent armed and langued gules (Beauley)
• 38: Or, fretty gules (Verdon)
• 39: Argent, three wolves passant in pale sable (Lovett) "Sir Robert Cotton, in his Collections for the history of the county of Huntingdon, observes, touching Sir Thomas Shirley's (the antiquary Sir Thomas Shirley (1590-1654), Knight) manor of Bottle-bridge : — " Here was an antient house (Bottle signifieth a house in ye North) neare the river of Nen, which ye Draitons and Lovetts brought from R. Gimells by hereditary succession into the family of the Shirlies" (Stem Shirl. p.124)
• 40: Ermine, a border sable bezantée (Turville)
• 41: Argent, a cross gules voided of the field between four crosses crosslet fitchée gules (Billinge)
• 42: Argent, a cross engrailed gules (Drayton)
• 43: Or, a chevron between three leopard's faces azure (Gimelles)
• 44: Or, a chief azure (Lizures)
• 45: Gules, an orle vair or and azure (Lindsey)
• 46: Azure, a bend cotised between six martletts or (Prayers)
• 47: Argent, a chief indented azure (Craynesford)
• 48: Per pale or and azure, a chevron ermine (Jewell)
• 49: Gules, two chevrons ermine (Dauncey)
• 50: Sable, a chevron between ten crosses pattée argent (Paris)