Pigs wear gold & blue

 

There is tenuous evidence pointing to a high-level connection in the Middle Ages between Hereford and Shrewsbury. However, the evidence is circumstantial, nothing solid so far.  
(If anyone knows different, would they please email us?).

One pointer is the blue & gold/amber colouring which is seen in various heraldry of the two towns.  Admittedly, it’s not a colour combination that’s unique to these two towns, but it underwrites the supposed connection.  
The loggerheads emblem always comes in blue & gold/amber colouring, as does the symbol of Hereford Cathedral. 

One example of the colour pairing in Hereford is these pigs – which wear livery of blue and yellow bends. They are seen on the tomb of John Swinfield (died 1311) in Hereford Cathedral.

 

A new book has now been published to celebrate 600 years of the loggerheads - click here to find out more.

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Heraldry at St Julian's

 
St Julian’s Church, at the top of Wyle Cop in Shrewsbury, has quite a few loggerheads - more than any other town church.  The trouble is: we don't know why they are there, as the sources on St Julian's are rather quiet.

This lovely heraldic window in the church could be showing a set of arms for a member of the Bennett family because the underlying motto, 'de bon vouloir servir le roi', appears to be theirs.  It could be that the Bennetts married into the Newports, as the Newports had arms based on a loggerheads with a gold chevron (as quartered in the top right-hand of the shield depicted). 
But it's a mystery for now.  (Maybe there's a connection with the historic Bennett's Hall?). 
If you have a suggestion, please complete the Comments Form below.  We'd be grateful!

A new book has now been published to celebrate 600 years of the loggerheads - click here to find out more.

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To comment on this post, just use the Comments field down this page or email us direct.

To get an email alert into your inbox every time we make a new post (about once a week), just click 'Subscribe & Follow' (at the top of the column to the right on this page) and just fill in the form