The Leopard tomb

 

This post is a bit of a long-shot, but if anyone has any more information, I'd be glad of it.

This is the Leopard tomb at Haughmond Abbey, a medieval ruin near Shrewsbury. (It's in a lovely spot, still has interesting carvings, and it's free entry, so it's well worth a visit).
The tomb is so-called because it features what experts believe to be the figure of a leopard.  You can't see the leopard in this photo because it chipped off, and is now in the site exhibition.

If you look at the illustration, right, it shows how the leopard fitted into the tomb.

What's interesting is that, while lions were a well-known motif in heraldry, leopards and tigers much less so, especially in England.  So, what would be wonderful to know is whose tomb this is; currently, nobody is sure.
If that information is out there, it might establish yet another connection between Shrewsbury and leopards. 
So - if you have a thought, let us hear it!

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Earl Roger the overlord

The tomb of Earl Roger de Montgomery in Shrewsbury Abbey is one of the town's most precious heritage assets.  Earl Roger was the Norman lord who was installed as the first Earl of Shrewsbury by William The Conqueror following the Norman invasion of England in 1066.

It's said that the reason that the traditional colours of loggerheads/Shrewsbury are gold & blue is because there were Earl Roger's colours. In fact, though Roger's wife and his son seemed to have arms of gold & blue bars, I can't find a direct link between Roger himself and any gold & blue colouring.  Can anyone help me find out more about this?

The gold & blue colours-combination has persisted for nearly one thousand years in Shrewsbury.  Today, the town's football club play in these same exact colours!

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