The Masons and The Loggerheads

 
Many organisations that want to associate themselves with Shropshire or want to assert that they are the key group of their type in the county will use the Shropshire badge - with its loggerheads.
The Provincial Grand Chapter of the Freemasons, which is based at the lodge's building in the Castlefields suburb of Shrewsbury, is no different - and this is their banner.

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Women's Institute softens with age

Over the years organisations change their logos - a way to adapt to modern times or just as a way to refresh a look.
The Shropshire Women's Institute did just that. 

The badge on the left comes from the 1950s; and the loggerheads are in the traditional style for the county logo.
The faces are passive, but the colours of blue and amber follow the tradition.

The 'ermine spots' - the decorations that resemble a topiary bush - are unusual in shape, but not completely outside the tradition.

('Erminois' is a heraldic device, meant to resemble the kind of prestigious ermine fur used by the peerage, which features dark spots).

 

 Meanwhile, the current version (right) is a much more cuddly one!  With age, the organisation has clearly mellowed, and taken a softer approach.

The leopards are more like puzzled kittens now and the amber colouring has toned down to a yellow.

What are really different are the ermine spots, which are not in the usual shape, but rather resemble Christmas trees... Admittedly, ermine spots have continued to change over the years, but these are new to us...

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Leopards with coronets (?)

 

You'll find three leopards' heads in a triangular shape used in heraldry all over the world, though only in Shropshire can they rightfully be called loggerheads.

Here's an example: this is a photo of some heraldic arms on a gravestone at Hixon St Peter's in Staffordshire.  The grave seems to be that of a 19th-century local dignitary, Enoch Broad. I haven't been able to trace whether these are his personal arms or simply that of the family - or indeed of Hixon itself (maybe).
It's also difficult, because the stone is so worn, to identify the ring round the creatures' heads as a simple circlet, or even a coronet.
You'd think the chevron would be a helpful piece of evidence, but.... not so far.

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Loggerheads-loving guilds

On the first floor corridor of Shrewsbury Museum you'll see a number of historic local maps. One particular old map seems to have been sponsored by the town's guilds (guilds were associations of workers in a particular trade).
Along the top of the map, each sponsoring guild has a copy of its arms - and two stand out in particular for loggerheads lovers. 

The Weavers' Guild (see picture above) are keen to establish their Shrewsbury identity, and feature three loggerheads, the town's symbol.  The leopards carry some sort of tool of the trade in their mouths - perhaps a long needle, a shuttle, or maybe a shed-stick.  (Does anyone know?)
The Goldsmiths (below) are more circumspect, and keep to two loggerheads.

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Heads on the castellations

 

As usual, the shops in Shrewsbury compete with their window-displays to attract shoppers at this (Christmas) time of year.
The Save-The-Children shop in Wyle Cop has picked a Shrewsbury theme, with the iconic gold & blue colouring, and a cut-out of the town's amalgamated skyline... with a loggerheads slap bang in the middle!

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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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Tennis ball head

 
A fun feature of the ITF World Tennis Tour tournament in Shrewsbury this autumn is the town's Tennis Ball Trail. The idea is to spot the twelve 12 caricature figures, which are all at different locations throughout the town.
This one has two loggerheads on either side of its head. 

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