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Prowse memorials in Chagford church

Devon Notes & Queries, vol. 9, Part 5 (1917), pp. 150-151. [Refers to vol.9, pp. 81, 121.]

by

C. Lega-Weekes

Prepared by Michael Steer

This Note was submitted by its author in response to queries from Mr F Were about several points raised in her earlier article on the Prowse memorials in Chagford's Parish Church. Google with the Archive Organization has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. The Internet Archive makes available, in its Community Texts Collection (originally known as Open Source Books), books that have been digitised by Google from a number of libraries. These are books on which copyright has expired, and are available free for educational and research use. The copy of this rare book is available from the Internet Archive.

 

PROUSE MEMORIALS IN CHAGFORD CHURCH (IX, p. 81, par. 77; p. 121, par. 124). I think Mr Were must have overlooked some of my footnotes; one (p. 85) explains that of a number of old deeds that came into the hands of the late Rev. T.W. Whale, the earliest, dating from c. 1280, confirm the pedigree of the Chagford branch of the Prouz family as given by Westcote, as well as of the last members of the Gidleigh stock, from c. 1300 down to 1500; the other (p. 88) shew that although Vivian in his Prouz pedigree, makes Honor widow of Coplestone, and second wife of Humphrey Prouz of Chagford, to be the daughter of Bellew, he rectifies the error in his Lippincott pedigree by stating that she is the daughter of John Lippincott of Wibberry in Alverdiscott, whom his son Richard is about to marry; another is by Humphrey Prouz of Chagford, on his marriage to Honor, widow of Coplestone (in 1620), two trustees being George Lippincott of Wibberry and Hercules Arscott of Annery.

The omission by Colby of the Pont alliance may surely be disregarded, since Westcote. Pole, Vivian and others place it between those of Ferrers and Wadecote. I note that Vivian does not call the daughters of Cruwys, Norton, Cole or Cobbe heiresses, yet the family arms of all these are depicted on the Chagford shield.

Seeing that it would be impossible for anyone to mistake the bisected Jordan almond in the illustration of this shield for a bridge, I can only suppose that Mr Were's suggestion that it is "two arches of a bridge" to proceed from an assumption that the form in the original was very indistinct, and was mis-rendered by me; but in fact it was quite clear, and my drawing was from an exact tracing.

As "canting Arms" contain either the whole or part of the surname, or allude to some characteristic or exploit of the bearer, some of the Ponts bear a bridge - translatable into the French pont; but they also bear rainbows, and two wings conjoined, the latter displaying both curves and points, as does the Jordan almond- "point" being the nearest word to "pont" in the English language.

Earlier connections of the Prouz family than those whose arms are on this shield are interestingly discussed in Vols. iv and v of D. & C.N. & Q.