A wonderfully complex coat of arms on the tomb of Jane Waller (d.1733) in Bath Abbey, Bath. It consists of a decuply 'quartered' shield of various coats of arms carved on a 'hemispherical' ovoid on the tomb canopy.
The two arms of interest are in the 1st and 3rd 'quarters'
1st; Sa. three walnut leaves or, betw. two bendlets ar. [for Waller]
3rd; Ar masonry a chief indented sa [for Reynell]
"The tomb of Jane Waller is located on the South side of the Abbey, quite near the High Altar. It is one of the grandest in the Abbey, and depicts Jane lying down with her husband William next to her.
William Waller was a Parliamentary General during the Civil War between 1642 and 1651. He commanded the Parliamentary forces at the Battle of Lansdown in 1643.
Jane
(nee Reynell) was his first wife, (he married three times in total) and sadly she died in 1633 after giving birth to William’s child. As with many women of this time, there is not much about her other than that she was the heiress to the fortune of her father, Sir Richard Reynell of Devon.
What is poignant about this monument is the fact that the plaque to the right is empty, waiting for William to be laid to rest next to his wife, but it wasn’t to be, as he remarried twice and he lived to be 71. He is buried in Tothill Street Chapel, Westminster."
SOURCE - (
visit link)
The inscription reads:
"Sole issue of a matchlesse paire
Both of their state and vertues heire
In graces great, in stature small
As full of spirit as voyd of gall
Cheerfully grave bounteously close
Holy without vainglorious showes;
Happy and yet from envy free;
Learn'd without pride, witty yet wise
Reader this riddle read with mee.
Here the good Lady Waller lyes."Further investigation of
'The visitation of Kent : taken in the years 1619-1621 by John Philipot, Rouge Dragon, Marshal and Deputy to William Camden, Clarenceux' reveals a fuller description of the Waller arms (which would be 1,2,6,7) as:
Quarterly: 1, Sable, three walnut-leaves or between two bendlets argent ;
2, Azure, a chevron counter-compony or and sable between three crosses moline of the second;
[3, Paly bendy gules and azure eight martlets in orle or, HENDLEY ;
4, Argent, a saltire engrailed ermines between four lorteaux, on a
chief azure a doe couchant or, HENLEY.]
The Reynell side is more difficult to decipher.
Gyronny of 12 ar and sa I can't find anywhere for starters....