Pilgrims or palmers staff

Pilgrim's or Palmer's Staff

Pilgrim's or Palmer's Staff, (fr. bourdon): this was used as a device in a coat of arms as early at least as Edward II.'s reign, as will be seen. The Staff and the Escallop shell(q.v.) were the badge of the pilgrim, and hence it is but natural it should find its way into the shields of those who had visited the Holy Land. The usual form of representation is like figure 1, but is some the hook is wanting, and when this is the case it is scarcely distinguishable from a pastoral staff as borne by some of the monasteries: it is shewn in figure 2. While, too, it is represented under different forms, it is blazoned as will be seen also, under different names, e.g. a pilgrim's crutch, a crutch-staff, &c., but there is no reason to suppose that the different names can be correlated with different figures. The crutch, perhaps, should be represented with the transverse piece on the top of the staff(like the letter T) instead of across it. See Potent, also Staff.

Sire Johan BORDOUN, de goules a iij bordons de argent--Roll, temp. ED. II.

Argent, three pilgrim's staves(fig. 1 ) sable; the heads, ends, and rests, or--PALMER, Lincoln.

Gules, three water-bougets or, in pale a pilgrim's staff of the last enfiled with a water-bouget in base--KIRKHAM Priory, Yorkshire.

Barry of six argent and gules[otherwise argent, two bars gules]; over all in bend sinister a pilgrim's crutch or--Priory of SEMPRINGHAM, Lincolnshire.

Argent, a lion rampant sable between three palmer's staves or--PALMER.

Or, three pilgrim's staves sable. [Another branch of the family bear Azure, three pilgrim's staves or]--PILGRIM, Hertfordshire.

Gules, a lion rampant or, over all a long cross or pilgrim's crutch in bend sinister of the last--Augustinian Priory at NEWBURGH. co. York.

Argent, three bars gules; over all a crutch[otherwise blazoned crosier] in bend or--Gilbertine Abeey at ALVINGHAM, co. Lincoln.

Sable, on a point wavy a lion passant or; in chief three bezants; on a canton an escallop between two palmer's staves sable--HAWKINS.

Or, a bend between two bull's heads couped sable; on a chief argent two bars gules, surmounted by a crutch-staff in bend azure--HOLGATE, Bp. of Llandaff, 1537; Abp. of York, 1545-54.

D'azur, à un bourdon d'or posé en bande, accompagné de trois coquilles du même, deux en chef et une en pointe--DE PELERIN, Languedoc.

Closely connected with the Pilgrim's Staff was the Pilgrim's Scrip, called also pouch or wallet, and sometimes postscrip.

    "Give me my scallop-shell of quiet,    My bottle of salvation;              
    My staff of faith to walk upon:        My gown of glory(hope's true gate)   
    My scrip of joy, immortal diet;        And thus I'll make my pilgrimage."   
                                             Sir Walter Raleigh.                

This device is usually represented as in the margin, and is sometimes pendent from the staff.

Argent, a chevron sable between three pilgrim's staves, with pouches hanging on them of the last garnished or--TASBOROUGH, Suffolk.

Argent, a chevron between three postscrips(or palmer's scrips) sable, tassels and buttons. Also PALMER, Wood Court, co. Somerset.

Azure, a chevron or between three open wallets argent, buckles and buttons of the second--TOWGOOD, Axminster, co. Devon; granted 1770.

Argent, a bend between six pouches sable--WOLSTON, co. Cornwall.

Sable, a bend between six pouches argent--WOLSTON, co. Devon.