The crest on Plate 1, Image 8 (Pl. 1. cr. 8.) is described as a griffon’s head erased (sometimes described as a gryphon’s head erased, and occasionally varying in color or having items like a collar or drops of blood/tears depending on the specific family).
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Surnames:
- Acheley (England)
- Acworth (England)
- Allen (England)
- Baynton (Wiltshire)
- Bayntun (England)
- Bayntun Rolt (Wiltshire)
- Blesby (Lincolnshire)
- Bligh (Ireland / England)
- Bowles (Shaftsbury)
- Browne (England)
- Bryne (England)
- Catton (England)
- Cudmore (Essex)
- Dashwood (England / Oxfordshire)
- Ednor (England)
- Gardener (Norfolk / Cambridgeshire / Dorsetshire / Berkshire)
- Griffeth (England)
- Ingram (Scotland)
- Jackman (Durham / Hereford / Buckinghamshire / Huntingtonshire / Essex)
- Johnston (England)
- Kennicot (England)
- Lyne (Sussex / Hampshire)
- Micklethwaite (Sussex)
- Milleham (Norfolk)
- Moniton (England)
- Patten (Lincolnshire / England)
- Peryan (Hertfordshire)
- Reade (London / England)
- Richards (Hampshire)
- Ricroft (Lancashire)
- Rossington (Derbyshire)
- Roycroft (Lancashire)
- Ryan (Ireland)
- Rycroft (Yorkshire)
- Sinclair (Scotland)
- Smith (Somerset)
- Stump (Wiltshire)
- Sybsey (Norfolk)
- Tempest (Yorkshire)
- Tilney (Cambridgeshire)
- Todrick (Scotland)
- Treacher (England)
- Trentham (Staffordshire)
- Trinity College (Oxford)
- Waldo (England)
- Walsh (Berkshire / Worcestershire)
- West (Sussex / Cornwall)
- White (Cornwall)
Griffon (Gryphon): The griffon, a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, denotes a combination of courage and strength with vigilance and swiftness. It is often considered a guardian of treasure and a symbol of valor, signifying a warrior who is as bold as a lion and as swift as an eagle. Erased: The term “erased” means the head appears torn off with jagged edges (as opposed to “couped,” which is a clean cut). In heraldry, this often signifies that the crest was won through strength of arms or a violent feat of endurance, suggesting the bearer is a survivor of difficult battles.
General Symbolic Meanings: The griffon’s head represents a powerful duality of nature—combining the king of beasts and the king of birds. It suggests a lineage that values both physical prowess and sharp intellect or spiritual vision. As a guardian figure, the griffon implies protection, watchfulness, and a fierce defense of one’s kin and rights.