ARMORIAL BEARINGS

The Bulmers, in early days, ranked as feudal Barons, and some of them sat in parliament as such, though none were summoned after the year 1349.

The Coat of Arms assigned to their ancestor in Nicholas' "Historic Peerage" was "Gules, a lion salient erminois."

We do not find that this Coat has ever been used. Burke in his "Dormant and Extinct Peerage" gives the following as the shield of the Barons Bulmer, and which has been used by their descendants, and which appears in the pedigrees, in the Heralds` Visitations, viz: - "Gu1es, billettee, a lion rampant or."

The Crest is a "Bull passant gales, attired and hoofed or." The Heralds do not give any motto. In one of the Heralds' Visitations, there is a drawing, as below, of an ancient seal, taken, from one of the Bulmer Charters.

In the Durham Heralds' Visitations, Harleian MSS No.1540, there is a Pedigree of Bulmer of Tursdale, Durham, beginning with Sir William Bulmer, Knt., who married the heiress Elmeden. It is brought down to Sir Bertram Bulmer, Knt., by whom it was signed in 1615. Attached, there is a shield of Nine Quartering in their proper order.

The description of this Quartered Shield is as follows:-

1. Bulmer - "Gules billete, a lion rampant or."

2. Morwick, (co-heir circ. 1269) - "Gules, a saltire vaire argent and sable."

3. "Sable, a crescent argent."

4. Sutton, (co-heir of Baron Sutton of Holderness, circ. 1360) "Azure, a lion rampant or, over all a bend gobony argent and gules."

5. Elmeden, (co-heir circ. 1500) - "Argent, on a bend sable, three crescents of the field."

6. Claxton - "Gules, a fess between three hedge-hogs argent.''

7. Riddell - "Argent, a fess pules between three garbs sable."

8. Menvill - "Or, on a bend sable three eagles displayed argent.''

9. Conyers - "Azure, a Maunch or." Crest - "A bull passant pules, attired and hoofed or.''

The Bulmers of Tursdale, and their descendants, would be entitled to use the following Coats of Arms, as Quarterings:

Fossard; Morwick, Umphreville, Claxton; Sutton; Elmeden, Riddell; Hordern; Conyers; Metham; Markenfield; Stapleton; Bellaqua; Brus; Lancaster; Richmond; Pollington; Sayer; Fulthorpe; and Aske.

Most, if not all, the Yorkshire Bulmers can use the following Quartered Coat, surmounted by the Family Crest.

Quarterly of Six:

1 and 6, Bulmer; 2, Fossard; 3, Morwick; 4, "Sable, a Crescent argent"; 5, Sutton.

The Flag of Odin, so long the famous standard of the Danes, bore a "Black Raven on a yellow ground," and was called the "Ravager of the world," and was, for many centuries, the terror of Europe.

Plantagenet Harrison, in his work alluded to, has his Coat of Arms of many Quarterings, including those of the ancient Kingdoms of Northern Europe; and amongst them is the Coat assigned to Balder, King of the Angles, and ancestor of the Saxons. This is a red shield bearing the celebrated "White Horse" of the Saxons, which is also the Arms of the County of Kent. The Flag of Odin flanks the above-named Quartered Shield.