216 



On the extinction of the direct line of the Actons, the manor 

 afterwards descended to Sir John Pojntz, son of Nicholas Poyntz, who 

 married Maud, next of kin and heiress of Sir John de Acton. Sir 

 John Poyntz, who was heir of the last of the Actons, lived till 

 the 50th Edw. III. (A.D. 1377,) and then died, leaving his son, Robert 

 Poyntz, his heir, who lived till the 15th June, 17 Hen. VI. (1439,) 

 having married to his second wife, Catharine, daughter and co-heiress of 

 Sir Thomas Fitz-Nichol, by whom he had a son and heir. These are 

 clearly the two individuals to whom the shields refer. 



The arms of the Actons are. Quarterly per fesse dancette, Argent and 

 Gules. Those of Fitz-Mchol : — Quarterly Gules and Or, a bend Argent. 

 And these arms exactly correspond to those on the shields. Thus one 

 shield bears the arms of Acton only, or, more correctly, of Poyntz, as 

 the Lord of the Manor of Iron Acton ; and the other shield canies the 

 same arms, empaling those of Fitz-Nichol. Using the arms of his grand- 

 mother Acton, through whom he inherited the manor of Iron Acton, 

 instead of his paternal coat of Poyntz, would be a very probable thing 

 for Robert Poyntz to do, for such a purpose, and in such a situation, 

 even if he did not adojit the Acton arms altogether, which he very 

 likely may have done. There can be no doubt, then, in the conclusion, 

 that these incised shields are for the Lord of the Manor and his wife, as 

 above stated, at the jxriod of the erection of the Gross; which date closely 

 corresponds to that assigned to it by Lysons, and is also verified by the 

 style of architecture. 



The name of Acton, as we have seen, was associated with the manor 

 at a very remote date, and it is more than likely, in accordance with 

 ancient usage, the manor took its name from the family, and not 

 the family from the manor. As no crest is recorded for Acton of 

 Iron Acton, the male line having become extinct so early, it probably 

 passed into oblivion with the last male Acton. Still, considering 

 the fact, that oak leaves are conspicuously carved in the spandril spaces 

 of the arches of the Cross, in the bosses of the groining-ribs, (and I found 

 them also enriching the spandrils of an old gateway leading to the 

 quadrangle of Acton Court, where an oak branch with acorns supports 

 a shield, (see woodcut), too defaced to admit of any device being dis- 

 tinguished on it,) I am inclined to the opinion that the crest of the 

 Actons was an oak, which would exemplify the name, and be thus 

 perpetuated in the manor. 



I cannot conclude this interesting enquiry without drawing attention 

 to the great beauty of the design of the Cross. There is no discordant 



