NOTES ON ARMORIAL HORSE TRAPPINGS. 227 



horse trappings in the British Museum, and examples in the 

 Museums of Taunton and Salisbury. I was shortly after 

 able to compare this Dorset find with those in the national 

 collection, under the guidance of Mr. Reginald Smith, and 

 to obtain notes and make drawings of the various forms 

 these little shields may take, together with particulars of 

 their usual mountings, to show you to-day. 



By the courtesy of the Somersetshire Archaeological Society 

 I am able to exhibit, for comparison with Mr. Richardson's 

 example, the Audley shield from the Norris Bequest at 

 Taunton figured in their " Proceedings " for 1905, page 

 144.* It will be seen to be similar in outline to ours, but 

 bears a badge instead of a charge of arms, and is rather larger. 

 This shield was found in a well at Over Stratton, South 

 Petherton, Somerset, and belonged to a member or dependant 

 of the Audleys, for it bears their well-known gilded butterfly 

 badge, not their coat. Nine of these butterflies are shown 

 on the banner of Sir John Audley, Kt., given in Joseph 

 Holand's book of standards 1590, and it is there stated that 

 the original arms of Audley are " said to have been azure 

 seme of butterflies or." and their crest, a moor's head in profile 

 fillited around the temples argent and gules. 



Sir Nicholas Audley bore at the battle of Falkirk, 1298, 

 Gules a fret or, this was also borne by his son, Sir James 

 Audley, K.G., one of the heroes of Poictiers. To whom this 

 butterfly badge belonged it is impossible to say, but one may 

 remember en passant the Lord Audley who was building his 

 mansion at Nether Stowey at the time of Perkin Warbeck's 

 rebellion and who perished for his connection therewith. 

 Possibly it may have been handed down in the possession of 

 his family. (Somt. Arch. Soc. Proc., Vol. XXV., p. 54, &c.) 



Sir Bernard Burke says, ' Audley or Alditheley, a great 

 baronial family, eminently distinguished under the Planta- 

 genets, and summoned to Parliament in the barony of 



Photographed by H. St. George Gray, Esq. 



