CORNUBIANA. 89 



greatly the bird was held in esteem as a device, for it is, or was^ 

 displayed by no less than thirty-five Cornish families. 



The chough is found as a crest, and in the shield, but not 

 as a supporter of the shield. The Cornish chough generally 

 occurs "proper," i.e., in its natural colours, and as a complete bird, 

 though in some cases it occurs with "head erased," i.e. cut off, 

 as in the family of Tregonwell. Oftentimes appendages are 

 added to the bill, as in the family of Tom of St. Petroc Minor, 

 where the crest is a Cornish chough ppr., holding in its bill an 

 escallop. The Cornish chough is generally depicted standing? 

 though we have an instance to the contrary in the case of St. 

 Aubyn of the Mount, where it is represented " rising," or " with 

 wings expanded," as was borne by Humphrey of Truro; or, as 

 Trewinnard, " 3 Cornish choughs ppr., two in chief pecking and 

 one rising." I have said that the choughs were generally borne 

 " proper." There are some remarkable instances to the contrary. 

 Eashleigh of Menabilly has a Cornish chough argent : i e. white, 

 almost a contradiction in terms, though not in Heraldry. It is 

 also "legged and beaked gules," which would be "proper." 

 The Cornish choughs of Stone are "or" (gold), and "vert" 

 (green), and Tolcarne of Tolcarne, uses "3 Cornish choughs 

 reguard, Az," (blue). It would be very difficult to give a 

 description of the bird in Mayow's arms, which is described 

 as " Erm " (Ermine), if it were not for the written account 

 which tells us that it is a Cornish chough. 



St. Thomas a Beckett. 



It is now confidently asserted that St. Thomas a Becket was 

 a Cornishman. This we distinctly know, that he was not, for he 

 was born in London, the offspring of a Londoner, and a Saracenic 

 woman, an account of whose romantic union is given by Johannes 

 Brompton. Grilbert Beck, as his father was really called, was born 

 in London in the reign of Henry I, and his master changed his 

 name into Brcket, and the commonality into Beckie. There 

 seems to be nothing to connect St. Thomas in his life-time with 

 Cornwall ; the fact that a Cornish Becket bore the same arms as 

 the Archbishop is not at all, I submit, substantial evidence. 

 After his death, however, a child of Minster was raised to life by 

 the father interceding to the saint, according to the account 



