Kitley Heritage - Bourchier impaling Plantagenet

3/ Argent a cross engrailed gules between four water bougets sable Impaling Quarterly 1& 4 Azure powdered with fleur de lys or 2 & 3 Gules three lions passant guardant or the whole within a bordure or – Bourchier impaling Plantagenet

[Note, the bordure has not been depicted in sketches 2 & 3, for reasons of clarity of the design, for to have included it would have meant the lions being extremely tiny].

This shield denotes the marriage of William Bourchier, who died in 1418, Count of Ewe in Normandy and Lord of Tawstock Manor, to Anna, daughter and heiress of Thomas de Woodstock. This now explains the presence of the first shield in the Kitley display (shield 1), for Thomas de Woodstock was the son of Kind Edward III.

The Bourchiers have a quite remarkable pedigree themselves. The family is currently represented by the Bourchier Wreys, whose ancestors have been Lords of the Manor of Tawstock for no less than 31 consecutive generations – the pedigree can be traced in an unbroken descent from the marriage of Philip de Braos, who died in 1155, to Aanor, daughter and heiress of Judhel of Totnes. Judhel was one of the most trusted followers of William of Normandy, and Tawstock was one of many Devonian Manors which were granted to him after the conquest. Subsequently, all changes in the family name of the Manorial Lords have come about through a marriage to the heiress of the previous Lord, and so there is an unbroken descent from the Conquest to the present day through the maternal lines.