Heraldry in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Tuam
Originally an Article in JOTS 2009 (Journal of the Old Tuam Society)
The town of Tuam has its share of heraldry associated mainly with its two
cathedrals. The heraldry in the Cathedral of the Assumption occurring mainly on
the east window represents those associated with its building. The families
involved are identified and discussed. The practice of heraldry dates back to
Norman times when knights were clad in armour in battle and they put on a mail
over the armour to distinguish between opposing armies in battle. This is a kin
to modern hurling or football teams wearing jerseys so that team mates can
easily identify each other and their opponents. The knights had various designs
or patterns thus began the practice of heraldry and coats of arms. Later on
heraldry took on a less practical use but it continued to be used by leading
families to highlight their importance or their network of influential
relationships in their local community.
The Cathedral of the Assumption was built
through the efforts of Archbishop Oliver Kelly (1815-34) who called a meeting
on 18 March 1827 to discuss the possibility of building a new cathedral for the
diocese. The meeting was held in Tuam’s first post-reformation Catholic Church
built in 1783, and the decision was made to build a cathedral (Waldron, Tuam Herald).
The foundation stone was laid on 30 April 1829. Archbishop
Kelly lived to see the cathedral roofed and all but finished by the time of his
death in 1834. Because it was not ready for use, Archbishop John MacHale
(1791-1881) was enthroned in the old pro-cathedral. He supervised the
construction of the tower and dedicated the completed cathedral on 18 August
1836 (Claffey, page 7). On the tower the arms of the Archbishopric of Tuam impale those of
Hale or MacHale. It was common for bishops not to register their arms,
Archbishop MacHale is not listed in the Armory as bearing arms but the arms
that are on the tower are those of the Hale family of Alderley in Gloucester.
The following inscription is also on the tower ‘IN HONOREM B.V.M. ASSUMPTAE
ERECTAM DEDICAVIT DIE XVIII AUGUSTI A.D. MDCCCXXXVI JOANNES MACHALE ARCHIEPUS
TUAMEN CATHEDRAM ISTRAM’.
Kelly Coat of Arms
MacHale (Hale) Coat of Arms
The East window
referred to as the ‘great oriel’ window by Waldron portrays in centre the
Virgin Mary with the child Jesus and also portrays the four evangelists with
their insignia. Above these lie the arms of some of the subscribers to the
cathedral. The window was made in Dublin and bears the date 1832. It is an
early work of Michael O’Connor (1801-67) who began work as a heraldic artist
(Claffey, page 24). O’Connor was an important figure in the early days of the
gothic revival in stained glass working with such eminent figures as Pugin and
Butterfield. He set up studio in Dublin and subsequently moved to London where
his career was prematurely cut short by blindness but his sons continued the
work (Lawrence, page 186). Waldron also noted that the window was badly damaged
on the night of the ‘Great Wind’, 5 January 1839. The ten coats of arms on the
window are namely from left to right, St George, Kirwan, Bellew, Browne, Tuam
Archdiocese, Kelly, Talbot, Handcock, Maxwell and Burke. The Maxwell arms have
been previously attributed to Newell. Most of the families were donors, some chose
to remain anonymous and it is possible that some of the arms belong to them.
The arms of Kelly represent Archbishop Kelly; Waldron describes the project of
building a cathedral as his ‘magnum opus’. Beside the Kelly arms are the arms
of the archdiocese surmounted by the archbishop’s hat and tassels. The heraldry
allows us to identify some of the families not specifically listed as donors.
The coats of arms are illustrated for ease of understanding of the heraldic
terms.
East 'Oriel' Window at Tuam
St George and French
The St George
coat of arms while named does not necessarily allow us to identify the
particular family, the heraldry where the St George arms are quartered with
those of French allows us identify the family as that of St George of Tyrone
House near Clarinbridge. A quartered coat of arms usually has the arms of the
husband in the first and fourth quarters and those often of an heiress in the
second and third quarters. Arthur French of Tyrone married (1736) Olivia, eldest daughter of John
Usher and Mary St. George, only daughter and heiress of George St. George, 1st
Baron St. George of Hatley, Co Leitrim. Arthur died on 8 May 1779 and was
succeeded by his eldest son, Christopher French of Tyrone, (born 1754) who in
1774 assumed the surname of St. George in pursuance of a direction contained in
a settlement made by his grandfather, Baron St. George. He married in 1778 Anne,
daughter of Henry Bingham of Newbrook. Their son Arthur French St George of
Tyrone (1780-1844) married in 1801 Harriet St Lawrence and in 1811 the surname
of St George was exemplified to Arthur French Esq. of
Tyrone, on his assuming by royal license, the surname and arms of St George in
lieu of French (Burke 888). This identifies the Tuam window as belonging to the
St George (French) family of Tyrone House.
Arms of St George and French
Bellew and Dillon
The Bellew coat
of arms at Tuam is impaled, this where the husband’s arms appear on the left
hand side as viewed (dexter in heraldic terminology) and the wife’s arms appear
on the right hand side (sinister). Christopher Dillon Bellew of Mountbellew who
died in 1826 was particularly keen to cultivate an alliance with high profile
figures working in the Catholic cause – a policy that his successors continued,
culminating with a joint visit to Mountbellew by Daniel O’Connell and
Archbishop John MacHale. Generous patronage on the church was in keeping with
the paternalistic attitude and won the favour of Archbishop Kelly (Clarke, page
12). Michael Dillon Bellew, son of Christopher is listed by Waldron as one of
the donors towards the cathedral. Michael Dillon Bellew was married to Helena
Dillon, the eldest daughter of Thomas Dillon of Mount Dillon, Dublin and
Eadestown, Co Kildare thus explaining the impaled coat of arms.
Arms of Bellew and Dillon
Handcock
Archbishop Kelly procured the site for the
new Cathedral between St Jarlath’s College and the residence (later the Presentation
Convent) of Mr. William Burke. The landlord was William Henry Handcock of Carrowntryla
near Dunmore who owned much property in Tuam (Waldron). The site was obtained, initially
on a rental basis from Handcock and on 10 February 1830 he agreed to a lease at
a yearly rent of one shilling. In the Landed Estates website, Patrick Melvin
notes that Carrowntryla was originally a Burke property, which was sold in 1753
to Anne Henry (widow of Hugh Henry, a Dublin banker, who died in 1743). It then
passed to William Henry whose only daughter, Anne, married William Handcock in
1802. Both William Handcock's father and grandfather were clergymen (Landed
Estates website). William Handcock married Anne Henry as his second wife, in
October 1802. As he was a man of no fortune the Henry family opposed her right
to the estate under the terms of the will. Handcock took the case through
Chancery to the House of Lords. He achieved success in 1816 thus establishing the
Handcocks at Carrowntryla. Anne died on 20 August 1818 leaving five children
with William (Linley website). William Henry Handcock married Catherine
Josephine Kelly and left 3 daughters at the time of his death in 1842 (Landed
Estates website).
Browne
The Browne coat
of arms is easily attributed to the Marquess of Sligo as the arms are for the
Browne family and the coronet for a Marquess is also present. Waldron notes
that in 1828 Archbishop Kelly sent Fr Nicholson to open an office in London and
solicit subscriptions. Some of the amounts received through him were: Marquis
of Sligo, £50; the Duke of Sussex, £10; Directors of the Bank of England, £25
also subscriptions from the Bishop of Norwich and the Marquis of Clanricarde,
amounts not stated. Howe Peter Browne (1788-1845) of Westport House succeeded
as 2nd Marquess of Sligo in 1809. He was married to Lady Hestor,
sister to Ulick De Burgh, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde.
Arms of Browne (Marquess of Sligo)
Burke
The Burke coat of arms has no name beneath it; most likely the window honours
William Burke of Corralea House, Tuam who died in 1834. He bequeathed much of
his wealth to various charities thus enabling the Mercy and Presentation
Sisters to establish convents adjoining the cathedral. He was also the subject
of one of the statues in the church. Since the sculptor, Sir Thomas Farrell (1827-1900), had no
likeness of William Burke on which to model his work, Tuam-born, Thomas H.
Burke, then under secretary at Dublin castle acted as a model (Claffey, page 24).
The statue now outside has a Latin inscription that recognises that William
Burke donated ‘Corraghleach’ and is dated 1873. The absence of a coronet
probably means that this window was not intended for Ulick John De Burgh, the
Marquess of Clanricarde who was also noted by Waldron as a generous benefactor.
Arms of Burke
Talbot
The Talbot coat
of arms is easily attributed to the Earl of Shrewsbury as his name appears
beneath the window and the coronet for an earl lies above the coat of arms. With
the succession of John Talbot in 1827 to his uncle’s title and property as 16th
Earl of Shrewsbury and Waterford came immediate responsibility to Catholic
missions historically supported by the family. He was the acknowledged leader
of lay Catholicism in England (O’Donnell, page 11-12). He generously donated
towards church building in England and in this country.
Maxwell (with Haggerston, Constable and Herries)
The Maxwell
window at Tuam is a fine example of how heraldry can carry part of the family
history in its coat of arms. The coat of arms has the Maxwell arms in the 1st
and 4th quarters, the arms of Constable in the 2nd
quarter and has those of Haggerston in the 3rd quarter. William
Haggerston of Haggerston Castle (Northumberland) married Ann, daughter of Sir
Philip Constable, 3rd baronet of Everingham in Yorkshire. Their
grandson, William Haggerston assumed the name Constable upon inheriting
Everingham. In 1758 he married Lady Winifred Maxwell, only child of John
Maxwell, Earl of Nithsdale. Their son was Marmaduke William Constable
(1760-1819). Upon his mother’s death in 1801, Marmaduke inherited the Maxwell
property of Carlaverock (Drumfrieshire) and he assumed by royal license the
additional surname of Maxwell (Burke, 327-8). Their son was William Constable Maxwell (1804-76) of
Carlaverock and Everingham Park who became 10th Lord Herries of Terrgles (near
Drumfries). He was responsible for building the Italianate Catholic chapel next
to the house at Everingham. It was built by him in 1839
to celebrate Catholic Emancipation and he was likely to be a generous supporter
towards Tuam.
Arms of Maxwell (& Herries), Constable and Haggerston
The Maxwell arms in the 1st and 4th quarters are also
interesting for they illustrate aspects of Scottish heraldry. Robert, 6th
Lord Maxwell (who died in 1552) bore the Maxwell arms of a black (sable)
saltire. His grandson, Robert, 10th Lord Maxwell (who died in 1646) or
Earl Nithsdale bore the double-headed eagle with the saltire as inescutcheon
‘en surtout’ (superimposed) as it is displayed on the window at Tuam. In
Scottish heraldry the inescutcheon ‘en surtout’ is the principal coat. The
latter Robert’s sister, Elizabeth married John, 6th Lord Herries and
their son, John 7th Lord Herries succeeded his cousin as 3rd
Earl Nithsdale. He bore the same arms as his uncle, Robert 10th Lord
Maxwell but now differenced with an urcheon (hedgehog) from Herries, his
mother’s arms (McAndrew, page 391).
Kirwan
The arms of Kirwan are probably due to the work of James Kirwan of
Gardenfield. Not alone did he work on the masonry in the Cathedral but he
sourced all the materials himself save the scaffolding (Claffey, page 11).
Claffey also notes that one of the finer features of the cathedral is its
superbly-cut limestone ashlar that is to the eternal credit of Kirwan. The
family were also landed gentry in the parish, the
Gardenfield estate amounting to 1,843 acres was advertised for sale in the Encumbered
Estates' Court in April 1854 by James and Robert Kirwan.
Arms of Kirwan
The Arms of Tuam and Neary
In the year
2000, the coat of arms of Archbishop Michael Neary was beautifully crafted by
Ms Ursula Klinger. The arms are on a 12 by 13 inch cedar and utile piece and
were completed using enamels and oil paint by Ms Klinger. The modern arms of
the Archdiocese of Tuam are on the dexter side while the personal arms of the
Archbishop on the sinister side. The personal arms were used by him as
Auxiliary Bishop. The modern arms of the Archdiocese bear the cross and broken
wheel. The broken wheel is a reminder of the providential ‘breakdown’ of St
Jarlath’s chariot as he journeyed through Tuam. The Book of Lismore provides a
dialogue between St Brendan of Clonfert and St Jarlath, where Brendan
interpreted a dream for Jarlath to go and build a community wherever his
chariot wheel broke down (Claffey, page 5). The rays under the crossbeam
symbolise the grace and light flowing from the cross of Christ. In common with
Cardinal Brady and other Irish bishops, Archbishop Neary has adapted his
existing family arms, in his case those of Neary and Gibbons to evoke Christian
symbolism on his arms.
Arms of Tuam
Arms of Tuam (Modern) and Neary
The Neary and
Gibbons arms each bear three annulets (rings). Two of the rings are transformed
to represent the ancient Christian symbols, the sun representing Christ, the
light of world and the moon representing the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Church.
The central ring is an emblem of the wedding band of gold and its promise of
fidelity. The Archbishops arms also reflect his family’s closeness and
contribution to the Marion Shrine at Knock. The Marian theme is also central to
the coat of arms where the Marian monogram (MR) at the base of the shield
symbolises Mary, the Mother of God drawing the faithful towards her son. The monogram
along with the lamb on the chief of the shield further develops this theme. The
presence of the lamb at the apparitions at Knock evokes the Lamb of God who
takes away the sins of the world and in turn draws our minds to the centrality
of the sacrament of reconciliation at Knock. Above
the coat of arms is the galero or archbishop’s hat with ten tassels draped on
either side of the coat of arms. Behind the coat of arms lies the archiepiscopal cross.
The monument in the porch remembers the four Archbishops
who are interred in the Cathedral: John MacHale (1831-81), John MacEvilly
(1881-1902), John Healy (1903-18) and Thomas Gilmartin (1918-39). It also
remembers the two most recently deceased Archbishops who are interred in the
Cathedral grounds namely: Joseph Walsh (1940-69) who died in 1972 and Joseph
Cunnane (1969-87) who died in 2001. The memorials to
Archbishop Walsh and Archbishop Cunnane also bear the arms of the archdiocese
along with their mottos ‘Dominus Adiutor Meus’ and ‘Familiam Dei Aedificare’
respectively. The monument in the porch along with the memorials outside also
bear the galero, tassels and the archiepiscopal cross.
Arms of Tuam Modern
Coats of Arms
All the coats of
arms apart from the latter two are taken from the General Armory and the page
numbers are not given as the names are listed in alphabetic order.
Heraldic terms:
argent = silver, azure = blue, gules = red, or = gold, sable= black, ermine is
a type of animal fur, dexter = right (left as viewed by an observer) and
sinister = left (right as viewed). Some of the other heraldic terms are
technical and the photographs serve as a pictorial illustration.
Bellew Sable, fretty or.
Browne (Marquess of Sligo) Sable three lions
passant in bend argent between two double cottises argent.
Burke (Earl of Clanrickard) Or, a cross
gules, in the dexter canton a lion rampant sable.
Dillon Argent, a
lion rampant between three crescents, an estoile issuant from each gules, over
all a fess azure.
(Fitz)Gibbon Ermine a saltire gules on a chief or three
annulets or.
(Mac)Hale Argent a fesse sable, in chief three
cinquefoils sable.
Handcock Ermine on a chief sable a dexter hand
between two cocks argent armed.
Herries Argent
three urcheons (hedgehogs) sable.
Kelly Azure, a tower triple-towered
supported by two lions rampant argent as many chains descending from the
battlements between the lions’ legs or.
Kirwan Argent a chevron sable between three
Cornish choughs proper.
Maxwell (Constable-Maxwell, Lord Herries)
Quarterly 1st and 4th argent an eagle displayed with two
heads sable beaked and membered gules on his breast an escutcheon argent charged
with a saltire sable and surcharged with an urcheon or for MAXWELL; 2nd
quarterly gules and vair, a bend or for CONSTABLE; 3rd Azure on a
bend cotised argent three billets sable for HAGGERSTON.
Neary/Nary Gules on a fess argent,
three spearheads gules, in chief as many annulets or.
St George (Tyrone House) Quarterly
1st and 4th argent a chief azure, overall a lion rampant
gules ducally crowned or for St George; 2nd and 3rd
ermine a chevron sable for French.
Talbot (Earl
of Shrewsbury) Gules a lion rampant or, a bordure engrailed or.
Tuam Azure three figures erect, in the middle the
Blessed Virgin with a child in her arms, on the dexter side a mitred abbot,
with the dexter hand giving benediction, with the sinister holding a crozier
bendwise, on the sinister side St John holding his dexter hand upwards, and in
the sinister a lamb, each in proper vestments, all or, hands and feet proper
over each of their heads a piece of Gothic architecture or.
The following
arms could be blazoned as:
Neary Per fess gules and
azure on a fess of the first fimbriated between in chief a lamb passant and in
base the Marian monogram (MR) all argent, an annulet between on the dexter a
sun and on the sinister the moon all or. Motto: Fidelis et Misericors
Tuam (modern)
Sable a Latin cross debruised in base by a broken
wheel of ten spokes.
Bibliography
General Armory
of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales
by Bernard
Burke, 1884
A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of
Great Britain and Ireland
by John Burke 1836
The Cathedral of the Assumption: Tuam
by John A Claffey, 1986.
Christopher Dillon Bellew and his Galway Estates, 1763-1826
by Joe Clarke, 2003.
‘Nineteenth-century
stained glass in the Church of Ireland diocese of Limerick & Killaloe’
Irish Architectural and Decorative Studies, The Journal of the Irish Georgian
Society, Vol X, pages 132-199.
by David Lawrence, 2007.
Scotland’s
Historic Heraldry
by Bruce
McAndrew, 2006.
The Pugins and the Catholic Midlands
by Roderick O’Donnell, 2002.
The History of Tuam Cathedral
by John J. Waldron, Tuam Herald, Saturday 16 November 1968.
Websites
for St George and French
for Henry and Handcock
for Handcock
Acknowledgements
My thanks to
Archbishop Michael Neary and Fr Fintan Monahan at the Archbishop’s House, Tuam
for help with the Archbishop’s arms. Dr Tony Claffey (Tuam) provided invaluable
advice pertaining to Tuam and Gerard Crotty (Fermoy) likewise in matters
heraldic. I would like to acknowledge the kindness and help from the staff at
the library in Tuam. Finally many thanks to Anne Tierney and the editorial team
of the Old Tuam Society.
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