Routledge, Rutledge, Ruttledge Family Heraldry & Arms


Many people have asked me what I know about the coat of Arms associated with the Routledge (Rut(t)ledge) Family, others have sent me graphics that they believe to be armorial bearings belonging to our clan, the end result is a slightly confused picture which is still incomplete. NOTE, my own knowledge of heraldry is pretty limited.

The Earliest evidence I have seen relating to the Routledge arms appears on the reverse of at least 4 preserved gravestones in the Kirkyard at Bewcastle Church in Cumbria, There are no oficially REGISTERED Routledge arms to our knowledge, this fits with the reputation the borderers had of a disdain for any element of officialdom. Here is a quote from an article called HERALDIC ODDITIES OF NORTH OF ENGLAND. source unknown.

"The Cumberland statesman (or small landed proprietor), yeilded to none in pride of pedigree, but he had his own ideas as to how his arms ought to be borne. Rules about impalling or quartering troubled him not at all: and in his turbulent times no writ of college of heralds would run in Arthuret, Stapleton, Bewcastle or Gilsland"

"Routledge is another common coat, and at Bewcastle the Routledge tombstones provide an interesting study in the degredation of the sculptors art. Towards the end there is little to suggest that the carvings are heraldic achievements. There is no sheild, but the various charges are scattered over the upper half of the stone, and are flanked on either side by a sprig of willow"

"Seven stones at Bewcastle display the Routledge arms (which consist of chevron, garb, willow sprig and sword) differing by having charges in base, mullet, hollyleaf, escallop, rose, Fluer-de-lys, etc. The Garb obviously puzzled the mason, who has represented it in one case as a bears paw, and in another as a human hand, with thumb and four fingers!"

Three of the Bewcastle headstones are shown below, note the differences.


Gravestone of Magdalene, wife of Thomas Routledge of Kirkbecktown, died aged 68 in 1729
 


Grave of Elizabeth, wife of Adam Routledge of Hilend, d, May 1757 aged 48 years
 
 


Ann, Wife of Thomas Routledge of Kirkbecktown (?Mafson?) d, May 1747 aged 21

The Routledge Badge

Burkes Encyclopaedia of Heraldry mentions a Routledge badge which somewhat resembles the images below, its description reads Sheild or (gold) trefoil triple slipped vert (green)


Sold to me as the Ruttledge arms but resemblant of Routledge badge according to Burkes Encyclopaedia of Heraldry.
 


Stone above door of a building in Jersey zoo Channel Islands, U.K. resembles Routledge badge.
 

Ruttledge coat of arms in Ireland

Thomas Ormsby Ruttledge, the authority on Irish Ruttledge genealogy and author of "The Ruttledge Families of Co. Mayo" has preserved a treasure trove of Ruttledge family papers at Trinity college library Dublin. amongst the papers you can find the Arms depicted below on business cards and letterheads, these arms were oficially registered (I believe) in the early part of the 19th century by the prominent Ruttledge Family of Bloomfield.


Officially registered arms of Ruttledge of Bloomfield & Cornfield (Co. Mayo Ireland)

Description: Ruttlidge of Bloomfield & Cornfield. Argent a stag trippant proper, on a chief engrailed azure three estoiles or: Crest an oaktree proper - pendant from a dexter branch thereof by a riband azure an escutcheon or. Motto: Verax Atque Probus, (Trustworthy & Honest)


Don Smith of Heraldic Graphics has put together a more accurate picture of the Ruttledge Arms and sent me this cautionary note "There is no such thing as a coat of arms that belongs to everyone of the same name. Coats of arms belong to one individual who has been granted those arms by an heraldic authority for his own use. The only type of Crest that belongs to everyone of the same name would be the round type you may have seen where the crest is contained within a circular belt and buckle. Such crests belong to the chief of a clan and a modified version is permitted to be worn by all members of that clan. Rutledge has never been a clan, has no clan chief, and therefore no such crest. If you did have a crest it would be of the Oak tree with the small shield hanging down on the left side and the motto written around the belt. The coat of arms on my site belonged to an individual named the Rev, Francis Lambert of Cornfield in county Mayo, Ireland, in 1819 on the condition that he assume the surname Ruttledge. The shield is white with a walking stag in its natural colors. The blue section at the top has an engrailed bottom edge and three "estoilles", a type of star with wavy arms. The crest, the part above the helmet, is an oak tree shown with enlarged leaves for identification purposes. On the left side there is a small gold shield hanging by a blue ribbon The motto is "Verax atque probus" meaning "Truthful and honest". This is the only coat of arms granted to that spelling and I have no record of anyone of the spelling with one "t" having been granted arms. The same arms were also later used by David Watson Ruttledge of Bloomfield co. Mayo in 1834. His original name was Watson and he was also required to change his name to Ruttledge. Adopting a name was a fairly common practice in those times. For example if a "Ruttledge" only had daughters and one was getting married to a "Watson" the father could stipulate that the marriage would not take place unless the prospective husband adopted the Ruttledge name to prevent it dying out. Or sometimes a family would adopt a child or an adult into their family on the condition that their name was changed. For the spelling Routledge there is only one comprising a yellow shield with a green "trefoil" (similar to a shamrock). The crest, above the helmet is a green sheaf of wheat."




The South Carolina Rutledge Coat of Arms
 

Back to Ruttledge History and Genealogy
 

My sincere thanks to Don Smith of Heraldic Graphics, Scotland. Carin Routledge of Edmonton Alberta Canada for her info on Routledge Heraldry, Thanks also to Thomas Lockhart of N.C. USA.