Thursday, September 21, 2006

Vincit Amor Patriae

Needing to decipher a coat of arms found inside of our fireplace. It's got a horse and a dog holding up the main crest. On top of the main crest sits a lion and a peacock on top of a crown. Buckles and crosses abound within the interior of the crest. The phrase "Vincit Amor Patriae" (approximately "love of country conquers") is stated beneath the crest itself. Any thoughts are appreiciated. Betting it was something available at colonial Williamsburg circa 1965. Upside could be from 1760, downside, was available via mail order with S&H Greenstamps or Crackerjacks proofs of purchase.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

could be the pennington family coat of arms!

Anonymous said...

According to Burke's The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales of 1878, the latin motto Vincit Amor Patriae (for love of country) is shared by the families Gun, Hargreaves, James, Molesworth, O'Hara, Pelham, Pennington (as previously noted) and Shaw, as well as the 28th Infantry of the US Army - none of which appear to share the noted design elements.

Best of luck!