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Much of Welsh heraldry tended to show the coats of arms of several lines of descent, with little regard or understanding of the "official" (English) rules of heraldry

This Blayney shield is analysed by Gerard Crotty in his series "Heraldry in Ireland" Part 25 Coats of Welsh Origin [Irish Roots Issue No45, 2003 First Quarter pg6]. All the quarterings show Welsh arms apart from the 6th -

  1. The pronominal arms: Sable three Horses' Heads erased Argent of Brochwel Ysgithrog [6thC], claimed ancestor of the Blayneys
  2. Gollwyn ap Tangno of Harlech
  3. The blue lion on gold ? of Cynfyn ap Gwerstan [11th C.]
  4. Bleddyn ap Maenyrch of Breconshire & ancestor Caradog Freichfras
  5. Argent a Wyvern's Head erased Vert holding in the mouth a Human Hand couped Gules of Morgan of Pencrug in Monmouthshire or of Cawrdaf ap Caradog Freichfras or even the crest of the Herberts
  6. He doesn't discuss the patterns of the 6th quarter ?waves

Note 1: Caradog Ffraichfras (Strong Arm), a Welsh King 420AD and a Knight of the Round Table.

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