ADMIRAL BENBOW ARMS
Silver Alms Dish, St. Blaise parish Church, Milton
Drawing of Milton Alms Dish Coat of Arms
The silver alms-dish, bears the London hall-mark of 1679-80 and is engraved with Admiral Benbow’s coat of arms. It was given to the Church by his daughter Katherine to commemorate the royal visit to Milton of Peter the Great, Czar of Russia, in 1697. He came to consult Admiral Benbow on naval matters. The dish has a deep depressed centre and a wide rim with a ribbed edge. Its dimensions are: diameter, 10 4/5 inches; width of rim 1 4/5 inches; weight 16 oz. 12 dwt. 22 gr. The arms may be described as follows:
Arms. Sable, two strung bows endorsed in pale Or, garnished Gules, between two bundles of arrows, in fesse, three in each Or, barbed and headed Argent, tied Gules.
Crest. A harpy close Or, face proper, her breast pierced with an arrow Or.
In non-technical language:
Arms: A black shield having upon it vertically two bent bows of gold with scarlet grips back to back (string to string); this trophy separating two bundles of golden arrows with silver points and feathers, each bundle of three bound with scarlet ties.
Crest: A harpy of gold with a face of natural colour, her wings closed and her bosom pierced with a golden arrow.
(Callender and Britton, p.137; and Notes on the Church of St. Blaise, Milton)
Milton Alms dish
Author holding Silver Alms dish
Admiral Benbow Arms drawen by W.R.Benbow
Note: bows are ‘endorsed’: ie. back to back; and harpy has golden arrow in breast.
Admiral Benbow Arms by Angie Benbow
Arms as probably used by Admiral Benbow
Benbow Arms modified by W.A. Benbow from the Jeffries' version(Katherine and Linda Benbow)