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The Bear and Ragged Staff is a heraldic emblem or badge associated with the Earldom of Warwick.
The ''Ragged Staff'' is believed to refer to
The Bear and Ragged Staff is a heraldic emblem or badge associated with the Earldom of Warwick.
The ''Ragged Staff'' is believed to refer to Morvidus Morvidus ('' Welsh:'' ''Morydd map Daned'') was a legendary king of the Britons from 341 to 336 BCE., as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the illegitimate son of Danius by his mistress Tangustela.Geoffrey of Monmouth, ''Historia Regum Bri ...
, an early legendary Earl of Warwick who is said to have slain a giant "with a young ash tree torn up by the roots."
The emblem of a bear (Latin ''ursus'') is believed to refer to Urse d'Abetot
Urse d'Abetot ( - 1108) was a Norman who followed King William I to England, and became Sheriff of Worcestershire and a royal official under him and Kings William II and Henry I. He was a native of Normandy and moved to England shortly after the ...
( 1040 – 1108), 1st feudal baron
A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...
of Salwarpe
Salwarpe is a small village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England, less than two miles south west of Droitwich, but in open country. The name is also spelled Salwarp, and in the time of John Leland was recorded as S ...
in Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
, a Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
who followed King William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
to England, and served as Sheriff of Worcestershire
This is a list of sheriffs and since 1998 high sheriffs of Worcestershire.
The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the ...
. His heir was his son-in-law Walter de Beauchamp (died 1130/3), whose descendant was William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick
{{Infobox noble
, name = William de Beauchamp
, title = 9th Earl of Warwick
, image =Beauchamp.svg
, caption =Arms of Beauchamp: ''Gules, a fesse between six cross crosslets or''
, alt ...
(c.1238-1298), the eldest son of William de Beauchamp of Elmley
Elmley is the local name for the Isle of Elmley, part of the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. It was also the name of a very late 19th century industrial village on the isle. Edward Hasted describes, in 1798, the isle as two-eighths of the Isle of ...
by his wife Isabel de Mauduit, sister and heiress of William Mauduit, 8th Earl of Warwick
William Mauduit, 8th Earl of Warwick or William Maudit (c. 1221 – 8 January 1268) was an English nobleman and participant in the Second Barons' War.
He was the son of Lady Alice de Newburgh (daughter of 4th Earl of Warwick from his second wife, ...
.
Turnbull (1995) however suggests that the bear emblem came from another early legendary Earl of Warwick named ''Arthal'', which he suggests signifies "a bear".
Similarly the proto-heraldic emblem of Sir Reginald FitzUrse
Sir Reginald FitzUrse (1145–1173) was one of the four knights who murdered Thomas Becket in 1170. His name is derived from ''Fitz'', the Anglo-Norman French term meaning "son of" and ''urse'' meaning a bear, probable the ''nom de guerre'' of his ...
(1145–1173), one of the four knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
s who murdered Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...
in 1170, was a bear.
The emblem was also adopted by Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years.
Dudley's youth was ov ...
(1532-1588) of Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle is a castle in the town of Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England managed by English Heritage; much of it is still in ruins. The castle was founded during the Norman conquest of England; with development through to the Tudor pe ...
in Warwickshire, younger brother of Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick
Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, KG (c. 1530 – 21 February 1590) was an English nobleman and general, and an elder brother of Queen Elizabeth I's favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Their father was John Dudley, Duke ...
, descended from Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick
Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick (25 or 28 January 138230 April 1439) was an English medieval nobleman and military commander.
Early life
Beauchamp was born at Salwarpe CourtRichard Gough, ''Description of the Beauchamp chapel, adjoin ...
(1382-1439) and especially fascinated by his Beauchamp descent.Adams, Simon (2002): Leicester and the Court: Essays in Elizabethan Politics Manchester University Press, pp. 312–313, 321 His monument in the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, displays the Bear and Ragged Staff emblem.
The emblem is today used on the flag
A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...
of the historic county of Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
.
References
{{Commons category, Bear and ragged staff (Earls of Warwick badge)