Coat of arms of the London Borough of Enfield

The enfield is a fictitious creature sometimes used in

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

Description

The enfield has the head of a fox, forelegs like an

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

's talons, the chest of a

greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...

, the body of a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

, and the hindquarters and tail of a

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

. It is occasionally portrayed with wings.

O'Kelly

The earliest known example of the enfield is the

crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

of the Ó Cellaigh clan of Ireland. Ó Cellaigh of

Uí Maine U or u, is the twenty-first and sixth-to-last letter and fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''u'' (pro ...

are the most documented O'Kelly sept in early Irish history and annals. The enfield appears in ''

Leabhar Ua Maine ''Leabhar Ua Maine'' (also ''Leabhar Uí Dubhagáin'', ''The Book of Hy-Many'' and RIA MS D ii 1) is an Irish genealogical compilation, created c. 1392–94. History Previously known as ''Leabhar Uí Dubhagáin'', after Seán Mór Ó Dubhagá ...

''. The ancient tradition among the O'Kellys is that they have borne this fabulous animal since the days of King

Tadhg Mór Ua Cellaigh Tadhg Mór Ua Cellaigh, 36th King of Uí Maine and 1st Chief of the Name. Background Ua Cellaigh was the first King of Uí Maine to bear the surname Ua Cellaigh, derived from his grandfather, Ceallach mac Finnachta, who was in turn a sixth-gene ...

who fell "fighting like a wolf dog" on the side of the High King of Ireland,

Brian Boru Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domi ...

, at the

Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf ( ga, Cath Chluain Tarbh) took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse-Irish alliance comprising the forc ...

in 1014. When Tadhg Mor fell this mythical beast issued from the nearby sea to protect the dead body of the chief until it was retrieved for proper burial by his kinsmen. The animal is sculptured on many old (–1650) tombstones of the O'Kelly family in the Abbey of

Kilconnell Kilconnell () is a small rural village in County Galway, Ireland. The village gives its name to the barony of Kilconnell, formerly held by the Lords de Freyne. In 2006 David Tye purchased the original feudal Barony of Kilconnell created in 1170 ...

(founded ca. 1353 by King William Buidhe Ó Cellaigh), and in the old church of Cloonkeen. In 1859, an excavation project found a bronze 15th century O'Kelly seal 20 ft deep in a bog, prompting considerable research on the origins of the O'Kelly enfield on the seal: Williams (1989) suggests that the enfield on the crest of the O'Kelly's is derived from the

onchú An onchú is a mythical Irish animal. It is listed in the 12th Century ' ''Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib'' (The War of the Irish with the Foreigners) amongst the venomous beasts. A noted onchú is mentioned in ''Cathréim Cellaig'' (Cellach's Victor ...

Modern uses

The beast was on the coat of arms of the

Municipal Borough of Enfield Enfield was a local government district in Middlesex, England from 1850 to 1965. History The parish of Enfield adopted the Public Health Act 1848 in 1850, and formed a local board of health of 12 members to govern the area. The local board's ar ...

, which was amalgamated with the

Municipal Borough of Edmonton Edmonton was a local government district in north-east Middlesex, England, from 1850 to 1965. History Edmonton local board was formed in 1850 for the parish of Edmonton All Saints. In 1881 Southgate was separated from the Edmonton local board's ...

and the

Municipal Borough of Southgate Southgate was a local government district of Middlesex from 1881 to 1965. It was part of the London postal district and Metropolitan Police District. Incorporation and development The area was historically part of the parish of Edmonton, whic ...

to form the

London Borough of Enfield The London Borough of Enfield () is a London boroughs, London borough in North London. It borders the London boroughs of London Borough of Barnet, Barnet to the west, London Borough of Haringey, Haringey to the south, and London Borough of Walt ...

. It is unclear whether the beast has any historic connection with the town, but it still makes a striking example of

canting arms Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus. French heralds used the term (), as they would sound out the name of the armiger. Many armorial allus ...

. It is used on the logo and the modern

coat of arms of the London Borough of Enfield The coat of arms of the London Borough of Enfield is the official heraldic arms of the London Borough of Enfield, granted on 15 August 1966. The main charge on the shield is a mythological animal sometimes used in heraldry. This beast is called a ...

and as an emblem by some organisations there: for example, on the badges of Enfield County School,

Chace Community School Chace Community School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Forty Hill, Enfield Town, England. It is situated on Churchbury Lane with its fields backing on to Baker Street. Chace is spelled with a 'c' rather than a 's' ...

, Enfield Ignatians R.F.C. and of the football clubs Enfield (1893) F.C. and

Enfield Town F.C. Enfield Town Football Club is a football club based in Enfield, Greater London, England. Established in 2001 as a fan-led breakaway from Enfield, the club are currently members of the and play at the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium. The club b ...

, as well as

Oneida FC Oneida FC (Oneida Football Club) is a soccer club based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The organisation was estabished in 2011 and plays its home games at East Boston Memorial Stadium, owned by the city of Boston. The field also hosts American footb ...

. In Australia, it was used in the crest of the former

City of Enfield The City of Enfield (formerly District Council of Yatala South) was a local government area of South Australia from 1868 to 1996. It was known as Yatala South up until 1933, which was named for its local government area predecessor, the District ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

(which was named after the London borough), and is still used by the Enfield Brass Band. It is also used as the centrepiece of the squadron crest of 38 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force, in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

References

External links

The Enfield Society
{{Heraldic creatures Heraldic beasts Mythological hybrids