|
When the grave of John Lewis, a native of Monmouthshire, Wales was discovered in 1948 by Dr. Malcolm H. Harris on Poropotank Creek in King and Queen County, Virginia, a fragment of his tombstone was inscribed with a portion of his coat of arms. Dr. Harris wrote, "Above the inscription is the lower half of a coat of arms which is plainly impaled (2 vertical divisions) or quartered (4 or more divisions). In the lower dexter three chevronels may be seen and the sinister a device so worn and chipped to be illegible. In the marshalling or quartering of arms, the first quarter would be occupied by the most important armiger which is determined by the original grant, in this instance the arms of Lewis-a dragon or griffin bearing in it's mouth a bloody hand; the other quarterings following in genealogical order in which they have been brought into the composition. With two-thirds of this sculptured escutcheon missing it is impossible to identify what the other armigers may been brought in." As can be seen, the missing parts of the tombstone preclude one from re.constructing the John Lewis Coat of Arms. Therefore, one must narrow any description to what would appear in the first quarter of the arms, that being the most important armiger---the head of a dragon or griffin bearing a bloody hand in it's mouth. 
 An artist's conception of this part of the John Lewis Coat of Arms is on display at the library in Huntsville, Alabama and can be described as follows: Shield (Wales). Argent, a dragon head and neck erased vert, holding in the mouth ~ bloody arm, proper. Motto: Omne Solum Forti Patria Est. Colors. Argent (Silver) symbolizes truth, justice and humility. Vert (Green) symbolizes faith and hope. Proper. In its natural colors. This same crest or coat of arms is pictured in the books entitled Some Prominent Virginia Families by Louise P. duBellet, Crozier's General Armory by William A.Crozier and Bolton's American Armory by Charles Knowles Bolton. The coat of arms of John Lewis the Councilor, son of Major John Lewis, both descendants of John Lewis, native of Monmouthshire, Wales is dis.cussed in the Virginia Heraldica by William Armstrong Crozier. A descrip.tion includes one quarter of his arms as having the head of a dragon or a griffin with a bloody hand in it's mouth. There are other quarters with items to make up the normal features of a coat of arms. One would describe this coat of arms as follows: Arms: Quarterly. 1. Argent a dragon head and neck erased vert, hold.ing in the mouth a bloody hand (Lewis). 2. Gules three towers triple towered argent (Howell). 3. Argent three chevronels (not identified) 4. Argent three torteaux (not identified). 5. Argent a chief azure three lozenges or. (Fielding). 6. Vert a cross engraved or. (Warner). 7. Azure three bowls argent, out of each boar's head. Crest: Argent a dragon's head and neck erased vert, holding in its mouth a bloody hand. With respest to the mottoo: "Omne Solum Forti Patricia, Est", the meaning is ""Every land is a brave man's country". Footnotes: Nathaniel Lewis of Madison County Alabama - Colonel Leroy Lewis Copyright Craingen 2005 May not be used for a commercial purpose. |