William Gough, 1481

To all true Xpian people these prsent tres readinge heareing or seeing I Thomas Holme Knight otherwise called Clarenceaux principall Herauld & King of Arms of the south parts of this Realme of England sendeth due and humble Comendacons and Greetinge as that appertaineth in our lord god euerlasting Equity Willeth and reason ordaineth that men vertuous and of noble Courage be by theire merritts renowned & not only in their persons in this mortal life soe breife and transitory but alsoe in their good name & fame to be of noble memory after their departure out of this life and to be in euery place of honor before other persons euer more reuerenced, and recomended for shewinge of certeyne signs and tokens of honor and Gentellnes to the Inent yt by their Ensamples other persons may the sooner and the more enforce & apply themselues to dispend the liues in honoble workes and vertuous deeds for to purchase and get thereby the renowne of Antient gentlenesse in ye Lynes and posterity for euer more and therefore I the sayd King of Armes yt only by common renowne but by my owne Knowledge alsoe and of ye report of many other Credible and other psons am verily assarteyned that William Gough Gentleman of the County of Chester hath long continued in virtue and in all his Actes and demeaneings hath well sadly and honorbly guided & Gouerned himselfe soe that he hath deserued & is right worthy he and his posterity to be in all places of Worshipp, admitted, renowned, accounted, numbred, accepted and receiued into ye number and Company of other Antient Gentills, and noble men ppetually from henceforth, and for remembrance and consideracon of the same, his gentlenes virtues & abillity by the Authority & power to myne Office annexed and Attributed, I the said King of Armes haue deuised, ordained and assigned vnto and for the same William to him and his posterity the Armes hereafter following, That is to say he beareth Azure betweene three boars heades siluer Armed gould, the Creast vpon a healme, a Boares head gules, about his Necke a Coller, about his necke a Cheyne gould enarmed of the same, and a Boare Speare broken in his mouth the head siluer, and the shaft sable, sett with a wreath Gould & vert the Mantle Azure ffurred with Ermyne as more plainely appeareth in this Margent depicted To haue and to hold the same Armes to the sayd William and theire honor peaceably without Challenge or Interrupcon for euermore In Witnes whereof I the said King of Armes haue signed these prsents with myne own hand and sealed the same with me seale of Authority at London the 12th day of the month of December the 21st yeare of the Raigne of our Soueraigne Lord King Edward the fourth.

Harleian Society Publications Volumes 76-77: A Collection of Miscellaneous Grants by Willoughby A. Littledale (London: J. Whitehead & Son, 1925)

[Source: Fifteenth Century Patents of Arms]