Armorial Fishers

“Burke’s General Armoury" (1984) describes of over 40 separate of coats-of-arms granted to members of Fisher families. It is likely that when all Heralds’ Visitations of the 17th century and later sources have been consulted there will be many more. Amongst these are the Brocklebank, originally a Fisher family from Cumbria, who assumed the name in the 19th century.  Other modern grants include:

  • Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Fisher, First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, created Baron Fisher of Kilverstone, co. Norfolk (peerage of the United Kingdom) in 1909. Arms: Argent, in chief two demi-lions rampant erased gules, and in base the stern of an ancient battleship showing three lanterns proper. [Source: “Debrett’s Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, 1970”]
  • Geoffrey Fisher, 99th Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England, 1945, who officiated at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 was created Baron Fisher of Lambeth, co. London (Life Baron) in 1961. Arms: Argent, a fess wavy between three fleur de lis sable. [Source: “Debrett’s Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, 1970”]

The Arms of Sir Edward Fisher of Warwick

Visitations

Bedforshire, 1634

  • The Arms of Gedeon Fisher of Carleton: Per bend or and gules, a griffin segreant countercharged within a bordure vair argent and azure.

Kent, 1619

  • The Arms of Walter Fisher of Maidstone: Quarterly 1 & 4 Argent on a chief gules a dolphin embowed of the field; 2 Or two bars couped gules between as many flanches of the last; 3 Argent billittée and a fesse dancettée sable; over all a crescent.

Northamptonshire, 1564

  • The Arms of John Fisher of Hartwell Park: Or a chevron vair between three demi-lions rampant and erased gules.

The Arms of John Fisher of Packington

Heraldry uses an archaic ‘language’ to describe arms and crests and observes complex rules which govern the display and construction of arms. Often the charges used in arms give clues to relationships between families. Of the coats-of-arms listed in the “General Armoury” 15 are charged with three demi-lions rampant, 3 with three kingfishers proper, 3 with a kingfisher proper and 3 with a dolphin embowed. The remainder use a variety charges including stags, otters, tigers, salmon, falcons, fleur-de-lis, trefoils and griffins.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  

      The Arms of Sir Edward Fisher of Mickleton, Glos.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

The Fishers of Chetwynd & the Bishop of Rochester

Three demi-lions rampant is characteristic of the Arms of the family of Robert Fisher of Chetwynd, Shropshire, described in “Burke’s Landed Gentry”. Their lineage descends from an Osbernus Piscator who held lands in Bedfordshire in 1086. Over the next few centuries the family dispersed to other counties. In Staffordshire Alanus Piscator was located at Alderways in the late 12th century, his descendant was Nicholas Piscator alias Fisher from whom descend the baronets: Sir Robert Fisher of Packington, co. Warkwickshire, 1622 and Sir Thomas Fisher of St. Giles, co. Middlesex, 1627.

By the mid 14th century the family had reached the northern counties of England: William Fisher, 1334, of Beverley, Yorkshire and John Fisher, 1361, of Urswick in Furness, Lancashire. In the 15th century the family was established in the neighbourhood of Cockermouth when John Fisher was seised in fee of Borrowdale Grange within the lordship of Borrowdale, this estate had by 1568 descended to his great grandson, another John Fisher, when lands in Brackenthwaite were conveyed to the Fisher family, who also held lands in Cockermouth and the adjoining parishes of Embleton, Lorton, Bassenthwaite and Crosthwaite. [Burke’s Landed Gentry, (Vol. 3 supp. 1853)]

Although the Burke’s extract does not offer the detail, we have a lineage from Osbernus Piscator (c. 1086) to Nicholas Piscator (c. 1300) implying the hereditary use of an occupational surname by a landed family from a period antedating the widespread adoption of hereditary surnames. This is so unusual that it invites a degree of scepticism. However, this is surpassed by the claims by Richard von Fischer-Treuenfeld [1894, “Lord Johan Fyssher….. An historical, genealogical and heraldic research”] who argues that the grandfather of St. John Fisher, bishop of Rochester (d.1535) was a German immigrant whose 11th century ancestor, Zwickerus Piscator was the putative head of a family that ramified widely across Europe. This intriguing claim could be resolved by testing the DNA of the various branches of this family.

Contact: fisher@one-name.org