Devon Notes and Queries, 13 The John Carew who wrote the first letter was the second son of Richard Carew, of Antony, by Julian his wife, daughter of John Arundell, of Trerise. He married at ^. Thomas, Exeter, 9th Dec., 1616, Alice, daughter of John Helman, of Furland (Furlonge in the MS.) by whom he had several children (see Vivian's Visitations of Cornwall, p. 69), and it was to maintain the right of that lady's father, although strange to say the surname is not mentioned, that the letter in question was written ; the result of this letter is shown by a pedigree of seven generations in the male line, and the arms 9ert. on a chev, betw. three pheons or. Jive guttSe de sang, being inserted in the official copy of the Visitation, whereas had not John Carew bestirred himself in the matter the family had been marked as "ignoble" (see Helman; Vivian* s Visitations of Devon.) The second letter is from Sir William Pole, the antiquary, to William Camden, then Clarenceux, and the reliant appeal of our antiquary to the learning and courtesy of Camden is delightful. Sir William Pole attached his seal to this letter which still remains perfect. It has his ancient arms and the crest of the lion's paw erect and erased, borne by his line •of the family. The result in this case was that a pedigree with a shield of quarterings (see Visitation of Devon, 1620, Harl. Soc., Vol. V) including the coat of Bonvill was inserted in the official visitation, but the crest was not tricked, while the illuminated pedigree made out for Sir William had the crest, as appears from a copy at Shute. But, indeed, the gentle reader, if he is so minded, shall find some of the heralds still following in the steps of Cam- den's deputies, for they will have nothing to do with ancient evidences outside their official records. In fact at present, — in <iefiance of overpowering evidence to the contrary, and that the crest was placed under Camden's eyes, who with the request to do what was right and the promise of sufficient recompense, no more questioned the right of Pole of Shute to the crest than he did to the arms, — some of the heralds of to-day deny that Pole of Shute has any crest, and at their instigation it has been removed from the arms of that family in the Baronetages. Indeed, I have seen a letter from a herald who denies there is any such thing in heraldry as
