Enhanced image
Description
Winged angel on the south side of NA5, holding a heraldic shield. The figure has outstretched wings and a frontal head and torso. Painted decoration survives on the figure, wings and shield.
Heraldry
Blazon: Sable, a bend Or between six fountains proper.
A gold diagonal band on a black field, between six roundels patterned with blue-and-white waves. These heraldic “fountains” represent water.
Identification: Stourton — high confidence. The visible arms match the Stourton coat recorded in the Dictionary of British Arms (DBA), supporting both earlier identifications. The family’s association with Stourton in Wiltshire provides a local connection, but this shield has not been attributed to a particular individual.
Earlier interpretations:
RCHME: “Sable, a bend or between six fountains, for Stourton.”
Buckeridge: “STOURTON.”
DBA: Volume I, p.391, under Sable, a bend Or between six fountains proper: Stourton, with spelling variants.
Tap for more details about the Stourton family
Condition
The carving appears substantially intact in this view, including the head, torso, wings, hands and shield. Painted decoration survives well, with visible wear, fading and localised losses, particularly around the lower part of the shield.