"[Heraldry] The Right Honourable Norborne Berkeley, Baron Botetourt", Edmondson, Joseph

This beautiful folio page presents the heraldry of Norborne Berkeley (1717 - 1768), Lord Botetourt. He was the Governor of the Virginia Colony where he died at age 52. Rejecting the role of an iron-fisted colonial ruler, Berkeley was a generous, courteous, and sympathetic man who was greatly loved by his constituents. He also gave substantial sums of his personal wealth to establish what is now Eastern State Hospital, a work house for the poor, plus other philanthropic endeavors. In 1801 Virginians erected a statue in his memory which stood first at the Old Capitol building, then at the College of William and Mary. Today a replica stands in the College Yard while the original graces the Earl Gregg Swem Library. This coat of arms features the family's crest, with a unicorn above, while the supporters of the arms are two young women. The motto Resurgo Rege Favente, in a ribbon across the bottom, roughly translates from Latin to "I arise by the King's Favor." Plate number 359 is at upper right. On a full 13.8 x 20.7" sheet.

This engraving is from Joseph Edmondson’s huge five volume "Baronagium Genealogium, or the Pedigrees of the English Peers deduced from earliest times" which is considered as one of the most beautifully illustrated and comprehensive records of 18th century Heraldry. Some of Europe’s finest artists were hired to engrave these coats-of-arms of notables of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Edmondson started as a coach painter, but his fine artistic talent for painting coats-of-armor on carriages soon developed into separate work from English nobility. This led him to a serious study of heraldry and genealogy, and in 1764, the College of Arms named him Mowbray Herald Extraordinary.

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Condition: A

A couple light spots in image, a few more in margins, still very good. Beautiful original color, dark impression on thick paper with very wide margins. Old ink price along edge at lower left.