Shield with links to pilgrimage goes up for auction

A 19th Century wooden shield with links to an ancient pilgrimage is going up for auction.

It features a heraldic lion beneath three scallops – all derived from the Duke of Bedford's coat of arms.

The same seashells also feature on the flag of the landlocked county of Bedfordshire.

Amanda Butler, director of auctioneers Hanson Ross, said that even today "pilgrims on the ancient route [to Santiago de Compostela] collect and wear scallop shells as a badge of honour and proof of their journey".

She added: "If you live in Bedfordshire, you will be familiar with the three shells on our flag.

"They feature on the coat of arms of the Russell family, who later became the dukes of Bedford."

According to experts, escallops – as they are known in heraldry – represent someone who has taken part in a pilgrimage.

Butler continued: "From the 11th Century onwards, Santiago de Compostela in Spain was one of the three great Christian pilgrimages, alongside Rome and Jerusalem."

She said the ribs on the shells were said to represent the many routes all leading to one shrine.

Families with an ancestor who completed the pilgrimage would incorporate the symbol into their coat of arms.

Butler said: "We don't know exactly which member of the Russell family went on this holy journey but one of them must have [done] or, at least, wanted to show support for such an endeavour."

The rampant lion is a common heraldic symbol for courage and nobility.

The crest features prominently around Woburn Abbey, the ancestral seat of the dukes of Bedford since it was granted to the 1st earl, John Russell, in 1547 by Edward VI.

The wooden shield goes under the hammer at Hanson Ross's auction in Woburn on 17 January.

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