GIVES WALTER SCOTT'S ACCOUNT OF ORIGIN OF IRVING FAMILY NAME

IRVING, WASHINGTON.

Autograph Letter Signed, to Richard H. Henderson, et al. [members of a literary society?], describing the Scottish origin of his family name, motto, and coat of arms, as related to him by Walter Scott and, in the postscript, describing the coat of arms: "Escutcheon / Three bunches each of three / holly leaves tied together with a red band. / The shield azure. / Crest, a band in a gauntlet holding / three holly leaves," bound into custom book containing inlaid portrait of Irving engraved by Charles Martin in 1851, calligraphic title page, typed transcription, followed by over 30 blank leaves. The book, 4to, red morocco, spines in six compartments with raised bands, gilt titling on front cover and spine, some rubbing to edges; all edges gilt, front hinge cracked. The letter, 3 pages, 4to; second leaf inlaid and bound in, few small holes at fold intersections with one touching signature, minor staining to upper corners. (SFC)
New York, March 1848

". . . I beg you will communicate . . . to your society with the assurance of my deep and grateful sense of the honor they have done me in electing me a member, and still more in thinking my name worthy of being chosen for their designation.

"You ask for device and motto for your banner and badges. If you wish them to have any connexion with the name you have honored, I would observe that the device of the Scottish family of Irving from which I claim descent is the holly leaf, the motto Sub sole sub umbra virens. These were the armorial bearings of Robert Bruce when a fugitive and in disguise in Scotland and were probably intended to signify his confidence that his fortunes, like the evergreen he had adopted as an emblem, would survive every vicissitude. In a moment of his greatest adversity he was harboured in the house of an Irving who gave him his son as a shield bearer. He afterwards bestowed these arms upon the family in token of their loyalty to him when in misfortune. . . .

"At the risk of being tedious I will give you the Scottish tradition of the circumstance as related to me by Sir Walter Scott. . . ."

Condition
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