English: Canting arms of de Stevenstone family, lords of the manor of Stevenstone, in the parish of St Giles in the Wood, near Great Torrington, Devon: Argent, a chevron between three hands grasping a flintstone sable ("Steven's stone", possessive indicated by a grasping fist). Canting arms: If the concept of "possession" may best be depicted by a grasping grabbing clenched fist, and if that fist may be assumed to belong to a man named "Steven", then this crest shows "Steven's stone". These were the canting arms of the mediaeval possessor of this manor, the de Stevenstone family. The original Anglo-Saxon name of the manor was no doubt nothing to do with stones/rocks, but simply "Steven's ton/tun/town", the very common ending denoting "settlement/manor/estate/farm". The Christian story of the "Stoning of Stephen" associates the name with stones held in fists. These arms were quartered by Monck (Carew's Scroll of Arms, no.537) of nearby Potheridge in the parish of Merton, of which family was the Duke of Albemarle
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New version based on image published in Alexander, J.J. & Hooper, W.R., History of Great Torrington, Sutton, 1948
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