THREE CENTURIES OLD

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 298, 11 August 1932, Page 6

THREE CENTURIES OLD

PROCEEDINGS TAKEN FOR RECOVERY OF TAXES. A case that had its beginnings in tha escape of Charles (II from England during the Civil War metarly three centuries ago came bafore the Court of Faringdon, Berkshire, a few weeks ago. Frank Lane, an ironmonger, of Faringdon, was summoned for not paying duty for armorial bearings. Counsel for the prosecution said that Mr. Lane had informed the police that the crest h'e used was awarded to his family in consideration of services which one of his ancestors, Mistress x-.ane, performed for Charles II. Apparently, after Charles II had been defeated at the Battle of Wor-" cester in 1651 he escaped by hiding in an oak tree at Boscobel, Salop, and afterwards accompanied Mistress Lane on horseback as her servant to the coast, when he fled to the Continent. Later a crest was granted to the family of a strawberry-coloured horse of a similar colour to that on which the King and Mistress Lane escaped. Defending counsel pointed out that an authority on heraldry had written, "The Lane family is the only family in England not paying duty for its coat of arms, Charles II having granted as augm'entations the Royal arms, which are exempt from duty." The case was dismissed on payment of £1 ls costs, Mr. Lane undertaking not to use the bearings without paying tax. Mr. Lane is now wondering whether it will be worth while paying £1 ls a year to continue to display on his business notepaper armorial bearings which have decorated it for the last forty years. V/hen interviewed at his shop, Mr. Lane, who is a tall, weli built man o'f over sixty, with stronglymarked features, was cutting the armorial bearings out of. his trade notepaper. "After all," he said, "they are probably not worth a shilling to me so far .as my business is concerned. My father and my grandfathar used them before me. I have never troubled, however, to have them engraved on the family silver. "About a fortnight ago I wrote on a sheefc of business notepaper to the local police for a gunpowder license in conneetion with my business. A few days later a constable cam x and asked me whether I was aware that I had to have a license to use the armorial bearings. I told him what the authority on heraldry had written. 1 have not yet decided whether it will be worth my while to take out a licdnse."