Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Calday Grammar School Crest

What is the history behind the Calday grammar school crest/badge? The significence of the horn the wheat and thre two lions?? What about the shield with the two red stripes???


Thanks in advance guys any help with this will be very much appreciated

The three sheaves of wheat are part of the arms of Cheshire. The horn may be the Wirral horn.


The Wirral Horn is an important emblem of Wirral borough’s history. The 900-year-old Horn was given to Alan Sylvester, the first Forester of Wirral, in about the year 1130. Wirral was declared a ‘Forest’ – land designated for hunting – in about 1130 and remained so for the next 200 years. The Horn of Wirral, indicated tenure by cornage, of the Master-Forester, a form of feudal tenure which required the tenant to blow a horn giving notice of raids by the enemy.

The motto means "Without the Lord, all is in vain"
The two words in the book at the bottom mean "Let there be light"
I can't make any suggestions about the shields. If you really want to know, I'd ask the school secretary.

The two lions are from the coat of arms of William Glegg who founded the school.

The red and white seems to be from the Bennett coat of arms, for Thomas Bennett of Frankby, a benefactor of the school

Thanks, Cobby; would that be the same Glegg who gave his name to the Glegg Arms at Gayton?

Incidentally, it's Caldy, not Calday.

it's calday, not caldy

Is this the school ? hope this clears up the spelling.

Sorry, my mistake. I thought it took its name from the place, but apparently not. I suppose I should have known as my school used to play them at cricket.
I now suspect that the place, Caldy, may have originally been called Calday; should do my research better.

It does take its name from the place, but the place is Calday Grange (now just known as Grange), which was a separate settlement from the village of Caldy. Whether either of them were ever spelled the other way I don't know!

The Glegg Arms will most certainly have been named after the Glegg family, who were one of the most important families on the Wirral in the 14th-19th centuries, their main family home being Gayton Hall.

eta - interesting theory on the origin of the name Calday at http://www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/history/Hw1_56k/westkirby.htm...

The haystacks relate to the Wirral Hundred and are a verison of the Cheshire badge - minus a sword from the middle.

These 3 stacks can be seen in a number of local badges - such as the West Kirby Grammar School for girls badge - which is just the 3 stacks.....

I think "Haystacks" is a bit of a misnomer. In heraldry, they're "garbs" which means a sheaf. I didn't know they related to the Hundred of Wirral; I've only ever seen them with the sword as part of the arms of Cheshire.