A 1905 Document, Concerning a Coat of Arms of the Jameson Family

True copy of rough sketch
of the original Jameson
Coat of arms, with attached
explanatory merorandum,
sent to James Jameson Esq}
of Airfield Donnybrook Dublin,
by William W. Jameson Esq}
30th October 1852

J. R. Jameson
               Colonel
13 Eden Park, Sandycove, X.05

_________

In the time of James 1st King of
Scotland, two brothers of the name of
Jamesone from aberdeen, Ship owners and
Mariners, fitted out and manned & armed their
Ships. for an expidition against Norwigian
Pirates and other of the Kings Enemies who
at that time infester the North Coast of
Scotland. They were succesful in their
expedition and did good service for the country.
In acknowledgement of wick King James
was pleased to grant them armorial Bear-
ings - A Shield with three Anchors
divided by a Fese wavy - For a crest
a Roman Galley armed. with sails
spread and flags displayed = proper -. The
Motto. Sine metu. ad Littora tendid -
This the brothers divided one adopting
the first, the other the second part
of it.

___________

the 'arms' sketch here

Sine Metu ad Littora Tendit

In 1905, a James Robert Jameson (1849-1924), sent his younger brother, Sidney Bellingham Jameson (1857-1932), this document (transcription on the left) recounting an October 30th, 1852 letter their father James Jameson (1821-1889), had received from his brother - their uncle, William. W. Jameson (1818-1896), describing a family legend about "the original Jameson Coat of Arms," with crest and motto, and how it all came about, including a drawing of those arms.

The above is a reproduction of the original 1905 document, now in the personal collection of Ian Jameson, grandson of Sidney Bellingham Jameson (1857-1932), all part of the same branch of the Dublin Whiskey Jameson family.

This 1905 document is directly referencing a specific 1852 letter to the elder James Jameson from his brother William. That 1852 letter (which can be found here) was referencing earlier correspondence with the family patriarch, John Jameson (1740-1824), of Alloa, Scotland, which itself is the original source of the material in both the 1852 and this 1905 document.

The reason or purpose for this document, is not known, but it is somewhat officious in it's presentation and does not read as a personal correspondence might be thought to read.

It should be noted, that at the time this was written, other parts of the this same Jameson family had already matriculated and were using an altogether different coat of arms, which, apart from a portion of the motto, is not described or explained in any of the above detailed documents.

As far as can be determined, the Whiskey Jameson family has not ever used the three anchor design arms as their own. When any arms have been used, which includes arms used by a cousin, George Jameson (1854-1936), as well as arms granted to and used by another brother, Reverend John Jameson (1816-1872), as well as his sons, James Francis Jameson (1848-1896) and Maurice Eyre Francis Bellingham Jameson (1888-1950); all have always used the arms with a blue background, a gold saltire and three ships and a horn design. The Whiskey Company's logo however, has used a coat of arms with the three anchor design, but that logo did not appear until the mid 1900s and may have been more likely of a marketing tool then a family record.

According to Ian Jameson (above), the Jameson arms actually used by his family (including his own) are based on the arms used by his ancestor, Thomas Jamesone (1642), of Alloa, Scotland.