The picture at the top is made directly from the ring, and was printed in obituary of Campbell William Bushnell. Unfortunately there are no more Bushnells in our family line. This makes it all the more urgent to try to find out as much as possible. The family agrees that it is a shame to have it locked up where no one knows about it, destined to be just a ring.
Here is a paper that was written by Campbell William Bushnell in about 1928 which tells about the ring. There are others papers written up by his daughter, Agnes Bushnell, and also the obituary, but it seems the information was taken from paper.
The Bushnell Signet Ring
The ring is composed of iron or steel consisting of a tablet in which is countersunk the family crest or motto. The crest or coat of arms, is a winged dragon (wyvern) hovering over a crown. This family crest is much more ancient in itself than the motto underneath which dates about the time of the battle of Ivry, 1590.
The family tradition is that the Le Bourchenelles were the protectors and standard bearers of the kingdom of Navarre, and as such, one of my ancestors had charge of the standard of Henry, King of Navarre, at the battle of Ivry. The king, riding back after the defeat of the enemy, saw a standard flying, but apparently the knight had left it unprotected and unguarded. His temper flashed like fire, but when he reached the standard, his attitude changed to admiring pity, for the standard bearer, surrounded by a circle of dead foes, and driven the flag pike into the ground, fallen beside it his mailed hand supporting the flag in an upright position, where upon the king said, "Loyal a mort." The knight's epitaph, uttered by the kind of Navarre, became from that time the family motto. So we know that the knight's ring was made shortly after 1590.
As a result of the religious wars in France and the Huguenot persecution, the Le Bourchenelles emigrated to England, where the name became Anglicanized into Bushnell, the E having the sound of the French e'. The Bushnells gained certain prominence in military affairs in England, and one of the ancestors became an admiral of the British navy and an Artic explorer. The British admiralty chats show an island in the Artic named in honor of this ancestor, but the name is "Bushnall" Because of the sound of the French e', I presume.
The ring came to America shortly after the Pilgrim emigration in 1620, and the family settled in Saybrook, Connecticut. The ring is handed whenever possible, by the dying father to his eldest son shortly before life departs; but the family tradition has been taught the child through his entire life and he is urged to live worthy of his ancestry.
My grandfather was Campbell Bushnell. My Father saw his Grandfather, Gideon Bushnell, give the ring to Campbell Bushnell; and my father William Henry Bushnell gave it to me in March, 1889 and it has been in my possession ever since. The ring shows that it was probably made by an armorer, but the die sinking was evidently the work of a finished artist. The ring itself was apparently made separately from the tablet as the two are riveted together.
The ring was worn on the signet finger of the left hand and it the only genuine knight's ring I have ever seen with the exception of one owned by the Hope family of England. In our family there were several other signet rings bearing the crest, some of them quite valuable' but there is no question but that I have the original ring and that it is a very rare heirloom
By Campbell William Bushnell
Circa 1928
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Another piece of evidence that we have is this coat of arms which is associated with this Bushnell family, and can be found in the Bushnell Genealogy Book the crests match, but the mottos are a little different. The Ring says "Loyal a Mort" and the Coat of Arms says "Mes droits ou la mort". Family members say that this is because the coat of arms motto came first but when King Henry of Navarre found our dead hero, the motto was changed for this line of the family.
I have been trying to get beyond this information for many years and have made little headway, but I certainly have more questions. The Battle of Irvy was in 1590. I have not found anybody who would have died at that time.
Francis I Bushnell, was born in Thatcham England, Married in England in 1574, and died in 1625
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This, plus the fact that nothing lists any Bushnell as being in France, leads me to look to other wars. Certainly there were a bunch of them where our romantic tale might have taken place. I have looked at the death dates of everyone in our direct line and have not found a battle and a death date to match.
In Mathews' American Armoury and Blue Book, 1908, There is a listing for Francis Bushnell from Horsted, So. Sessex England, of Guilford CT, 1639. It is as follows:
Arms- Argent, Five Fusilis in Fesse Guiles, in Chief three Mullets Sable
Crest- On a Ducal Coronet a wivern, Sans Feet
Fairbairns' Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland lists the Motto for the Bushnell Family as "Loyal a la mort" Loyal until Death and also lists the Crest as the same as above.
The use of the Griffin certainly fits. According to Wade's Symbols of Hearldry, the Griffin sets forth the property of a valorous soldier whose magnanimity is such that he will dare all dangers, and even death itself, rather than become captive.
Please e-mail me if you have any information that might be helpful. I'm looking for anything that might give me a new lead. Anything on Signet rings, or heraldry, or wars where this might have taken place. Also, anything about the Thatchem England area, and the home or station of the family. Thank you for your help
Matthews' American Armoury and Blue Book, 1908 London, Eng, Printed for the Editor by Chas, Michell, 4 West Harding St, Fetter Lane, E.C.
Gairbairn's Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland Compiled from the best Authroities by James Fairbairn and Revised by Laurence Butters, Seal Engraver in ordinary to the Queen for Scotland, 1968 Charles E. Tuttle Co. Bublishers, Rutland, Vermont.
