WALTER HUNGERFORD AND ELIZABETH FITZ-JOHN

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Sir. Walter, like his elder brother, represented Wiltshire in parliaments from 1331 through 1336, and held several minor offices in local government.  He was finally replaced as coroner in the 19th Edward III  (1346) since he was too feeble to carry out his duties.

The early Hungerford family had no coat of arms, but used the sickle as their symbol.  Usually the emblem consisted of three sickles formed into a triangular knot.  This device may still be seen on the archway at Farleigh-Hungerford and in other places.  The family burial monuments in Salisbury Cathedral and elsewhere are frequently marked with a large number of individual sickles.

When the first Lord Walter was officially granted a coat of arms, it contained several elements, which indicate the origins of the family holdings.  The familiar black shield divided by two silver bars and adorned with three silver coins was originally the device awarded the Fitz-John family and inherited through Sir. Walter's marriage.  The crest consists of a golden sheaf of wheat, a garb, indicating the Peverell marriage and the inheritance of that Lord Walter.  Two silver sickles, the familiar Hungerford emblem, bracket the garb. 

Sources:
New England Historical & Genealogical Society
Norline Thomas
The Hungerford Association
Richard Hungerford Jr.
www.geocities.com/heartland/5616/farimerc.htm

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