'A silver tower Dorset's red banner bears'

[pth1145]

This is a quote from Drayton's epic poem about Azincourt (Agincourt) written about 100 years after the event. He was talking about the banners of detachments waiting to board ships for France and his other descriptions of banners from Cornwall, Kent etc. are fairly on the ball.

Has anyone any idea who would have had such a banner? It wasn't the Earl of Dorset. The Society of Dorset Men have adopted this quote as a flag motto in addition to their 'Who's Afear'd', but they appear to have no further information. I haven't been able to find anything on the net and I even tried the BBC's 'Making History' programme but without success.

Your assistance, my lords, ladies, gentlefolk and the rough & ready, would be much appreciated!

Yours aye

Patrick

[Brother Ranulf]

Gilbert de la Tour of Dorset bore "Azure, a tower argent, embattled and domed, the port gules". The de la Tours married into the Russell family of Kingston Russell in the early 1300s (Eleanor de la Tour married Theobald Russell as his second wife and they had a son, William). Not certain how the arms might be transferred in such a case, though. I can't trace anything else on the de la Tours, but it might be worth following that lead if you can.

These arms would be blue with a silver tower, not red.

[pth1145]

Thank you, Brother.