An Obscure Trophy

A hand-painted copy of this coat-of-arms has been in my family’s possession for over 150 years.  It was passed from great-grandparents on my mother’s side to their son, my mother’s grandfather.  On the back is a handwritten short version of the reason for the awarding of the crest, dated October 6, 1540.  I saw the framed copy as a child, at an age when my reading preference was tales of knights and chivalry.  I dreamed of being someone of noble birth.