i don't know but he took that sea monsters head off.... celeron is at the southern tip of chautauqua lake (sha ta kwa... iroqois indian for "jumping fish") south western ...new york state. which is not to be confused with NYC... far from it. this is a laid back peaceful... rural area.

French motto of the Order of the Garter, meaning "shame upon him who thinks evil of it"

very very cool

Yes Jeff, very cool indeed. Expanding a bit, this motto appears on a garter which surrounds the shield on the British Royal Coat of Arms. This garter symbolizes the Order of the Garter, an ancient order of British knighthood of which the Queen is sovereign.

Moreover, I interpret the winged rider on the dial to be a depiction of Saint George slaying the dragon, which is a legendary event in British history and is also commemorated on the Union Jack, which consists of the Cross of St. George superposed on the Cross of St. Andrew.

Don is right about Celeron. I have been to the site for historical research. Celeron was one of the numerous resort areas that were built around Chautauqua Lake in the late 1800's, and it was one of the most popular. It is located about five miles west of Jamestown, NY on the southshore of the lake. Aside from having several large frame resort hotels, it had a large, very popular amusement park. The park opened on May 18, 1894 and was in continuous operation until closing in 1962. All remnants of the park are gone, and the hotels have either burned or been razed.

The question--Could this dial have been something that could have been done at a booth in the amusement park? In the late 19th century, dial painting, etching and stenciling were very popular things that were done at county fairs and at amusement parks.

BTW, I know a family with the last name of Darling, who live in Ripley, NY. Ripley is just over the PA state line into Chautauqua county, which makes Ripley about 30 miles west of Celeron.
I'll try to check this out.

Tom

Here is the history of the Union Jack. Also referance to the Ensign and Jack staff on ships

The Union Flag, or Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom.

It is so called because it combines the emblems of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom).

The term Union Jack possibly dates from Queen Anne's time (reigned 1702-14), but its origin is uncertain. It may come from the 'jack-et' of the English or Scottish soldiers; or from the name of James I who originated the first union in 1603, in either its Latin or French form Jacobus or Jacques; or, as 'jack' once meant small, the name may be derived from a royal proclamation issued by Charles II that the Union Flag should be flown only by ships of the Royal Navy as a jack, a small flag at the bowsprit.

The flag consists of three heraldic crosses.

The cross of St George, patron saint of England since the 1270's, is a red cross on a white ground. After James I succeeded to the throne, it was combined with the cross of St. Andrew in 1606.

The cross saltire of St Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, is a diagonal white cross on a blue ground.

The cross saltire of St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, is a diagonal red cross on a white ground. This was combined with the previous Union Flag of St George and St Andrew, after the Act of Union of Ireland with England (and Wales) and Scotland on 1 January 1801, to create the Union Flag that has been flown ever since.

The Welsh dragon does not appear on the Union Flag. This is because when the first Union Flag was created in 1606, the Principality of Wales by that time was already united with England and was no longer a separate principality.

One more thing that maybe of interest, is the “Order of the Garter” has its feast day on 23rd of April, St George’s Day, hence the tentative link, to a dragon.

Something crossed my mind also looking at the fantasy picture, wouldn’t the wings have been better drawn on the horse, for catching flying dragons, must be a pain flying round carrying a horse all day
.

I spoke with my friend Dave Darling from Ripley, NY this afternoon. He was not familiar with the name Eldreth, but did say that he knew that several Darling families stll live in the Jamestown, NY area. He told me that he would be attending a family reunion this weekend and that he would ask other older family members. He said he would call me if he found anything out.

Tom

The connection between St George and the phrase "honi soit qui mal y pense" is through the English "order of the garter" which is the highest honor given to knights (or I assume noblemen) in England. The order was apparently originated by Edward III to invoke and reward support for his clain to be king of France, particularly prior to the battle of Crecy.

The Patron Saint of the Order was S. George.

"According to its historian, Elias Ashmole, it commemorated an occasion when King Edward III of England had "given forth his own garter as the signal for a battle," which Ashmole takes to be Crécy. "

The phrase itself seems to suggest some criticism of those who opposed the claims of the English king to the monarchy of France.

"The motto of the Order is a denunciation of those who think ill of some specific project, and not a mere pious invocation of evil upon evil-thinkers in general. "Shame be to him who thinks ill of it" was probably directed against anyone who should oppose the King's design on the French Crown. And it is significant that the colours of the garter - blue embroidered with gold - are those of the French Royal Arms. Furthermore, no French knights attended the feast of inauguration. All things considered, it seems highly likely that the Order originally represented the assembly of chivalry to aid King Edward of England to become King Edward of France."

quoted from cite: http://www.britannia.com/history/articles/garter.html

The name Eldreth has a very medieval English quality (or is it more continental, such as Elthelred?) --So perhaps either artist had some connection to the Order or was interested in its associations.

Jessica

I located this geneaological reference:

Eldreth Darling
Birth: abt 1872 - location
Residence: 1920 - city, Chautauqua, New York
Source: Census - 1920 United States Federal Census

and also came across this:

Eldreth C Darling
Birth: abt 1905 - location
Residence: 1930 - city, Chautauqua, New York
Source: Census - 1930 United States Federal Census

C Eldreth Darling
Birth: abt 1871 - location
Residence: 1930 - city, Chautauqua, New York
Source: Census - 1930 United States Federal Census


Seems like one of those two, probably the older, I'm guessing, was the owner of the dial--

Jessica

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gsfn=eldreth...=allgs&gss=asrf&so=3

HI Jessica, Thanks for the input on Eldreth. I did a google search and came up with nothing. Guess I don't know how to do it. My friend, Dave Darling, lives just outside of Ripley, NY. Ripley is about as far west in New York as you can get as it sits just across the PA state line in SW New York. Ripley is in Chautauqua County, and Chautauqua, NY is a small municipality where the Chautauqua Institute is located on the lake. A direct route from Ripley to Chautauqua would be about 10 miles. So, although Dave does not recognize Eldreth's name, he may be a long lost relation. Hope Dave can dig something up at his reunion this weekend.

Tom

Very nice dial. I like it. Outstanding research effort. Thanks.

Very nice thread, full of connections..