1633
1833
In the early 16th century there was a well-known sackbut (trombone) player who worked for the Doge of Venice, named Maestro Jeronimo da Bassan. Jeronimo came from the village of Bassano del Grappa, about 35 miles from Venice. His father Baptista Piva (he played an instrument, the piva, a small bagpipe) was the son of Andrea de Crespano. In the early part of the 15th century this family had lived and owned land on the outskirts of the village of Crespano, about nine miles east of Bassano. Grandfather Andrea, father Baptista and son Jeronimo appear in everything recorded of them as musicians and musical instrument makers.[1]
Sometime in the 15th century Jeronimo moved to Bassano, where his six sons were born. His sons were also musicians and musical instrument makers. In the beginning of the 16th century Jeronimo moved to Venice to work for the Doge. At that time the family name changed to a combination of patronymic plus place name, i.e. - Anthony de Jeronimo da Bassan. In 1538/39 King Henry VIII's emissary to England invited Alvise, John, Anthony, Jasper, and Baptista to become court musicians for the king. The sixth brother, Jacomo, chose to remain in Bassano. Sometime after their arrival at London the brothers dropped 'de Jeronimo' from their own names and became simply the Bassanos.
Nearly 100 years later, in 1633, a Bassano coat-of-arms was granted to three grandsons of Anthony Bassano, one of the original five musician brothers. One of the petitioners was Anthony II (son of Arthur), who was a gentleman of various occupations, a haberdasher, a musician, and probably an instrument maker as well. Andrea (son of Arthur), and Nowell (son of Jeronimo II), the other two petitioners, were both ordinance clerks. This 1633 coat-of-arms had silkworms and a mulberry tree prominently displayed on its shield. Yet, this was a family of Tudor court musicians, never associated with the silk trade and consistently on record as musicians since the 15th century. Why would their 1633 coat-of-arms emphasize such devices?
In the Visitation of Essex for 1634 the Bassano coat-of-arms was again published, this time with no picture of the crest shown. The arms were described as a 'leaved branch' with 'three butterflies argent' displayed. So, we have silkworms, moths, and butterflies listed for this coat-of-arms. It seems to be a very strange device for a well-known and established court musician family. The 1634 family tree had all five of Anthony Sr.'s sons attached to the grant of arms. At that date only one of those sons, Jeronimo II, was still alive. He would die the following year. It is Jeronimo II's progeny who would benefit from this coat-of-arms.
It would be almost 200 years later before the Bassano coat-of-arms was published again. This time, in 1833, it appeared in Glover's History and Gazetteer of the County of Derby. The crest was displayed and the arms were said to be three silkworm moths with a laurel tree at its base. An explanation printed below the crest explains, "this line descends (as it had before) from Anthony Bassano's family and was collected from the records of the London College of Arms". Only Anthony's descendants (of the original group of five Italian brothers) seem to have applied for and received this coat-of-arms. As far as is known, none of the other brothers was granted a coat-of-arms.
It is proposed here that the family coat-of-arms used in England was, in fact, a copy of a civic coat-of-arms used by the town of Bassano. When Anthony Bassano's descendants achieved a certain social status which enabled them to apply for a coat-of-arms, they selected one that was used by the town in which their ancestors had been born. The family, itself, had never been armigerous and so looked back to their Italian origins for an appropriate coat-of-arms to represent themselves. The town of Bassano had been a recognized center for silk weaving in the 14th and 15th centuries and the prominence of that industry is entirely consistent with an official civic seal displaying silk moths and a mulberry tree. Its complete disassociation with the occupational activities of the family of Bassano in England, as well as their ancestors and descendants, all of whom were musicians, makes this explanation a reasonable one.
Barbara L. Harrison
_________________________________________________________
1. Alessio Ruffatti, La Famiglia Pive-Bassano Nei Document
Degli Archevi Di Bassano Del Grappa, Musica E Storia,
2 December 1998.
Copying is permitted for noncommercial, educational use by individuals and libraries.
This message must appear on all copied material. Any commercial use is prohibited.
Copyright 2004 by Barbara L. Harrison.