Account of the Arms

The armorial bearings of the House of Stapleton are traditionally associated with the family’s connection to the elder line of Bruce. Miles Stapleton (c.1263–1314), by marriage into that house, is said to have adopted the lion as a mark of that alliance, a device thereafter borne by his descendants.

A later tradition concerns Sir Brian Stapleton (c.1320–1394), who served the Crown during the reign of King Richard II. In the course of these campaigns, he is recorded as having distinguished himself in action, and it is from this period that the origin of the crest is generally derived.

The Saracen’s head appearing in the crest has long been understood as a memorial of that service, symbolizing both martial distinction and the enduring association of the House with loyalty and defense of the Crown.

While the precise circumstances of these events cannot now be verified in full, the association of the lion with the Bruce connection, and of the crest with martial service, has been consistently maintained within the heraldic tradition of the family.

As such, the arms stand not merely as decorative devices, but as enduring symbols of lineage, alliance, and service, preserved across generations as part of the historical record of the House.