Sir Francis Chichester, 1901-1972
Arms: Chequy Or and Gules a chief Vair charged for difference with a rose Gules barbed and seeded proper itself charged with a crescent Argent.
SOURCE, NOTES & CREDITS: Source for blazon: p.122, “Debrett’s Baronetage, Knightage
& Companionage, 1904” reworked by J.H. Gaylor. Source for Black and White illustration for background purposes: same. Source for text: Same, plus “BP”, 107th Ed., 2003 page 775 and “Francis Chichester”, by Anita Leslie, Walker and Co., New York, 1975.
Sir Francis Charles Chichester, KBE, born on 17 September 1901 became an aviator and sailor, he completed the first solo circumnavigation from Greenwich, England with a single stop in Sydney, Australia back to Greenwich in 91 days on 14 May 1967 in a ketch named Gypsy Moth IV. In July 1967 He was knighted By Queen Elizabeth II publicly at Greenwich with the same sword Queen Elizabeth I used to knight Sir Francis Drake. Sir Francis was the second son of the Rev. Charles Chichester, seventh son of the Sir Arthur Chichester of Raleigh, Bt, 8th Baronet. So this set of his arms shows the differencing for the second son of a seventh son in the English manner: a rose Gules barbed and seeded proper itself charged with a crescent Argent. Sir Francis Chichester died on 26 August 1972. dqw
The artwork is a rendering by John Hamilton Gaylor
Wedvick Armorial, 104, Chichester, 20090513
