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Diamond Paws
Stafford Knot
History
The Stafford knot was the symbol of the Stafford family and came about in the 14th century. It was used by the men to adorn their helmets, shields and other property to identify the family they represented. Over the years this symbol has been passed down generations after generations even being used today in modern times. The Stafford family has authorized its use on many buildings and churches in the town of Staffordshire. Thus the name of the knot being called the Staffordshire knot, however this is incorrect and should always be called by its proper name the STAFFORD KNOT.
Another story that has existed for many centuries on how the knot was created when there were three criminals sentenced to be hanged at Stafford. When the executioner arrived at the town he found that he only had one rope to deal with the hapless trio. At that time it was illegal to postpone the execution or to give one of the three precedence over the others. So the executioner devised a method whereby he could comply with the law by making the rope into three loops and dispatching the three together. A variation on this story has one of the convicts as the inventor of the knot - and being spared his sentence for devising the solution!
For more information and other perspectives (and also how to actually make your own Stafford knot) check out the links below.
Online Stafford Knot references:
A Genealogical Resource - The History of the Staffordshire Knot
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