ARMS, CREST AND MOTTO OF SAMUEL GRUBB (1750-1815)
CORN MERCHANT AND MILLER IN CLONMEL, TIPPERARY

Samuel Grubb was the third son of Joseph and Mary Grubb and his father can truly be described as the founder of the Tipperary Grubb family fortunes. Joseph (1709-1782) was the son of John Grubb (1682-1731), who had died in poverty in 1731 on his return to Ireland after an abortive journey to America to build a ship and settle his debts. On his fatherís death, Joseph was given an opening in the developing corn trade in Clonmel through Quaker friends and was to spend all his life in Clonmel as a miller, soon owning his own mill and building or buying others for four of his five sons as they came to manhood.

As the sons developed their own milling businesses in Clonmel in the last quarter of the 18th Century, the town became known as the ìcity of the Grubbsî. Not only were all the mills and the corn trade in Grubb hands but so was the grocery and provision trade. Sundry Grubbs had taken an increasing share in the drapery and Brewing trades and, before long, developed an interest in boatbuilding and the better navigation of the River Suir whilst others turned to engineering and piping and the making of instruments.

Of his five sons, Samuel was sent away to Ballitore School, a boarding school 25 miles south of Dublin and returned in 1767 to join his father and brothers in the Grubb mills spread around Clonmel. There is no doubt that he prospered in the corn trade and he chose to retire from business at the age of 50. At this time the unrest in Ireland following the rebellion of 1798 forced Samuel and his wife, Margaret, to move to the lovely village of Clogheen, 15 miles from Clonmel, where he bought a commodious house called Clashleigh and acquired land by the River Suir where he built a new mill. With this move to Clogheen at the turn of the century, a new life as country gentry opened up for the Grubb family at Clogheen and their Quaker beliefs mellowed as they became truly Irish. With adequate income and leisure time on their hands, Clashleigh provided the space, the comfort and the feeling of elegance that formed the perfect background to family life.

Probably because of his changed situation and possibly at the urging of younger family members, Samuel applied for and was granted a coat-of-arms. The motto he chose ìBonne et Assez Belleî can be translated as ìGood and beautiful enoughî and Geoffrey Watkins Grubb, author of ìThe Grubbs of Tipperaryî would have us believe that it was chosen in reference to the beauty of the Grubb ladies and the unfailingly good taste of the Grubb men of the time. We also read that Samuel also ordered two large canteens of cutlery in Dublin for use by the family, all inscribed with the new coat of arms. Other family silverware was similarly marked and over the years some has found it way into the auction room.

It is important to bear in mind the first principle of armory, namely, that every coat of arms should be unique ñ one man, one coat. Hence any reference to a ìfamily coat of armsî can only relate to the descendants of the original bearer and even then they are required to apply distinguishing marks, or brisures, each appropriate to a specific male member of a family, to the original arms to denote their station, a process known as cadency. Therefore for any person, bearing the same name as a bearer of arms but not related to that bearer, to claim the same family coat of arms is not in the true spirit of heraldry.