ON CHESS
VI - Origin of the names of Chess-men
THE ROOK. The most ancient form of this piece after the introduction of the game into Europe is uncertain: but it was probably that of an elephant, as appears by Charlemagne's chess-men: and this form, with or without a tower, has been retained by the modern Germans, Russians, and Danes.
The Spaniards, Italians, French and English (as Mr. Madden remarks), in more recent times adopted a tower or castle as an epitome of the figure (in the same manner as they took a horse's head for the knight), and hence arises the strange anomaly of a castle representing the swiftest piece on the chess-board.
The earliest form of the chess rook is preserved on the ancient seals of those families both in England and Germany, who bear chess rooks for their arms, on which subject there is much curious information.
Before the general introduction of cards the game of chess was a great favourite with our ancestors, and we gain some idea of the high esteem in which it was held' from the fact that no fewer than twenty-six English families have emblazoned chess-boards and chess-rooks in their arms: it must therefore have been considered a most valuable accomplishment. Gwillim in his Display of Heraldry endeavours to show that the arms borne by distinguished persons contain representations of implements or instruments which generally have some relation to the, occupation or talents of the first owner of those arms. After speaking of the peculiar implements represented in various arms, he proceeds:
And forasmuch as their first institution was good, and that they are in themselves the commendable exercises, either of the body or of wit and invention (and if there be in them any evil, it is not in them per se, but per accident, because they are abused by those that do practise and exercise them), I have thought good to annex them unto the same: such are table playing, chess, dice, racket, balloon, &c. The things wherewith these games are practised, are borne in coat-armour, as by these examples following may appear.
After describing the arms of a family whose shield contains three backgammon boards, he proceeds to speak of the arms of the Bodhenam family.
It beareth azure, a fess between three chess rooks or, by the name of Bodenham, and was borne by that great lover and promoter of heraldry, Sir Winfield Bodenham, Knt. It seemeth these were first called rooks, for being the defence of all the rest; and therefore they stand in the uttermost corners of the chess-board, as frontier castles. This is a game of noble exercise for the mind, as requiring much forecast and understanding. King William the Conqueror was much addicted to this delight, and lost great lordships at this play. And indeed, were it not too serious a recreation, and going beyond the nature of games, it might well beseem a king, because therein are comprised all the stratagems of war or plots of civil states.
It beareth argent on a chevron engrailed between three chess rooks sable, as many crescents or, by the name of Walter, and was granted to Sir Robert Walter, Lord Mayor of York, 1st of October, 1603, in the first year of the reign of King James the First. The said Sir Robert, upon receiving the king when he came out of Scotland, received the dignity of knighthood.
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Azure, a fess argent, between three chess rooks or, is borne by the name of rooks, and was attested (under an escutcheon of the same painted on vellum) to belong to George Rooks of London, by Sir John Burrough, Garter. 18th of May, 1640.
Arms of the family of ORROOK. Argent, a chevron gules, between three chess rooks sable; But now he gives sable or a chevron or, between three mullets argent, as many chess rooks on the field.
It beareth argent, six chess rooks, three, two, and one sable, by the name Rokwood, and is borne by Nicholas Rockwood of Kirby, in Suffolk, Esq.
Smith of Methuen: azure, a burning cup between two chess rooks in fessor.
Many other families have chess rooks and chess boards engrafted on their arms ; such as the Rookewoods of Norfolk, the Rooks of Kent; the Rockwoods, Rokewoods, Rokeles, Rockliffes, Rokes, Rockes and Rocolds; but these examples will suffice to show the high esteem in which chess was held until it was to a certain extent superseded by cards. It was never pretended that cards were superior to chess, but they were preferred because unskilful players had a better chance of winning. Before the introduction of cards, chess was in such vogue that both the kings of Spain and Portugal pensioned the great players, whilst they also staked considerable sums on the event of a game. Salvio speaks of three Italians who set out from Naples for the court of Philip the Second, where there was a famous player, and by concealing their strength won very large sums of money. Circumstances of this kind threw discredit on chess, and as it was then the fashion to degrade this noble game by playing for money, persons became afraid to play when they did not know the precise strength of their antagonist, and thus the game went into disuse. Hyde also states that chess was much played both in Wales and Ireland, especially in the latter, where estates often depended on the event of a game.
Augustus, Duke of Brunswick Lunenburg, was an ardent admirer of chess. He published a work on the game at Leipsic, in 1617, under the fictitious name of Gustavus Selenus. He also named one of his towns Rokcstet with a chess rook for its arms. This town was also obligated to give to every new bishop a silver chess-board with silver men, one set of which was gilt.
The modern French term for this piece is la tour, and the English sometimes call it the castle. In the early Italian treatises it is represented as a castle, although called il roccho. This term having been confounded with rocca, a fortress, has given rise to much conjecture.
THE PAWN. The pawns appear always to have been so called by the English. In the middle ages the French used a multiplicity of terms, such as paon, paonnet, paonnez, paonniers, poons, paonnes, and pionnes. In an old French romance they are called "garçons." Dr. Hyde derives our pawn from the Spanish peon or French pion, which he thinks a contraction of espion, a spy, or petón, a footman. Mr. Douce thinks all the foregoing terms derivable from pedones, a barbarous Latin term for foot-soldiers, which in this game were represented by the pawns. By the Italians they were called pedone, by the Spaniards peones. The Russians and Poles make them also foot-soldiers: but the Germans, Danes, and Swedes have converted them into peasants (Bauern).
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Chess Archeology 
