OMS Logo and Ottley Family Crest

From the College of Arms, London, 1848

ARMS--Or and Argent, a Bend Nebly between two Cross-Crosslets Azure.

CREST--In front of a Garb Or, three Arrows, two in Saltire and one in Pale, points downwards, Sable.

MOTTO--Dat Deus Incrementum (Latin), God Gives Increase (English).

This Ottley family crest represents the line of Ottleys that on the command of James II and George III went to East India and to the Caribbean (West Indies) to colonize the islands from as far back as the middle 1600s. According to a diary of 15-year-old Elizabeth Ottley (1757-1801), there were several musicians who were friends of her family, Richard Ottley (1730-1775) being her father, who lived in a manor called Dunstan Park, in Thatcham in County Berks, and they spent several days of the Christmas holiday of 1772 in their home, from Wednesday, December 23 until Sunday, December 27.

History shows that these musicians were of the English court of King George III and Queen Charlotte who were themselves musicians, cellist and harpsichordist/singer, respectively. The musicians that Elizabeth named specifically in her diary are:

Johann Christian Bach ((1735-1782), known as the London Bach, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, chapel master of Queen Charlotte, composer known for his six concerti for harpsichord and string orchestra, Op. 1, his sonata for violin and piano, Op. 16, Trios for violins and viola, Op. 4. 15-year-old Elizabeth practiced the concerti daily, and when the musicians came over Christmas of 1772, she played them with their accompanying her.
Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787), Chamber musician of Queen Charlotte, one of the last famous players of the viola da gamba as the cello came into vogue. He worked with J.C. Bach in forming the London Concerts. He wrote "The Pure Method for Tuning the Harpsichord According to Abel", as well as composed String Quartets, Sonatas for Violins, Cello and bass, and Trio Sonatas.
Wilhelm Cramer (1746-1799) composer of sonatas for violins, and a Trio Sonata. He formed the Wilhelm Cramer String Quartet that existed from 1784-1792, whose members were Cramer, Benjamin Blake, Luigi Borghi (viola, with violinist and composer William Shield, musician of Covent Garden, as his substitute on viola when Borghi was ill), and James Cervetto or William/James Smith (I guess on cello). In fact, through Haydn's friendship with William Shield, it was the William Cramer String Quartet that premiered Haydn's String Quartet Op. 54, given to them from the composer in manuscript for the Professional Concert Season of 1789.
Pietro Grassi-Florio (died 1795), principal flutist of the Royal Opera, King's Theatre, Covent Garden, composed at least one Sonata for Flute, Op. 1. Actually it was he who revived the use of the low C# and C in the fluted in 1770. They were permanently added in 1772.
Luigi Borghi (ca. 1745-1806), composer also who wrote 6 Duets for Violin and Cello, and was violist. His wife also attended the gathering at the Ottley home. Actually they stayed with the Ottleys until Friday, January 1st, 1773.

In fact, the group gave a concert in the Ottley home, Dunstan Park on Christmas eve, and another one on the afternoon of Christmas day in 1772. Imagine, this young 15-year-old girl playing 4 of J. C. Bach's concerti for harpsichord with the composer and four leading musicians of the Court accompanying her on the strings!!!!

In 1795 Elizabeth Ottley Warner (she married her first cousin, Joseph) left England for the Caribbean in their own ship, accompanied by a fleet of 150 ships including war ships. By this time she had purchased a new pianoforte, and during an especially treacherous 4-day storm, she hoped they would stop in Barbados so she could get it tuned before they went on to Saint Vincent.

Musicians, teachers, authors, artists, preachers, engineers, agriculturalists continued down through the Ottley line all over the world till now. Ms. Nevilla Ottley, the founder of the Ottley Music School, has found music in many of her ancestral lines, Ottley, Grosvenor, Connor, Taitt to name a few. More closely,

Her grandfather, Joseph Ethelbert Ottley (1871-1924) born in Tobago, and living in Trinidad, was a string player, owning and playing violin, viola, cello, cuatro, banjo and bass.
There are many musicians in among her cousins, siblings, and their children, too many others to name.
Her own son, Jonathan Adjahoe, bassist (upright and electric guitar) and in college in computer networking technology.
Her father, Neville Ethelbert Ottley (born 1914) born in Trinidad, and living in the USA, was a singer,
Her mother, Myra Eloise Grosvenor Ottley (born 1914), born in Trinidad of Barbadian parents, was a singer,
Her uncle Cecil Gordon Ottley (1910-2006) was a guitarist, acoustic from age 16, and electric guitar in his later years. His children are musicians, writers, teachers, financiers, and his grandchildren include, Judith Ottley, a clarinetist of great talent.
Her aunt Sybil Grosvenor Spann (1903-2004) was a church organist and pianist and taught her sister Myra to play piano,
Another aunt Edna Grosvenor Davis (1905-1940) was a violinist--went to the New York on a violin scholarship,
Her dad's cousin, Robert Carlton Ottley was a noted author of history with at least two dozen published history books as listed in Mitchell's West Indian Bibiography, 9th Edition
Her uncle Cecil Gervase Grosvenor (1899-1982) born in Barbados, and was living in Miami, Florida when he died, was an award-winning pianist in New York City during his youth,
Her great-great-grandfather, John Joseph Connor (1833-1933) sang the slave songs to his grandson, Edric Connor (1913-1968) who was a singer and collected/published the West Indian Folk Songs and Spirituals (much like Hamilton Waters did for his grandson Harry T. Burleigh who did the same for African American Spirituals). Edric Connor (born in Trinidad, was also a Shakespearean actor in London, and acted in at least 19 movies in his short life.
Her sister, Gerri Ottley Caesar, a nurse by education and occupation is also an alto singer, and a pannist, teaching and arranger for the Metropolitan Symphony Steel Orchestra II.
Her brother Myron S. Ottley, Ph.D. is a scientist, but also a choir director, having begun as a lad to direct vocal ensembles, as a teenager the Golden Tones (about 16 teenage boys singing in 4-8 parts), the Soulseekers (a 30-voice mixed choir of college students that recorded at least 2 records), and the MetroSingers (a 35-voice adult professional choir that has to date 3 DVDs and 3 CDs, having performed in the US and abroad, and televised over 3ABN and Hope Channel). His son
Anwar G. M. Ottley is a pipe organist, and a conductor of growing reputation in the Washington DC area (working on his master's in conducting).
Her sister Ruby Ottley Anderson, who is a nurse and a singer, has three children who are all musicians of high order, Nathan Anderson, pianist and arranger, in medical school, Nicole Anderson, concert pianist, composer, and in law school, Nichelle Anderson, a coloratura soprano and in nursing school.

It is with musical pride that the Ottley Music School uses its Ottley family crest as its logo (even though there were many slave owners and possibly slaves among that part of the family), for "God certainly gives increase".