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Title: The Handbook to English Heraldry
Author: Boutell, Charles, 1812-1877
Language: English
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*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Handbook to English Heraldry" ***
[Illustration: Seal of Sir RICHARD DE BEAUCHAMP, K.G.,
Fifth Earl of WARWICK: died A.D. 1439. No. 448.
--See pages 208, 321.]
[Illustration: Seal of Sir THOMAS DE BEAUCHAMP, K.G.,
Third Earl of WARWICK: died A.D. 1369. Date of the Seal, 1344.
No. 446. --See No. 447, page 320, also see page 321.]
“To describe ... emblazoned Shields.” --MILTON
THE HANDBOOK TO
ENGLISH
HERALDRY
by
CHARLES BOUTELL, M.A.
Author of “The Monumental Brasses of England,”
Editor and Part Author of “Arms and Armour
in Antiquity and The Middle Ages,” etc.
with
NEARLY FIVE HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS
Drawn and Engraved on Wood
by Mr. R. B. UTTING and Others
_ELEVENTH EDITION_
Thoroughly Revised with an Additional Chapter by
A. C. FOX-DAVIES
of Lincoln’s Inn Barrister-At-Law
[Illustration: ROYAL ARMS (1340-1405)]
LONDON: REEVES & TURNER
1914
Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
at the Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh
PREFACE
TO THE ELEVENTH EDITION
This standard work of reference has been revised throughout, and
enlarged by the addition of an extra chapter on Peerage Dignities.
A. C. FOX-DAVIES.
LINCOLN’S INN, _November 1913_.
PREFACE
TO THE TENTH EDITION
In the revision of this well-known work I have held my hand, rather than
the contrary, trying to bear always in mind that it was the hand-book of
Mr. Charles Boutell and not a production of my own. My alterations have
been concerned chiefly in bringing the volume up to date, a necessity
imposed by the creation of new orders of knighthood, and change of
Sovereign. I have certainly omitted a few remarks which I have thought
might be the cause of leading students of the science astray: I have
altered ambiguous wording to emphasise the real, and I have no doubt the
originally intended meaning. But in many points which, being deductions,
are naturally matters of opinion, I have left herein various expressions
of Mr. Boutell’s opinion, with which I can hardly say I personally
altogether agree or would myself put forward. I hold that it is no part
of an editor’s duty to air his own opinions under the protection or
repute of another’s name, and herein I have inserted nothing for which
my own opinion is the only authority.
A. C. FOX-DAVIES.
LINCOLN’S INN, _June 1908_.
[Illustration: No. 2.--St. Edward.
No. 1.--St. George.
No. 3.--St. Edmund.]
AUTHOR’S PREFACE
This Volume, specially prepared for the use of students at an early
period of their study of English Heraldry, commends itself also to those
inquirers who may desire to obtain some general information on the same
subject, without having any intention to devote to Heraldry much either
of their time or of their serious regard.
The success, no less extraordinary than gratifying, of my larger work on
Heraldry, led me to hope that a not less favourable reception might be
extended to a simpler and much shorter essay, more decidedly elementary
in its aim and character, and yet as far as possible within its limits
complete. Such a treatise I have endeavoured to produce in this Volume.
Inseparably associated with the History of our Country, and more
particularly when our national History becomes the Biography of eminent
Englishmen, English Heraldry has the strongest claims upon the attention
not only of all Historians, but also of all who desire to become
familiar with their writings. In like manner, Heraldry may be studied
with no less of advantage than of satisfaction by all Artists, whether
Architects, Sculptors, Painters, or Engravers. Nor is it too much to
assert that some knowledge of Heraldry, in consequence of its singular
and comprehensive utility, ought to be estimated as a necessary element
of a liberal education. In confirmation of my own views, I am tempted to
quote the following passage from M. GOURDON DE GENOUILLAC’S introduction
to his excellent “Grammaire Héraldique,” published at Paris:-- “Le
blason,” says M. de Genouillac, “est une langue qui s’est conservée dans
sa pureté primitive depuis les siècles, langue dont la connaissance, est
indispensable aux familles nobles, qui y trouvent un signe d’alliance ou
de reconnaissance, aux numismates, aux antiquaires, aux archéologues,
enfin à tous les artistes, gens de lettres, &c.; cependant cette langue
est presque inconnue, et la plupart des personnes qui possedent le droit
de porter des armoiries seraient fort en peine de les expliquer selon
les termes techniques!” Heraldry, indeed, I believe to be a study worthy
to be universally regarded with affectionate respect, as it certainly is
eminently qualified to inspire such a sentiment in every class of
student.
In this spirit I have here treated the elements of the Heraldry of
England, confident that, of those who may accompany me as far as I shall
lead them, very many will not be content to stop where I shall take
leave of them. Thus much I promise my companions--I will be to them a
faithful guide. They may trust to my accuracy. I have made no statement,
have adduced no example, nor have I exhibited any illustration, except
upon authority. I myself like and admire what is real and true in
Heraldry; and it is by the attractiveness of truth and reality that I
desire to win for Heraldry fresh friends, and to secure for it firm
friendships.
It will be understood that from the authority, the practice, and the
associations of the early Heraldry of the best and most artistic eras,
I seek to derive a Heraldry which we may rightly consider to be our own,
and which we may transmit with honour to our successors. I do not
suggest the adoption, for present use, of an obsolete system. But, while
I earnestly repudiate the acceptance and the maintenance amongst
ourselves of a most degenerate substitute for a noble Science, I do
aspire to aid in restoring HERALDRY to its becoming rank, and
consequently to its early popularity, now in our own times. This is to
revive the fine old Heraldry of the past, to give to it a fresh
animation, and to apply it under existing conditions to existing uses
and requirements: not, to adjust ourselves to the circumstances of its
first development, and to reproduce as copyists its original
expressions. It is not by any means a necessary condition of a
consistent revival of early Heraldry, that our revived Heraldry should
admit no deviation from original usage or precedent. So long as we are
thoroughly animated by the spirit of the early Heralds, we may lead our
Heraldry onwards with the advance of time. It is for us, indeed, to
prepare a Heraldry for the future, no less than to revive true Heraldry
in the time now present. We may rightly modify, therefore, and adapt
many things, in order to establish a true conformity between our
Heraldry and the circumstances of our own era: for example, with
advantage as well as propriety we may, in a great measure, substitute
Badges for Crests; and we shall do well to adopt a style of drawing
which will be perfectly heraldic, without being positively unnatural.
The greater number of my Illustrations have been engraved only in
outline, with the twofold object of my being thus enabled to increase
the number of the examples, and to adapt the engravings themselves to
the reception of colour. It will be very desirable for students to
blazon the illustrations, or the majority of them, in their proper
tinctures: and those who are thoroughly in earnest will not fail to form
their own collections of additional examples, which, as a matter of
course, they will seek to obtain from original authorities. With the
exception of a few examples, my Illustrations, considerably over 400,
have all been executed expressly for this work; and they all have been
engraved by Mr. R. B. UTTING. The chief exceptions are thirteen
admirable woodcuts of Scottish Seals, all of them good illustrations of
Heraldry south of the Tweed, originally engraved for Laing’s noble
quarto upon “The Ancient Seals of Scotland,” published in Edinburgh.
Scottish Heraldry, I must add, as in any particulars of law and practice
it may differ from our Heraldry on this side of the Tweed, I have left
in the able hands of the Heralds of the North: at the same time,
however, the Heraldry of which I have been treating has so much that is
equally at home on either side of “the Border,” that I have never
hesitated to look for my examples and authorities to both the fair
realms which now form one Great Britain.
C. B.
[Signature]
CONTENTS
Page
PREFACE TO PRESENT EDITION vii
AUTHOR’S PREFACE ix
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xix
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY-- Early Popularity of Heraldry in England-- Origin of
English Heraldry; Definition; Characteristics; Development; Early
Uses; Not connected with Earlier Systems-- Ancient Heraldry-- Past
and Present Treatment of the Subject 1
CHAPTER II
EARLY HERALDIC AUTHORITIES-- Seals; Monumental Effigies, &c.;
Rolls of Arms, Official Heraldic Records, &c.-- Earliest Heraldic
Shields and Banners-- Allusive Quality of Early Armory--
Attributed Arms 10
CHAPTER III
The English Heraldry that is now in existence-- First Debasement
of Heraldry-- Later Debasement-- Revival of English Heraldry--
Heraldic Art 20
CHAPTER IV
GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY: Section I.-- Language-- Nomenclature-- Style
and Forms of Expression-- Blazon-- The Shield: its Parts, Points,
Divisions, Dividing Lines, Varieties of Form, and Heraldic
Treatment 29
CHAPTER V
GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY: Section II.-- Tinctures: Metals, Colours,
Furs-- Varied Fields-- Law of Tinctures-- Counter-changing--
Diaper-- Disposition-- Blazoning-- Emblazoning in Tinctures 40
CHAPTER VI
GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY: Section III.-- The Ordinaries:-- Chief:
Fesse: Bar: Pale: Cross; its Heraldic Varieties: Bend: Saltire:
Chevron: and Pile 49
CHAPTER VII
GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY: Section IV.-- The Subordinaries:-- Canton or
Quarter: Inescutcheon: Oile: Tressure: Bordure: Flanches: Lozenge,
Mascle, Rustre: Fusil: Billet: Gyron: Frette-- The Roundles 64
CHAPTER VIII
GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY: Section V.-- Miscellaneous Charges:-- Human
Beings: Animals: Birds: Fish: Reptiles and Insects: Imaginary
Beings: Natural Objects: Various Artificial Figures and Devices--
Appropriate Descriptive Epithets 73
CHAPTER IX
GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY: Section VI.-- The Lion and the Eagle in
Heraldry 83
CHAPTER X
GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY: Section VII.-- Glossary of Titles, Names, and
Terms 100
CHAPTER XI
MARSHALLING:-- Aggroupment: Combination: Quartering: Dimidiation:
Impalement: Escutcheon of Pretence: Marshalling the Arms of
Widowers, Widows, and others: Official Arms; and the Accessories
of Shields 158
CHAPTER XII
CADENCY:-- Marks of Cadency are temporary, or permanent: the
Label: the Bordure: the Bendlet, Barrulet, and Canton: Change of
Tincture: Secondary Charges: Single Small Charges: Differences of
Illegitimacy: Cadency of Crests, Badges, &c.: Modern Cadency 176
CHAPTER XIII
DIFFERENCING:-- Differencing to denote Feudal Alliance or
Dependency: Differencing without any Alliance-- Augmentation--
Abatement 194
CHAPTER XIV
CRESTS 209
CHAPTER XV
BADGES 220
CHAPTER XVI
SUPPORTERS 237
CHAPTER XVII
FLAGS:-- The Pennon: the Banner: the Standard: the Royal Standard:
the “Union Jack”: Ensigns: Military Standards and Colours:
Blazoning: Hoisting and Displaying Flags 246
CHAPTER XVIII
THE ROYAL HERALDRY OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND:-- Shields of Arms of
the Reigning Sovereigns of England, of Scotland, of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: Crests: Supporters: Mottoes:
Crowns: Banners: Armorial Insignia of the late Prince Consort; of
the Prince and Princess of Wales; of the other Princes and
Princesses 258
CHAPTER XIX
ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD AND INSIGNIA OF HONOUR:-- Feudal Knighthood--
Orders of Knighthood: Knights of St. John: Knights Templars: the
Order of the Garter; of the Thistle; of St. Patrick; of the Bath;
of St. Michael and St. George; of the Star of India-- The Order of
Merit-- The Royal Victorian Order-- The Imperial Service Order--
The Victoria Cross-- The Albert Medal-- Naval and Military
Medals-- Foreign Insignia bestowed on British Subjects 273
CHAPTER XX
PRECEDENCE GENEALOGIES 295
CHAPTER XXI
The COLLEGE OF ARMS-- The LYON OFFICE of Scotland-- Grants of
Arms-- Tax on “Armorial Bearings,” and on “Arms Found” 304
CHAPTER XXII
MISCELLANEOUS:-- Coins-- Seals-- Heraldry in Architecture, in
Monuments, in Illuminations, in Encaustic Tiles-- Heraldic
Personal Ornaments, and various Heraldic Decorations-- Conclusion 316
CHAPTER XXIII
PEERAGE DIGNITIES:-- The Dignity of Earl-- Of Baron-- The
Parliament of 1295-- Landed Qualifications-- Creation of the Title
Duke of Cornwall-- The Title of Marquis-- The Premier Baron of
England-- The Peerage of Scotland-- Scottish Remainders-- Daughter
Inherits in her own Right-- Determination of an Abeyance-- The
Right to Create Peers of Ireland-- Rights and Privileges of a
Peeress-- The Daughters of Peers-- Anomalies of the English Scale
of Precedence 327
GENERAL INDEX 335
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
NO. PAGE
1. Arms of St. George }
2. Arms of St. Edward } ix
3. Arms of St. Edmund }
4. Arms of Sir Walter Scott, of Abbotsford 1
5. Lance Flag, Bayeux Tapestry 6
6. Lance Flag, Bayeux Tapestry 6
7. Ancient Shield, from a Greek Vase 8
8. Ancient Shield, from a Greek Vase 8
9. Ancient Shield, from a Greek Vase 8
10. Ancient Shield, from a Greek Vase 8
11. Seal of Walter Innes 11
12. Seal of William Innes 11
13. Banner of Templars 14
14. Banner of Leicester 14
15. Shield of Brittany 14
16. Shield of Waldegrave 14
17. Shield of Fitz Warine 14
18. Shield of Whitworth 14
19. The Escarbuncle 15
20. Shield of Montacute 17
20A. Shield of Montacute 70
21. The Planta Genista 17
22. Arms assigned to William I. 18, 259
23. Arms assigned to the Saxon Princes 18
24. Shield of Prince John of Eltham 26
25. Badge of Richard II., Westminster Hall 27
26. Badge of Richard II., Westminster Hall 27
27. The Points of an Heraldic Shield 33
28. Shield divided per Pale 33
29. Shield divided per Fesse 33
30. Shield divided Quarterly 33
31. Shield divided per Bend 33
32. Shield divided per Bend Sinister 33
33. Shield divided per Saltire 33
34. Shield divided per Chevron 33
35. Shield divided per Tierce 33
36. Shield Quarterly of Eight 34
37. Compound Quartering 34
38. Border and Dividing Lines 35
39. Bowed Shield 36
40. Heraldic Shield 36
41. Heraldic Shield 36
42. Heraldic Shield 36
43. Heraldic Shield 37
44. Heraldic Shield 37
45. Modern Shield 37
46. Cartouche 37
47. Lozenge 37
48. Arms of Provence 38
49. Shield Couché 38
50. Symbolisation of Or 40
51. Symbolisation of Argent 40
52. Symbolisation of Azure 40
53. Symbolisation of Gules 40
54. Symbolisation of Sable 40
55. Symbolisation of Vert 40
56. Symbolisation of Purpure 40
57, 57A. Ermine 41, 42
58. Ermines 41
59. Erminois 41
60. Pean 41
61. Vair 41
62. Vair 41
63. Counter Vair 41
64. Potent 41
65. Counter Potent 41
66. Componée 43
67. Counter Componée 43
68. Arms of Earl de Warrenne 45
69. Arms of Jerusalem 44
70. Arms of Fenwick 44
71. A Chief 50
72. Arms of Le Botiler 50
73. Arms of De Brus 50
74. Arms of De Clintone 50
75. Arms of De Clintone 50
76. Arms of De Clifford 50
77. Arms of De Pateshulle 50
78. Arms of Le Vavasour 50
79. Arms of De Hemenhale 51
80. Arms of De Dageworthe 51
81. Arms of De Harecourt 51
82. Arms of Wake 51
83. Arms of De Huntercumbe 52
84. Arms of De la Mere 52
85. Arms of Fitzalan of Bedale 53
86. Arms of De Valence 53
87. Arms of Erskine 53
88. Arms of Grandison 53
89. Cross Fimbriated 54
90. Cross Pointed 54
91. Greek Cross 55
92. Latin Cross 55
93. Tau Cross 55
94. Cross Quadrate 55
95. Cross Patriarchal 55
96. Cross Lourchée 55
97. Arms of De Molines 56
98. Arms of Bishop Anthony Bec 56
99. Arms of William de Vesci 56
100. Cross Fleurie 56
101. Cross Fleurettée 56
102. Cross Pommee 56
103. Cross Botonee 57
104. Cross Crosslet 57
105. Cross Clechée 57
106. Cross Patee 57
107. Cross Maltese 57
108. Cross Potent 57
109. Cross Avellane 57
110. Cross Botonée Fitchée 57
111. Arms of Le Scrope 58
112. Arms of De Radclyffe 58
113. Arms of Le Boteler 58
114. Arms of De Bohun, Earl of Hereford 59
115. Arms of De Bohun (differenced) 59
116. Arms of De Montford 60
117. Arms of De Bray 60
118. Paly Bendy 60
119. Barry Bendy 60
120. Arms of St. Andrew 60
121. Arms of De Neville 60
122. Arms of De Neville 60
123. Arms of De Stafford 61
124. Arms of De Clare 61
125. Early Shield of De Clare 62
126. Arms of De Chandos 62
127. Arms of De Prian 62
128. Arms of De Passett 62
129. Arms of De Kyrkeby 65
130. Arms of Blundell 65
131. Arms of De Mortimer 66
132. Arms of Darcy 66
133. Arms of De Wyllers 66
134. Arms of De Balliol 66
135. Single Tressure Flory 67
136. Tressure Flory Counterflory 67
137. Double Tressure Flory 67
138. Arms of Scotland 67, 260
139. Arms of De Waltone 68
140. Arms of Richard, Earl of Cornwall 68
141. Flanche 69
142. Flasques 69
143. Mascle 69
144. Rustre 69
145. Arms of De Burgh, Earl of Kent 69
146. Arms of Deincourt 70
147. Arms of Campbell 70
148. A Frette 71
149. Arms of De Etchingham 71
150. Trellis Clouée 71
151. Bezant 72
152. Torteau 72
153. Fountain 72
154. Annulet 72
155. Shield of Douglas 74
156. Shield of Douglas 74
157. Shield of Douglas 74
158. Shield of Isle of Man 74
159. Shield of St. Alban’s Abbey 75
160. Early Martlet 77
161. Martlet 77
162. Banner of De Barre 77
163. Dolphin 78
164. Arms of De Lucy 78
165. Escallop 78
166. A, B, C, Crescent, Increscent, Decrescent 80
167. At Gaze 81
168. Tripping 81
169. At Speed 81
170. Stag’s Head Cabossed 85
171. Lion Rampant 85
172. Lion Rampant Guardant 85
173. Lion Passant 85
174. Lion Passant Guardant 85
175. Lion Statant 85
176. Lion Statant Guardant 85
177. Lion Couchant 86
178. Lion Sejant 86
179. Lion Dormant 86
180. Lion Salient 86
181. Lion Double queued 86
182. Lion Coward 86
183. Lion’s Head 87
184. Lion’s Face 87
185. Lion’s Jambe 87
186. Demi Lion Rampant 87
187. Arms of England 87, 259
188. Arms of Richard I. 88
189. Arms of Prince John 88
190. Arms of Richard I. 88
191. Arms of Le Strange 89
192. Arms of Giffard 89
193. Arms of Mowbray 89
194. Arms of De Lacy 89
195. Arms of De Segrave 89
196. Arms of De Percy 90
197. Arms of De Longespée 90
198. Crest of Black Prince 91
199. Crest &c., Richard II. 91
200. Eagle Shield in Westminster Abbey 93
201. Imperial Eagle 93
202. Royal Eagle 93
203. Arms of Earl of Cornwall 94
204. Seal of Euphemia Leslie 94
205. Shield of Piers Gaveston 95
206. Arms of Montacute and Monthermer 95
207. A Vol 96
209. Arms of De la Mere 96
210. Shield at St. Albans 97
211. Austrian Eagle 97
212. German Imperial Eagle 98
213. German Eagle, wings erect 98
214. French Imperial Eagle 99
215. Badge of Ulster 101
216. Breys 104
217. Baron’s Coronet 104
218. Water Bouget 106
219. Bourohier Knot 106
220. Bowen Knot 107
221. Caltrap 107
222. Castle 108
223. Celestial Crown 108
224. Chapeau of Estate 108
225. Arms of Saxony 108
226. Chess Rook 109
227. Cinquefoil 109
228. Clarions 109
229. Cockatrice 110
230. Collar of York 110
231. Collar of Lancaster 110
232. Crest Coronet 113
233. Crest Wreaths 113
234. Crown of H.M. The King 115, 266
235. Dacre Knot and Badges 115
236. Dragon 117
237. Duke’s Coronet 117
238. Earl’s Coronet 118
239. Eastern Crown 118
240. Electoral Bonnet 119
241. Arms of Byron 119
242. Estoile 120
243. Fer-de-Moline 121
244. Fermails 121
245. Fetter lock 122
246. Fleur de lys 122
247. Arms of France Ancient 122
248. Arms of France Modern 122
249. Arms of Edmund, Earl of Lancaster 123
250. Arms of Margaret, Queen of Edward I. 122
251. Seal of Margaret, Queen of Edward I. 123
252. Shield of Edward III., A.D. 1340 124, 260
253. Shield of Henry IV., about 1405 124, 260
254, 255. Fylfots 125
256. Shield of R. de Gorges 127
257. Hawk’s Lure 128
258. Hawk’s Bells and Jesses 128
259. Helm of the Sovereign 129
260. Helm of Princes and Nobles 129
261. Helm of Baronets and Knights 129
262. Helm of Esquires and Gentlemen 129
263. Helm of Esquires and Gentlemen 129
264. Heneage Knot 130
265. Arms of the Heralds College 130
266. Arms of Lyon Office 131
267. Jessant de lys 133
268, 269. Heraldic Keys 133
270. Hastings Badge 133
271, 272, 273. Labels 134
274. Lacy Knot 134
275. Lymphad 136
276. Arms of Hastings 136
277. Coronet of Marquess 137
278. Mullet 139
279. Mullet Pierced 139
280. Mural Crown 140
281. Naval Crown 140
282. Pourdon 141
283. Panache Crest of Edward Courtenay 142
284. Panache Crest of William le Latimer 142
285. Panache Crest of Edmund Mortimer 142
286. Pennon of D’Aubernoun 143
287. Pheon 143
288. Portcullis 143
289. Coronet of Prince of Wales 145
290. Coronet of King’s Daughters and Younger Sons 145
291. Coronet of King’s Grandchildren 145
292. Coronet of King’s Cousins 145
293. Quatrefoil 146
294. The Ragged Staff Badge 146
295. Rebus of Abbot Kirton 148
296. Rebus of Bishop Peckyngton 148
297. Rebus of Sir John Peche 148
298, 299. Heraldic Roses 149
300. Rose en Soleil 149
301. Crest of Hamilton 150
302. Sixfoil 152
303. Arms of Shakespeare 151
304. Stafford Knot 152
305. Staple Padge 152
306. Arms of City of London 153
307. Tabard 154
308. Badge of James I. 154
309. Trefoil Slipped 155
310. Trumpet 155
311. Viscount’s Coronet 156
312. Shield at St. Michael’s Church, St. Albans 157
313. Wake Knot 157
314. Catherine Wheel 157
315. Wyvern 157
316. Seal of Margaret, Queen of Edward I. 160
317. Seal of Margaret Lady De Ros 161
318. Seal of Joan, Countess of Surrey 162
319. Seal of Mary, Countess of Pembroke 164
320. Seal of Matilda of Lancaster 164
321. Seal of Oliver de Bohun 165
322. Shield of Earl John de Dreux 165
323. Shield of Castile and Leon 166
324. Shield of Henry, Earl of Northumberland 167
325. Shield of Mayor of Winchelsea 168
326. Shield of De Valence and Claremont Nesle 168
327. Shield of Camoys and Mortimer 169
328. Shield of D’Aubigny and Scotland 170
329. Shield of Earl Richard Beauchamp 171
330. Four Diagrams illustrative of Marshalling 171-2
331-335. Diagrams illustrative of Marshalling 172
336. Shield of Eldest Sons of Edward I. and II. 178
337. Shield of Black Prince 178
338. Label of Lancaster 179
339. Label of Brittany 179
340. Label of York 179
341. Label of Clarence 180
342. Label of Henry and John of Lancaster 180
343. Label of Thomas of Lancaster 180
344. Shield of Holland, of Kent 181
345. Shield of Henry of Lancaster 182
346. Shield of Beauchamp of Elmely 183
347. Shield of Beauchamp at Carlaverock 183
348. Shield of Beauchamp of Warwick 184
349. Shield of Beauchamp of Bletshoe 184
350. Shield of Bishop Grandison 185
351. Seal of Bishop Le Despencer 185
352. Shield of Sir Fulk Fitz Warin 186
353. Shield of Thomas le Scrope 186
354. Crescent, for Difference 186
355. Mullet, for Difference 186
356. Shield of Lord Latimer 187
357. Shield of Neville 187
358. Shield of Sir Wm. de Brewys 187
359. Shield of Henry, Earl of Worcester 189
360. Shield of Beaufort, before 1397 189
361. Shield of Beaufort, after 1397 189
362. Shield of Charles, Earl of Worcester 190
363. Shield of Sir Roger de Clarendon 190
364. Arms of Radulphus de Arundel 190
365. Seal of William Fraser 193
366. Shield of Earl of Chester 195
367. Shield of Fitz Ralph 196
368. Shield of De Luterell 197
369. Shield of De Wadsley 197
370. Shield of De Wortley 198
371. Shield of De Mounteney 198
372. Shield of De Mounteney 198
373. Shield in St. Alban’s Abbey 203
374. Shield of Howard, after Flodden 205
374A. Howard Augmentation 205
375. Fan-Crest, Richard I. 209
376. Fan-Crest, Henry de Perci 209
377. Fan-Crest, Henry de Laci 209
378. Seal of Alexander de Balliol 210
379. Helm, &c., Thomas, Earl of Lancaster 211
380. Helm, &c., Geoffrey Luterell 212
381. Seal, Sir Robert de Marny 212
382. Seal, William de Wyndesor 214
383. Crest, Sir R. Grey, K.G. 215
384. Helm, &c., Richard II. 216
385. Helm, &c., Sir Hugh Hastings 217
386. Crest-Wreath, Sir William Vernon 217
387. Crest-Wreath, Sir Robert Harcourt 217
388. Crest-Wreath, Effigy at Tewkesbury 217
389. Basinet and Crest-Wreath, Sir H. Stafford 218
390. Seal, Earl Robert Bruce 225
391. Seal, Sir Walter Hungerford 225
392. Seal, Sir Robert de Hungerford 226
393. Badge, Tau and Bell 227
394. Ostrich Feather Badge 231
395, 396. Three Ostrich Feathers, Peterborough 231
397. Ostrich Feather Badge, Ludlow 232
398. Ostrich Feather Badge, Deanery, Peterborough 232
399. Ostrich Feather Badge, St. Alban’s Abbey 232
400. Ostrich Feather Badge, Exeter Cathedral 232
401. Shield “for Peace” of Black Prince 234
402. Ostrich Feather Badge, Seal of Henry IV. 235
403. Ostrich Feather Badge, Seal of Thomas,
Duke of Gloster 235
404. Ostrich Feather Badge, Garter Plate
of John Beaufort 235
405. Seal of Devorguilla Crawford 239
406. Seal of Margaret, Lady Hungerford 240
407. Seal of Earl Edmund de Mortimer 242
408. Seal of Robert Graham 243
409. Seal of Sir Wm. Lindsay 243
410. Seal of Sir John Drummond 244
411. Pennon 247
412. Pennon of Percy 247
413. Banners and Pennons 248
414. Seal of Earl John Holland 249
415. Standard of Sir H. de Stafford, K.G. 251
416. The Royal Standard 252
417. The First Union Jack 253
418. Banner of St. George 253
419. Banner of St. Andrew 253
420. The Second Union Jack 254
421. The Banner of St. Patrick 254
422. Red Ensign 255
423. Royal Arms of Stuart Sovereigns 261
424. Arms of Nassau 261
425. Diagram of Arms of William III. and Mary 261
426. Diagram of Arms of William III. alone 261
427. Diagram of Arms of Anne 262
428. Arms of Hanover 262
429, 430. Diagrams of Royal Arms 262, 263
431. Crest of England 264
432. Signet Ring of Queen Mary Stuart 265
433. Insignia of the Order of the Garter 277
434. “Lesser George” of the Garter 279
435. Jewel of the Thistle 281
436. Badge of St. Patrick 281
437. Badge of the Bath, Naval and Military 284
438. Badge of the Bath, Diplomatic and Civil 285
439. Badge of the Star of India 288
440. Victoria Cross 293
441. The Albert Medal 293
442. Seal of Lord Bardolf 318
443. Seal of William Mure 319
444. Seal of Thomas Monypeny 319
445. Seal of Richard Stuart 319
446. Seal of Earl Thomas de Beauchamp _Frontispiece_
447. Counter-Seal of the same 320
448. Seal of Earl Richard de Beauchamp _Frontispiece_
449. Seal of Sir Walter Scott, A.D. 1529 326
450. Insignia of the Order of the Thistle 280
451. Insignia of the Order of St. Patrick 282
452. Collar and Military Badge, Order of the Bath 283
453. Star of Knight Grand Cross (Civil) 285
454. Star of Knight Commander (Military) 285
455. Order of Merit 286
456. Collar and Insignia of Exalted Order
of the Star of India 287
457. Star and Collar of the Order
of St. Michael and St. George 289
458. Eminent Order of the Indian Empire 290
459. Badge of same 291
460. G.C.V.O. Star 291
461. K.C.V.O. Star 291
462. G.C.V.O. Badge 291
463. K.C.V.O. Badge 291
464. Distinguished Service Older 292
465. Imperial Service Order 292
NOTE.-- _Several illustrations used herewith in connection with the new
Orders created of recent date are inserted by arrangement with the
Editor of Debrett’s “Peerage.”_
ENGLISH HERALDRY
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY
_Early Popularity of Heraldry in England-- Origin of English Heraldry;
Definition; Characteristics; Developments; Early Uses; not connected
with Earlier Systems-- Ancient Heraldry-- Past and Present Treatment
of the Subject._
“What! Is it possible? not know the figures of Heraldry!
Of what could your father be thinking?”
--ROB ROY.
[Illustration: No. 4.]
The sentiment unquestionably was his own which Sir Walter Scott made
delightful Di Vernon express when, with indignant surprise, she asked
Frank Osbaldistone of what his father could have been thinking, that he
had been permitted to grow up without any knowledge of Heraldry. Sir
Walter was right in his estimate of the high value of Heraldry as an
element of education: and, in professing herself a votaress of the
Herald’s “gentle science,” it was quite right in Di Vernon to suggest to
other ladies that it would be well for them if Heraldry should find
favour in their eyes also. The age of Rob Roy, however, was far from
being in harmony with heraldic associations: nor was the author of
“Waverley” himself permitted to accomplish more, than to lead the way to
that revival of a popular sympathy with every expression of early Art,
which now forms one of the most remarkable characteristics of our own
era.
In the olden time, in England, the love of Heraldry, which was prevalent
amongst all classes, was based upon an intelligent appreciation of its
worthiness. A part of the feudal system of the Middle Ages, and at once
derived from the prevailing form of thought and feeling, and imparting
to it a brilliant colouring peculiar to itself, Heraldry exercised a
powerful influence upon the manners and habits of the people amongst
whom it was in use. By our early ancestors, accordingly, as Mr. Montagu
has so happily written, “little given to study of any kind, a knowledge
of Heraldry was considered indispensable:” to them it was the “outward
sign of the spirit of chivalry, the index, also, to a lengthened
chronicle of doughty deeds.” And this Heraldry grew up, spontaneously
and naturally, out of the circumstances and requirements of those times.
It came into existence, because it was needed for practical use; it was
accepted and cherished, because it did much more than fulfil its avowed
purpose. At first, simply useful to distinguish particular individuals,
especially in war and at the tournament, English Heraldry soon became
popular; and then, with no less rapidity, it rose to high honour and
dignity.
From the circumstance that it first found its special use in direct
connection with military equipments, knightly exercises, and the _mêlée_
of actual battle, mediæval Heraldry has also been entitled ARMORY. Men
wore the ensigns of Heraldry about their persons, embroidered upon the
garments that partially covered their armour,--and so they called them
_Coats-of-Arms_: they bore these same ensigns on their shields,--and
they called them _Shields-of-Arms_: and in their Armorial Banners and
Pennons they again displayed the very same insignia, floating in the
wind high above their heads, from the shafts of their lances.
The Heraldry or Armory of England, an honourable and honoured member of
the illustrious family of mediæval European Heraldry, may be defined as
a symbolical and pictorial language, in which figures, devices, and
colours are employed instead of letters. Each heraldic composition has
its own definite and complete significance, conveyed through its direct
connection with some particular individual, family, dignity, or office.
Every such heraldic composition, also, is a true legal possession, held
and maintained by an express right and title: and it is hereditary, like
other real property, in accordance with certain laws and precedents of
inheritance. But in this respect heraldic insignia are singular and
unlike other property, inasmuch as it is a general rule that they cannot
be alienated, exchanged, or transferred otherwise than by inheritance or
other lawful succession. Exceptions to this rule, when they are observed
occasionally to have occurred, show clearly their own exceptional
character, and consequently they confirm the true authority of the rule
itself. It will be understood, as a necessary quality of its hereditary
nature, that the significance of an heraldic composition, while
“definite and complete” in itself, admits of augmentation and expansion
through its association with successive generations. Thus, the Royal
Shield of EDWARD III. is “complete” as the heraldic symbol of that great
monarch, and of the realm under his rule: and yet this same shield,
equally “complete” (with one simple modification) as the heraldic symbol
of each successive Sovereign till the death of ELIZABETH, has its
significance infinitely augmented and expanded through its hereditary
association with all the Sovereigns of the Houses of Plantagenet and
Tudor.
Until the concluding quarter of the twelfth century, the traces of the
existence of Heraldry are faint and few in number. Early in the
thirteenth century the new science began to establish itself firmly
amongst our ancestors of that age; and it is certain that, as soon as
its character and capabilities were in any degree understood aright, it
grew speedily into favour; so that in the reign of HENRY III. (A.D.
1216-1272) Heraldry in England had confirmed its own claims to be
regarded as a Science, by being in possession of a system, and a
classification of its own.
The Crusades, those extraordinary confederacies without a parallel in
the history of civilised nations, were themselves so thoroughly a matter
of religious chivalry, that it was only an inevitable result of their
existence that they should give a powerful impulse to the establishment
and development of Heraldry in its early days.
But Heraldry, from the time of its first appearance in England, was
found to be valuable for other uses besides those which so intimately
connected it with both real and imitative warfare, with the fierce
life-and-death conflict of the battle-field, and with the scarcely less
perilous struggle for honour and renown in the lists. Very soon after
the Norman Conquest, in consequence of their presence being required to
give validity to every species of legal document, SEALS became
instruments of the greatest importance; and it was soon obvious that
heraldic insignia, with a representation of the knightly shield upon
which they were displayed, were exactly suited to satisfy every
requirement of the seal-engraver. By such means Heraldry became
interwoven as well with the peaceful concerns of everyday life, as with
the display of martial splendour and the turmoil of war.
Many attempts have been made to set aside the opinion that the Heraldry
of the Middle Ages in England was a fresh creation, a production of
indigenous growth: and great is the ingenuity that has been brought into
action to carry back the Heraldry of our own country from the
commencement of the thirteenth century through the previous elementary
stages of its existence, in order to trace its direct lineal descent
from certain decorative and symbolical devices that were in use at much
earlier periods. The careful and diligent researches, however, of the
most learned Heralds have at present led them almost unanimously to
reject all such theories as these, as speculative and uncertain. At the
same time, it is an indisputable fact that, in all ages of the world,
and amongst all races of men, some form of symbolical expression has
been both in use and in favour. And it is equally true that this
symbolism, whatever it may have been, has generally been found in some
way associated with a military life and with the act of warfare.
Soldiers, and particularly those in high command, have always delighted
to adorn their shields with devices that sometimes were significant of
their own condition or exploits, or sometimes had reference to their
country, or even to their families; and, in like manner, it has been a
universal custom to display similar devices and figures in military
standards of all kinds. At the time of the Conquest, as is shown in the
famous Bayeux Tapestry of the Conqueror’s Consort, the shields and
standards of both Normans and Anglo-Saxons were painted, and perhaps the
latter were embroidered, with various figures and devices; but certainly
without any heraldic significance or any personal associations being
indicated by these figures and devices, which bear a general resemblance
to the insignia of the Legions and Cohorts of Imperial Rome. Figures
Nos. 5 and 6 give representations of the standards that are introduced
into the Bayeux Tapestry. The same species of decoration, consisting
chiefly of painted patterns, with discs, stars, crescents, and some
other figures, continued in use in our own country until superseded by a
true Heraldry; and may also be assumed to have prevailed in England in
much earlier times.
[Illustration: Nos. 5 and 6.--Lance Flags--Bayeux Tapestry.]
In still more remote ages a more decided heraldic system was displayed
upon signets, coins, shields, and standards. In this ancient Heraldry,
if so it may be termed, occasionally the important and characteristic
quality of hereditary association in certain devices is apparent. Thus,
Virgil (Æneid, vii. 657) assigns to Aventinus “_insigne paternum_” upon
his shield--his hereditary device, derived by him from his father. But
these devices generally appear to have their significance in a greater
or a less degree restricted, amongst the ancients, to certain particular
incidents; consequently in all these examples there is nothing to show
that the man who bore one device at one time, did not bear another
device at another time.[1] For example, Æschylus, the Greek tragedian
(B.C. 600), has recorded that Capaneus, when attacking the city of
Thebes, bore on his shield the figure of a warrior carrying a lighted
torch, with the motto, “I will fire the city!” But, on another occasion,
we have reason to believe that the same Capaneus bore quite a different
device, applicable to that other occasion; and this deprives these
ancient devices, heraldic as they are in their general character, of
that special personal association which true Heraldry requires and,
indeed, implies. The beautiful painted vases, the works of Greek
artists, that are discovered in such extraordinary numbers and in
perfect preservation in some parts of Italy, constantly give most
striking representations of the shields of ancient Greek warriors and
other personages, with what appear heraldic devices displayed upon them.
These shields illustrate, in a remarkable manner, both the appropriate
significance of particular devices, and the usage then prevalent for a
variety of devices to be borne on different occasions by the same
individual. Shields upon vases in the collections in the Museum of the
Louvre at Paris, and in the British Museum, where they are easy of
access, contain a great variety of devices. The examples, Nos. 7, 8, 9,
and 10, are from our own National Collections. No. 7, the shield black,
the border and the pegasus red; No. 8, the shield black, and the two
dolphins white; No. 9, the shield black, with a border adorned with red
discs, the serpent white; No. 10, the shield black, with purple border,
the three human legs conjoined white. The shields, Nos. 9 and 10, are
both borne by the goddess ΑΘΗΝΗ (Minerva); and the remarkable device
displayed on No. 10 is also found on the coins of ancient Sicily. Other
similar shields display lions, horses, dogs, wild boars, fish, birds,
clusters of leaves, chariots and chariot-wheels, votive tripods,
serpents, scorpions, with many others, including occasional examples
of human figures. In another collection I have seen an anchor and an
Amazon’s bow. A device differing from that in No. 10 only in having the
conjoined limbs in armour, will be found in our own English Heraldry to
be the armorial ensign of the Isle of Man.
[Footnote 1: In his “Hand-book of Engraved Gems,” Mr. King maintains
that “the devices on the signets of the ancients were both
hereditary and unalterable, like our armorial bearings;” but, at the
same time, he admits that the “armorial bearings,” which appear “on
the shields of the Grecian heroes in the most ancient pictures
extant, the Vase-paintings,” “seem to have been assumed at the
caprice of the individual, like the knight’s _cognisances_ at
tournaments in the days of chivalry, and not to have been
hereditary.” --“Hand-book,” page 216. Almost immediately, however,
Mr. King adds, that traditions exist which represent the mythic
heroes bearing “engraved on their signets the same devices that
decorated their shields.” It would seem that the argument from such
traditions would rather indicate the signet-devices to have been
arbitrary, than the shield-devices to have been unalterable. While I
readily admit the very interesting devices of antiquity to possess
decided heraldic attributes, I cannot consider Mr. King to have
shown that, as a general rule, they were held by the ancients
themselves to have been either “unalterable” or “hereditary.”
Possibly, further light may be thrown upon the hereditary quality of
ancient Heraldry: but, I certainly do not expect to see any evidence
adduced, which would establish a line of descent connecting the
Mediæval Heraldry of England with any heraldic system of classic
antiquity.]
[Illustration: Nos. 7-10.--Ancient Shields from Greek Vases.]
This Heraldry of Antiquity is to be regarded as the predecessor, and not
as the ancestor of the Heraldry of England. There may be much that is
common to both; but, there is nothing to show the later system to have
been a lineal descendant from the earlier. It would seem much more
likely that Heraldry, when it had been evolved, adopted ready made the
emblems of an older civilisation for its own purpose, often
appropriating at the same time the symbolism attaching to the emblems.
The Heraldry, therefore, that has flourished, declined, and now is in
the act of reviving in our own country in almost the full vigour of its
best days, I shall treat as an independent science, proceeding from a
single source, and from thence flowing onwards with varied fortunes,
side by side with the chequered chronicles of England. In the course of
its progress from the palmy days of EDWARD III., it has had to
encounter, in a degree without precedent or parallel, that most painful
and mischievous of trials--the excessive admiration of injudicious
friends. Hence, Heraldry was brought into disrepute, and even into
contempt, by the very persons who loved it with a genuine but a most
unwise love. In process of time, no nonsense appeared too extravagant,
and no fable too wild, to be engrafted upon the grave dignity of the
Herald’s early science. Better times at length have succeeded. Heraldry
now has friends and admirers, zealous as of old, whose zeal is guided
aright by a sound judgment in alliance with a pure taste. Very much
already has been accomplished to sweep away the amazing mass of
absurdities and errors which had overwhelmed our English Heraldry, by
such men as Nicholas, Nichols, Courthope, Seton, Planché, Walford,
Montagu, and Lower: and the good work goes on and prospers, with the
most cheering assurances of complete and triumphant success.
CHAPTER II
EARLY HERALDIC AUTHORITIES
_Seals: Monumental Effigies, &c.: Rolls of Arms, Official Heraldic
Records, &c.-- Earliest Heraldic Shields and Banners-- Allusive
Quality of Early Armory-- Attributed Arms._
“Let us begin at the beginning.”
--PURSUIVANT OF ARMS.
At the head of the earliest existing authorities in English Heraldry are
SEALS. To the fortunate circumstance of the legal importance attached to
them we are indebted for the preservation of these equally interesting
and valuable relics, in great variety and in very considerable numbers.
The heraldic evidence of Seals is necessarily of the highest order. They
are original works, possessing contemporaneous authority. Produced with
peculiar care and approved by their first possessors, their original
authenticity is confirmed by their continued use through successive
generations.
Having been in use before the introduction and adoption of Heraldry in
England, Seals enable us to compare the devices that preceded true
Heraldry with the earliest that are truly heraldic: and thus they show
that, in many instances, regular coats-of-arms were derived in their
hereditary bearings from similar devices that had been adopted in the
same families before the heraldic era. For example: the Seal of John
Mundegumri, about A.D. 1175, bears a _single fleur-de-lys_, not placed
upon a shield; and, accordingly, here is seen the origin of the _three
golden fleurs-de-lys_, borne afterwards upon a blue shield by the
descendants of this John, the Montgomeries, Earls of Eglintoun. Again:
the Seal of Walter Innes, A.D. 1431, displays the shield of arms of his
house--_three blue mullets_ (stars generally of five rays) on a field of
silver, No. 11; and these mullets may be traced to the _single star_,
that appears on the Seal of William Innes, or De Ynays, No. 12, appended
to his deed of homage to Edward I., in the year 1295. I have selected
these examples from the “Catalogue of Scottish Seals,” published by Mr.
Laing, of Edinburgh, that I may be enabled here to refer in the highest
terms of admiring commendation to that most excellent work. It is
greatly to be desired that a corresponding publication should treat,
with equal ability, of the Seals of England which, from the dawn of
Heraldry, continue their admirable examples and illustrations throughout
its career.
[Illustration: No. 11.--Seal of Walter Innes.]
[Illustration: No. 12.--Seal of Wm. Innes.]
Monumental Effigies, Sepulchral Memorials, early Buildings, and early
Stained Glass, frequently are rich in authoritative examples of “the
figures of Heraldry.” In addition to the various forms and combinations
of heraldic composition, these works illustrate the early style of
drawing in favour with Heralds during the great eras of mediæval Art,
and they have preserved to us most useful and suggestive representations
of various devices in their proper heraldic aspect. In many instances
the Heraldry of early Monuments and Architecture possesses a peculiar
value, arising from the circumstance of the shields of arms and other
insignia having been sculptured in low relief or outlined in incised
lines, and consequently these devices and compositions retain their
original forms: and, in like manner, the original colouring of the
Heraldry of Stained Glass remains safe from restoration or destruction,
in consequence of the impossibility of re-painting it.
The early written Literature of English Heraldry is calculated to throw
but little light upon either its true character or its history. In
addition, however, to the various and numerous official documents of the
Heralds’ College, several examples of one particular class of heraldic
record have been preserved, the value of which cannot be too highly
estimated. These are ROLLS OF ARMS--long, narrow strips of parchment, on
which are written lists of the names and titles of certain personages,
with full descriptions of their armorial insignia. The circumstances
under which these Rolls were prepared are obviously not identical and
for the most part unknown: but, the exact accuracy of their statements
has been established beyond all question by careful and repeated
comparison with Seals and other Monuments, and also with Documents which
give only an indirect and yet not the less conclusive corroboration to
the records of the Rolls of Arms themselves. The earliest of these Rolls
at present known date about A.D. 1240 to 1245; and since in these
earliest Rolls a very decided technical language is uniformly adopted,
and the descriptions are all given in palpable accordance with fixed
rules which must then have been well understood, we infer that by the
end of the first half of the thirteenth century there was in existence a
system for the regulation of such matters. Heraldry was perhaps
recognised as a Science, with fixed terms and rules for describing
heraldic devices and figures, and established laws to direct the
granting, the assuming, and the bearing of arms.
The most interesting of these early heraldic Rolls records, in a
metrical form, and in Norman-French, the siege and capture of the
fortress of Carlaverock, on the Scottish border, by EDWARD I., in the
year 1300. In addition to very curious descriptions of the muster of the
Royal troops at Carlisle, their march northwards, and the incidents of
the siege (which last have a strange resemblance to what Homer has
recorded of incidents that took place during the siege of Troy), this
Roll gives some graphic personal sketches of the princes, nobles,
bannerets, and knights, whose banners and shields of arms are set forth
in it with minute exactness. This Roll, as well as several others, has
been published, with translations and very valuable notes.
In the Manuscript Collections of the British Museum also, and of other
Libraries both public and private, and in the County Histories, and
other works of a cognate character, there are many documents which
contain various important records and illustrations of early English
Heraldry.
In any references to authorities, that it may appear desirable for me to
make in the course of this and the following chapters, I must be as
concise as possible. A direct reference to Seals, Effigies, &c., will be
necessary in each case: but, in referring to Rolls of Arms, it will be
sufficient to denote the period of the authority in general terms.
Accordingly, I shall refer, not to each particular Roll, but
collectively to those of each of the following reigns--HENRY III.,
EDWARD I., EDWARD II., EDWARD III., and RICHARD II.; and these
references will severally be made thus,--(H. 3), (E. 1), (E. 2), (E. 3),
and (R. 2).
Amongst the earliest Shields and Banners of Arms, all of them remarkable
for their simplicity, many are found to be without any device whatever,
their distinction consisting simply in some peculiarity in the
colouring. Such examples may be considered to have been derived from
pre-heraldic times, and transmitted, without any change or addition, to
later periods. The renowned Banner of the Knights Templars, by them
called _Beauseant_, No. 13, is black above and white below, which is
said to have denoted that, while fierce to their foes, they were
gracious to their friends. An ancient Banner of the Earl of Leicester
(H. 3) is white and red, the division being made by a vertical indented
line; No. 14. This design, however, was not the coat of arms of the
earl. The Shield of the ducal House of Brittany, closely connected with
the Royal Family of England, is simply of the fur ermine; No. 15. The
Shield of Waldegrave is silver and red, as in No. 16: and that of Fitz
Warine (H. 3), also of silver and red, is treated as in No. 17.
[Illustration: No. 13.--Banner of Templars.]
[Illustration: No. 14.--Banner of Leicester.]
[Illustration: No. 15.--Brittany.]
[Illustration: No. 16.--Waldegrave.]
[Illustration: No. 17.--Fitz Warine.]
[Illustration: No. 18.--Shield at Whitworth.]
Some of the earliest of the simple devices of true Heraldry were
evidently adopted from the _structural formation_ (or from a _structural
strengthening_) of the Shields, on which they were displayed. Thus,
a raised border, and bands of metal variously disposed in order to
impart additional strength to a shield, with distinct colouring, would
produce a series of heraldic compositions. A good example occurs in the
shield of an early Effigy at Whitworth, Durham, No. 18, in which the
heads of the rivets or screws employed to fix the border on the shield,
appear to have been made to assume the character of heraldic additions
to the simple border and horizontal bands. Other primary devices of the
same simple order, which in like manner may have had a structural
origin, I shall consider in detail in subsequent chapters. (See
particularly Chapter VI.)
The central boss, at once an appropriate ornament of an early shield,
and an important addition to its defensive qualities, when extended in
the form of decorative metal-work, would readily suggest a variety of
heraldic figures, and amongst others several beautiful modifications of
a simple cruciform device which it might be made to assume. The figure
called an escarbuncle, No. 19, is simply a shield-boss developed into
decorative structural metal-work. This figure appears in the Temple
Church, London, upon the shield of an Effigy, which Mr. J. Gough Nichols
has shown to have been incorrectly attributed to Geoffrey de Mandeville,
Earl of Essex.
[Illustration: No. 19.--The Escarbuncle.]
The greater number of the earliest devices that appear in English
Heraldry were adopted for the express purpose of their having some
_allusive association_, through a similarity of sound in their own names
or descriptions with the names and titles or the territories of certain
persons, dignities, and places. In exact accordance with the principles
and aim of primitive mediæval Heraldry, and in perfect harmony with the
sentiments and requirements of the age in which it grew up into a
science, devices of this kind addressed themselves in very plain and
expressive language to the men of their own era. In them they saw the
kind of symbolical writing that they could remember, as well as
understand. They also evidently liked the quaint style of suggestiveness
that was a characteristic of these allusive devices: and, it is more
than probable that there frequently lurked in them a humorous
significance, which by no means tended to detract from their popularity.
Devices of this same order have never ceased to be in favour with
Heralds and lovers of Heraldry. They were used in the sixteenth century
at least as commonly as in the thirteenth; but, as would be expected, in
the later period they often became complicated, far-fetched, and
extravagant.
This allusive quality, distinguished in English Heraldry as “_canting_,”
has commonly been misunderstood, and therefore incorrectly estimated, by
modern writers, who have supposed it to be a fantastic conceit of the
Heralds of a degenerate age. By writers such as these, accordingly, all
“_canting arms_” (by French Heralds called “_armes parlantes_”) have
been absurdly assigned to a separate class, in their estimation having
an inferior heraldic grade.
The prevalence of the allusive quality in early arms may be assumed to
have been even more general than is now apparent, since so many of the
original echoes and allusions have become obscured or altogether lost in
the lapse of time, and through the changes that have taken place since
the accession of HENRY III. in the French language and in our own also.
The use of the Latin language, again, in the Middle Ages led, at later
periods, to translations of names; French names, too, were translated in
the same manner into English equivalents: and, at other times, the sound
of a Latin or a French (Anglo-Norman) name was transferred to an English
representative having a somewhat similar sound, without the slightest
reference to the original signification. Who, for example, in the name
of MONTAGU now recognises instinctively the original allusion to a
_mountain_ with its _sharply_ peaked crests, and so discerns the
probable allusive origin of the _sharp_ triple points of the devices on
the old Montacute shield, No. 20? It is easy to see how much must have
been unconsciously done, by such changes in names and their
associations, to obliterate what once was clear, significant, and
expressive. I must be content here to give, simply by way of explanatory
illustration, a very few examples of allusive arms; and, in so doing, it
may be well for me to observe that the early Heralds of our country
always employed the French language as it was spoken in their own times
in England as well as in France. In the time of HENRY III., G. de Lucy
has for his arms _three lucies_--fish now known as pike: Robert Quency
has a _quintefueil_--a flower of five leaves: Thos. Corbett has _two
corbeaux_--ravens: A. de Swyneburne has “_trois testes de
senglier_”--three heads of the wild boar, or _swine_: (E. 2), Sir R. de
Eschales has _six escallops_--_shells_: Sir G. de Trompintoun, of
Trumpington, near Cambridge, has _two trompes_--trumpets: Sir J. Bordoun
has _three bourdons_--pilgrim’s staves: Sir G. Rossel has _three roses_:
and Sir O. Heron has the same number of _herons_. So also, for the
Spanish provinces Castile and Leon, a _castle_ and a _lion_: for
Falconer, a _falcon_: Butler, _cups_: Forester, _bugle-horns_: Arundel,
_hirondelles_--swallows: Wingfield, _wings_: Shelley, _shells_: Pigot,
_pick-axes_: Leveson, _leaves_: and Martel, _martels_--hammers. The
_Broom-plant_ with its seed-pods, in Latin _Planta genista_, No. 21,
gave its name to the PLANTAGENET Dynasty. I shall hereafter add several
other curious examples of devices of this class, when treating of
_Badges_, _Rebuses_, and _Mottoes_.
[Illustration: No. 20.--Shield of Montacute.]
[Illustration: No. 21.--Planta Genista.]
[Illustration: No. 22.--WILLIAM I.]
[Illustration: No. 23.--Saxon Princes.]
There is one class of early arms, which it is important that students of
Armory should observe with especial care, lest they be led by them into
unexpected errors. These are arms that were invented _after_ Heraldry
had been established, and then were assigned to personages of historical
eminence who had lived and died _before_ the true heraldic era. In the
days in which every person of prominence bore heraldic arms, and when
Heraldry had attained to high renown, it was natural enough to consider
that suitable armorial devices and compositions should be assigned to
the men of mark in earlier ages, both to distinguish them in accordance
with the usage then prevalent, and to treat their memory with becoming
honour. Such arms were also in a sense necessary to their descendants
for the purposes of quartering. No proof can be shown that the arms said
to have been borne by WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR are not of this order--made
for him, that is, and attributed to him in after times, but of which he
himself had no knowledge. These arms, No. 22, differ from the true Royal
Insignia of England only in there being _two_, instead of _three_, lions
displayed upon the shield. The arms of EDWARD THE CONFESSOR, No. 2, were
certainly devised long after his death, and they appear to have been
suggested to the heralds of HENRY III. by one of the Confessor’s coins:
the shield is blue, and the cross and five birds (martlets) are gold. In
like manner, the arms attributed to the earlier Saxon Sovereigns of
England, No. 23, a gold cross upon blue, are really not earlier than the
thirteenth century. The arms, No. 2, having been assigned to ST. EDWARD,
a patron saint of mediæval England, were long regarded with peculiar
reverence. I have placed them, drawn from a fine shield of the
thirteenth century in Westminster Abbey, to take a part in forming a
group at the head of my Preface, with the shields of the two other
saintly Patrons of “old England,” ST. GEORGE and ST. EDMUND, No. 1 and
No. 3--a red cross on a silver shield, and three golden crowns upon a
shield of blue.
CHAPTER III
_The English Heraldry that is now in existence-- First Debasement
of Heraldry-- Later Debasement-- Revival of English Heraldry--
Heraldic Art._
“Sans changer.”
--MOTTO OF STANLEY.
English Heraldry, as it exists amongst us in our own times, is the very
same Heraldry that flourished under the kindly influences of the
greatest of the Plantagenets, though perhaps modified in some details by
changed circumstances. It is not of a new, but of the old, Heraldry of
England that I am setting forth the elements. Our Heraldry has had to
pass from good days to bad ones: and, having gone through the worst of
bad days, the circle at length has revolved, so that we are witnessing
the happy change of a vigorous heraldic revival. Heraldry already enjoys
a very great popularity; and, without a doubt, it will become still more
popular, in the degree that it is better and more generally understood.
For its complete ultimate success, the present revival of true English
Heraldry must mainly depend upon the manner in which we apply the
lessons that may be learned by us, no less from the warnings of the
recent evil days of the science, than from the example of the brilliant
ones that preceded them long ago. Nor should we deal faithfully with our
revived Heraldry, were we not to form a just estimate of whatever was
imperfect in the best era of its early history, in order to apply to
present improvement the lessons that thus also may be learned. It must
be admitted that the Heralds and Heraldic writers of the 17th century,
following the footsteps of some of their immediate predecessors, led the
way towards the thorough debasement of their own science. Their example
was not without effect upon those who followed them--men quite equal to
the perpetration of whatever had not been already done to bring Heraldry
into contempt. This was accomplished first, by gravely discoursing, in
early heraldic language, upon the imaginary Heraldry of the patriarchal
and antediluvian worthies: making a true coat of arms of Joseph’s “coat
of many colours,” giving armorial ensigns to David and Gideon, to Samson
and Joshua, to “that worthy gentilman Japheth,” to Jubal and Tubal-Cain,
and crowning the whole by declaring that our common progenitor, Adam,
bore on his own red shield Eve’s shield of silver, after the mediæval
fashion that would denote his wife to have been an heiress!
Then there set in a flood of allegorical and fantastic absurdities, by
which the fair domain of Heraldry was absolutely overwhelmed. Wild and
strange speculations, in a truly vain philosophy, interwoven with
distorted images of both the myths and the veritable records of classic
antiquity, were either deduced from armorial blazonry, or set forth as
the sources from whence it was developed. Fables and anecdotes, having
reference to less remote eras, were produced in great variety and in
copious abundance. The presence in blazon of animated beings of
whatsoever kinds, whether real or fabulous, led to rambling
disquisitions in the most ludicrously _un_natural of imaginary Natural
History. From every variety also of inanimate figure and device, the
simplest no less than the more elaborate, after the same fashion some
“moral” was sought to be extracted. The technical language, too, of the
early Heralds, had its expressive simplicity travestied by a complicated
jargon, replete with marvellous assertions, absurd doctrines, covert
allusions devoid of consistent significance, quaint and yet trivial
conceits, and bombastic rhapsodies. Even the nomenclature of the
Tinctures was not exempt from a characteristic course of “treatment,”
two distinctive additional sets of titles for gold, silver, blue, red,
&c., having been devised and substituted for those in general use (see
Chapter V.); of these the one set was derived from the names of the
_Planets_, and employed to emblazon the insignia of Sovereign Princes;
and the other set, derived from the names of _Jewels_, was applied to
the arms of Nobles. In the midst of all the rubbish, however, which they
thus delighted to accumulate, there may generally be discovered in the
works of writers of this class, here and there, references to earlier
usages and illustrations of original principles which, in the extreme
dearth of genuine early heraldic literature, are both interesting and of
real value. Nor are these writings without their value, estimated from
another point of view, as contemporaneous and unconscious commentaries
upon the history of their own times. It must be added that, in more than
a few instances, beneath the surface there lurks a vein of both
political and personal allusion, of which the point and bearing now are
altogether lost, or at the most are only open to conjecture and surmise.
And, again, even in their most extravagant and frivolous lucubrations,
the heraldic writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are not
without touches of humour; as when Gerard Legh (A.D. 1562), discoursing
of “beastes,” remarks of the “Ramme” that in “aucthoritye he is a Duke,
for hee hath the leadyng of multitudes and flockes of his own kynde;”
and of the ass, “I could write much of this beaste, but that it might be
thought it were to mine own glorie.”
The adoption of additional quarterings for the purpose of display, and
the introduction of more complicated compositions in the time of
HENRY VIII., were speedily followed by the substitution of pictorial
representations, often of a most frivolous and inconsistent character,
and many of them altogether unintelligible without written explanations,
instead of the simple, dignified, and expressive insignia of true
Heraldry. For example, in the year 1760, a grant of arms was made to a
Lincolnshire family named Tetlow, which, with thirteen other figures,
includes the representation of a book duly clasped and ornamented,
having on it a silver penny; while above the book rests a dove, holding
in its beak a crow-quill! This was to commemorate one of the family
having, with a crow-quill, actually achieved the exploit of writing the
Lord’s Prayer within the compass of a silver penny. Amongst the most
objectionable of the arms of this class are those which were granted to
distinguished naval and military officers--arms, that certainly ought to
have conferred fresh honour on illustrious names, instead of inflicting
dishonour upon Heraldry itself. Battles by sea and land, landscapes and
sea views and fortified cities, flags of all kinds, with medals and
ribbons, all of them intermixed with devices not quite so unheraldic,
abound in these extravagant compositions. The arms of Lord Nelson, and
still more recently those of General Lord Gough, may be specified as
flagrant examples of this degenerate pictorial Heraldry. The Duke of
Wellington happily escaped a similar infliction. It would be but too
easy to enumerate other equally inconsistent and unheraldic
compositions: but, I must be content to refer only to the armorial
shield granted to the great astronomer, Sir John Herschel, on which is
displayed his forty-foot reflecting telescope, with all its apparatus!
These, and all such violations of heraldic truth and consistency, though
in some instances they are of very recent date, are now to be assigned
to a closed chapter in the history of English Heraldry. But in
considering them it must not be forgotten that this kind of grant was
not confined to this country, but flourished to a still greater extent
abroad.
In our present revival of English Heraldry, it is essential that we
impress upon our minds a correct conception of the twofold character of
all Heraldry--that it is a _Science_, and also that it is an _Art_. We
have to vindicate the reputation of our Heraldry, as well in the one
capacity as in the other. Of very noble heraldic Art we happily possess
original examples in great numbers, which have been bequeathed to us, as
a precious inheritance, from “the brave days of old.” The style of Art
that we see exemplified in these early authorities we may accept almost
unreservedly as our own style; and we must aspire to sympathise heartily
with their genuine heraldic feeling. In our representation, also, of
almost all inanimate and natural objects in our own armorial
compositions, as a general rule, we may trust confidently to the same
good guidance. The early method of representation, indeed, must form the
basis of our system of treatment; and, we may faithfully adhere to this
rule, and yet occasionally we may find it to be desirable that the form
and the accessories of some devices should be adapted to modern
associations. In truth, it is not by merely copying the works of even
the greatest of the early heraldic artists, that we are to become
masters in heraldic Art. When the copies are good, copying is always
valuable, as a branch of study; but, if it be our highest and only aim
to reproduce the expressions of other men’s thoughts, then copying is
worse than worthless. What we have to do is to express our heraldic Art
in the spirit of the early Heralds, to keep it in harmony with what, in
the best of the early days, they would have accepted as the highest
heraldic Art, and at the same time to show that our heraldic Art in very
truth is our own.
[Illustration: No. 24.--Prince JOHN OF ELTHAM, A.D. 1336.]
[Illustration: Nos. 25, 26.--Badge of RICHARD II., Westminster Hall.]
The treatment of animate creatures in Heraldry requires a certain kind,
and also a certain degree, of conventionalism. Here, as before, in the
early Heralds we have excellent masters; but, here we must follow their
teaching with more of reserve, and with cautious steps. We recognise the
happy consistency of the conventionalism which they displayed in their
representation of animate creatures, without any purpose to adopt it in
the same degree with them. Had the early Heralds been more familiar with
the living presence of the various creatures that they summoned to enter
into their service, without a doubt they would have represented them
with a much closer conformity to Nature. We must apply our better
knowledge, as we may feel confident the early Heralds would have applied
a similar knowledge had they been able to have acquired it. Heraldic
animals of every kind--lions, eagles, dolphins, and all others--must be
so far subjected to a conventional treatment, that they will not exhibit
a _strictly_ natural appearance: and, on the other hand, being carefully
preserved from all exaggerated conventionalisms, they must approach as
near to Nature as a definite conventional rendering of natural truth
will admit. The lions of the early Heralds, spirited beasts always,
generally show a decided disposition to exhibit their heraldic
sympathies in excess. They have in them rather too much that is heraldic
conventionalism, and not quite enough that is natural lion. And, with
the first symptoms of decline in heraldic Art, the treatment of lions
showed signs of a tendency to carry conventionalism to the utmost
extravagance. The same remarks are applicable to eagles. It must be
added, however, that truly admirable examples of heraldic animals
occasionally may be found as late even as the commencement of the
sixteenth century, as in the chantry of Abbot Ramryge, in the Abbey
Church at St. Alban’s, and in King’s College Chapel at Cambridge. It
must be our care to blend together the true attributes of the living
lion and eagle, and those also of other living creatures, with the
traditional peculiarities of their heraldic representatives. And we must
extend the corresponding application of the same principles of treatment
to imaginary beings and heraldic monsters, as they occur in our
Heraldry. The shield, No. 24, of Prince JOHN OF ELTHAM, younger brother
of EDWARD III., finely sculptured with his effigy in alabaster, in
Westminster Abbey (A.D. 1336), and in perfect preservation, gives us
characteristic examples of lions of the best heraldic era, their frames,
attenuated as they are, being perfect types of fierce elasticity. With
this shield may be grouped others, having admirably suggestive examples
of heraldic lions of a somewhat later date, which are preserved upon the
monuments of EDWARD III. and the BLACK PRINCE, severally at Westminster
and Canterbury. I shall refer to these fine shields again, and to other
admirable examples with them, hereafter (Chapter IX.). The
conventionalism in all these examples, however felicitous the manner in
which it is treated in them, is very decidedly exaggerated. These
examples, and others such as these, are not the less valuable to us
because their teaching includes an illustration of the excesses that we
must always be careful to avoid. I may here observe, that on the subject
of armorial Art I leave my examples (all of them selected from the most
characteristic authorities, and engraved with scrupulous fidelity) for
the most part to convey their own lessons and suggestions: my own
suggestion to students being that, in such living creatures as they may
represent in their compositions, while they are careful to preserve
heraldic consistency and to express heraldic feeling, they exhibit
beauty of form coupled with freedom of action and an appropriate
expression. “Freedom of action” I intend to imply more than such skilful
drawing, as will impart to any particular creature the idea of free
movement of frame and limb: it refers also to repeated representations
of the same creature, under the same heraldic conditions of motive and
attitude. And, here “freedom of action” implies those slight, yet
significant, modifications of minor details which, without in the least
degree affecting armorial truth, prevent even the semblance of
monotonous reiteration. Thus, at Beverley, in the Percy Shrine in the
Minster, upon a shield of England the three lions are all heraldically
the same; but, there is nothing of sameness in them nevertheless,
because in each one there is some little variety in the turn of the
head, or in the placing of the paws, or in the sweep of the tail. And
again, in Westminster Hall, the favourite badge of Richard II., a white
hart, chained, and in an attitude of rest, is repeated as many as
eighty-three times; and all are equally consistent with heraldic truth
and accuracy, without any one of them being an exact counterpart of any
other. In Nos. 25 and 26 two examples are shown from this remarkable
series of representations of this beautiful badge, each one different
from the other, and yet both really the same.
CHAPTER IV
THE GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY
SECTION I
_The Language of Heraldry-- The Nomenclature-- Style and Forms of
Expression-- Blazon-- The Shield: its Parts, Points, Divisions,
Dividing Lines, Varieties of Form, and Heraldic Treatment._
“The shield hangs down on every breast.”
--LORD OF THE ISLES.
THE LANGUAGE OF HERALDRY.--The original language of English Heraldry was
the Norman-French, which may also be designated Anglo-Norman, habitually
spoken at the Court of England in the early heraldic era. After a while,
a mixed language succeeded, compounded of English and the original
Norman-French; and this mixed language still continues in use.
NOMENCLATURE.--Like its language, the Nomenclature of English Heraldry
is of a mixed character, in part technical and peculiar to itself, and
in part the same that is in common use. Thus, many of the figures and
devices of Heraldry have their peculiar heraldic names and titles, while
still more bear their ordinary designations. Descriptive terms, whether
expressed in English or in French (Anglo-Norman), are generally employed
with a special heraldic intention and significance. In the earliest Roll
of Arms known to be now in existence, which was compiled (as appears
from internal evidence) between the years 1240 and 1245, the
Nomenclature is the same that is found in Rolls and other heraldic
documents of a later date. This fact of the existence of a definite
Nomenclature at that time, proves that before the middle of the
thirteenth century the Heraldry of England was subject to a systematic
course of treatment, and had become established and recognised as a
distinct and independent Science.
STYLE AND FORMS OF EXPRESSION.--With the Nomenclature, a settled Style
and certain fixed technical Forms of Expression were introduced and
accepted in the thirteenth century; and, since that period, the Style
and Forms of Expression have undergone only such comparatively slight
modifications as tended to render them both more complete and more
consistent. As it was at the first, it still is the essence of heraldic
language to be concise yet complete, expressive, and also abounding in
suggestions. Not a syllable is expressed that is not absolutely
necessary; not a syllable omitted, the absence of which might possibly
lead to any doubt or uncertainty. In the more matured style, the
repetition of any important word in the same sentence is scrupulously
avoided; and, where it would be required, another form of expression is
substituted in its stead. Much meaning also is left to be implied and
understood, through inference, either based upon certain accepted rules
and established heraldic usages for the arrangement of the words and
clauses of a sentence, or derived from the natural qualities and
characteristic conditions of certain figures and devices: but, nothing
is ever left to be inferred when an uncertain inference might possibly
be adopted, or that can be understood clearly and with certainty only by
means of an explicit statement. Superfluous words and particles of all
kinds are altogether omitted. Descriptive epithets follow the nouns to
which they refer: as, a _red cross_ is styled a _cross gules_. The
general rules, by which the arrangement of the words in heraldic
descriptive sentences is determined, will be found in the last
subdivision of this chapter. Examples of heraldic Language,
Nomenclature, Style and Forms of Expression, will be given in abundance
throughout the following chapters and sections of this treatise. With
these examples students will do well to familiarise themselves: then,
let them prepare additional examples for that “practice,” which (as
Parker’s “Glossary of Heraldry” says, p. 60) “alone will make perfect,”
by writing down correct descriptions of heraldic compositions from the
compositions themselves; after which process they may advantageously
reverse the order of their study, and make drawings of these same (or,
if they prefer it, of some other) heraldic compositions from their own
written descriptions of them.
When any heraldic description of a figure, device, or composition has
been completed, a statement is made to signify the person, family,
community, or realm whose armorial ensign it may be. This is done by
simply writing the appropriate name, after the last word of the
description; or, by prefixing the word “for” before the name when it is
placed in the same position. Thus, a description of the three lions of
England is to be followed by the word--“ENGLAND”; or, by the
formula--“for ENGLAND.” If preferred, with equal consistency the
arrangement may be reversed, and the Name, with or without the prefix
“for,” may precede the description: thus--“ENGLAND,” or “For ENGLAND,”
three lions, &c. It is to be borne in remembrance, that armorial ensigns
are personal inheritances, and--with the exception of Sovereign
Princes--by comparison but very rarely relate to _Titles_ and
_Dignities_.
BLAZON, BLAZONING, BLAZONRY.--When a knight entered the lists at a
tournament, his presence was announced by sound of trumpet or horn,
after which the officers of arms, the official Heralds, declared his
armorial insignia--they “blazoned” his Arms. This term, “to blazon,”
derived from the German word “_blasen_,” signifying “to blow a blast on
a horn” (or, as one eminent German Herald prefers, from the old German
word “_blaze_” or “_blasse_,” “a mark” or “sign”), in Heraldry really
denotes either to _describe_ any armorial figure, device, or composition
in correct heraldic language; or to _represent_ such figure, device, or
composition accurately in form, position, arrangement, and colouring.
But, as a matter of practical usage, pictorial representation is usually
allied to the word “emblazon.” The word “blazon” also, as a noun, may be
employed with a general and comprehensive signification to denote
“Heraldry.”
THE SHIELD:--ITS PARTS, POINTS, AND DIVISIONS.--Their Shield, which the
knights of the Middle Ages derived from the military usage of antiquity,
and which contributed in so important a degree to their own defensive
equipment, was considered by those armour-clad warriors to be peculiarly
qualified to display their heraldic blazonry. And, in later times, when
armour had ceased to be worn, and when shields no longer were actually
used, a Shield continued to be regarded as the most appropriate vehicle
for the same display. The Shield, then, which with its armorial devices
constitutes a _Shield of Arms_, always is considered to display its
blazonry upon its face or external surface. This blazoned surface of his
shield the bearer, when holding it before his person, presents (or would
present, were he so to hold it) towards those who confront him. The
right and the left sides of the person of the bearer of a Shield,
consequently, are _covered_ by the right and left (in heraldic language,
the _dexter_ and _sinister_) sides of his shield: and so, from this it
follows that the dexter and sinister sides of a Shield of Arms are
severally _opposite_ to the left and the right hands of all observers.
The Parts and Points of an heraldic Shield, which is also entitled an
“_Escutcheon_,” are thus distinguished:--
[Illustration: No. 27.]
No. 27. A, _The chief_:
B, _The Base_:
C, _The Dexter Side_:
D, _The Sinister Side_:
E, _The Dexter Chief_:
F, _The Sinister Chief_:
G, _The Middle Chief_:
H, _The Dexter Base_:
I, _The Sinister Base_:
K, _The Middle Base_:[2]
L, _The Honour Point_:
M, _The Fesse Point_.
[Footnote 2: This term is very seldom if ever used.]
In blazoning the Divisions of a Shield, the term “_Per_,” signifying “in
the direction of,” is employed sometimes alone, and sometimes (having
the same signification) preceded by the word “parted” or “party.” The
primary Divisions of a Shield are indicated in the following diagrams,
Nos. 28-35:--
[Illustration: Nos. 28-30, 31-33, 34-35.]
No. 28. _Per Pale_, or _Parted per Pale_, or _Party per Pale_.
No. 29. _Per Fesse_, or _Parted per Fesse_.
No. 30. (Nos. 28 and 29 together) _Per Cross_, or _Quarterly_ (the
latter is the more usual term).
No. 31. _Per Bend._ No. 32. _Per Bend Sinister._
No. 33. (Nos. 31 and 32 together) _Per Saltire._
No. 34. _Per Chevron._
No. 35. Tierced in pale (divided into three equal divisions by two
vertical lines), a form seldom met with in English Heraldry. Technically
this in English Heraldry is simply the representation of a pale. (See
No. 87.)
To these divisions should strictly be added the further division
_gyronny_ (No. 147); but neither the term _per_ nor _parted per_ is
ever employed in this connection. As will be seen, it is a combination
of the forms shown in Nos. 30 and 33.
A Shield may be further divided and subdivided, thus:--
[Illustration: No. 36.]
[Illustration: No. 37.]
It may be divided into any number of _Quarterings_ by lines drawn _per
pale_ and _per fesse_, cutting each other, as in No. 36, which Shield is
_quarterly of eight_: in like manner the _Quarterings_ of any Shield,
whatever their number (which need not be an even number), are blazoned
as, _quarterly of twelve, &c._ This, to whatever extent the dividing of
the Shield may be carried, is _simple Quartering_. Again: a quartered
Shield may have one or more of its primary quarters, or every one of
them, _quartered_: this, which is the subdivision of a part, _the
quartering of quarters_, is _compound Quartering_: for example, in No.
37, the Shield is first divided into the _four primary quarters_,
severally marked A, B, C, D; then, so far as the quarters A, B, D are
concerned, the “simple quartering” is subjected to the process of
“compound quartering,” and quarters A, D are _quarters quarterly_, and B
is _a quarter quarterly of six_, while C remains unaffected by the
secondary process. The terms “_quarterly quartering_” and “_quarterly
quartered_” are used to signify such secondary quartering as is
exemplified in A, B, D of No. 37. The four primary quarters (A, B, C,
D of No. 37) are distinguished as _Grand Quarters_: consequently, the
quarter B of this example is the _second grand quarter, quarterly of
six_. This term “Grand Quarter” may be employed to distinguish any
primary quarter when any quarter in the Shield is “quarterly quartered.”
DIVIDING and BORDER LINES, in addition to simple right lines and curves,
assume the forms that are represented in the next diagram, No. 38:--
[Illustration: No. 38.]
No. 38. A. _Indented_
B. _Dancetté_
C. _Wavy_ or _Undée_ (2 varieties)
D. _Engrailed_
E. _Invected_ or _Invecked_
F. _Embattled_
G. _Raguly_
H. _Nebuly_ (2 varieties)
I. _Dovetailed_
Two others, less frequently met with, however, are _rayonné_ and
_flory-counter-flory_.
[Illustration: No. 39.]
[Illustration: No. 40.]
[Illustration: No. 41.]
[Illustration: No. 42.]
[Illustration: No. 43.]
[Illustration: No. 44.]
[Illustration: No. 45.]
[Illustration: No. 46.]
[Illustration: No. 47.]
THE SHIELD: ITS VARIETIES OF FORM.--The front face of an heraldic Shield
is generally flat; but sometimes the curved edges are made to appear as
if they had been slightly rounded off. Some early Shields are
represented as _bowed_--hollowed, that is, in order to cover more
closely the person of the bearer, and consequently having a convex
external contour, as in No. 39. In early examples of bowed Shields the
whole of the armorial blazonry is sometimes displayed on the face of
that portion of the Shield which is shown. A _ridge_, dividing them in
pale, but not necessarily in any way acting as an heraldic dividing
line, appears in many Shields, and particularly in those of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The large elongated Shields that have
been entitled “kite-shaped,” and which were in use in the days of
RICHARD I. and amongst the Barons of Magna Charta, were superseded by
the smaller “heater-shaped” Shield as early as the reign of HENRY III.
The most beautiful forms of this Shield are represented in Nos. 40, 41,
and 42: of these, No. 40 has its curves described about the sides of an
inverted equilateral triangle, and then they are prolonged by vertical
lines towards the chief: in Nos. 41, 42, the sides curve from the chief
to the base. The forms of Shields admit of various slight modifications,
to adjust them to varying conditions. Towards the close of the
fourteenth century the form of the Shield is found to undergo some
singular changes: and, at later periods, changes in form of this kind
became generally prevalent. Nos. 43, 44, exemplify such changes as
these: they also show the curved notch that was cut in the dexter chief
of the Shields of the same periods, to permit the lance to pass through
it as the Shield hung down on the breast: a Shield so pierced is said to
be _à bouche_. The Surface of the Shield, No. 43, which is in the
Episcopal palace at Exeter, is wrought into a series of shallow hollows,
which curve gracefully from the central ridge, some to the dexter, and
others to the sinister. Such a Shield as this may be consistently used
in our own Heraldry: but, since now we do not associate lances laid in
rest with our heraldic Shields, it appears desirable that we should not
draw our Shields _à bouche_. In recent Heraldry the Shield has commonly
been made to appear such an unsightly and un-heraldic deformity as is
represented in No. 45. Instead of a true heraldic Shield also, a rounded
oval with a convex surface, called a _cartouche_, or _cartouche shield_,
No. 46, is occasionally used for the display of armorial blazonry; or a
circle is substituted for such an oval. These cartouches probably owe
their origin to the usage of placing a Garter of the Order about a
Shield (prevalent in the fifteenth century), and to a subsequent period,
when we find the omission of the exact outline of the actual Shield. But
their frequent appearance in Ecclesiastical Heraldry suggests that
perhaps they were deliberately preferred to the purely military shield.
A _Lozenge_, No. 47, takes the place of a Shield to bear the arms of
Ladies, with the exception of the Sovereign; this very inconvenient
substitute for the heraldic Shield was introduced early in the
fourteenth century.
THE SHIELD: ITS HERALDIC TREATMENT.--When a Shield is represented as
standing erect, it is not necessary to specify that fact, since such a
position may be assumed for a Shield unless another be set forth in
blazoning. Shields are sometimes made to appear suspended by the
_guige_, or shield-belt (which was worn by Knights to sustain and secure
their Shields to their persons); in some Seals and generally in
architectural compositions, Shields-of-Arms appear suspended, erect,
from their guiges; at Westminster some of the earliest Shields are thus
suspended, with a very happy effect, from two points of suspension, the
guige passing over sculptured heads, as in No. 48, the Arms of Provence,
borne by ALIANORE of Provence, Queen of HENRY III.--the _shield_ is
_gold_, and on it are blazoned _four red pallets_. In Seals, the
suspended Shield is generally represented hanging by the sinister-chief
angle, as in No. 49; and it hangs thus diagonally from below the helm.
A Shield thus placed is said to be “_couché_.” This arrangement is also
frequently adopted, when a Shield or an Achievement of arms is not
placed upon a Seal; but in any case the position has no importance
except as a matter of artistic treatment.
[Illustration: No. 48.--Arms of Provence, Westminster Abbey.]
[Illustration: No. 49.--Shield Couché.]
The entire surface of every Shield is termed the “_Field_.” The same
term is also applied to _every plain surface_. A Shield is said to be
“borne” by the personage to whom it belongs: and, in its turn, the
Shield “bears” whatever figures and devices may be displayed upon it;
whence, all these figures and devices are entitled “_Bearings_” or
“_Armorial Bearings_.” All figures and devices are also styled
“_Charges_”; and they are said to be “_charged_” upon a Shield, Banner,
or Surcoat, or upon one another. In blazoning, the field of the Shield
is always first noticed and described: next follow the charges that rest
upon the field of the Shield itself; then descriptions are given of the
secondary bearings that are charged upon others of greater importance.
As a general rule, of several charges which all alike rest immediately
upon the field of the Shield, the most important is the first to be
blazoned; so that the arrangement of blazoning is determined by the
comparative dignity of the bearings, as well as by the degree in which
charges are nearer to the field and further from beholders. In some
cases, however, a bearing charged upon the field of a Shield and many
times repeated on a small scale, is blazoned (for the sake of simplicity
and clearness of expression) next to the field of the Shield
itself:--thus, if a lion be charged on the field of a Shield, and a
considerable number of crosses surround the lion, and, like him, are
placed on the field of the Shield also--the field of the Shield is
blazoned first, the crosses second, and the lion third; and, if a
crescent (or other bearing) be charged upon the lion’s shoulder, it is
the last in the blazon. In quartered Shields the blazoning commences
afresh with each quartering. In blazoning armorial banners and
horse-trappings, the latter often gorgeously enriched with heraldic
blazonry, the dexter side of a flag is always next to the staff, and the
head of a horse is supposed always to be looking towards the dexter.
CHAPTER V
THE GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY
SECTION II
_The Tinctures’ Metals-- Colours-- Furs-- Varied Fields-- Law of
Tinctures-- Counterchanging-- Diaper-- Disposition-- Blazoning in
Tinctures._
“All the devices blazoned on the Shield
In their own tinct”
--ELAINE.
In English Heraldry the TINCTURES comprise _Two Metals_, _Five Colours_,
and _Eight Furs_. They are symbolised or indicated by dots and lines--a
very convenient system, said to have been introduced, about the year
1630, by an Italian named Silvestre de Petrasancta. Some such
symbolisation, however, may occasionally be found in anticipation of
Petrasancta. The system now in use was not generally adopted till the
commencement of the eighteenth century. This system is never officially
employed in a matter of record, and is now being discarded by many
artists. The Metals, Colours, and Furs are named, their names are
abbreviated, and they are severally indicated, as follows:--
[Illustration: No. 50.]
[Illustration: No. 51.]
[Illustration: No. 52.]
[Illustration: No. 53.]
[Illustration: No. 54.]
[Illustration: No. 55.]
[Illustration: No. 56.]
TWO METALS.
TITLES ABBREVIATIONS SYMBOLISATION.
1. Gold _Or_ Or No. 50.
2. Silver _Argent_ Arg. No. 51.
FIVE COLOURS
TITLES ABBREVIATIONS SYMBOLISATION.
1. Blue _Azure_ _Az._ No. 52.
2. Red _Gules_ _Gu._ No. 53.
3. Black _Sable_ _Sa._ No. 54.
4. Green _Vert_ _Vert_ No. 55.
5. Purple _Purpure_ _Purp._ No. 56
(In French Heraldry, _Green_ is _Sinople_.)
[Illustration: No. 57.]
[Illustration: No. 58.]
[Illustration: No. 59.]
[Illustration: No. 60.]
[Illustration: No. 61.]
[Illustration: No. 62.]
[Illustration: No. 63.]
[Illustration: No. 64.]
[Illustration: No. 65.]
EIGHT FURS (not abbreviated).
TITLES
1. _Ermine_,--black spots on white No. 57.
2. _Ermines_,--white spots on black No. 58.
3. _Erminois_,--black spots on gold No. 59.
4. _Pean_,--gold spots on black No. 60.
5. _Vair_,--alternate divisions of blue and white, Nos. 61, 62.
6. _Counter Vair_ (note difference of arrangement) No. 63.
7. _Potent_ (note different shape of divisions) No. 64.
8. _Counter Potent_ No. 65.
Two other Colours, or tints of Colour, are sometimes heard of--_Tenne_,
a tawny or orange colour, indicated by vertical lines crossing those of
_Purpure_: and _Murrey_ or _Sanguine_, a dark crimson red, indicated by
diagonal lines from both dexter and sinister, crossing each other. These
two are sometimes termed stains, but their real usage was in liveries.
The Furs, Nos. 58, 59, 60, 63, 64, and 65, are of comparatively rare
occurrence, and do not appear in the best ages of Heraldry. _Vair_ and
_Ermine_ are common. A good early form of _Vair_ is shown in No. 62: and
in No. 57A, I give a fine example of the treatment of _Ermine_, from the
monument of EDWARD III.
[Illustration: No. 57A.]
In order to avoid repeating or referring to the word “_Or_,” the word
“_Gold_” is sometimes used. The Furs, Nos. 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65, are
always _argent_ and _azure_, unless some other metal and colour be named
in the blazoning. Animated beings and all objects, that in Heraldry are
represented in their natural aspect and colouring, are blazoned
“_proper_” abbreviated _ppr._ Heraldic charges and compositions, when
sketched in outline with pen and ink or with pencil, and with the
colours _written_ thereon, are said to be “_tricked_,” or “_in trick_.”
VARIED FIELDS.--It is not necessary that the Field of a Shield, or of
any Bearing, should be of any one uniform tincture: but varied surfaces
are usually tinctured of some one metal and some one colour alternating;
and the patterns or devices thus produced are generally derived (the
Furs, Nos. 61-65, which are good examples of varied surfaces, being the
exceptions) from the forms of the original simple charges that are
distinguished as _Ordinaries_ and _Subordinaries._ And these varied
surfaces or fields are always _flat_; the whole of their devices or
patterns are _level_, their metal and colour lying in the same plane. It
is evident that, in representing any examples of this class, no shading
is to be introduced to denote relief.
[Illustration: No. 66.]
[Illustration: No. 67.]
Should the field of any charge be divided into a single row of small
squares, alternately, _e.g._ of a metal and a colour, as No. 66, it is
_Componée_ or _Compony_ (sometimes written _gobony_): if into two such
rows, as in No. 67, it is _Counter Compony_: but, if the field of a
Shield, or the surface of any charge be divided into three, or more than
three, such rows, it is _Chequée_ or _Checky_; thus, the Arms of the
Earl de WARENNE are _Chequée or and az._, No. 68 (H. 3 and E. 2).
THE LAW OF TINCTURES.--Every charge is supposed to rest upon the field
of a Shield, or on the surface of some charge. It is a strict rule, that
a charge of a metal must rest upon a field that is of a colour or fur;
or, contrariwise, that a charge of a colour must rest on a field that is
of a metal or fur,--that is, that _metal be not on metal, nor colour on
colour_. This rule is modified in the case of _varied fields_, upon
which may be charged a bearing of either a metal or a colour: also,
a partial relaxation of the rule is conceded when one bearing is charged
upon another, should the conditions of any particular case require such
a concession. This rule does not apply to bordures, nor very stringently
to augmentations or crests, and it is not so rigidly enforced in Foreign
as in British Heraldry. There are, of course, a few exceptions, but they
are not numerous, the one usually instanced as an intentional violation
being the _silver_ armorial Shield of the CRUSADER KINGS of JERUSALEM,
No. 69, upon which _five golden crosses_ are charged; the motive in this
remarkable exception to an established rule being said to be to cause
this Shield to be unlike that of any other potentate. What may be termed
the accessories of a charge are not included in this law of tinctures:
thus, a silver lion having a red tongue may be charged on a blue shield,
and the red tongue may rest on the blue field of the Shield.
[Illustration: No. 69.--Arms of Jerusalem.]
[Illustration: No. 70.--Arms of Fenwick.]
COUNTERCHANGING is dividing the field of a Shield in such a manner that
it is, _e.g._ in part of a metal and in part of a colour, and then
arranging the charges in such a manner that they shall be reciprocally
of the same colour and metal: thus, the shield of John Fenwick, No. 70
(R. 2) is,--_per-fesse gu. and arg., six martlets, three, two, one,
counterchanged_; that is, the field is red in chief and silver in base,
and the birds or parts of the birds on the red field are silver, and
those on the silver field are red.
DIAPERING.--This term denotes a system of decorating plain surfaces in
various ways, which was in great favour with the early heraldic artists.
In the use of Diaper, which is often desirable when artistic reasons
suggest its suitability, care must be taken that the decorative designs
and patterns do not in any way admit of their being mistaken for
charges. This diaper may be executed in low relief, subordinated to the
relief of the charges; and it is not required to yield any obedience to
the law of tinctures. In the Shield, No. 68 (the original, a very noble
shield, is at Castle Acre Priory, Norfolk), which is simply _chequée_,
the Diapering may be alternately azure and or on the squares that are
alternately or and azure; or the Diaper may be dark blue, or sable, or
argent on the azure squares, and on the golden ones whatever the artist
might consider would be most effective; but the Diaper, in this and in
all other examples, must always be subordinate to the area and tincture
of the field. The finest known early example of heraldic Diaper in
enamel, is the Shield of WILLIAM DE VALENCE, Earl of PEMBROKE, in
Westminster Abbey, A.D. 1296. Very beautiful early examples of Diapering
have been preserved in relics of heraldic stained glass.
[Illustration: No. 68.--Shield of Arms of Earl de Warrenne,
Castle Acre Priory, Norfolk.]
DISPOSITION: BLAZONING.--By _Disposition_ is understood the placing and
arranging of charges. A single important charge, which has not a fixed
position of its own, is placed in the centre of any composition: and
minor charges are arranged in their most natural and consistent order
and positions, any deviation from which must be specified. A single
charge, many times repeated, and small in size, whether with or without
any special orderly disposition, is said to be _Semée_--strewn, that is,
or scattered over the field, as seed is sown by the hand; or, if the
charges are very small or very numerous, the term _poudrée_ or
_powdered_ has sometimes been used. The expression--“_three, two, one_,”
signifies that a charge is repeated six times, the Disposition being
three in a horizontal row towards the chief of the Shield, then two in a
similar row in the centre, and one in base. In the same manner, the
expressions--“_four, four, one_,” “_four, three, two, one_,” “_three and
one_,” &c., are used as occasion may require. For other dispositions of
charges other appropriate terms will present themselves to our notice,
growing out of our subject as it advances.
Should a _Tincture_ or a _Number_ occur a second time in blazoning a
single composition, it must be indicated, not by repeating the word
already used, but by reference to it. Thus, if the tincture of the field
should occur a second time, reference is made to it in the formula--“_of
the field_:” or, perhaps more frequently--“_of the first_;” or, if the
tincture that is named second in order in the blazoning be repeated, it
is indicated by the expression--“_of the second_;” and so on. Again:
should there be three fleurs de lys and also three crescents in one and
the same composition, having specified the “three fleurs de lys,” the
number of the crescents would be set forth in the words--“_as many_
crescents:” providing nothing else has in the wording of the blazon
intervened in such a way as to cause uncertainty by the use of the term;
and so, in like manner, with any other numbers of these or of any other
charges.
In descriptive Blazoning, Epithets, which follow their own Nouns,
precede the Tinctures that are associated with those nouns: thus,
a black rampant lion having golden claws is blazoned,--_a lion rampt.
sa., armed or_. In written and printed blazoning, the arrangement of the
words and the placing the stops are alike matters of supreme importance.
The sentences are to be short. A comma is to mark the end of each
complete minor clause or division of a sentence: a colon, each more
important clause. A point or period is to follow every abbreviated word,
to mark the fact of the abbreviation, but without affecting the
additional presence of a comma (as in the blazoning, “_a lion rampant
sa._,”) or of a colon, as the case may be; but a second period is
unnecessary. It is a very common error to overload heraldic blazoning
with commas which, instead of aiding to simplify the sentences, obscure
the meaning and perplex the reader. It is always correct to
write--“_three lion’s heads_,” “_six pilgrim’s staves_,” &c.: and always
incorrect to write--“_three lions’ heads_,” “_six pilgrims’ staves_,”
&c.; but it is a point printers have an apparently invincible objection
to accept.
EMBLAZONING IN TINCTURES.--On this head I must be content to offer to
students only a few brief practical observations. The metal _Gold_ may
be rendered with gold prepared in small saucers, or (most
advantageously) in minute slabs; this preparation is applied, like a
common water-colour, by moistening the gold with water; and it is
desirable previously to have washed the paper, card (or vellum) with
diluted white of egg. Gold leaf may also be used, but the process is
tedious, and requires both skill and experience to ensure complete
success. Yellow paint, again, may be used to represent the metal, the
best colours being _cadmium yellow_, or “_aureolin_” (Winsor and Newton)
mixed with _Chinese white_. For shading, _carmine_, or _crimson lake_,
mixed with gum. For _Silver_, _aluminium_ may be used with excellent
effect; or _Chinese white_; or the paper may be left white: for shading,
_grey_ (_blue_ and _Indian ink_ mixed) and gum. The Aluminium is
prepared, like the gold, in minute slabs: it may be obtained, of great
excellence, from Messrs. Winsor & Newton, by whom also a very pure
preparation of gold is sold; but both the gold and the aluminium slabs
are sold by all good artists’ colourmen. These Metals may be diapered,
as well as burnished, with an agate-burnisher.
For _Azure_:--_French blue_, freely mixed with _Chinese white_ and a
very little gum, the colour to be laid on thick: shade with _Prussian
blue_ mixed with a larger proportion of gum. For _Gules_:--_Orange
vermilion_ either pure, or mixed with a very little _cadmium yellow_ or
_Chinese white_, and still less gum: (never use a brilliant but most
treacherous preparation known as “pure scarlet:”) shade with _carmine_
or _crimson lake_, and gum. For _Vert_:--_emerald green_, with _Chinese
white_ and a little gum: shade with dark green, made from mixing
_aureolin_ (or _gamboge_) with _Prussian blue_ and gum. For
_Purpure_:--mix _carmine_ and _French blue_, with a little gum: shade
with a darker tint of the same. For _Sable_:--Very dark _grey_, made by
mixing a little _Chinese white_ and gum with black: shade with black and
more gum.
When the Metals are rendered by gold and aluminium, it is desirable that
these tinctures should be applied, and that the diapering and burnishing
of the Metals should also be completed with the burnisher, before the
adjoining colours are laid on. The burnishing may be executed in two or
three hours after the Metals have been applied to the paper; and the
paper should be placed upon a piece of glass during the processes of
burnishing and diapering.
CHAPTER VI
THE GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY
SECTION III
_The Ordinaries:-- The Chief; Fesse; Bar; Pale; Cross, its heraldic
varieties; Bend; Saltire; Chevron; and Pile._
“Marks of Hereditary Honour, given or authorised by some supreme
Power.”
--SCIENCE OF HERALDRY.
THE ORDINARIES.--The simple Charges of early Heraldry, which always have
been held in the highest esteem and which are most familiar, are:--The
_Chief_, the _Fesse_, the _Bar_, the _Pale_, the _Cross_, the _Bend_,
the _Saltire_, the _Chevron_, and the _Pile_. They may be considered to
have been derived from various means that were adopted to strengthen
Shields for use in combat, the _Cross_ always being in great favour from
having a definite symbolism of its own. These Ordinaries may be formed
by any of the Border Lines, No. 38. Occasionally they are borne alone;
but more generally they are associated with other bearings, or they have
various figures and devices charged upon themselves. In some cases,
presently to be specified, more than one Ordinary may appear in a single
composition. The _Bar_, the _Pale_, the _Bend_, and the _Chevron_ have
_Diminutives_. The _Cross_ has many _Varieties_.
THE CHIEF (H. 3), bounded by a horizontal line, contains the uppermost
third (or, in practice, somewhat less than the third, of the field of a
Shield, as in No. 71. The Shield of LE BOTILER, No. 72, is--_Or, a chief
indented az._ (H. 3). A Chief may be borne with any other Ordinary
except the Fesse; it may also be charged with any other figures or
devices:--thus, for Sire BERNARD DE BRUS, No. 73,--_Az., a chief and a
saltire or_: for Sire JOHAN DE CLINTONE, No. 74,--_Arg., on a chief az.
two fleurs de lys or_: and for Sire JOHAN DE CLINTONE de Madestoke, No.
75,--_Arg., on a chief az. two mullets or_ (all E. 2). When any charge
is set in the uppermost third of a Shield, or when several charges are
disposed in a horizontal row across the uppermost part of a Shield, they
all are said to be “_in Chief_.”
[Illustration: No. 71.]
[Illustration: No. 72.--Le Botiler.]
[Illustration: No. 73.--De Brus.]
[Illustration: No. 74.]
[Illustration: No. 75.--De Clintone.]
[Illustration: No. 76.--De Clifford]
[Illustration: No. 77.--De Pateshulle.]
[Illustration: No. 78.--Le Vavasour.]
THE FESSE (H. 3), which crosses the centre of a Shield horizontally,
when charged occupies about one-third (or rather less than one-third) of
the field; but when without charges, it is usually drawn somewhat
narrower. The Shield of Lord CLIFFORD is,--_Chequée or and az., a fesse
gu._, No. 76. For ROBT. LE FITZ-WATER,--_Or, a fesse between two
chevrons gu._: for JOHN DE PATESHULLE, No. 77,--_Arg., a fesse sa.,
between three crescents gu._ (all H.3): for WILLIAM LE VAVASOUR, No.
78,--_Or, a fesse dancette sa._: for DE HEMENHALE, No. 79,--_Or, on a
fesse between two chevrons gu., three escallops arg._: and for DE
DAGEWORTHE, No. 80,--_Erm., a fesse gu. bezantée_ (all E. 2). When they
are disposed in a horizontal row across the centre of a Shield, Charges
are “_in fesse_.”
[Illustration: No. 79.--De Hemenhale.]
[Illustration: No. 80.--De Dageworthe.]
[Illustration: No. 81.--De Harecourt.]
[Illustration: No. 82.--Wake.]
[Illustration: No. 83.--De Huntercumbe.]
[Illustration: No. 84.--De la Mere.]
THE BAR (H. 3), which may be placed horizontally in any part of the
field except in fesse or at the chief of the Shield, is about one-fifth
of the field (or sometimes less) in depth. A single bar very rarely
occurs in blazon. Examples:--_Or, two bars gu._,--for DE HARECOURT, No.
81: _Az., two bars dancettée or_,--for DE RIVERES: _Or, two bars gu., in
chief three torteaux_,--for WAKE, No. 82. The Diminutive of the Bar is
the _Barrulet_, one-half of its width. When they are disposed in
couples, Barrulets are _Bars Gemelles_, these not being so deep as the
barrulet: thus, No. 83,--for DE HUNTERCUMBE,--_Erm., two bars gemelles
gu._ (H. 3). A Fesse or Bar, when placed between two similar figures
narrower than barrulets, is said to be _cotised_ by them; or, to be
“doubly cotised,” when placed between two bars gemelles: thus, for DE LA
MERE, No. 84,--_Or, a fesse doubly cotised_ (or, _between two bars
gemelles_) _az._ (E. 2). An _even_ number of bars alternately of a metal
(or a fur) and a colour form the varied field which is to be blazoned
“_barry_,” the number of the bars in every case to be specified--as,
“_barry of six_,” “_barry of eight_,” &c. If the number of bars exceeds
_eight_ (some writers say _ten_), it is “_barrulée_” or “_barruly_”; and
in this case it is not necessary that the number of the bars should be
specified, the word _barrulée_ being used alone, or the expression
“_barrulée sans nombre_” to denote a considerable number, but not a
fixed number of bars--the number, however, always to be _even_. But this
is a modern refinement of blazon to which little if any attention was
paid in early days. It is to be observed that while the bars, whatever
their number, if they are blazoned as bars, are to be treated as if they
were executed in relief upon the field of a Shield, a Shield that is
barry or barrulée has its field formed by bars which are all in the same
plane. Examples:--_Barry of six or and gu._, for FITZ ALAN of Bedale,
No. 85: _Barry of six arg. and az._, for DE GREY: _Barry of eight or and
az._,--for DE PENBRUGGE (all H. 3): _Barrulée arg. and az., an orle of
martlets gu._,--for DE VALENCE, Earl of PEMBROKE, No. 86; in this
example _ten_ bars are represented, but in the noble enamelled shield of
the first De Valence (A.D. 1296) preserved in Westminster Abbey, the
bars are _twenty-eight_ in number. Charges, not “in fesse” or “in
chief,” that are disposed horizontally across the field are
“_bar-wise_.”
[Illustration: No. 85.--Fitzalan of Bedale.]
[Illustration: No. 86.--De Valence.]
[Illustration: No. 87.--Erskine.]
[Illustration: No. 88.--Grandison.]
THE PALE.--Like the Fesse, this Ordinary occupies rather less than a
central third of the field, but it is _vertical_ in its position instead
of horizontal. No. 87, for ERSKINE, is--_Arg., a pale sa._ Its
Diminutives, the _Pallet_ and the _Endorse_, severally one-half and
one-fourth of its width, may be placed vertically in any part of the
field. A Pale between two Endorses is “_endorsed_” but the term
_cotised_ is also employed with this meaning. An _even_ number of
Pallets of a metal (or a fur) and a colour set alternately, form the
varied field to be blazoned “_paly_,” the number of the Pallets (which
lie all in the same plane) always to be specified: thus--_Paly of six
arg. and az., on a bend gu. three eaglets displayed or_, for GRANDISON,
No. 88 (H. 3) Charges that are disposed one above another in a vertical
row are “in pale.” This is the arrangement of the three golden lions of
England.
The CROSS (H. 3), formed from a combination of a Fesse with a Pale, in
its simplest form is set erect in the centre of the field, and it
extends to the border-lines of the Shield. If at any time it may be
necessary or apparently desirable specially to set forth in the
blazoning of a Shield, that a Cross charged upon it does thus extend to
the border-lines, such a Cross is blazoned as a “_Cross throughout_.”
No. 1, _Arg., a Cross gu._, the armorial ensign of ST. GEORGE, the
special Patron Saint of England, may be blazoned as “_A Cross of St.
George_.” Of this Cross, the great symbol of the Christian Faith,
Spenser says--
“And on his brest a bloodie Cross he bore,
The deare remembrance of his dying Lord....
Upon his Shield the like was also scored.”
_Faerie Queen_, I. i. 2.
[Illustration: No. 89.--Cross fimbriated.]
[Illustration: No. 90.--Cross pointed.]
A Cross having a narrow border lying in the same plane with itself, is
“fimbriated,” such a border being a “_fimbriation_”: thus, No. 89, _Az.,
a cross gu., fimbriated arg._, represents the Cross of St. George in our
National “Union Jack.” A Cross having its four extremities cut off
square, so that it does not extend in any direction to the border-lines
of the shield, is “_couped_” or “_humettée_”. If the extremities of a
Cross are cut off to points, it is “_pointed_,” as in No. 90. If its
central area is entirely removed, so that but little more than its
outlines remain, it is “_voided_,” or (H. 3) “_a false Cross_” (“faux
croix”): when its four limbs are _equal_ in length, it is a “_Greek
Cross_,” as No. 91: when the limbs are _unequal_, the lower limb or
shaft being longer than the other three, as in No. 92, it is a “_Latin
Cross_” or a “long cross”: but neither of these two last terms are used
regarding the plain cross throughout, notwithstanding that differences
in the shape of the shield may materially alter the proportion of the
limbs. If a cross be formed of a shaft and two horizontal limbs only
(like the letter T), as in No. 93, it is a “_Tau Cross_,” or “_Cross
Tau_”: if it is pierced at the intersection of the limbs, and the entire
central area be voided, it is said to be “_pierced quarterly_.” A Latin
Cross on steps, is “_on Degrees_,” and it is distinguished as a “Calvary
Cross.” Charges having a cruciform arrangement are “_in Cross_.”
[Illustration: No. 91.]
[Illustration: No. 92.]
[Illustration: No. 93.]
[Illustration: No. 94.--Quadrate.]
[Illustration: No. 95.--Patriarchal.]
[Illustration: No. 96.--Fourchée.]
[Illustration: No. 97.--Cross Moline: Arms of De Molines.]
[Illustration: No. 98.--Cross Recercelée: Arms of Bishop Anthony Bec.]
[Illustration: No. 99.--Cross Patonce: Arms of William de Vesci.]
[Illustration: No. 100.--Fleurie.]
[Illustration: No. 101.--Fleurettée.]
[Illustration: No. 102.--Pommée.]
The CROSS:--its HERALDIC VARIETIES. The Cross-symbol appears in English
Heraldry under very many varieties and modifications of form and
condition, some of them of great beauty. The following engraved
representations of the various examples are so explicit, that
descriptions of them are unnecessary. The Cross _Quadrate_, No. 94. The
Cross _Patriarchal_, No. 95. The Cross _Fourchée_, No. 96. The Cross
_Moline_, represented charged upon the Shield attributed to the SAXON
KINGS OF ENGLAND, No. 23: this same shield--_Az., a Cross moline or_, is
borne by DE MOLINES or MOLYNEUX, No. 97. The Cross _Cercelée_ or
_Recercelée_ (H. 3),--_Gu., a Cross recercelée erm._, No. 98, for
ANTHONY BEC, Bishop of DURHAM. The Cross _Patonce_ (H. 3),--_Gu.,
a Cross patonce arg._, No. 99, from the Seal of WM. DE VESCI, A.D. 1220.
The Cross _Fleury_, No. 100, should be compared carefully with Nos. 97
and 99, the Crosses _Moline_ and _Patonce_. The Cross _Fleurettée_, No.
101. The Cross _Pommée_, No. 102. The Cross _Botonée_ or _Treflée_, No.
103. The Cross _Crosslet_, or _Crosslet crossed_, No. 104. The term
“_Crosslet_” is strictly applicable to any Cross on a very small scale:
but it is usually applied to denote a Cross that is crossed as in No.
104. Small Crosses Botonée are occasionally used as these
“Crosses-Crosslets,”--as at Warwick in the arms of the BEAUCHAMPS, the
Earls of WARWICK. Crosslets are frequently blazoned _semée_ over the
field of a Shield, in which case the special term _crusilly_ is often
used; and, in smaller numbers, they also are favourite Charges. No. 105
is the Cross _Clechée_ or _Urdée_.
[Illustration: No. 103.--Botonée.]
[Illustration: No. 104.--Crosslet.]
[Illustration: No. 105.--Clechée.]
[Illustration: No. 106.--Patée.]
[Illustration: No. 107.--Maltese.]
[Illustration: No. 108.--Potent.]
[Illustration: No. 109.--Avellane.]
[Illustration: No. 110.--Botonée Fitchée.]
The Cross _Patée_ or _Formée_ is represented in No. 106. No. 107 is the
“_Cross of eight Points_,” or the _Maltese_ Cross: this example is drawn
from the portrait of PHILLIPPE DE VILLIERS DE L’ISLE-ADAM, elected
forty-third Grand Master of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, A.D.
1521; this picture is in the possession of the Earl of Clarendon, K.G.
The Cross _Potent_, No. 108. The Cross _Avellane_, No. 109. The
_Crossed-Crosslet_, and the Crosses _Patée_, _Botonée_, and _Potent_,
are also drawn having their shaft elongated and _pointed at the base_:
in this form they are severally blazoned as a “_Crossed-Crosslet
Fitchée_” (or _fitched_), a “_Cross Patée Fitchée_,” &c.,--a Cross, that
is, “_fixable_” in the ground; No. 110 is an example of a Cross _Botonée
Fitchée_. Several of these varieties of the heraldic Cross occur but
rarely; and there are other somewhat fanciful varieties so little in
use, as to render any description of them unnecessary. The student of
mediæval monumental antiquities will not fail to observe a certain
degree of resemblance between some of the Crosses of Heraldry, and those
that are incised and sculptured on sepulchral slabs.
[Illustration: No. 111.--Le Scrope.]
[Illustration: No. 112.--De Radclyffe.]
[Illustration: No. 113.--Le Boteler.]
[Illustration: No. 114.--Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford.]
[Illustration: No. 115.--Sir Gilbert de Bohun.]
The BEND (H. 3) resembles both the Fesse and the Pale in every
condition, except that it crosses the field _diagonally_ from the dexter
chief to the sinister base. No. 111, the Shield of SCROPE, is--_Az.,
a bend or_. A celebrated contest for the right to bear this simple
Shield took place, A.D. 1385-1390, between Sir RICHARD LE SCROPE and Sir
ROBERT GROSVENOR, which was decided in favour of the former. No. 112,
for RADCLYFFE, is--_Arg., a bend engrailed sa._ Two uncharged Bends may
appear in one composition: thus, for LE BOTELER--_Arg., two bends az._,
No. 113; and for FRERE--_Gu., two bends or_ (both H. 3). The Diminutives
of the Bend are the _Bendlet_ and the _Cotise_, the one containing
one-half and the other one-fourth of its area. A Cotise is sometimes
borne singly, when it is a _Riband_. A bendlet _couped_ is a baton.
A Bend between two Cotises is _cotised_: thus, No. 114, for DE
BOHUN,--_Az., a Bend arg., cotised or, between six lioncels rampt.
gold_; this Shield is engraved from the Seal of HUMPHREY DE BOHUN,
fourth Earl of HEREFORD (A.D. 1298-1322); in it the cotised Bend is very
narrow, evidently to give more space for the lioncels. Charges displayed
on a Bend _slope with it_--that is, they would be erect, were the Bend
to be set vertically and to become a Pale: thus, another DE BOHUN, Sir
Gilbert (H. 3), distinguishes his Shield by tincturing his Bend _or_,
and charging upon it _three escallops gules_, as in No. 115. In No. 88,
the eaglets also exemplify the disposition of charges upon a Bend.
Charges set diagonally on the field of a Shield, in the position in
which a bend would occupy, are said to be “_in bend_” and are arranged
in the same manner: but it would be quite possible to have three or more
charges each disposed bendwise; but yet, nevertheless, when taken
together occupying the position of a fesse and therefore described also
as in fesse. This distinction between charges bendwise (or bendways) and
charges in bend should be carefully noted. A field divided into an
_even_ number of parts by lines drawn _bendwise_, is “_bendy_,” the
number of the divisions to be specified: as a matter of course, a field
thus “bendy” becomes a “varied field,” in which all the divisions lie in
the same plane: thus, No. 116, for DE MONTFORD (H. 3 and E. 2)--_Bendy
of ten or and az._ Bendlets are in relief, as in No. 117, for DE
BRAY--_Vairée, three Bendlets gu._ If a field be divided by lines drawn
bendwise, and also by others drawn either vertically or horizontally, it
is “_paly bendy_,” as No. 118, or “_barry bendy_,” as No. 119. These two
forms, which, however, are very rarely met with, should be carefully
distinguished from a field lozengy. A Bend issuing from the sinister
chief is a _Bend Sinister_.
[Illustration: No. 116.--De Montford.]
[Illustration: No. 117.--De Bray.]
[Illustration: No. 118.--Paly Bendy.]
[Illustration: No. 119.--Barry Bendy.]
[Illustration: No. 120.--St. Andrew.]
[Illustration: No. 122.--De Neville.]
[Illustration: No. 121.--De Neville.]
The SALTIRE (H. 3), a combination of a Bend with a Bend Sinister, may
also be regarded as a _Diagonal Cross_. Thus, the Crosses of St. ANDREW
of SCOTLAND, and of St. PATRICK of IRELAND are Saltires--the former, No.
120--_Az., a Saltire arg._: the latter--_Arg., a Saltire gu._ The arms
of the great family of NEVILLE reverse those of St. PATRICK, and
are--_Gu., a Saltire arg._, No. 121: so Drayton has recorded that
“Upon his surcoat valiant NEVILLE bore
A silver Saltire upon martial red.”
_Barons’ War_, i. 22.
Charges set on a Saltire _slope with its limbs_ (all, however, pointing
to the chief), _the central charge being erect_; and the disposition of
charges set “_in saltire_” is the same: a single charge set on a Saltire
is blazoned erect on the central point of the Ordinary, as in No. 122,
another Shield of NEVILLE, in which the “Silver Saltire” is charged with
a _rose gules_. A Saltire may be borne with a Chief, as in No. 73.
[Illustration: No. 123.--De Stafford.]
[Illustration: No. 124.--Shield of De Clare.]
The CHEVRON (H. 3), in form and proportions is rather more than the
lower half of a Saltire. The Diminutive is a _Chevronel_, containing
half a Chevron, or perhaps less: thus, for DE STAFFORD (E. 2),--_Or,
a Chevron gu._, No. 123: for the great family of DE CLARE, from whom so
many other families derived their Chevrons and Chevronels--_Or, three
Chevronels gules_, No. 124 (H. 3). Two Chevrons may be borne in one
composition: or they may appear with a Fesse, as in No. 79: or with a
Chief, as (H. 3), for DE CROMBE--_Erm., a Chevron gu., and on a Chief of
the last three escallops or_; for ST. QUINTIN (H. 3)--_Or, three
Chevronels gu., a Chief vair_. A field _Chevronée_ is of rare
occurrence: the three Chevronels of DE CLARE, however, No. 124, appear
to have been derived from a field _Chevronée_: certainly, on his seal,
“Strongbow” has the Chevronée Shield, No. 125, about A.D. 1175. Charges
set on a Chevron, or disposed “_in Chevron_,” are always placed erect.
[Illustration: No. 125.--Early shield of De Clare.]
[Illustration: No. 126.--De Chandos.]
[Illustration: No. 127.--De Brian.]
[Illustration: No. 128.--De Bassett.]
The PILE (H. 3), resembling a wedge in form, is borne both single and in
small groups. Unless some other disposition on the field be specified,
this Ordinary issues from the chief of the Shield. Examples: _Or, a Pile
gu., between six and charged with three estoiles_ (or _mullets_)
_counter-changed_,--for ROBERT DE CHANDOS, No. 126: _Or, three Piles
az._, No. 127,--for Sir GUY DE BRIAN; _Or, three Piles gu., a canton
erm._, No. 128,--for DE BASSETT (all H. 3): and (E. 2), _Arg., a Pile
engrailed sa._--for Sir ROB. DE FORNEUS. In early emblazonments three
piles appear almost uniformly to be depicted with the points converging.
But a distinction is now made, and when the piles are intended to
converge, as in No. 128, they are termed “_in point_.”
The probable structural origin of these Ordinaries is sufficiently
apparent to render any further comment on that interesting circumstance
superfluous.
CHAPTER VII
THE GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY
SECTION IV
_The Subordinaries:-- The Canton or Quarter: The Inescutcheon: The
Orle: The Tressure: The Bordure: Flanches: The Lozenge, Mascle, and
Rustre: The Fusil: The Billet: The Gyron: The Frette-- The Roundles._
“The second in a line of stars.”
--IDYLLS OF THE KING.
THE SUBORDINARIES. This title has been assigned, but without any
decisive authority, to another group of devices, second in rank to the
Ordinaries. Very few writers agree as to which are ordinaries and which
subordinaries; nor does there seem any reason why any distinction
between them should exist. Nor, indeed, save that all are exclusively
heraldic, why some of them should be regarded as anything more than
ordinary charges. These Subordinaries are the _Canton_, the _Quarter_,
the _Inescutcheon_, the _Orle_, the _Tressure_, the _Bordure_,
_Flanches_, the _Lozenge_, _Mascle_ and _Rustre_, the _Fusil_, the
_Billet_, the _Gyron_, and the _Frette_. The Canton, by the early
Heralds commonly styled the “Quarter,” sometimes has been grouped with
the Ordinaries. And it must here be observed that the Lozenge, Fusil,
Billet, Gyron, and Frette were not used as single charges by the early
Heralds; but by them the fields of Shields were divided _lozengy_ and
_gyronny_, or they were _semée of Billets_, or covered over with
_Frette_-work, from which the single charges evidently were afterwards
obtained.
The CANTON (H. 3), sometimes blazoned as a QUARTER, cut off by two
lines, the one drawn in pale and the other bar-wise, or in fesse, is
either the first quarter of the field of a Shield, or about
three-fourths of that quarter, but smaller if not charged. The confusion
between the canton and the quarter is due to the fact that ancient arms
in which the charge is now, and has been for centuries past, stereotyped
as a canton and drawn to occupy one-ninth of the Shield, were uniformly
drawn and blazoned in early times with the charge as a quarter. But
there is a marked distinction now made between the canton and the
quarter. A _Canton ermine_ is of frequent occurrence, as in No. 128; but
it is generally borne charged, and it always overlies the charges of the
field of the Shield, as No. 129, for DE KYRKEBY (R. 2)--_Arg., two bars
gu.; on a canton of the last a cross moline or_; and, for BLUNDELL
(H. 3)--_Az., billettée, on a canton or a raven ppr._, No. 130.
[Illustration: No. 129.--De Kyrkeby.]
[Illustration: No. 130.--Blundell.]
The INESCUTCHEON (H. 3) is a Shield borne as a charge, and superimposed
upon another Shield larger than itself. When one Inescutcheon is borne,
it is usually placed on the fesse-point; but several Inescutcheons may
appear in one composition. The well-known Shield of the MORTIMERS
supplies a good example, No. 131 (H. 3)--_Barry of six or and az., an
inescutcheon arg.; on a chief gold, gyroned of the second, two pallets
of the same_: for DARCY--_Arg., an inescutcheon sa., within an orle of
roses gu._, No. 132 (E. 2): _Arg., three inescutcheons gu._, for DE
WYLLERS (E. 2), No. 133. This is also the well-known Scottish coat of
Hay.
[Illustration: No. 132.--Darcy.]
[Illustration: No. 131.--De Mortimer.]
[Illustration: No. 133.--De Wyllers.]
The ORLE (H. 3), blazoned by early Heralds as a “_false escutcheon_”
(“_faux escocheon_”), or as an “_inescutcheon voided_,” is the border of
a Shield or Escutcheon--a Shield, that is, voided of the central area of
its field, and, like an Inescutcheon, charged on a Shield. The arms of
BALLIOL, No. 134, are--_Gu., an Orle arg._ (H. 3). These arms are
blazoned on many Scottish Seals of the greatest interest, and on the
Seals of Balliol College, Oxford. Small charges are frequently disposed
about the border of a Shield “_in Orle_,” as in Nos. 86 and 132.
[Illustration: No. 134.--De Balliol.]
[Illustration: No. 135.--Single Tressure Flory.]
[Illustration: No. 137.--Double Tressure flory counterflory.]
[Illustration: No. 136.--Single Tressure flory counterflory.]
[Illustration: No. 138.--Scotland.]
The TRESSURE (H. 3) may be regarded as a variety of the Orle; indeed, in
its simplest form it is a very narrow Orle, which is generally set round
with fleurs de lys. A Tressure thus enriched is represented in No. 135:
in this example all the heads of the fleurs de lys point externally, and
all their stalks internally, and this accordingly is blazoned as a
“_Tressure flory_.” In No. 136, which, like No. 135, is a single
Tressure, the fleurs de lys are so disposed that the heads and stalks of
the flowers point alternately in contrary directions: this is blazoned
as a “_Tressure flory counterflory_.” From this last example the
Tressure that is so well known in the blazonry of the Royal Shield of
SCOTLAND differs, in being “_double_.” This, the double Tressure of
Scotland, is a combination of two such single Tressures as No. 136, and
it is produced from them in the manner following:--From one such single
Tressure, as No. 136, all the alternate heads and stalks of the fleurs
de lys that point internally are cut away and removed; then a second
similar Tressure, of rather smaller size, is denuded of all its external
adornment, and in that condition it is placed within the former
Tressure, leaving a narrow interval between the two. Each component half
of this “double Tressure flory counterflory,” accordingly, has its own
independent series of demi-fleurs de lys, the stalks and heads of the
flowers alternating, and the one alternate series pointing externally,
while the other points internally. When in combination, these two series
of demi-fleurs de lys must be so arranged that the heads of the flowers
in one series correspond with their stalks in the other, as in No. 137.
I am thus particular in describing the process of producing the Royal
Tressure, because it is frequently to be seen incorrectly drawn. No.
138, the Royal Shield of SCOTLAND, now displayed in the second quarter
of the Royal Arms of the UNITED KINGDOM, is thus blazoned--_Or, a lion
rampt. within a double Tressure flory counterflory, gu._ It will be
observed that a narrow strip of the golden field of this Shield
intervenes between the two Tressures. There are many fine examples of
this Shield in Scottish Seals; in the Garter-plate, also, of JAMES V. of
Scotland, K.G., at Windsor; and on the Monuments in Westminster Abbey to
MARY Queen of SCOTS (A.D. 1604), and to the Countess of LENNOX, the
mother of Lord DARNLEY (A.D. 1577). Mr. Seton (“Scottish Heraldry,” p.
447) states that the Tressure may be borne “triple”; and, after
specifying the Scottish families upon whose Shields the same honourable
bearing is blazoned, he adds:--“In the coat of the Marquess of HUNTLY,
the Tressure is flowered with fleurs de lys within, and adorned with
_crescents_ without; while in that of the Earl of ABERDEEN it is
flowered and counter-flowered with _thistles_, _roses_, and fleurs de
lys alternately.”
[Illustration: No. 139.--De Waltone.]
[Illustration: No. 140.--Richard, Earl of Cornwall.]
The BORDURE (H. 3), as its name implies, forms a border to a Shield: it
is borne both plain and charged. Thus, for DE WALTONE (E. 2)--_Arg.,
a cross patée sa., within a Bordure indented gu._, No. 139: for RICHARD,
Earl of CORNWALL, second son of King JOHN (H. 3),--_Arg., a lion rampt.
gu., crowned or, within a Bordure sa. bezantée_, No. 140. The Bordure,
and its important services in Heraldry, will be more fully considered
hereafter. (See Chapters XII. and XIII.)
FLANCHES are always borne in pairs; but they are not of very early date,
nor do they often appear in blazon. _Flanches_ are formed by two curved
lines issuing from the chief, one on each side of the Shield: they are
shown, shaded for azure, in No. 141; and in No. 142 are their
Diminutives, _Flasques_ or _Voiders_, shaded for gules. But these
diminutives are hardly ever met with. There is a close resemblance
between these charges and a peculiar dress worn by Ladies of rank in the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; but it is not easy to determine
whether the dress suggested the Flanches on the Shield, or was derived
from them. One thing, however, is certain--the dress must have possessed
very decided good qualities, since it continued in favour for more than
two centuries. It is remarkable that many of the ancient Greek Shields
have pierced Flanches.
[Illustration: No. 141.--Flanches.]
[Illustration: No. 142.--Flasques.]
[Illustration: No. 143.--Mascle.]
[Illustration: No. 144.--Rustre.]
[Illustration: No. 145.--De Burgh, Earl of Kent.]
The LOZENGE (E. 2), MASCLE (H. 3), and RUSTRE. The _Lozenge_ is a
diamond-shaped figure, or a parallelogram set diagonally. The _Mascle_
is a _Lozenge voided of the field_, No. 143; and the _Rustre_, No. 144,
is a _Lozenge pierced with a circular opening_. In the early days of
Heraldry the Lozenge and the Mascle were evidently held to be identical.
The Shield of the famous HUBERT DE BURGH, Earl of KENT, in the early
Rolls is blazoned as “_masculée_”: but his Seal proves it to have been,
as in No. 145, _lozengy vair and gu._ The Lozenge, it will be
remembered, is always set erect upon the field of a Shield.
The FUSIL is an _elongated Lozenge_. The Arms of MONTACUTE or MONTAGU
(see No. 20) are--_Arg., three Fusils conjoined in fesse gu._, No. 20:
the Arms of PERCY are--_Az., five fusils conjoined in fesse or._
[Illustration: No. 20.--Montacute.]
[Illustration: No. 146.--Deincourt.]
The BILLET (H. 3) is a small elongated rectangular figure. Thus, for
DEINCOURT, No. 146--_Az., billettée, a fesse dancette or._ The early
Heralds blazoned a “Fesse Dancette” as simply a “_Dancette_” or
“_Danse_.” See also No. 130.
[Illustration: No. 147.--Campbell.]
The GYRON, a triangular figure, not known in English blazon as a
separate charge (except perhaps in the one case of the arms of
Mortimer), gives its title to the _gyronny field_, which is more
commonly found in the Heraldry of the North than of the South. The field
gyronny generally, and more particularly in Scotland, is divided into
_eight pieces_: but the divisions are sometimes six, ten, twelve, or
even sixteen in number. A Roll of the time of HENRY III. has, for WARIN
DE BASINGBORNE--“_Gerony d’or et d’azur_.” The Arms of CAMPBELL
are--_Gyronny or and sa._, No. 147.[3] Here, where there are eight
pieces of divisions, it is not necessary to specify the number; but if
they were either more or less than eight the blazon would be--_gyronny
of six, of ten, &c._
[Footnote 3: In the illustration the colours are unfortunately
reversed.]
The FRETTE, in more recent Heraldry, has generally superseded the
original _field fretty_. This interlaced design, whether borne as a
distinct figure, as No. 148, or repeated over the field of a Shield, as
in No. 149, differs from a field lozengy or gyronny, in being a bearing
charged _upon_ the field of a Shield, and not a form of varied surface:
No. 149, for DE ETCHINGHAM (E. 2), is--_Az., fretty arg._ An early
variety or modification of Frette is the _Trellis_ or _Treille_, in
which the pieces do not interlace, but all those in bend lie over all
those in bend sinister, and they are fastened at the crossings with
nails--“_clouée_,” as in No. 150. RICHARD DE TRUSSELL or TRESSELL (H. 3)
bears--_Arg., a trellis gu., clouée or_.
[Illustration: No. 148.--A Frette.]
[Illustration: No. 149.--De Etchingham.]
[Illustration: No. 150.--Trellis Clouée.]
The ROUNDLES, or ROUNDLETS. These simple figures, in constant use in
every age of Heraldry, are divided into two groups, which correspond
with the division of the Tinctures into “Metals” and “Colours.”
The first group contains the two Roundles of the _Metals_, which are
_flat discs_: 1, The _Bezant_, or golden Roundle, No. 151, which has
apparently derived its name from the Byzantine coins with which the
Crusaders, when in the East, would have been familiar. 2, The Silver
Roundle, or _Plate_, is from the Spanish “Plata”--_silver_. When Bezants
or Plates appear in considerable numbers, the field on which they are
charged is said to be “_bezantée_” or “_platée_.” See No. 140.
The second group contains the five Roundles of the _Colours_, which are
_globular_, and are usually shaded accordingly. The _Torteau_, No. 152,
in the plural _Torteaux_, is gules: the _Hurt_ is azure: the _Pellet_ or
_Ogress_ is sable: the _Pomme_ is vert: and the _Golpe_ is purpure.
These distinctive titles, which are more calculated to perplex the
student than to simplify his study, are of comparatively recent origin,
the early Heralds having used the terms “_Bezant_,” “_Plate_,” and
“_Torteau_,” with the general designations “_Roundle_” and “_Pellet_,”
adding the tinctures for the others. Examples:--_Az., bezantée_, for WM.
DE LA ZOUCHE: _Or, on a fesse gu. three plates_, for ROGER DE
HUNTINGFIELD: _Arg., ten torteaux, four, three, two, one_, for ALEX.
GIFFARD (all H. 3). See also Nos. 80, 82.
[Illustration: No. 151.--Bezant.]
[Illustration: No. 152.--Torteau.]
[Illustration: No. 153.--Fountain.]
A circular figure or Roundle that is _barry wavy arg. and az._, is
blazoned as a “_Fountain_,” No. 153. Examples:--_Arg., three fountains_,
for WELLES: _Arg., a Chevron sable between three fountains_, borne by a
family named _Sykes_, their name being an ancient term signifying a well
or fountain. An _Annulet_, or a plain ring, No. 154, was sometimes
blazoned as a “_false Roundle_”--a Roundle, that is, pierced, and having
its central area removed.
[Illustration: No. 154.--Annulet.]
CHAPTER VIII
THE GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY
SECTION V
_Miscellaneous Charges:-- Human Beings-- Animals-- Birds-- Fish--
Reptiles and Insects-- Imaginary Beings-- Natural Objects-- Various
Artificial Figures and Devices-- Appropriate Descriptive Epithets._
“The Formes of pure celestiall bodies mixt with grosse terrestrials;
earthly animals with watery; sauage beasts with tame; fowles of prey
with home-bred; these again with riuer fowles; reptiles with things
gressible; aery insecta with earthly; also things naturall with
artificiall.”
--GUILLIM’S “Display of Heraldry,” A.D. 1611.
Thus, in his own quaint fashion, the enthusiastic old Herald of the
seventeenth century indicates the number and variety of the Charges,
which in process of time had been introduced into Armory even before his
era. In earlier days the Charges of Heraldry were much less varied,
comparatively few in their numbers, and generally of a simple character.
It will readily be understood, however, that fresh figures and devices
would continually appear in blazon; and also that these, in their turn,
would lead the way for the introduction of further varieties and new
modifications.
Human Beings are of very rare occurrence, except as Supporters. Parts of
the human frame constantly appear, but they are more generally borne as
Crests upon helms than as charges on shields. “Moor’s heads” or
“Saracen’s heads” appear in some coats, with arms, hands and legs: and a
human heart is well known as a charge in the coat of the famous house of
DOUGLAS, where it was placed to commemorate the duty entrusted by ROBERT
BRUCE to the “good Sir JAMES DOUGLAS,” that he should bear with him the
heart of his Sovereign and friend to the Holy Land, and bury it there.
Sir James fell, fighting with the Moors of Spain, A.D. 1330. This Shield
of Douglas is a characteristic example of the gradual development of
armorial composition. About A.D. 1290, the Seal of WILLIAM, Lord
DOUGLAS, displays his Shield, No. 155, bearing--_Arg., on a chief az.
three mullets of the field._ Next, upon the field of the Shield of
WILLIAM, Lord DOUGLAS, A.D. 1333, there appears, in addition, _a human
heart gules_, as in No. 156. And, finally, the heart is ensigned with a
_royal crown_, as in No. 157, this form appearing as early as 1387.
[Illustration: No. 155.--Shield of Douglas.]
[Illustration: No. 156.--Shield of Douglas.]
[Illustration: No. 157.--Shield of Douglas.]
[Illustration: No. 158.--Isle of Man.]
The Shield of the ancient kingdom of the ISLE OF MAN, No. 158, still
continues to be the heraldic ensign of that island: it is--_Gu., three
human legs in armour ppr., conjoined in the fesse-point at the upper
part of the thighs, and flexed in triangle._ This true curiosity of
Heraldry leads Mr. Planché to remark, that “the _arms_ of MAN are
_legs_” (“Pursuivant of Arms,” p. 112). The Shield represented in No.
158 is drawn from an original example of the age of EDWARD I. in the
Heralds’ College. At later periods, the armour of the conjoined limbs is
represented in conformity with the usages then prevalent, and golden
spurs are added. The ancient symbol of the island of Sicily, in which
the limbs are without either armour or clothing, has been represented in
No. 10: this device also appears in ancient examples with a human head
at the junction of the limbs. Three human arms, united in the same
manner, are borne on the shield of the mediæval family of TREMAINE.
[Illustration: No. 159.--Shield of St. Alban’s Abbey
(partly restored).]
Human figures, winged and vested, and designed to represent ANGELS, are
occasionally introduced in English Heraldry, their office generally
being to act as “Supporters” to armorial Shields. Fine examples, in
admirable preservation, may be seen boldly sculptured in the noble
timber-roof of Westminster Hall; also in panels over the principal
entrance to the Hall, and in various parts of the Abbey of Westminster.
In the grand Abbey Church of St. Alban at St. Alban’s, numerous other
examples of great excellence yet remain, the works of Abbot John de
Wheathamstede, about A.D. 1440. In No. 159 I give a representation of
the Shield of Arms of the Abbey of ST. ALBAN--_Az., a saltire or_,
supported by Angels, and the Shield ensigned by the Mitre of Abbot
Thomas De la Mere, as it is represented in his noble Brass in the Abbey
Church. The Shield and the Angel Figures are the work of Abbot John. The
Heads of the Figures, which are destroyed in the original, are restored
from stained glass of the same period in the Abbey Church. Figures of
Angels holding Shields of Arms--each figure having a shield in front of
its breast, are frequently sculptured as corbels in Gothic churches.
In the earliest Rolls of Arms, the Lion is the only animal that is found
in blazon, with the sole addition of Boar’s heads. Deer, dogs, bulls,
calves, rams, and a few other animals subsequently appear to share
heraldic service and honours with the king of beasts. In modern Armory,
however, almost every living creature has been required to discharge
such duties as Heralds have been pleased to assign to them. The Lion of
Heraldry I leave to be considered, with the Eagle, in the next Chapter.
In comparatively early blazon, the _Bear_ is borne by FITZ URSE: the
_Calf_, by CALVELEY and DE VELE: the _Ram_, by RAMSEY and RAMRYGE: the
_Lamb_, by LAMBERT and LAMBTON: the _Otter_ (_loutre_, in French), by
LUTTREL: the _Hedgehog_ (Fr., _herrison_), by DE HERIZ, afterwards
HARRIS: and so also, in like manner, some other animals appear as _armes
parlantes_ (see p. 16).
With the lordly Eagle a few other Birds are associated in early
Heraldry: and, after a while, others join them, including the Falcon,
Ostrich, Swan, Peacock or Pawne, and the Pelican borne both as a symbol
of sacred significance, and also by the PELHAMS from being allusive to
their name. Cocks, with the same allusive motive, were borne by
COCKAYNE: Parrots, blazoned as “_Popinjays_,” appear as early as
HENRY III.: and in a Roll of EDWARD II., the Sire MOUNPYNZON has a Lion
charged on the shoulder with a Chaffinch--in French a _Pinson_. The
favourite bird, however, of the early Heralds is the Martlet, the
heraldic Martin, a near relative of the Swallow or _Hirondelle_. The
Martlet is practically always represented in profile, at rest, and with
its wings closed. The few exceptions are modern. In some early examples
the feet are shown, as in No. 160: but, in the Shield of Earl WM. DE
VALENCE in Westminster Abbey, A.D. 1296, the Martlet appears feetless,
as in No. 161; and at a later period this mode of representation was
generally adopted. French Heralds deprive their Martlets of beak as well
as feet.
[Illustration: No. 160.--Early Martlet.]
[Illustration: No. 161.--Martlet.]
[Illustration: No. 162.--Banner of De Barre.]
“As the symbol of a name,” writes Mr. Moule, “almost all Fish have been
used in Heraldry; and in many instances Fish have been assumed in Arms
in reference to the produce of the estate, giving to the quaint device a
twofold interest” (“Heraldry of Fish,” p 13). The earliest examples are
the Barbel, the Dolphin, the Luce (or Pike), the Herring, and the Roach.
In conjunction with fish we may perhaps consider the Escallop which, as
a charge, belongs to the earliest period of Heraldry. The Barbel, so
named from the barbs attached to its mouth to assist it in its search
for food, was introduced into English Heraldry by JOHN, Count DE BARRE,
whose elder brother married ALIANORE, eldest daughter of EDWARD I. At
Carlaverock he displayed, as the chronicler has recorded, “_a blue
banner, crusilly, with two Barbels of gold, and a red border
en-grailed_,” No. 162. The Dolphin, borne by GILES DE FISHBOURNE (H. 3),
and afterwards introduced into several English Shields, is best known as
the armorial ensign of the DAUPHIN, the eldest son and heir apparent of
the Kings of France, who bore, marshalled with the arms of FRANCE--_Or,
a Dolphin az._ This title of “Dauphin” was first assumed by CHARLES V.,
who succeeded to the Crown of France in 1364. In No. 8 I have shown
after what manner the Dolphin was represented by an ancient Greek
Artist: in the Middle Ages the heraldic Dolphin appeared as in No. 163.
GEFFREY DE LUCY (H. 3) bears--_Gu., three Lucies or._ On his marriage
with the heiress of ANTHONY, Lord LUCY, in 1369, HENRY, fourth Lord
PERCY of Alnwick, quartered these three fish, with his own lion (blue on
a golden field) and his fusils (gold on a blue field), upon the
well-known Shield of the Earls of NORTHUMBERLAND (Chapter XI).
[Illustration: No. 163.--Dolphin.]
[Illustration: No. 165.--Escallop.]
[Illustration: No. 164.--De Lucy.]
Another Carlaverock Banneret, ROBERT DE SCALES, whom the chronicler
declares to have been both “handsome and amiable” as well as gallant in
action, had “_six escallops of silver on a red banner_.” This beautiful
charge of the escallop, happy in its association with the pilgrims of
the olden time, and always held in high esteem by Heralds, is generally
drawn as in No. 165.
Reptiles and Insects occur but rarely in English Heraldry. Bees, Flies,
Butterflies, and Snails are sometimes found, but they have no place in
the earliest Rolls of Arms. Bees, as might be expected, appear in the
Arms of _Bees_ton. _Azure, three Butterflies_, are the Arms of MUSCHAMP,
and they are carved twice in the vaulting of the cloisters at
Canterbury. Upon a monumental brass in the Church of Wheathampstead, in
Hertfordshire, the Shield of HUGO BOSTOCK (about A.D. 1435)
bears,--_Arg., three Bats, their wings displayed, sa._
Imaginary and Fabulous Beings, some of them the creations of heraldic
fancy when in a strangely eccentric mood, frequently appear as
Supporters; and, in some cases, they take a part in the blazonry of
Shields, or they are borne independently as Badges. A very brief
description (all that is necessary) of the greater number of these
monsters of _un_natural history will be given in the “Glossary of
heraldic terms,” in Chapter X.; consequently, it is enough here merely
to refer to them as having a place in blazon. The Griffin or Gryphon,
the most worthy of the group, is comparatively common. The Dragon and
the Wivern or Wyvern, both of them winged monsters, differ in this
respect, that the former has four legs, while the latter has two only.
In early blazon this distinction was not always observed. The
Cockatrice, always having two legs, is a Wyvern with a cock’s head.
Natural Objects of all kinds are blazoned as Charges of Heraldry, and
they will be found described and illustrated in their proper places in
Chapter X. They include the _Sun_, the _Moon_, the _Stars_; also such
terrestrial objects as _Trees_, _Flowers_, _Fruits_, _Sheaves and Ears
of Corn_, _Leaves_, _Chaplets_, _&c._ And with these Charges I may group
the always beautiful Fleur de Lys, and the Trefoil, Quatrefoil,
Cinquefoil, and Sixfoil.
Of the various Artificial Figures and Devices that Heralds have charged
upon Shields of Arms, it will be unnecessary for me to give detailed
descriptions, except when either the heraldic name may require
explanation, or some special circumstances connected with any particular
figure or device may impart to it peculiar claims for attention. Again I
refer to the “Glossary” for notices and examples of all Charges of this
class--Annulets, Buckles, Castles, Crowns, Cups, Horseshoes, Keys,
Knots, Sickles, Stirrups, Trumpets, and many others.
[Illustration: No. 166A.--Crescent]
[Illustration: No. 166B.--Increscent]
[Illustration: No. 166C.--Decrescent]
In blazoning Charges of various classes, Heralds employ _appropriate
Epithets and descriptive Terms_, of which the following are
characteristic examples:--The _Sun_ is “_in splendour_.” The _Moon_,
when full, is “_in her complement_”: she is a “_Crescent_” when she
appears in No. 166, A: she is “_Increscent_” when as in No. 166, B: and
she is “_Decrescent_” when as in No. 166, C. Animals and Birds of prey
are said to be “_armed_” of their talons, teeth, and claws. All horned
animals, also, except Stags and Antelopes, are “_armed_” of their horns;
and a Cock is “_armed_” of his spurs; whilst Griffins and birds of prey
are “_armed_” of their beaks and claws (_i.e._ the part of the leg which
is unfeathered). Animals are “_hoofed_” or “_unguled_” of their hoofs;
and “_langued_” of their tongues. Fierce animals are “_vorant_” of their
prey, when represented in the act of devouring it. Deer, when reposing,
are “_lodged_” Nos. 25 and 26: when standing, and looking out from the
Shield, No. 167, “_at gaze_”: when in easy motion, they are termed
“_trippant_,” or sometimes the word “_tripping_” is substituted, No.
168: and when in rapid motion, they are “_courant_,” “_at speed_,” or
sometimes described as “_in full course_,” No. 169. The male Stag is
sometimes termed a “_Hart_,” and the female a “_Hind_.” There is really
a distinction between the Buck and the Stag, but it is very usually
disregarded in Heraldry. The antlers of the Hart are “_Attires_,” their
branches are “_Tynes_”; and they are said to be “_attired_” of their
antlers. A Stag’s head full-faced, but without the neck, as No. 170, is
“_cabossed_” or “_caboshed_.”
[Illustration: No. 167.--At Gaze.]
[Illustration: No. 169.--At Speed.]
[Illustration: No. 168.--Tripping.]
[Illustration: No. 170.--Stag’s Head Cabossed.]
Eagles and Hawks with expanded wings, as in No. 206, are “_displayed_.”
Expanded wings may be “_elevated_,” or, if drooping, “_inverted_” or
“_in lure_.” Birds about to take wing are “_rising_”; when in flight,
they are “_volant_”; when at rest, they are “_close_.” A Bird
“_trusses_” its prey. A Peacock having its tail expanded is “_in its
pride_”; and this same expression is applied to the Turkey. A Pelican,
when feeding its young, is said to be “_in her piety_,” but may be
merely “_vulning herself_” if the young are not represented. A Swan,
when blazoned “_proper_,” is white with red legs and black beak.
Fish, represented swimming in fesse, are “_naiant_”; if they are in
pale, they are “_hauriant_,” No. 164; but if their heads are to the
base, the term “_urinant_” is said to apply, but I cannot say I have so
far come across an authenticated instance of the use of this word; if
their bodies are bent, as the Dolphin is generally represented, they are
“_embowed_,” No. 163. Fish, also, are said to be “_finned_” of their
fins. Insects are “_volant_.” Reptiles are “_gliding_”; or, if they are
twined into knots, “_nowed_.” Trees of mature growth are “_accrued_”;
when with leaves, “_in foliage_” (but these two terms are so seldom used
that they may be entirely disregarded); with fruit or seeds, “_fructed_”
or “_seeded_”; if without leaves, “_blasted_”; and if their roots are
exposed, “_eradicated_.” Branches or leaves torn off are “_slipped_.”
The terms which denote the attitudes of Lions, all of them described in
the next chapter, are equally applicable to other animals. Some other
descriptive terms, not noticed here, will be found in the “Glossary” in
Chapter X.
CHAPTER IX
THE GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY
SECTION VI
_The Lion and the Eagle in Heraldry_
“The LION and a King of Beasts.”
--SHAKESPEARE, _Richard II._
“The EAGLE, ennobled by Nature in as high a degree of nobility as
the chiefest of the terrestrial animals, is the most honourable
bearing of Birds.”
--GWILLIM (_Edition of 1724_).
The regal dignity of the LION amongst the creatures that are quadrupeds,
like himself, would naturally secure for him a position of corresponding
eminence in Heraldry. From the dawn of the heraldic era, accordingly,
the Lion is blazoned on the Shields of Sovereigns, Princes, and Nobles.
The tressured Lion has been already noticed upon the Royal Shield of
SCOTLAND, No. 138; and a crowned Lion has also appeared in the same
attitude, borne by an English Prince, RICHARD, Earl of CORNWALL, No.
140. From the time that they first possessed any true armorial insignia,
the Sovereigns of the Realm of ENGLAND have borne Lions upon their Royal
Shield. A Lion was the Ensign of the Native Princes of WALES, as he was
of the Kings of LEON, of NORWAY, and of DENMARK, and of the Counts of
HOLLAND, HAINAULT, EU, &c. And, in like manner, the Lion was in high
favour with the most noble and powerful Barons of England--the MOWBRAYS,
BOHUNS, LONGESPEES, FITZ-ALANS, LACIES, PERCIES, SEGRAVES, and such as
they.
It was a necessary consequence of his great popularity that the Lion of
Heraldry should be blazoned in various attitudes, and also variously
tinctured, otherwise it would not be possible duly to distinguish the
Lions of different Shields. Heralds of all countries appear readily to
have permitted their Lions to lay aside their natural tawny hue, and in
its stead to assume the heraldic _or_, _argent_, _azure_, _gules_, and
_sable_; but Continental Heralds were not generally disposed to
recognise in their Lions any other attitude than the one which they held
to be consistent with their Lion character, instincts, and
habits--erect, that is, with one hind paw only on the ground, looking
forward towards their prey, so as to show but one eye, and evidently in
the act of preparing to spring. This undoubtedly most characteristic
attitude is _rampant_, No. 171: and only when he was in this rampant
attitude did the early Heralds consider any Lion to be a Lion, and
blazon him by his true name. A Lion walking and looking about him, the
early Heralds held to be acting the part of a leopard: consequently,
when he was in any such attitude, they blazoned him as “_a leopard_.”
The animal bearing that name bore it simply as an heraldic title, which
distinguished a Lion in a particular attitude. These heraldic “leopards”
were drawn in every respect as other heraldic “lions,” without spots or
any leopard_ish_ distinction whatever. This explains the usage, retained
till late in the fourteenth century, which assigned to the Lions of the
Royal Shield of England the name of “leopards.” They were so called, not
by the enemies of England for derision and insult, as some persons, in
their ignorance of early Heraldry, have been pleased both to imagine and
to assert; but the English Kings and Princes, who well knew their
“Lions” to be Lions, in blazon styled them “leopards,” because they also
knew that Lions in the attitude of their “Lions” were heraldic
“leopards.” When at length the necessity of varying the attitude of
their Lions was admitted by all Heralds, in consequence of the greatly
increased numbers of the bearers of Lions, some strict adherents to the
original distinctive nomenclature blazoned any Lion that was _not
rampant_ by the compound term of a “_lion-leopard_,” or a
“_lion-leopardé_.” But that controversy has long been at rest.
The following terms are now in use to denote the various attitudes of
the Lion in Heraldry:--
_Rampant_: erect, one hind paw on the ground, the other three paws
elevated, the animal looking forward and having his tail elevated, No.
171. _Rampant Guardant_: as before, but looking out from the Shield, No.
172. _Rampant Reguardant_: as before, but looking backwards.
_Passant_: walking, three paws on the ground, the dexter fore-paw being
elevated, looking forward, the tail displayed over the back, No. 173.
_Passant Guardant_: as before, but looking out from the Shield, No. 174.
_Passant Reguardant_: as before, but looking backwards.
[Illustration: No. 171.--Rampant.]
[Illustration: No. 172.--Rampant Guardant.]
[Illustration: No. 173.--Passant.]
[Illustration: No. 174.--Passant Guardant.]
[Illustration: No. 175.--Statant.]
[Illustration: No. 176.--Statant Guardant.]
_Statant_: standing, his four paws on the ground, and looking before
him, No. 175. _Statant Guardant_: as before, but looking out from the
Shield, No. 176: in this example the Lion has his tail extended, but
this would be specified in the blazon, as it is an unusual position. In
like manner, if the tail of a Lion in any other attitude be extended,
there must be a statement to that effect.
[Illustration: No. 177.--Couchant.]
[Illustration: No. 178.--Sejant.]
[Illustration: No. 179.--Dormant.]
_Sejant_: sitting down with his head elevated, No. 178. If he looks out
from the Shield, the word _Guardant_ is to be added. A Scottish Lion
sejant usually has his fore paws raised in the air, and in English terms
of blazon would be described as “_Sejant erect_” or “_Sejant rampant_.”
_Couchant_: is at rest, the fore legs stretched on the ground, as No.
177.
_Dormant_: asleep, head resting on fore paws, No. 179.
_Salient_: in the act of springing, the hind paws on the ground, both
the fore paws elevated, No. 180.
[Illustration: No. 180.--Salient.]
[Illustration: No. 181.--Double-queued.]
[Illustration: No. 182.--Coward.]
_Queue fourchée_: having a forked tail.
_Double-queued_: two tails, as No. 181, which is a _lion rampant
double-queued_.
_Coward: passant reguardant_, his tail between his legs, No. 182.
Two Lions rampant, when face to face, are _Counter rampant_, or
_Combatant_: when back to back, they are _Addorsed_: when passant or
salient in contrary directions, they are _Counter passant_ or _Counter
salient_.
Lions, whatever their tincture, except it be red, or they are charged on
a field of that tincture, are _armed and langued gules_; but _azure_ in
the case of either of these exceptions, unless the contrary be specified
in the blazon. When several Lions appear in one composition, or when
they are drawn to a comparatively very small scale, they are sometimes
blazoned as “_Lioncels_.” This term “_Lioncel_,” it must be added, when
used alone, denotes a _small Lion rampant_.
[Illustration: No. 183.--Lion’s Head.]
[Illustration: No. 184.--Lion’s Face.]
[Illustration: No. 185.--Lion’s Jambe.]
A Lion’s _head_ is a Charge: it may be _erased_, as in No. 183; or cut
off smooth, when it is _couped_. A Lion’s _face_ also is a Charge, No.
184; so is his _jambe_ or _paw_, No. 185. A _demi-lion rampant_ is the
upper half of his body and the extremity of his tufted tail, as in No.
186.
[Illustration: No. 186.--Demi-Lion Rampant.]
[Illustration: No. 187.--England.]
The LIONS OF ENGLAND are _golden Lions leopardé_, three in number,
placed one above the other on a red Shield. They are blazoned--_Gu.,
three Lions pass. guard., in pale, or_, No. 187.
A Lion in this attitude, of this tincture, and on a field gules, may be
blazoned as a “Lion of England.” These three Lions _first_ appear upon
the second Great Seal of RICHARD I., A.D. 1194, on the Shield of the
King, No. 188. An earlier Seal, used by Prince JOHN before his brother’s
accession, has a Shield charged with _two_ Lions only, and they are
_passant_, No. 189. The first Great Seal of the lion-hearted King has a
Shield, bowed in its contour, and charged with a _single_ Lion rampant
facing to the sinister, or _counter-rampant_, No. 190; and it has been
conjectured that, were the whole face of this Shield visible, a second
Lion rampant facing to the dexter would appear, thus charging the Shield
with _two Lions combattant_; this, however, is a conjecture which is not
supported by the authority of many Shields of the same form. A red
Shield charged with _two golden Lions passant guardant in pale_ (No.
22), and therefore closely resembling No. 189, as I have already shown,
has been assigned to WILLIAM I., and his two sons and his grandson,
WILLIAM II., HENRY I., and STEPHEN. The Shield bearing the three Lions,
No. 187, has been assigned to HENRY II., but it first makes its
appearance on the Great Seal of his son. The probability is that up to
this period the device was simply a lion, indeterminate in position or
numbers. This same Shield has continued, from the time of RICHARD I., to
display the ROYAL ARMS of the REALM OF ENGLAND: how, in the course of
ages, these Arms become grouped with other insignia, I shall presently
have to show.
[Illustration: No. 188.--Richard I.--2nd Gt. Seal.]
[Illustration: No. 190.--Richard I.--1st Gt. Seal.]
[Illustration: No. 189.--Prince John.--Seal.]
[Illustration: No. 191.--Le Strange.]
[Illustration: No. 192.--Giffard.]
[Illustration: No. 193.--Mowbray.]
The _Lion passant_ is carefully distinguished in the earliest Rolls as a
different Charge from the _Lion passant guardant_. Thus (H. 3), for
HAMON LE STRANGE--_Gu., two Lions passant arg._, No. 191; and for JOHN
GIFFARD--_Gu., three Lions pass. arg._, No. 192: for Sir NICHOLAS CAREW
(E. 2),--_Or, three Lions pass. sa._
[Illustration: No. 194.--De Lacy.]
[Illustration: No. 195.--De Segrave.]
From the numerous early Shields which bear _Lions rampant_, I select the
following examples, associated with names illustrious in English
History. For ROGER DE MOWBRAY (H. 3)--_Gu., a Lion rampt. arg._, No.
193: this Coat is quartered by the present Lord MOWBRAY, SEGRAVE and
STOURTON. For FITZ-ALAN, Earl of ARUNDEL--_Gu., a Lion rampt. or_
(H. 3), No. 193. For DE LACI, Earl of LINCOLN--_Or, a Lion rampt.
purpure_ (E. 2), No. 194. For Sir JOHN DE SEGRAVE (E. 2)--_Sa., a Lion
rampt. arg., crowned or_, No. 195. For PERCY, Earl of
NORTHUMBERLAND--_Or, a Lion rampt. az._, No 196: this Shield is drawn
from the fine counter-seal of Sir HENRY DE PERCY, first Lord of Alnwick,
who died A.D. 1315.
Two Shields of the DE BOHUNS, Nos. 114, 115, already described,
exemplify the display of Lioncels as heraldic charges. An earlier
Shield, charged with six Lioncels, but without any Ordinary, was borne
by FAIR ROSAMOND’S son, WILLIAM LONGESPÉE, Earl of SALISBURY, A.D. 1226:
it is boldly sculptured with his noble effigy in Salisbury Cathedral,
and it also appears upon his Seal--_Az., six Lioncels or_, No. 197. The
Roll of Edward II., confirmed by his Seal, gives for Sir WM. DE
LEYBOURNE the same composition, with a difference in the
tincturing--_Az., six Lioncels arg._ Other members of the same family
change these tinctures for _gules and or_, _gules and argent_, and _or
and sable_ (E. 2). Examples of Shields which bear Lions or Lioncels with
various other charges will be described and illustrated in succeeding
chapters.
[Illustration: No. 196.--De Percy.]
[Illustration: No. 197.--Longespée.]
Lions also fulfil important duties of high honour in English Heraldry as
_Crests_ and _Supporters_, and also as _Badges_. From the time of
EDWARD III. a Crowned Lion, at the first standing on a Cap of Estate,
and afterwards upon the Crown, has been the Royal Crest of ENGLAND;
a Lion also has always been the Royal Crest of SCOTLAND (see Chapter
XVIII.). The Princes of the Royal Houses of England, in like manner,
have always borne the Royal Lion distinguished by some “Mark of Cadency”
(see Chapter XII.): No. 198 is the Lion Crest of the BLACK PRINCE, from
his Monument at Canterbury, the Lion differenced with the Prince’s
silver label. The Lion also appears as the Crest of many noble and
distinguished families, as the DE BOHUNS, the PERCIES, and the HOWARDS.
The Lion Crest of RICHARD II., sculptured _statant guardant_ upon his
helm, with a chapeau and mantling, and with the Badge of two Ostrich
feathers, in Westminster Hall, is without any crown: No. 199.
[Illustration: No. 198.--Crest of Black Prince.]
[Illustration: No. 199.--Crest of Richard II.]
As a Royal Supporter of the Arms of _England_, the Lion appears in
company with some other creature from the time of HENRY VI., EDWARD IV.
sometimes having his Shield supported by two Lions. On the accession of
JAMES I. of Great Britain, the Royal Lion Supporter formed that alliance
with the Unicorn of Scotland which still continues, and will continue,
it is to be hoped, throughout all time. Lions, as I shall point out more
in detail in Chapter XVI., were frequently introduced into the
composition of Seals before true heraldic Supporters were in use. In
more recent Heraldry the Lion is a favourite Supporter: he now appears
supporting the Shields of the Dukes of NORFOLK, ARGYLL, ATHOLL, BEDFORD,
GRAFTON, NORTHUMBERLAND, PORTLAND, and WELLINGTON; also, with many
others, those of the Marquesses of BATH, EXETER, HEADFORT, and
SALISBURY; of the Earls of ALBEMARLE, BROWNLOW, CARLISLE, CARNARVON,
CORK, ESSEX, and HARDWICK; of the Viscount HARDINGE; and of the Barons
ARUNDEL, CAMOYS, DUNBOYNE, MONSON, MOWBRAY, PETRE, and SOUTHAMPTON. As a
Supporter the Lion is represented _rampant_, _rampant reguardant_, and
_sejant rampant_. Lions also, and Demi-Lions, are frequently borne as
modern Crests.
In our own treatment of the Lions of Heraldry, whatever their attitude
or tincture, whatever also the position they may occupy or the heraldic
duty they may discharge, we are always to draw and to blazon them as
true _heraldic Lions_, while, at the same time, in their expression and
general characteristics they are to be _genuine Lions_.
In becoming fellowship with the Lion, the EAGLE appears in the earliest
English Rolls and examples of Arms. The Royal bird, however, does not
occur in English blazon so frequently as the Lion; and his appearance
often denotes an alliance with German Princes. A Roll of Arms (printed
in “Archæologia,” XXX.) of the year 1275 commences with the Shields of
the “EMPEROR OF GERMANY,” and of the “KING OF GERMANY,” which are
severally blazoned as,--“_Or, an Eagle displayed having two heads sa._,”
and, “_Or, an Eagle displayed sable_.” In York Cathedral, in stained
glass, there are Shields with both the double-headed and the
single-headed Eagles, all of them German, which may be considered to
have been executed before the year 1310. In the north choir-aisle at
Westminster, the Shield (now mutilated) of the Emperor FREDERICK II. is
boldly sculptured by an heraldic artist of the time of our HENRY III.,
No. 200; here the Eagle had one head only. The German Emperors naturally
adopted the Eagle for their heraldic Ensign, in support of their claim
to be successors to the Roman Cæsars; and the Russian Czars, with the
same motive, have also assumed the same ensign. The Eagle having two
heads, which severally look to the dexter and the sinister, as in No.
201, typified a rule that claimed to extend over both the Eastern and
the Western Empires; as the Eagle with a single head, No. 202, might be
considered to have a less comprehensive signification. The Eagles of the
Princes of Germany are frequently to be found, blazoned for them, in
England.
[Illustration: No. 200.--In Westminster Abbey.]
[Illustration: No. 201.--Imperial Eagle.]
[Illustration: No. 202.--Royal Eagle.]
[Illustration: No. 203.--Cornwall.]
[Illustration: No. 204.--Seal of Euphemia Leslie.]
RICHARD, the second son of King JOHN, in the year 1256 was elected King
of Germany (he is generally styled “King of the Romans”), when he bore
the Eagle of the Empire: but the only Seals of this Prince that are
known to exist in England display the Shield of his English Earldom of
Cornwall, No. 140. His Son EDMUND, who succeeded to his father’s
Earldom, on his Seals has represented an _Eagle bearing in its beak his
Shield of Cornwall_, as in No. 203: this is a peculiarly interesting
example of an heraldic usage of striking significance, and it also
illustrates the early existence of the sentiment which at a later period
led to the adoption of “Supporters” to Shields of Arms. In the early
Heraldry of Scotland, a single displayed Eagle is occasionally found
supporting an armorial Shield; as in the Seals of ALEXANDER STEWARD,
Earl of MENTEITH, A.D. 1296, and WILLIAM, Earl of DOUGLAS and MAR, A.D.
1378 (Seton’s “Scottish Heraldry,” Plates VIII. and XII.): sometimes
also, as Mr. Seton has observed, “the Eagle’s breast is charged with
more than one Shield, as in the case of the Seals of MARGARET STEWART,
Countess of ANGUS (1366), and EUPHEMIA LESLIE, Countess of ROSS (1381),
on both of which _three_ escutcheons make their appearance” (“Scottish
Heraldry,” p. 268, and Plate XII., No. 5): in No. 204 I give a woodcut
of this interesting composition; the Shields are, to the dexter,
LESLIE--_Arg., on a bend az., three buckles or_; in the centre, the Arms
of the Earl of ROSS--_Gu., three Lions rampant arg., within a tressure_;
and, to the sinister, CUMMIN--_Az., three garbs or_. The Imperial Eagle
is sometimes represented crowned; the heads also in some examples are
encircled with a _nimbus_ or glory, as in No. 212. I must add that in
the Heraldry of the English Peerage the Imperial Eagle still supports
the Shields of some few Peers of different ranks; as, for example, that
of Baron METHUEN.
[Illustration: No. 205.--Shield of Piers Gaveston.]
[Illustration: No. 206.--Montacute and Monthermer.]
PIERS GAVESTON, who was created Earl of CORNWALL by EDWARD II.,
bore--_Vert, six Eaglets or_, No. 205, (E. 2 and York stained glass): on
his Seal, however, the number of the Eaglets is reduced to _three_.
Another early example is the Shield of that gallant and persevering
knight, RALPH DE MONTHERMER--_Or, an Eagle displayed vert_, No. 206, who
became Earl of GLOUCESTER in right of his wife, JOAN, daughter of
EDWARD I., and widow of GILBERT DE CLARE, the “Red Earl”; this green
Eagle of Monthermer long held a place of high distinction in the
mediæval Heraldry of England, marshalled on the Shields of the Earls of
SALISBURY and WARWICK; in which, as in the example, No. 206, the Eagle
of Monthermer is quartered with the coat of Montacute, No. 20 (page 17).
The Eagle of early Heraldry was sometimes blazoned as an “_Erne_,”[4]
and sometimes as an “_Alerion_,” WILLIAM D’ERNFORD (H. 3) bears--_Sa.,
an Erne displayed arg._: and, at the same period WM. DE ERNFIELD bears a
pair of Erne’s or Eagle’s Wings, called a “_Vol_,” No. 207. From Shields
of the fourteenth century which bear Eagles, and are blazoned in the
Roll of Edward II., I select the following small group as good
examples:--Sir WM. DE MONGOMERIE--_Or, an Eagle displayed az._: Sir
NICHOLAS DE ETONE--_Gu., a Chevron between three Eaglets arg._: Sir JOHN
DE CHARLESTONE--_Arg., on a Chevron vert three Eaglets or_: Sir PHILIP
DE VERLEY--_Or, a Bend gu., between six Eaglets sa._: Sir JOHN DE LA
MERE--_Arg., on a Bend az. three Eaglets or_, No. 209: a Shield bearing
a Bend charged with three Eagles, but with different tinctures, No. 88,
I have shown to have been the Arms of the Grandisons.
[Footnote 4: Query if this is not really a herne or
heron.--A. C. F.-D.]
[Illustration: No. 207.--A Vol.]
[Illustration: No. 209.--De la Mere.]
Eagles, under their name of “_Alerions_” (which early Heralds
represented without feet and beaks), are blazoned in the same
disposition as in No. 209, in the Arms of the Duchy of LORRAINE,--_Or,
on a Bend gu. three alerions arg._: and this device the Dukes of
Lorraine _are said_ to have borne in commemoration of an exploit of
their famous ancestor, GODFREY DE BOLOGNE, _who is also said_, when
“shooting against David’s tower in Jerusalem,” to have “broched upon his
arrow three footless birds called alerions.” “It is impossible,” remarks
Mr. Planché upon this legend, “now to ascertain who broached this
wonderful story; but it is perfectly evident that the narrator was the
party who drew the long bow, and not the noble GODFREY.” Mr. Planché
adds, that the Alerions of Lorraine may indicate an alliance with the
Imperial House; and he directs attention to “a similarity in sound
between ’Alerion’ and ’Lorraine,’” and also to a singular Anagram
produced by the letters ALERION and LORAINE, which are the same
(“Pursuivant of Arms,” p. 87). The Arms of Lorraine are still borne by
the Emperor of AUSTRIA: and in England they were quartered by Queen
MARGARET of Anjou.
[Illustration: No. 210.--Shield at St. Albans.]
[Illustration: No. 211.--The Austrian Eagle.]
The Roll of Edward II. gives also for Sir HUGH DE BILBESWORTH these
arms--_Az., three Eagles displayed or_. A similar Shield, the tinctures
changed to--_Arg., three Eagles displayed gu., armed or_, was borne by
ROBERT DE EGLESFIELD, Confessor to PHILIPPA of Hainault, Queen of
EDWARD III., who in the year 1340 founded Queen’s College, Oxford: this
Shield of the Founder is borne by the College. One of the Shields in the
Chantry of Abbot RAMRYGE in St. Albans Abbey Church bears the same
charges--_three eagles displayed_, No. 210: the drawing of the eagle in
this Shield is remarkable, and the form of the Shield itself is
singularly characteristic of the close of the fifteenth century. Another
Shield in the same monument bears a single Eagle, drawn in the same
manner, and sculptured with extraordinary spirit. The German Heralds,
and also their brethren of France, delight in exaggerations of what I
may distinguish as the Westminster Eagle, No. 200. The Austrian Eagle,
besides having both its heads crowned, has a large Imperial Crown placed
between and above the two heads, as in No. 211. The Imperial Eagle (Holy
Roman Empire) sometimes has a nimbus or glory about each head, which
dignified accessory is represented by a circular line, as in No. 212. In
some examples of Eagles, as well in our own Heraldry as in that of
continental countries, the wings are represented as _erect_ (the more
usual form in England), and having the tips of all the principal
feathers pointing upwards, as in No. 213. The Eagle borne as the Ensign
of Imperial FRANCE was represented grasping a thunderbolt, in an
attitude of vigilance, having its wings displayed, but with the tips of
the feathers drooping, as they would be in the living bird; No. 214.
[Illustration: No. 212.--Imperial Eagle, with Nimbus.]
[Illustration: No. 213.--Eagle “displayed,” with Wings erect.]
EDWARD III., as a Second Crest, bore an Eagle. An Eagle also was borne
for his Crest, as the imperial bird was displayed upon his Shield (No.
206), by Earl RALPH DE MONTHERMER. In the more recent Heraldry of
England, the Eagle is a Supporter to the Shields of the Earls of
CLARENDON, COVENTRY, and MALMESBURY; the Viscounts BOLINGBROKE and ST.
VINCENT; and the Barons HEYTESBURY, RADSTOCK, WYNFORD, and others.
Eagles also and Demi-Eagles are borne as Crests in the English Heraldry
of our own day.
[Illustration: No. 214.--French Imperial Eagle.]
In drawing our heraldic Eagles, we can scarcely improve upon some of the
examples in which early English Heralds expressed their ideas of the
king of birds.
CHAPTER X
THE GRAMMAR OF HERALDRY
SECTION VII
_Glossary of Titles, Names, and Terms_
“The several denominations given to these tokens of honour ...
with the terms of art given to them.”
--RANDLE HOME: “Academy of Armoury,” A.D. 1688.
In this Glossary, which obviously must be as concise as possible,
I shall include no word that is ordinarily well understood, unless some
special signification should be attached to it when it is in use in
armorial blazon.
_Abased._ Said of a charge when placed lower than its customary
position.
_Abatement._ A supposed sign of degradation. (See Chapter XII.)
_Accollée._ Placed side by side.
_Accosted._ Side by side.
_Achievement_, or _Achievement of Arms_. Any complete heraldic
composition.
_Addorsed._ Back to back.
_Affrontée._ So placed as to show the full face or front.
_Alerion._ A name sometimes given by early Heralds to the heraldic
_Eagle_, which, when blazoned under this title, was also sometimes drawn
without legs or beak. (See p. 97.)
_Ambulant._ In the act of walking.
_Annulet._ A plain ring; sometimes blazoned as a “_false roundle_”: in
modern English cadency, the difference of the fifth son or brother: No.
154.
_Annulettée._ Ending in Annulets.
_Antelope._ Depicted by early Heralds in a conventional manner, but now
generally rendered more naturally, the earlier type being termed the
heraldic antelope.
_Anthony, St._ His cross is in the form of the letter T, No. 93.
_Antique Crown._ See _Eastern Crown_.
_Appaumée._ Said of a hand, when open, erect, and showing the palm: No.
215.
[Illustration: No. 215.--Badge of Ulster.]
_Arched._ Bent, or bowed.
_Archbishop._ A prelate of the highest order in the English Church; his
heraldic insignia are his _Mitre_, _Crozier_, and _Pall_. Next to the
Royal Family, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the first subject in the
realm; he is styled “Most Reverend Father in God,” “by Divine
Providence,” and “Your Grace.” The Archbishop of York is third in rank
(the Lord Chancellor being second), and his style is the same, except
that he is Archbishop “by Divine permission.” Archbishops impale their
own arms with those of their see, the latter being marshalled to the
dexter.
_Argent._ The metal silver.
_Arm._ A human arm. When a charge, crest, or badge, it must be blazoned
with full particulars as to position, clothing, &c. If couped between
the elbow and the wrist, it is a _cubit arm_.
_Armed._ A term applied to animals and birds of prey, to denote their
natural weapons of offence and defence: thus, a Lion is said to be
“_armed_ of his claws and teeth”; a Bull, to be “_armed_ of his horns”;
an Eagle, “of its beak and talons.”
_Armory._ Heraldry. Also, a List of Names and Titles, with their
respective Arms.
_Arms_, _Armorial Bearings_. Heraldic compositions, and the Figures and
Devices which form them. (See Chapter I.)
_Arms of Community._ Borne by Corporate and other Bodies and
Communities, as cities, colleges, &c.
_Arms of Dominion._ Borne by Sovereign Princes, being also the Sovereign
arms of the realms over which they rule.
_Arms of Office._ Borne, with the personal arms, to denote official
rank.
_Armes Parlantes._ Such as are allusive to the Name, Title, Office, or
Property of those who bear them: thus, _Leaves_ for _Leve_son,
a _Castle_ for _Castile_, a _Cup_ for _Butler_, _Fish_ for those who
derive revenues from Fisheries, &c. The more usual term is, however,
“canting arms” (See _Rebus_: also page 15.)
_Arrow._ Is _barbed_ of its head, and _flighted_ of its feathers;
a bundle of arrows is a _sheaf_; with a blunt head, it is a _bird-bolt_.
_At Gaze._ A term applied to animals of the chase, to denote their
standing still, and looking straight forward: No. 167.
_Attires_, _Attired_. The antlers of a Buck, Stag, or Hart: having
antlers. A Reindeer is represented in Heraldry with double attires, one
pair erect, and the other drooping forward.
_Augmentation._ An honourable addition to a Coat of Arms, specially
granted with a peculiar significance: thus, the “Union” Device of the
British Empire, blazoned on an inescutcheon, is the “_Augmentation_”
specially granted to the great Duke of WELLINGTON, to be borne on the
honour point of his paternal shield.
_Augmented._ Having an “Augmentation.”
_Avellane._ A variety of the heraldic Cross: No. 109.
_Azure._ The colour _blue_ (indicated by horizontal lines): No. 52.
_Badge._ A figure or device, distinct from a crest, and capable of being
borne without any background or other accessory. Badges are, however,
often depicted upon a standard or roundle of the livery colour or
colours. Badges were depicted as a sign of ownership upon property; were
worn by servants and retainers, who mustered under the standards on
which badges were represented. (See Chapter XV.)
_Banded._ Encircled with a band.
_Banner._ A flag, charged with the coat of arms of the owner, displayed
over its entire surface. (See Chapter XVII.)
_Banneret._ A Knight who had been advanced by the King to that higher
military rank which entitled him to display a banner.
_Bar._ One of the Ordinaries: Nos. 81, 82.
_Bars Gemelles._ Barrulets borne in pairs: Nos. 83, 84.
_Barbed._ Pointed, as an arrow. The term is also applied to the small
green leaves between the petals of heraldic roses. (See _Rose_.)
_Barbel._ A Fish borne as an allusive device by the family of DE BARRE:
No. 162.
_Barded._ Having horse-trappings.
_Bardings._ Horse-trappings, often enriched with armorial blazonry. On
the Great Seal of EDWARD I. the Bardings of the King’s charger for the
first time appear adorned with the Royal arms. On both sides of the
horse, the head is supposed to be to the dexter. An example is
represented in the Seal of ALEXANDER DE BALLIOL, in Chapter XIV.
_Barnacles_, _Breys_. An instrument used in breaking horses. A rebus of
Sir REGINALD BRAY, architect of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, and
repeatedly represented there: No. 216.
_Baron._ The lowest rank in the British Peerage. A Baron is “Right
Honourable,” and is styled “My Lord.” His coronet, first granted by
Charles II., has on a golden circlet six large pearls, of which four
appear in representations, as in No. 217. An Irish Baron has no coronet.
All a Baron’s children are “Honourable.”
_Baron._ A purely heraldic term signifying a _husband_, a _wife_ in
Heraldry being _femme_.
_Baroness._ A lady in whom a Barony is vested by inheritance in her own
right; also, the wife of a Baron. In either case she is “Right
Honourable”; is styled “My Lady,” and her coronet is the same as that of
a Baron.
[Illustration: No. 216.--Breys.]
[Illustration: No. 217.--Circlet of a Baron’s Coronet.]
_Baronet._ An hereditary rank, lower than the peerage, instituted in
1612 by JAMES I., who fixed the precedence of Baronets before all
Knights, those of the Order of the Garter alone excepted. As originally
created, all Baronets were “of Ulster,” or “of Nova Scotia”; afterwards
all new creations were “of Great Britain”; now all are “of the United
Kingdom.” The “Badge of Ulster,” generally borne as an augmentation upon
a canton or small inescutcheon, is--_Arg., a sinister hand, couped at
the wrist and appaumée, gu._,--No. 215. The arms of Nova Scotia, which
may be (but seldom are) similarly borne on a canton or inescutcheon,
are--_Arg., on a saltire az., the Royal arms of Scotland_. (See No.
138.) By letters patent of JAMES I., the wives of Baronets have the
titles of “_Lady_, _Madam_, or _Dame_,” at their pleasure prefixed to
their names.
_Barrulet._ The diminutive of a Bar.
_Barrulée_, _Barruly_. Barry of ten or more pieces.
_Barry._ Divided into an even number of Bars, which all lie in the same
plane: Nos. 85, 86.
_Barry Bendy._ Having the field divided by lines drawn _bar-wise_, which
are crossed by others drawn _bend-wise_: No. 119.
_Bar-wise._ Disposed after the manner of a Bar,--crossing the field,
that is, horizontally. The term _fessways_ is more usually employed.
_Base._ The lowest extremity: No. 27, B.
_Basilisk._ A cockatrice having its tail ending in a dragon’s head.
_Basinet._ A helm fitting close to the head.
_Baton._ A diminutive of the bend, couped at its extremities.
_Battled_, or _Embattled_. Having battlements, or bordered, as No. 38,
F.
_Beacon_, or _Fire Beacon_. An iron case of burning combustibles set on
a pole, against which a ladder is placed.
_Beaked._ Applied to birds, not of prey.
_Bearer._ An old Scottish term for a _Supporter_.
_Bearing_, _Bearings_. Armorial insignia, borne on shields.
_Bell._ Drawn, and generally blazoned as a _church-bell_, unless
specified to be a _hawk’s-bell_.
_Belled._ Having bells attached.
_Bend._ One of the Ordinaries: Nos. 111-115.
_Bendlet._ The diminutive of a bend: No. 117.
_Bend-wise_, or _In Bend_. Placed in the position of or arranged in the
direction of a bend.
_Bendy._ Parted bend-wise into an even number of divisions: No. 116.
_Besant._ A golden “Roundle” or disc, flat like a coin: No. 151, and No.
140.
_Billet._ An oblong figure of any tincture: _Billetée_--strewn with
“Billets”: Nos. 130, 146.
_Bird._ Many Birds appear in blazon, and they are represented both in
heraldic tinctures and “proper”--in their natural aspect. (See Chapters
VIII. and IX.)
_Bird-bolt._ An arrow with a blunt head.
_Bishop._ The Bishops are “by Divine permission,” and are styled “Right
Reverend Father in God,” and “My Lord Bishop.” The Bishops of England
and Wales are not Peers but are all “spiritual lords” of Parliament,
some of the junior Bishops, however, having no seats. The Suffragan
Bishops are merely assistant Bishops, and are not Lords of Parliament.
The heraldic insignia of Bishops consist of _a mitre_ and _pastoral
staff_; they impale their official and personal arms, as do the
Archbishops; and, like them also, they bear no crests, but they ensign
their shields with a mitre.
_Blasted._ Leafless, withered.
_Blazon._ Heraldry: Armorial Compositions. “To blazon” is to _describe_
or to _represent_ any armorial Figure, Device, or Composition in an
heraldic manner. _Blazoning_--_Describing_ in heraldic language: also,
_representing_ in an heraldic manner. _Blazonry_--the representation of
any heraldic Figure, Device, or Composition. But the distinction is in
practice usually made to employ the word “emblazon” in cases of
representation.
[Illustration: No. 218.--Water Bouget.]
[Illustration: No. 219.--Bourchier Knot.]
_Boar._ In Heraldry occasionally termed _Sanglier_.
_Bordure._ A Subordinary: Nos. 139, 140. Also, an important
“Difference.” (See Chapters XII. and XIII.)
_Botoneé_, _Botoneé Fitcheé_. Varieties of the heraldic Cross: Nos. 103,
110. This Cross is also termed _Trefleé_.
_Bouget_, or _Water Bouget_. A charge, representing the vessels used by
the Crusaders for carrying water. The word is an early form of Bucket.
Fine early examples occur in the Temple Church, at Beverley Minster, and
in a monument at Blyborough, Lincolnshire: No. 218.
_Bourchier Knot._ The badge of the Bourchier family represented in No.
219.
_Bourdon._ A palmer’s or pilgrim’s staff. (See _Pilgrim’s Staff_.)
_Bow._ The archer’s weapon, in all its varieties of form, is a charge.
_Bowed._ Having a convex contour.
_Bowen Knot._ No. 220.
_Braced._ Interlaced.
_Breys._ Barnacles, _q.v._
_Brisure_, or _Brizure_. Any difference or mark of cadency.
_Buckle._ See _Fermaile_.
_Burgonet._ A helm worn in the sixteenth century.
_Cabossed_, or _Caboshed_. The head of a stag, or other horned animal,
represented full-faced, so as to show the face only: No. 170. In the
case of a lion or leopard when the head is so represented it is termed
the face.
[Illustration: No. 220.--Bowen Knot.]
[Illustration: No. 221.--Caltrap.]
_Cadency, Marks of._ Figures and devices, introduced into armorial
compositions, in order to distinguish the different members and branches
of the same family. (See _Difference_, and Chapter XII.)
_Cadet._ A junior member or branch of a family.
_Caltrap._ An implement formerly strewn on the ground in war to maim
horses: No. 221.
_Canting Heraldry._ Refer to _Armes Parlantes_.
_Canton._ One of the Subordinaries: Nos. 129, 130.
_Cantoned._ Placed in the quarters of a shield.
_Carbuncle._ The same as _Escarbuncle_.
_Cartouche._ No. 46.
_Castle._ Generally represented with two or three turrets, as in the
shield of Queen Alianore, of Castile: No. 222. Refer to _Tower_.
_Celestial Crown._ No. 223.
_Centaur._ Also blazoned as a _sagittary_, and supposed to have been a
badge of King Stephen.
_Cerceleé_, or _Recerceleé_. A descriptive term to denote a variety of
the heraldic Cross: No. 98.
[Illustration: No. 222.--Castle.]
[Illustration: No. 223.--Celestial Crown.]
_Chapeau._ Also entitled _a cap of dignity_, _of maintenance_, or _of
estate_. An early symbol of high dignity, and in England of right of
Peerage. In addition it is now more frequently met with supporting
certain crests: No. 224.
_Chaplet._ A garland or entwined wreath of leaves and flowers, or of
flowers alone. A _chaplet of rue_, sometimes called a _crancelin_, is
blazoned bend-wise in the shield of Saxony--_Barry of ten or and sa.,
over all a chaplet of rue vert_: No. 225. (See _Crancelin_.)
[Illustration: No. 224.--Chapeau.]
[Illustration: No. 225.--Arms of Saxony.]
_Charge._ Any heraldic figure or device. _Charged_--placed on a shield,
banner, &c., as any heraldic figure or device may be.
_Chequeé_, _Chequy_, _Checky_. Divided into three, or into more than
three, contiguous rows of small squares, alternately of a metal (or fur)
and a colour: No 68.
_Chess rook._ A piece used in the game of Chess: borne by _Roke_wood and
others: No. 226.
_Chevron._ One of the Ordinaries: Nos. 123, 125.
_Chevronel._ A diminutive of the Chevron: No. 124.
_Chevroneé_, _Chevrony_. A field composed of a number of pieces divided
and disposed _per Chevron_: No. 124A.
_Chief._ One of the Ordinaries: Nos. 71-75. _In Chief_--placed in the
upper part of the shield, or arranged in a horizontal row across the
upper part of the field.
[Illustration: No. 226.--Chess Rook.]
[Illustration: No. 227.--Cinque foil.]
[Illustration: No. 228.--Clarions.]
_Cinque-foil._ A flower or leaf of five foils: No. 227.
_Civic Crown._ A wreath of oak-leaves and acorns.
_Clarenceux._ See _Herald_.
_Clarion._ An ancient musical instrument, a badge, apparently, of the DE
CLARES. By some this charge is supposed to represent a _lance-rest_, and
is sometimes so blazoned: No. 228, which shows two varieties of form.
_Clecheé._ A variety of the heraldic Cross: No. 105.
_Close._ With closed wings.
_Closet._ A Diminutive of the Bar, one half its width.
_Cloueé._ Fastened with Nails, and showing the Nail-heads: No. 150.
_Coat Armour._ True armorial or heraldic bearings, duly granted or
inherited, and rightly borne: so entitled, from having been depicted by
warriors of the Middle Ages upon their _surcoats_, worn by them over
their armour.
_Coat of Arms._ A complete armorial composition, properly what would be
charged upon a Shield or Banner, but often used as an alternative for
_Achievement_, _q.v._
_Cockatrice._ A fabulous creature, represented in No. 229.
[Illustration: No. 229.--Cockatrice.]
_Collar._ One of the insignia of Orders of Knighthood, worn about the
neck. Also any ornament or distinction worn in the same manner. Knights
occasionally wore collars charged with their own badge. In addition to
their badges of the Red and White Rose, examples exist showing that
adherents of the rival houses of York and Lancaster sometimes wore
collars, the former formed of alternate _Suns and Roses_, No. 230; and
the latter, of the letter S continually repeated, No. 231. No certain
origin has been discovered for the Lancastrian “Collar of S.,” but it
has been suggested that it represents the word SOVERAYGNE, the motto of
HENRY IV. No. 230 is from the Brass to HENRY BOURCHIER, K.G., Earl of
Essex, at Little Easton, Suffolk, A.D. 1483; and No. 231 from the Brass
to Lord CAMOYS, K.G., at Trotton, Sussex, A.D. 1424.
[Illustration: No. 230.--A Collar of York.]
[Illustration: No. 231.--A Collar of Lancaster.]
_College of Arms_, or _Heralds’ College_. (See _Herald_.)
_Colour._ See Chapter V., page 41. The term “_Colours_” is applied to
Flags, particularly to those of infantry regiments, and to such as are
displayed at sea. (See Chapter XVII.)
_Combatant._ Two lions, or other animals of prey, rampant and face to
face.
_Compartment._ In Scottish Heraldry, “a kind of carved panel, of no
fixed form, placed below the escutcheon, bearing the supporters, and
usually inscribed with a motto or the name and designation of the
owner.” --_Seton._ Other objects placed below the shield are met with
under this description.
_Componée_, _Compony_, or _Gobony_. A single row of small squares
alternately of two tinctures or furs: No. 66. (See _Counter Componée_.)
_Complement, In her._ Applied to the moon when full.
_Compound Quartering._ The quartering of a quarter, or division of a
quartered Coat-of-Arms. (See page 34.)
_Compound Arms._ Arms formed from the combination of the bearings of two
or more distinct coats, to produce a single compound coat.
_Conjoined in Lure._ Two wings united, their tips in base.
_Contoise._ A flowing scarf, worn attached to the helm before 1350. Two
examples occur in effigies in Exeter Cathedral, and another in
Westminster Abbey.
_Contournée._ Facing to the sinister.
_Cornish Chough._ A bird like a crow, black, with red beak and legs.
_Coronet._ An ensign of rank worn upon the head, in use in England from
about the middle of the fourteenth century, but without any distinctive
tokens of gradations of rank until a later period. In modern times
English Coronets have enclosed a velvet cap with a bullion tassel. This
cap originated in the cap of estate worn by Peers. (See _Prince_,
_Duke_, _Marquess_, _Earl_, _Viscount_, and _Baron_.)
_Cotise._ A diminutive of the Bend or other Ordinary, being one-fourth
of their width. _Cotised_. When a Bend or Chevron is placed between two
Cotises, or when a Fesse or Bar is placed between two Barrulets. Nos.
114, 115.
_Couchant._ In repose. No. 177.
_Couchée._ Said of a Shield when suspended from the sinister extremity
of the chief, or when placed as if it were so suspended. No. 49.
_Count_, _Countess_. _Count_, in Latin “Comes,” the same as Earl.
_Countess_, the wife of an Earl: she is “Right Honourable,” and styled
“My Lady”: her coronet is the same as that of an Earl.
_Counter._ Reversed or opposite.
_Counter-changing._ See page 44, and Nos. 70, 126.
_Counter Componée._ Double _Componée_, or two conjoined rows of
alternately tinctured squares. No. 67.
_Counter-Embattled._ A term in use for a fesse, bar, or chevron when
embattled on both edges.
_Counter-seal._ Early seals were generally impressed on both sides; and
the seals thus were produced from two dies or matrices. The two sides
were severally called the _seal_ and the _counter-seal_, the latter
being termed the _reverse_ of the compound composition. Every such
double impression constituted a single seal. Both seal and counter-seal
were sometimes used alone; and the counter-seal was regarded as a
private seal, or _secretum_.
_Couped._ Cut off _smoothly_--the reverse of “erased.”
_Couple-close._ Half a _chevronel_.
_Courant._ Running.
_Courtesy, Titles of._ Nominal degrees of rank, conceded to, and borne
by, the Eldest Sons of Dukes, Marquesses, and Earls, and other titles
used by their younger children and all children of Viscounts and Barons.
_Coward_, _Cowed_. A term applied to an animal with its tail between its
legs. No. 182.
_Crampet._ The decorated end of a sword-scabbard.
_Crancelin._ From the German _kranzlein_, “a small garland,” applied to
the chaplet that crosses the shield of Saxony, No. 225: this charge is
also blazoned as _a bend treflée vert_, _a bend archée coronettée_, or
_a coronet extended in bend_: it is said to be an augmentation
conferred, with the Dukedom of Saxony, on BERNHARD of Ascania, by the
Emperor BARBAROSSA. The Emperor took from his head his own chaplet of
rue, and threw it across the shield of Duke Bernhard. This story is
probably untrue.
_Crenellated._ Embattled.
_Crescent._ No. 166. In modern English cadency, the difference of the
second son, or house.
_Cresset._ A beacon.
_Crest._ A figure or device originally worn upon a helm, and now
generally represented above a Shield of arms. Crests at first were
ensigns of high honour, and their use was restricted to a few persons of
eminence: they were attached by a _wreath_, or _torse_, or by a
_coronet_, to the helm or basinet; and sometimes a crest stood upon a
cap of estate. Crests are still represented standing upon either a
wreath, or a cap, or issuing from a coronet: but in our own Heraldry a
_crest-coronet_ must always be carefully distinguished from those
coronets that are insignia of princely and noble rank. Crests are not
borne by ladies, a reigning Sovereign only excepted. (See _Panache_,
_Rebus_, and Chapter XIV.)
[Illustration: No. 232.--Crest Coronet.]
[Illustration: No. 233.--Crest-Wreath.]
_Crest-Coronet._ A coronet from which issues, or which supports,
a crest. No. 232.
_Crest-Wreath_, or _Torse_. In the Middle Ages, of rich materials and
costly workmanship; now represented as being formed of two rolls of silk
of the principal metal and colour in the arms, which are twisted to show
the metal and colour alternately. The earliest examples are about A.D.
1375. No. 233 shows three varieties of representation. (See Chapter
XIV.)
_Crined._ Having a mane or hair.
_Cross._ One of the Ordinaries. Nos. 90-110.
_Crown._ The ensign of Royal and Imperial dignity; in Heraldry borne as
a charge, and also used to denote the rank of a Sovereign Prince. The
Crown that is generally borne as a charge is represented without arches,
and resembling No. 232. Certain other crowns, each distinguished by an
appropriate title, are also sometimes borne on shields, or introduced as
heraldic accessories. (See _Celestial_, _Eastern_ or _Radiated_,
_Mural_, _Naval_, and _Vallary_ Crowns.) The different forms assumed at
different periods by the Royal Crown of England are faithfully
exemplified in the seals and the coinage of the successive Sovereigns,
and several fine examples are preserved in the Royal effigies. The
adornment of the regal circlet was arbitrary before the fifteenth
century; still, it always was enriched with gems and surmounted by
golden foliage. HENRY V. first arched his crown; and by HENRY VI. the
circlet was first heightened with alternate crosses-patée and fleurs de
lys. This arrangement has since been retained, the subsequent
alterations being restricted to changes in the number and in the contour
of the arches. The crown of His Majesty the KING has the circlet
heightened with four crosses and as many fleurs de lys; from the crosses
rise the arches, which are surmounted by a mound and a cross-patée. No.
234. This, the heraldic crown, is not an exact reproduction of the
actual crown of the King.
_Crozier._ Strictly, the cross-staff of an archbishop; distinguished by
its form from the pastoral-staff with a crook-head, of bishops; but the
term is loosely and very generally applied also to the crook-headed
pastoral-staff.
_Crusilee_, _Crusily_. Having the field semée of crosses-crosslets, or
of other small crosses, their peculiar form (when not crosslets) being
specified.
_Cubit arm._ A human arm couped between the elbow and the wrist.
[Illustration: No. 234.--Crown of H.M. The King.]
[Illustration: No. 235.--Dacre Knot and Badges.]
_Cup_, _Covered Cup_. A vessel formed like a chalice, and having a
raised cover; borne by the BOTILERS, BUTLERS, &c.
_Cushion_, _Pillow_, _Oreiller_. Unless described of another form,
square or oblong, and with a tassel at each corner.
_Dacre Knot._ No. 235. (See _Knot_.)
_Dancetté._ No. 38B. In early blazon, a fesse dancetté is styled simply
“a _dancette_” or “a _danse_.” Nos. 78, 146; and No. 20A, page 70.
_Debruised._ When an ordinary surmounts an animal or another charge.
_Decrescent._ A half-moon having its horns to the sinister. No. 166C.
_Deer._ In general practice very little if any differentiation is made
between the _Stag_, the _Buck_, and the _Hart_; the female is a _Hind_,
and of course is without attires. (See Chapter VIII.)
_Degrees._ A term applied to the steps upon which a Cross Calvary is
represented.
_Demembered_, _Dismembered_. Cut into pieces, but without any alteration
in the form of the original figure.
_Demi._ The half. The upper, front, or dexter half, unless the contrary
be specified. No. 186.
_Depressed._ Surmounted.
_Dexter._ The right side. No. 27C.
_Diaper_, _Diapering_. Surface decoration. No. 68.
_Difference_, _Differencing_. An addition to, or some change in,
a Coat-of-Arms, introduced for the purpose of distinguishing Coats which
in their primary qualities are the same. (See Chapters XII. and XIII.)
_Dimidiated._ Cut in halves per pale, and one half removed: No. 250.
(See Chapter XI.)
_Disclosed._ With expanded wings, in the case of birds that are _not_
birds of prey. The contrary to _Close_.
_Displayed._ Birds of prey with expanded wings. No. 200.
_Disposed_, _Disposition_. Arranged, arrangement.
_Dividing Lines._ No. 38: also Nos. 27-37.
_Dolphin._ A favourite fish with Heralds. The heraldic Dolphin of
antiquity is exemplified in No. 8; that of the Middle Ages in No. 163.
_Dormant._ Asleep, as in No. 179.
_Double-queued._ Having two tails. No. 181.
_Doubling._ The lining of a Mantle or Mantling.
_Dove-tail._ No. 381.
_Dragon._ A winged monster having four legs. No. 236.
_Duke._ The highest rank and title in the British Peerage; first
introduced by EDWARD III. in the year 1337, when he created the BLACK
PRINCE the first English Duke (in Latin, “_Dux_”). A Duke is “Most
Noble”; he is styled “My Lord Duke,” and “Your Grace”; and all his
younger sons are “Lords,” and all his daughters “Ladies,” with the
prefix “Right Honourable.” His eldest son bears, by courtesy, his
father’s “second title”; and, accordingly, he generally bears the title
of Marquess. Whatever his title, however, the rank of the eldest son of
a Duke is always the same, and it assigns to him precedence between
Marquesses and Earls. The Coronet of a Duke, arbitrary in its adornment
until the sixteenth century was far advanced, is now a circlet,
heightened with eight conventional strawberry-leaves, of which in
representations three and two half-leaves are shown; No. 237. It
encloses a velvet cap. The present ducal coronet is represented in the
portrait of LUDOVICK STUART, K.G., Duke of RICHMOND and LENNOX, who died
in 1624; the picture, the property of the Crown, is at Hampton Court.
[Illustration: No. 236.--Dragon.]
[Illustration: No. 237.--Circlet of a Duke’s Coronet.]
_Ducal Coronet._ A term commonly, but not very accurately, applied to a
_Crest Coronet_. No. 232.
_Duchess._ The wife of a Duke. She is “Most Noble,” and is styled “Your
Grace.” Her coronet is the same as that of a Duke.
_Eagle._ See Chapter IX., page 92.
_Eaglet._ An Eagle on a small scale.
_Earl._ In Latin, “Comes”; in French, “Comte” or “Count.” Before 1337,
the highest, and now the third degree of rank and dignity in the British
Peerage. An Earl is “Right Honourable”; he is styled “My Lord”; his
eldest son bears his father’s “second title,” generally that of
Viscount; his other sons are styled “Honourable,” but all his daughters
are “Ladies.” The circlet of an Earl’s Coronet has eight lofty rays of
gold rising from the circlet, each of which supports a large pearl,
while between each pair of these rays there is a golden strawberry-leaf.
In representations five of the rays and pearls are shown; No. 238.
Elevated clusters of pearls appear in an Earl’s coronet--that of THOMAS
FITZ ALAN, Earl of ARUNDEL--as early as 1445; but the present form of
the coronet may be assigned to the second half of the following century.
[Illustration: No. 238.--Circlet of an Earl’s Coronet.]
[Illustration: No. 239.--Eastern Crown.]
_Eastern_, _Radiated_, or _Antique Crown_. No. 239.
_Electoral Bonnet._ A cap of crimson velvet guarded with ermine, borne,
in the Royal Arms, over the inescutcheon of the arms of Hanover from
1801 till 1816. No. 240.
_Embattled_, and _Counter-Embattled_. A term applied to a fess or bar
when so depicted both above and below.
_Embowed._ Bent. An arm embowed has the elbow to the dexter, unless
blazoned to the contrary.
_Embrued._ Stained with blood.
_Endorse._ A diminutive of the pale.
_Enfiled._ Pierced, _e.g._ with a sword, or surrounded, _e.g._ with a
coronet.
_Engrailed._ The border-line, No. 38D.
_Enhanced._ Raised towards the chief. Thus the arms of BYRON, No. 241,
are--_Arg., three bendlets enhanced gu._
_Ensigned._ Adorned; having some ensign of honour placed above--as a
coronet above a shield.
_Entire._ Said of a charge when it is necessary to express that it
extends to the border lines of a shield, coat, or banner; also of a
shield, coat, or banner of arms, when borne without any difference or
mark of cadency.
_Entoire_, _Entoyre_. A bordure charged with a series of inanimate
figures or devices, as crosslets, roundles, &c.; to a similar bordure of
living figures the term _Enaluron_ is applied. These are not terms
ordinarily in use.
_Enveloped_, _Environed_. Surrounded.
_Equipped._ Fully armed, caparisoned, or provided.
_Eradicated._ Torn up by the roots.
[Illustration: No. 240.--Electoral Bonnet.]
[Illustration: No. 241.--Shield of Byron.]
_Erased._ Torn off with a ragged edge; the contrary to _Couped_.
_Ermine_, _Ermines_, _Erminois_. Nos. 57-60 and 57A. The animal, the
ermine, sometimes appears in blazon, and an ermine spot is borne as a
charge.
_Erne._ An eagle. (See p. 96.)
_Escarbuncle._ No. 19.
_Escroll._ A ribbon charged with a motto; also a ribbon, coiled at its
extremities, borne as a charge.
_Escutcheon._ An heraldic shield: Nos. 39-40: also No. 27. An
Escutcheon, when borne as a charge, is usually blazoned as an
“_Inescutcheon_”: thus, the Arms of HAY are,--_Arg., three inescutcheons
gu._: see also Nos. 131, 133.
_Escutcheon of Pretence._ A shield charged upon the centre of the field
of another shield of larger size, and bearing a distinct Coat-of-Arms.
_Escallop_, or _Escallop-Shell_. A beautiful and favourite charge; No.
165.
_Esquire._ A rank below that of Knight. Besides those Esquires who are
personal attendants of Knights of Orders of Knighthood at their
installations, this title is held by most attendants on the person of
the Sovereign, and all persons holding or having held the Sovereign’s
commission in which they are so styled.
_Estate._ Dignity and rank.
[Illustration: No. 242.--Estoile.]
_Estoile._ A star with wavy rays or points, which are six, eight, or
sometimes even more in number: No. 242. (See _Mullet_.)
_False._ Said of any charge when its central area is removed--thus, an
_Annulet_ is a “false roundle.”
_Fan_, or _Winnowing Fan_, or _Vane_. The well-known implement of
husbandry of that name, borne by the Kentish Family of De Sevans or
Septvans--_Az., three fans or_ (E. 2). This shield appears in the Brass
to Sir R. DE SEVANS, A.D. 1305, at Chartham, in Kent, and in the
cloisters at Canterbury.
_Fan Crest._ An early form of decoration for the knightly helm,
exemplified in the 2nd Great Seal of RICHARD I., and in many other
Seals, until about A.D. 1350. (See Chapter XIV.)
_Feathers._ Generally those of the Ostrich, sometimes of the swan, the
turkey, and a few other birds, borne generally as Crests and Badges,
both singly and in plumes or groups. (See _Ostrich Feather_, _Panache_,
and Chapter XIV.)
_Femme._ The Wife, as distinguished from the “Baron,” the Husband.
_Fer-de-Moline_, or _Mill-rind_. The iron affixed to the centre of a
mill-stone; No. 243: a modification of the _Cross-moline_; No. 97.
_Fermail_ (plural _Fermaux_). A buckle: No. 244. Several varieties of
form appear in blazon, it being usual to specify them as round, oval,
square, or lozenge-shaped. They are always blazoned as buckles.
_Fess_, or _Fesse_. One of the Ordinaries: Nos. 76-80. _Fesse-wise, In
Fesse._ Disposed in a horizontal line, side by side, _across the centre_
of the field, and over the _Fesse-Point_ of a shield: No. 27, M.
[Illustration: No. 243.--Fer-de-Moline.]
[Illustration: No. 244.--Fermails.]
[Illustration: No. 245.--Fetter-lock.]
_Fetter-lock._ A shackle and padlock--a Yorkist Badge: No. 245; is from
the Brass to Sir S. DE FELBRIGGE, K.G., at Felbrigg, Norfolk, A.D. 1414;
this, however, being a very unusual shape.
_Field._ The entire surface of a Shield or Banner, or of an Ordinary.
_File._ A Label, from the Latin _filum_, a narrow ribbon.
_Fillet._ A diminutive of a Chief.
_Fimbriated._ Bordered--the border (which is narrow) lying in the same
plane with the object bordered: No. 89.
_Fish._ Numerous Fish appear in blazon, and generally in their proper
tinctures. They are borne as allusive charges, and also as types of some
connection between those persons who bear them and the sea or lakes or
rivers. Mr. Moule has published an admirable volume on the “Heraldry of
Fish,” beautifully illustrated with examples drawn by his daughter. (See
p. 77.)
_Fitchée._ Pointed at the base, as in No. 110.
_Flanches_, _Flasques_. Subordinaries: Nos. 141, 142.
[Illustration: No. 246.--Fleur de lys.]
[Illustration: No. 247.--France Ancient.]
[Illustration: No. 248.--France Modern.]
[Illustration: No. 249.--Edmund, Earl of Lancaster.]
[Illustration: No. 250.--Margaret, Queen of Edward I.]
[Illustration: No. 251.--Seal of Margaret, second Queen of Edward I.]
[Illustration: No. 252.--Shield of Edward III., A.D. 1340.]
[Illustration: No. 253.--Shield of Henry IV., about A.D. 1405.]
_Fleur de lys._ The beautiful heraldic device so long identified with
the history of France: No. 246 (from the monument of EDWARD III.?). The
fleur de lys, derived, it would seem, from the flower of a lily
resembling the iris, was adopted by LOUIS VII. (A.D. 1137-1180) as his
royal ensign, and in due time it was regularly charged upon a true
Shield of Arms. Originally the Royal Shield of France was--_Az., semée
of fleurs de lys, or_; the fleurs de lys scattered freely over the
field, and the Shield itself having the appearance of having been cut
out of a larger object, over the whole surface of which the flowers had
been _semée_. This Shield of France is distinguished as “_France
Ancient_”: No. 247. About A.D. 1365, CHARLES V. of France reduced the
number of the fleurs de lys to three; and this Shield is now known as
“_France Modern_”: No. 248. In the year 1275, EDMUND, first Earl of
Lancaster, the second son of HENRY III., married BLANCHE of Artois, when
he differenced his shield of England with _a label of France--a blue
label charged on each point with three golden fleurs de lys_. No. 249,
thus, for the first time did the armorial insignia of England and France
appear together upon the same Shield. In 1299 EDWARD I. married his
second Queen, MARGARET of France, and then this royal lady placed on one
of her Seals a Shield of England and France dimidiated: No. 250. On
another of her Seals, a very noble example of the Seal-engraver’s art,
Queen MARGARET displayed the Shield of King EDWARD I., her husband,
_surrounded, on the field of the Seal, with her father’s fleurs de lys_:
No. 251. On the Seals of ISABELLE of France, Queen of EDWARD II., the
same dimidiated shield, and another shield quartering the arms of
England with _France Ancient_ and two other French coats (_Navarre_ and
_Champagne_) appear. Then Prince JOHN of ELTHAM charged a “bordure of
France” _upon his shield_, No. 24; thus applying the suggestion of the
Seal of Queen MARGARET, No. 251, in such a manner as was consistent with
the advanced condition of heraldic art. On his accession in 1327,
EDWARD III. placed a fleur de lys on each side of the Shield of England
upon his Great Seal: and in 1340, when he claimed the crown of France,
EDWARD _quartered France Ancient with his lions of England_: No. 252.
Shortly after his accession, perhaps in 1405, in order to conform to the
altered blazonry of the French sovereigns, HENRY IV. quartered _France
Modern_ on his shield: No. 253. The position of the three fleurs de lys
was more than once changed in the Royal Shield of England (as I shall
hereafter show more particularly) after the accession of the STUARTS;
and they were not finally removed till the first year of the nineteenth
century. The fleur de lys is also borne on many English Shields,
disposed in various ways. In modern cadency the fleur de lys is the
difference of the sixth son, or house.
_Fleurettée_, _Florettée_. Terminating in, or bordered with, fleurs de
lys; also, _semée de lys_.
_Fleurie_, or _Fleury_. Ending as No. 100; also, _semée de lys_.
_Flexed._ Bowed, bent.
_Flighted._ Feathered, as arrows are.
_Fly._ The length, and also the side of a flag farthest from the staff.
_Foliated._ Crisped, or formed like a leaf.
_Fountain._ No. 153.
_Fourchée_, _Queue Fourchée_. A term applied to a lion with a forked
tail.
_Fret_, or _Frette_. A subordinary: No. 148. _Frettée_, _Fretty_:
covered with fretwork: No. 149.
_Fructed._ Bearing fruit or seeds.
_Furs._ See p. 41: Nos. 57-65.
_Fusil._ An elongated Lozenge: No. 20A, p. 70. _Fusillée_, or _Fusilly_.
A field entirely composed of Fusils, all lying in the same plane.
[Illustration: Nos. 254, 255.--Fylfot.]
_Fylfot._ A peculiar cruciform figure, supposed to have a mystic
signification, found in military and ecclesiastical decorations in
England, and on Eastern coins, &c.: Nos. 254, 255; the latter example is
from the monument of Bishop BRONSCOMBE, in Exeter Cathedral.
_Gad_, _Gadlyng_. A spike, knob, or other figure, projecting from the
knuckles of gauntlets.
_Galley._ An ancient ship. (See _Lymphad_.)
_Garb._ A sheaf of wheat; if of any other grain, this to be specified.
_Garnished._ Adorned in a becoming manner.
_Garter, Order of the._ See Chapter XIX.
_Garter King-of-Arms_. The chief of the official Heralds of England, and
officer of arms of the Order of the Garter. (See _Herald_.)
_Gemelles._ See _Bars Gemelles_.
_Gem-Ring._ A ring for the finger, set with a jewel.
_Genet._ A spotted animal, somewhat like a marten: a badge of Queen
JOANNA of Navarre.
_George, Saint._ The Patron Saint of England. The circumstances which
led to his association with England are unknown. His Shield of arms, _a
red cross on a silver field_, first appears in English Heraldry in the
fourteenth century: No. 1.
_George, The._ A mounted figure of the Saint in the act of piercing the
dragon with his lance, and worn as a pendant to the collar of the Order
of the Garter; added to the insignia of the Order, with the Collar, by
HENRY VII. The _Lesser George_ has the same group on an enamelled field,
and surrounded by the Garter of the Order, the whole forming a “jewel,”
generally oval in shape: it was introduced by HENRY VIII., and is now
worn pendent from the dark-blue ribbon of the Order, the ribbon passing
over the left shoulder and the jewel hanging on the right side of the
wearer. Originally, this “Lesser George” was worn from either a gold
chain or a black ribbon: by Queen ELIZABETH the colour of the ribbon was
changed to sky-blue, and it assumed its present darker hue in the reign
of CHARLES II.
_Gerattyng._ Differencing by the introduction of small charges. It is an
early term, now obsolete.
_Gimmel-ring._ Two annulets, interlaced.
_Girt_, _Girdled_. Encircled, or bound round.
_Gonfannon._ A long flag, pointed or swallow-tailed at the fly, and
displayed from a transverse bar attached to a staff.
_Gorged._ Encircled round the throat.
_Gouttée_, _Guttée_. Sprinkled over with drops either of gold--_gouttée
d’or_; of silver--_d’eau_; of blue--_de larmes_ (tears); of red--_de
sang_ (blood); or of black--_de poix_ (pitch).
_Grand Quarters._ The four primary divisions of a Shield, when it is
divided _quarterly_: Nos. 30, 36, 37. The term “Grand Quarter” may be
used to signify a primary quarter or division of a quartered Shield or
Coat, and to distinguish such a quarter when _it is quartered_.
_Grieces._ Steps.
_Guardant._ Looking out from the field: Nos. 172, 174, 176, 187.
_Guige._ A Shield-belt, worn over the right shoulder, and frequently
represented in heraldic compositions as if sustaining a Shield of arms:
Nos. 48, 49.
_Gules._ Red: No. 53.
[Illustration: No. 256.--Shield of R. de Gorges.]
_Gurges_, or _Gorges_. A charge formed of a spiral line of blue on a
white field, and supposed to represent a whirlpool: borne (H. 3) by R.
DE GORGES: No. 256.
_Gyron._ A Subordinary. _Gyronny_. A field divided into Gyrons: No. 147.
(See page 70.)
_Habited._ Clothed.
_Hames_, _Heames_. Parts of horses’ harness.
_Hammer_, or _Martel_. Represented in blazon much in the same shape as
the implement in common use (H. 3).
_Harp._ A device and badge of Ireland. The Irish Harp of gold with
silver strings on a blue field forms the third quarter of the Royal
Arms.
_Hart._ A stag, with attires; the female is a _Hind_: page 81.
_Hastilude._ A tournament.
_Hatchment._ An achievement of arms in a lozenge-shaped frame, placed
upon the front (generally over the principal entrance) of the residence
of a person lately deceased. In the case of the decease of an unmarried
person, or of a widower or widow, the whole of the field of the
hatchment is painted black; but in the case of a married person, that
part only of the field is black which adjoins the side of the
achievement occupied by the armorial insignia of the individual
deceased. Thus, if a husband be deceased, the dexter half of the field
of the hatchment is black, and the sinister white; and so, in like
manner, if the wife be deceased, the sinister is black and the dexter
white.
[Illustration: No. 257.--Hawk’s Lure.]
[Illustration: No. 258.--Hawk’s Bells and Jesses.]
_Hauriant._ A fish in pale, its head in chief.
_Hawk’s bells, jesses, and lure._ A falconer’s decoy, formed of feathers
with their tips in base, and joined by a cord and ring, No. 257; also
bells with straps to be attached to hawks, No. 258.
_Heightened._ Raised; placed above or higher.
_Heights._ Applied to plumes of feathers which are arranged in rows or
sets, one rising above another. See _Panache_.
_Helm_, _Helmet_. Now placed as an accessory above a Shield of arms, and
bearing its Crest after the fashion in which, in the Middle Ages, both
Helm and Crest were actually worn in tournaments. A modern usage
distinguishes Helms as follows:--The Sovereign--Helm of gold, with six
bars, set _affrontée_, No. 259; Noblemen--Helm of silver, garnished with
gold, set in profile, and showing five bars, No. 260; Baronets and
Knights--of steel with silver ornaments, without bars, the vizor raised,
set _affrontée_, No. 261; Esquires and Gentlemen--of steel, the vizor
closed, and set in profile, Nos. 262, 263. The Helms that appear on
early Seals and in other heraldic compositions till about A.D. 1600, are
all set in profile, and the shield generally hangs from them _couchée_,
as in No. 49. In these early compositions, the shield is small in
proportion to the helm and its accessories.
[Illustration: No. 259.--Helm of the Sovereign.]
[Illustration: No. 260.--Helm of Nobles.]
[Illustration: No. 261.--Helm of Baronets and Knights.]
[Illustration: Nos. 262, 263.--Helms of Esquires and Gentlemen.]
_Hemp-brake_, _Hackle_. An instrument having saw-teeth, used for
bruising hemp.
_Heneage Knot._ No. 264.
_Herald._ An officer of arms. The Heralds of England were incorporated
by RICHARD III.; and from Queen MARY, in 1555, they received a grant of
Derby House, on the site of which, between St. Paul’s Cathedral and the
Thames, stands their present official residence, HERALDS’ COLLEGE, or
the COLLEGE OF ARMS. The college now consists of three
KINGS-OF-ARMS--_Garter_, _Clarenceux_, and _Norroy_; six HERALDS, who
have precedence by seniority of appointment--_Chester_, _Lancaster_,
_Richmond_, _Windsor_, _York_, and _Somerset_; and four
PURSUIVANTS--_Rouge Dragon_, _Portcullis_, _Rouge Croix_, and
_Bluemantle_. The official habit is a _Tabard_, emblazoned with the
Royal Arms, and the Kings and Heralds wear a _Collar of SS._ The Kings
have a Crown, formed of a golden circlet, from which rise sixteen
oak-leaves, nine of which appear in representations; and the circlet
itself is charged with the words, _Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam
misericordiam tuam_ (“Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great
loving-kindness”).
[Illustration: No. 264.--Heneage Knot.]
[Illustration: No. 265.--Arms of the Heralds’ College.]
The supreme head of the English Heralds, under the SOVEREIGN, is the
EARL MARSHAL, an office hereditary in the family of the DUKE OF NORFOLK.
The Arms of the College are--_Arg., a cross gu., between four doves
their dexter wings expanded and inverted az._: No. 265; Crest--_From a
crest-coronet or, a dove rising az._; Supporters--_Two lions ramp.
guard. arg., ducally gorged or_. Each of the Kings has his own official
arms, which he impales with his paternal coat on the _dexter_ side of
the shield. The Arms of Garter are--_Arg., a cross gu.; on a chief az.,
a ducal coronet encircled with a Garter of the Order, between a lion of
England and a fleur de lys, all or_. Clarenceux and Norroy have the same
shield, but the former has _a lion of England only, crowned, on a chief
gules_; and the latter, _on a chief per pale az. and gu._, has
_a similar lion between a fleur de lys and a key, all of gold_.
There is also another King styled “Bath,” who is specially attached to
the Order of the Bath; he is not a member of the College.
[Illustration: No. 266.--Arms of Lyon Office.]
“Lyon King-of-Arms” is the chief Herald of Scotland; and the
establishment over which he presides is styled the “Lyon Office.” The
Arms of the Office are--_Arg., a lion sejant erect and affronté gu.,
holding in his dexter paw a thistle slipped vert, and in the sinister an
escutcheon of the second; on a chief az., a saltire of the first_: No.
266.
Ireland is the heraldic province of “Ulster King-of-Arms.” His official
armorial ensigns differ from those of Garter only in the _charges of the
chief_, which are _a lion of England between a golden harp and a
portcullis_.
_Herison._ A hedgehog.
_Hill_, _Hillock_. A mound of earth.
_Hirondelle._ A swallow.
_Hoist._ The depth of a flag from chief to base. See _Fly_.
_Honour Point._ No. 27, L.
_Humettée._ Cut short at the extremities.
_Hurst._ A clump of trees.
_Hurt._ A blue roundle.
_Illegitimacy._ See Chapter XII.
_Imbrued_, or _Embrued_. Stained with blood.
_Impaled._ Conjoined per pale.
_Impalement._ The uniting of two (or more) distinct coats per pale, to
form a single achievement.
_Imperially Crowned._ Ensigned with the Crown of England.
_Incensed_, _Inflamed_. On fire; having fire issuing forth.
_Increscent._ No. 166, B. See _Decrescent_.
_Indented._ No. 38, A.
_Inescutcheon._ An heraldic Shield borne as a charge. This term is
sometimes used to denote an _Escutcheon of Pretence_.
_In bend._ Disposed in the position of a bend; _In Chevron_, _In Chief_,
_In Cross_, _In Fesse_, &c. Disposed after the manner of a chevron, or
in the chief of the shield, or in the form of a cross, &c.
_In Foliage._ Bearing leaves.
_In Lure._ Wings conjoined in the form of a hawk’s lure.
_In her piety._ A term applied to a pelican feeding her young.
_In Pretence._ A term applied to a single inescutcheon placed upon and
in the centre of a larger escutcheon.
_In Pride._ Having the tail displayed, as a peacock’s.
_In Quadrangle._ When four charges are so disposed that one is in each
quarter of the shield.
_In Splendour._ The sun irradiated.
_Irradiated._ Surrounded by rays of light.
_Issuant._ Proceeding from, or out of.
_Jambe_, _Gambe_. The leg of a lion, or other beast of prey: No. 185.
_Jelloped._ Having wattles and a comb, as a cock.
_Jesses._ Straps for hawk’s bells.
_Jessant._ Shooting forth. _Jessant de lys._--A combination of a
leopard’s face and a fleur-de-lys: No. 267.
_Joust._ A tournament.
_Jupon._ A short, sleeveless surcoat, worn over armour from about 1340
to about 1405. It is often charged with armorial insignia, and thus is a
true “coat of arms.”
[Illustration: No. 267.--Jessant de lys.]
[Illustration: Nos. 268, 269.--Heraldic Keys.]
[Illustration: No. 270.--Hastings Badge.]
_Key._ When represented in early blazon, Keys have always elegant forms.
No. 268 is from Peterborough Cathedral, and No. 269 from Exeter.
_King-of-Arms._ See _Herald_.
_Knighthood, Orders of_: _Knights_. See Chapter XVI.
_Knot._ An intertwined cord, borne as a badge. The varieties of this
device are--The _Bourchier_, No. 219; the _Bowen_, No. 220; the
_Harington_ (the same as a _Frette_), No. 148; the _Heneage_, No. 264;
the _Lacy_, No. 274; the _Stafford_, No. 304; and the _Wake and Ormond_,
No. 313. Cords were sometimes intertwined about other figures and
devices, and so formed what may be regarded as _Compound Badges_, which
significantly declared the union of two houses: thus, the knot of EDWARD
Lord HASTINGS unites the Hungerford sickle with the Peverel garbe: No.
270; and the _Dacre knot_ is entwined about the Dacre escallop and the
famous “ragged staff” of Beauchamp and Neville: No. 235.
_Label_, or _File_. A narrow ribbon placed across the field of a shield
near the chief, and having three, five, or sometimes other numbers of
_points_ depending from it, its object being to _mark Cadency_. In the
early Labels the number of the points was arbitrary, the usual numbers
being five and three; and, subsequently, three points were almost
universally used; the object always was to render the Label conspicuous.
In blazon a Label is supposed to have three points; but, if more, the
number is to be specified; thus, No. 271 is simply “_a Label_,” but No.
272 is “_a Label of five points_.” Labels appear early in the thirteenth
century, and in the next century they are in constant use. Various
charges may be placed on the “points” of Labels to extend their capacity
for “differencing.” Since the time of EDWARD the BLACK PRINCE the Label
of the PRINCE OF WALES has been plain silver. The Label is almost
exclusively (now without any exception) used in Royal Cadency; but, in
modern Heraldry, in the case of all other persons it is the peculiar
mark of the eldest son. The Label is also found as a charge. It has
become a usage in the degenerate days of Heraldry to represent the Label
as in No. 273, instead of the earlier and far preferable forms of Nos.
271, 272.
[Illustration: Nos. 271-273.--Labels.]
[Illustration: No. 274.--Lacy Knot.]
_Lacy Knot._ No. 274.
_Lambrequin._ A mantling.
_Langued._ A term which refers to the tincture of an animal’s tongue.
_Leaves._ Their peculiarities are to be blazoned, as _laurel leaves_,
_oak leaves_, &c.
_Leopard_, _Leopardé._ See page 84.
_Letters of the Alphabet_ sometimes are Charges. Thus, the Arms of the
Deanery of Canterbury are--_Az., on a cross arg., the letter “x”
surmounted by the letter “i” sable:_ the “x” is on the cross at the
intersection of its limbs, and the “i” is above it.
_Line_, or _Border Line_. No. 38.
_Lined._ Having a cord attached: also, having a lining.
_Lion._ See page 83.
_Lioncel._ A lion drawn to a small scale, and generally rampant, Nos.
114, 115, 197.
_Livery Colours._ Of the PLANTAGENETS, as one family, _white and
scarlet_; of the house of YORK, _blue and murrey_; of the house of
LANCASTER, _white and blue_; of the house of TUDOR, _white and green_.
The present Royal Livery is _scarlet and gold_. In the Middle Ages, all
great families had their own livery colours, which had no necessary
relation to the tinctures of the shield.
_Lodged._ A term denoting animals of the chase when at rest or in
repose, Nos. 25, 26.
_Lozenge._ A square figure set diagonally, No. 47 (also see page 69).
The armorial insignia of unmarried ladies and widows, with the sole
exception of a Sovereign, are blazoned on a Lozenge instead of an
Escutcheon.
_Lozengy._ A field divided lozengewise: No. 145.
_Luce_, or _Lucy_. The fish now called pike. See page 77 and No. 164.
_Lure._ See _In Lure_.
_Lymphad._ An ancient galley, No. 275. It was the feudal ensign of the
Scottish lordship of LORN, and as such quartered by the Duke of ARGYLL.
_Maintenance, Cap of._ See _Chapeau_.
_Manche_, _Maunche_. A lady’s sleeve with a long pendent lappet, worn in
the time of HENRY I., and borne as an armorial charge by the families of
HASTINGS, CONYERS, and some others. HASTINGS (H. 3)--_Or, a manche gu._:
No. 276.
_Mantle._ A flowing robe worn over the armour, or over their ordinary
costume, by personages of distinction of both sexes: the mantles of
ladies were commonly decorated with armorial blazonry.
[Illustration: No. 275.--Lymphad.]
[Illustration: No. 276.--Arms of Hastings.]
_Mantling_, or _Lambrequin_. A small mantle of some rich materials,
attached to the knightly basinet or helm, and worn hanging down. It is
usually represented with jagged edges, to represent the cuts to which it
would be exposed in actual battle: No. 199. (See _Panache_.) Mantlings
blazoned with achievements of arms are sometimes adjusted in folds to
form a background to the composition, and they are also occasionally
differenced with various charges.
_Marquess_, _Marquis_. The second order of the British Peerage, in rank
next to that of Duke. This rank and title were introduced into England
in 1387, by RICHARD II., who then created his favourite, ROBERT DE VERE,
Marquess of DUBLIN. The next creation was by HENRY VI. A Marquess is
“Most Honourable”; he is styled “My Lord Marquess”: all his younger sons
are “Lords,” and his daughters “Ladies”; his eldest son bears his
father’s “second title.” The Coronet, apparently contemporary in its
present form with that of Dukes, has its golden circlet heightened with
four strawberry leaves and as many pearls, arranged alternately: in
representations two of the pearls, and one leaf and two half-leaves are
shown, No. 277. The wife of a Marquess is a “Marchioness”; her style
corresponds with that of her husband, and her coronet is the same.
[Illustration: No. 277.--Circlet of the Coronet of a Marquess.]
_Marshalling._ The disposition of more than one distinct coat of arms
upon a shield, so forming a single composition; or the aggroupment of
two or more distinct shields, so as to form a single composition; also
the association of such accessories as the helm, mantling, crest, &c.,
and of knightly and other insignia with a shield of arms, thus again
forming a single heraldic composition. See Chapter XI.
_Martel._ A hammer.
_Martlet._ The heraldic Martin, usually represented without feet: Nos.
160, 161, and 70 and 86.
_Mascle._ Lozenge voided: No. 143. _Masculée._ A field divided
mascle-wise.
_Masoned._ Representing brickwork.
_Membered._ To denote the legs of a bird.
_Merchant’s mark._ A device, adopted as early as 1400 by merchants, as a
substitute for heraldic ensigns which were not conceded to them. Such
marks are the predecessors of the _Trade-brands_ and _Marks_ of after
times.
_Mermaid_, _Merman_, or _Triton_. The well-known fabulous creatures of
the sea, borne occasionally as charges, but more frequently as
supporters, badges, or crests. A mermaid was the device of Sir WILLIAM
DE BRIVERE, who died in 1226, and it is the badge of the BERKELEYS.
_Metal._ The Tinctures _Or_ and _Argent_: Nos. 50, 51.
_Mill-rind._ See _Fer-de-Moline_.
_Mitre._ The ensign of archiepiscopal and episcopal rank, placed above
the arms of prelates of the Church of England, sometimes borne as a
charge, and adopted by the BERKELEYS as their crest. The contour of the
mitre has varied considerably at different periods, the early examples
being low and concave in their sides, the later lofty and convex. See
No. 159.
_Moline._ A cross terminating like a Fer-de-moline, No. 97. In modern
cadency it is the difference of the eighth son.
_Moon._ No. 166, page 80.
_Motto._ A word, or very short sentence, placed generally below a shield
but sometimes above a crest, an idea perhaps derived from the
“war-cries” of early times. A motto may be emblematical, or it may have
some allusion to the person bearing it, or to his name and armorial
insignia; or it may be the epigrammatic expression of some sentiment in
special favour with the bearer of it. As a matter of course, allusive
mottoes, like allusive arms, afford curious examples of mediæval puns.
I give a few characteristic examples:--“_Vero nil verius_” (_nothing
truer than truth_, or, _no greater verity than in Vere_)--VERE; “_Fare,
fac_” (_Speak--act_; that is, _a word and blow_)--FAIRFAX; “_Cave_”
(_beware_)--CAVE; “_Cavendo tutus_” (_safe, by caution_, or _by
Cavendish_)--CAVENDISH; “_Set on_,” says SETON; “_Fight on_,” quoth
FITTON; “_Festina lente_” (_On slow--push forward, but be cautious_,
that is), adds ONSLOW. Again: JEFFERAY says, “_Je feray ce que je
diray_” (_I shall be true to my word_); SCUDAMORE--_Scutum amoris
divini_ (_the shield of Divine love_); says JAMES--“_J’aime jamais_” (_I
love ever_); says ESTWICK--“_Est hic_” (_he is here_); and
POLE--“_Pollet virtus_” (_valour prevails_); and TEV--“_Tais en temps_”
(_be silent in time_). The crest of CHARTERIS, an arm with the hand
grasping a sword, has over it--“_This our charter is_.” In his arms the
Marquess CHOLMONDELEY bears _two helmets_, and his motto is--“_Cassis
tutissima virtus_” (_valour is the safest helm_); the crest of the
MARTINS of Dorsetshire was an ape, with the significant motto--“_He who
looks at Martin’s ape, Martin’s ape shall look at him!_” The motto of
PERCEVAL is--“_Perse valens_” (_strong in himself_); but, “_Do no yll_,”
quoth DOYLE. Some “lippes,” as Camden remarks, have a taste for “this
kind of lettuce.”
_Mound._ A globe, encircled and arched over with rich bands, and
surmounted by a cross-patée, the whole an ensign of the royal estate.
A mound or orb forms part of the regalia, and the same form appears upon
the intersecting arches of the crown of the SOVEREIGN; and it also
surmounts the single arch of the coronet of the PRINCE OF WALES: Nos.
234, 289.
[Illustration: No. 278.--Mullet.]
[Illustration: No. 279.--Mullet, pierced.]
_Mount._ A green hill.
_Mullet._ A star, generally of five, but sometimes of six or more points
(if more than five the number to be specified), always formed by right
lines, as No. 278. A mullet is sometimes “pierced,” as in No. 279, when
the tincture of the field is generally apparent through the circular
aperture. In modern cadency an unpierced mullet is the difference of the
third son. See _Estoile_.
_Mural Crown._ Represents masonry, and is embattled: No. 280.
_Naiant._ Swimming in fesse. See _Hauriant_.
_Naissant._ Equivalent to _Issuant_, but applied only to living
creatures.
_Naval Crown._ Has its circlet heightened with figures of the stern and
the hoisted sail of a ship alternating: No. 281.
_Nebulée_, or _Nebuly_. No. 38, H.
[Illustration: No. 280.--Mural Crown.]
[Illustration: No. 281.--Naval Crown.]
_Nimbus._ A glory about the head of a figure of a sainted personage:
sometimes used to denote sanctity in a symbolical device.
_Norroy._ See _Herald_.
_Nova Scotia, Badge of._ See _Baronet_.
_Nowed._ Coiled in a knot, as a snake.
_Ogress._ A _Pellet_, or black roundle.
_Opinicus._ A fabulous heraldic monster, a dragon before, and a lion
behind with a camel’s tail.
_Oppressed._ An alternative for _Debruised_.
_Or._ The metal gold: No. 50.
_Ordinary._ An early principal charge of a simple character. See Chapter
VI., and Nos. 71-128: see also page 14.
_Ordinary of arms._ A list of armorial bearings, classified or arranged
alphabetically, with the names of the bearers. See _Armory_.
_Oreiller._ A cushion or pillow, generally with tassels.
_Orle._ A Subordinary formed of a border of a Shield, which is charged
upon another and a larger shield, as in No. 134. _In Orle._ Arranged
after the manner of an Orle, forming a border to a Shield, as in No. 86.
_Ostrich feathers._ A Royal Badge: also a Device in a few instances
charged by Royal and some other personages on an Armorial Shield. See
Chapter XV.
_Over all_, or _Sur tout_. To denote some one charge being placed over
all others.
_Overt._ With expanded wings.
_Pale._ One of the Ordinaries: No. 87. _Pale-wise_, or _In Pale_.
Disposed after the manner of a Pale--that is, set vertically, or
arranged vertically one above another, as are the Lions of England in
No. 187, page 87.
_Pall_, _Pallium_. A vestment peculiar to Archbishops of the Roman
Church: in Heraldry, as a charge, half only of the pall is shown, when
it resembles the letter Y; it is borne in the arms of the Sees of
CANTERBURY, ARMAGH, and DUBLIN.
_Pallet._ Half a _Pale_.
_Palmer’s Staff_, _Pilgrim’s staff_, or _Bourdon_. No. 282. JOHN BOURDON
(H. 3) bears--_Arg., three palmer’s staves gu._
[Illustration: No. 282.--Bourdon.]
_Paly._ Divided per pale into an even number of parts, which all lie in
the same plane, as in No. 88. _Paly Bendy._ Divided evenly pale-wise,
and also bend-wise, No. 118.
_Panache._ A plume of feathers, generally of the ostrich, set upright
and born as a crest. A panache sometimes consists of a single row of
feathers; but more generally it has two or more rows or “heights” of
feathers, rising one above the other. In the greater number of examples
the tips of the feathers are erect; in others they wave, or slightly
bend over. A panache may be charged with some device or figure, “for
difference,” as by the TYNDALLS, with an _ermine circlet_, a _martlet_,
and a _fleur de lys_. In Nos. 283, 285, from the seals of EDWARD
COURTENAY, and EDMUND MORTIMER (A.D. 1400 and 1372) the “heights” both
expand and rise in a curved pyramidal form. No. 284, from the seal of
WILLIAM LE LATIMER (A.D. 1372), shows a remarkable variety of both
panache and mantling. Waving plumes formed of distinct feathers first
appear near the end of the fifteenth century, and are prevalent during
the sixteenth century.
_Party_, _Parted_. Divided.
[Illustration: No. 283.--PANACHE CREST: Edward Courtenay.]
[Illustration: No. 284.--PANACHE CRESTS: William le Latimer.]
[Illustration: No. 285.--PANACHE CRESTS: Edmund Mortimer.]
_Passant._ Walking and looking forward: No. 173. _Passant Guardant._
Walking and looking out from the shield, No. 174. _Passant Reguardant._
Walking and looking back. _Passant Repassant_, or _Passant and Counter
Passant_. Walking in opposite directions.
_Pastoral Staff._ The official staff of a bishop or abbot, having a
crooked head, and so distinguished from an archbishop’s _crozier_.
_Patée_, or _Formée_. }
_Patonce._ } Varieties of the heraldic Cross, Nos.
_Patriarchal._ } 106, 99, and 95.
_Pean._ The Fur, No. 60.
_Peer._ That general title, expressing their equality as members of a
distinct “order” in the realm, which is applied to Dukes, Marquesses,
Earls, Viscounts, and Barons of England, Scotland, Great Britain,
Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
_Peerage._ The hereditament of a Peer: also rank of a Peer; a list of
the Peers.
_Pegasus._ A horse with wings--a classic as well as an heraldic
imaginary creature.
[Illustration: No. 288.--A Portcullis.]
[Illustration: No. 286.--A Pennon.]
[Illustration: No. 287.--A Pheon.]
_Pelican._ Blazoned “in her piety,” when feeding her young with her own
blood.
_Pellet._ A black roundle.
_Pendent._ Hanging.
_Pennon._ An armorial lance flag, pointed or swallow-tailed at the fly.
No. 286 is from the Brass to Sir JOHN D’AUBERNOUN, A.D. 1279; the arms
are--_Az., a chevron or_.
_Per._ By means of, or after the manner of.
_Pheon._ A pointed arrow-head, borne with the point in base, unless the
contrary is specified, No. 287.
_Phœnix._ A fabulous eagle, always represented as issuant from flames.
_Pile._ One of the Ordinaries, in form like a wedge, Nos. 126, 127, 128.
_In Pile._ Arranged after the form of a pile.
_Planta Genista._ The broom plant badge of the Plantagenets, No. 21.
_Plate._ A silver roundle.
_Plenitude._ The moon when full. See No. 166.
_Plume._ See _Panache_.
_Points of Shield._ No. 27. _In Point_ is the same as _In Pile_.
_Pomme._ A green roundle.
_Popinjay._ A parrot (H. 3).
_Port._ A gateway, as the entrance to a castle: No. 222.
_Portcullis._ A defence for a gateway, No. 288: the badge of the Houses
of BEAUFORT and TUDOR, borne by the former with the significant motto,
“_Altera securitas_” (additional security).
_Potent._ A variety of the heraldic cross, No. 108; also a Fur, No. 64.
_Powdered_, _Poudrée_. The same as _Semée_.
_Preying._ When an animal devours its prey. See _Trussing_.
_Prince_, _Princess_. In this country the rank and title of the members
of the Royal Family. Their style is “Your Royal Highness.” The Coronet
of the Prince of Wales differs from the crown of the King, only in
having a single arch instead of two intersecting arches: No. 289. The
coronets of the Princes and Princesses, the sons and daughters of the
King, are the same as the coronet of the Prince of Wales, but without
any arch: No. 290. The coronets of the Princes and Princesses, the
grandchildren of the Sovereign, differ in having the circlet heightened
with two crosses patée, as many strawberry leaves, and four
fleurs-de-lys, No. 291. Other Royal coronets have the circlet heightened
with four crosses patée, and as many strawberry leaves. No. 292. For the
arms of their Royal Highnesses, see Chapter XVIII.
_Purfled._ Lined and bordered or garnished.
_Purpure._ A colour: No. 56.
_Pursuivant._ A Herald of the lowest rank. In the Middle Ages, these
officers were attached to the households of personages of high rank, and
bore titles generally taken from the armorial insignia of their lords.
_Quadrate._ A form of cross: No. 94.
_Quarter._ The first (from the dexter chief) of the divisions of a
shield that is parted per cross, as in No. 30; also any other division
of a shield, to be specified in blazoning. See No. 36, and _Canton_.
_Quartering._ Marshalling two or more coats of arms in the different
quarters of the same shield. When two coats are thus quartered, the one
in the first quarter is repeated in the fourth, and the one in the
second in the third; when three are quartered, the first quartering is
repeated in the fourth quarter. Any required number of coats may be
quartered on the same principle. This same term is also applied to
denote the dividing a shield “_quarterly_,” as in No. 30, or into more
than four divisions, as in No. 36.
[Illustration: Nos. 289-292.--CIRCLETS OF ROYAL CORONETS
No. 289. Prince of Wales.]
No. 290. King’s Daughters and Younger Sons.]
No. 291. King’s Grandchildren.]
No. 292. Royal Dukes.]
_Quarterly._ A shield divided into four divisions, as in No. 30: each
division to contain a complete coat of arms, or a distinct heraldic
device or composition. Should the shield be divided into more than four
sections, the number is to be specified: thus, No. 36 is “_quarterly of
eight_,” &c. See Nos. 252, 253.
_Quarterly Quartering_ and _Quartered_. The quartering of a “quarter” of
a shield that is divided “quarterly”; also distinguished as “_Compound
Quartering_.” See page 34.
_Quatrefoil._ A flower or figure having four foils or conjoined leaves,
No. 293. In modern cadency a _Double Quatrefoil_ is the difference of
the ninth son.
_Queue Fourchée._ Having a forked tail; No. 181.
[Illustration: No. 293.--Quatrefoil.]
[Illustration: No. 294.--The Ragged Staff Badge.]
_Quilled._ Used to blazon the quills of feathers: thus, a blue feather
having its quill golden is blazoned--_A feather az., quilled or_.
_Radiant._ Encircled with rays.
_Rayonée._ Formed of Rays.
_Ragulée_, _Raguly_. Serrated, as No. 38, G. A “ragged staff,” No. 294,
is a part of a stem from which the branches have been cut off roughly.
This “ragged staff,” or “_staff ragulée_,” is the famous badge of the
BEAUCHAMPS, and, derived from them, of the NEVILLES. No. 294 is from the
monument of the great Earl, RICHARD DE BEAUCHAMP, K.G., who died in
1439, at Warwick.
_Rampant_, _Rampant Guardant_ and _Reguardant_. Nos. 171, 172; when
_reguardant_, the animal looks backward.
_Rebus._ An allusive charge or device. A cask, or _tun_, to represent
the final syllable “_ton_” of many surnames, is frequently found. I give
a few examples of several varieties of Rebus:--JOHN OXNEY,
Canterbury--An eagle (the emblem of _St. John_ the Evangelist, to denote
“_John_”) standing on an _ox_, charged on its side with the letters _N
E_. JOHN WHEATHAMSTEDE, St. Albans--An eagle and an Agnus Dei (the
emblems of _St. John_ the Evangelist and _St. John_ the Baptist, to
denote “_John_”), and clusters of _ears of wheat_. JOHN RAMRYGE, St.
Albans--A _ram_, gorged with a collar inscribed with the letters _R Y G
E_. WOODSTOCK--The stump or _stock of a tree_. Abbot ISLIP,
Westminster--A man falling from a tree, exclaiming, “I slip!” and a
human _eye_, and a _slip_ (small branch of a tree). WALTER LYHART,
Norwich--_A hart_ (stag) _ly_ing down in _water_. An _owl_, with the
letters _D O M_ on a scroll in its beak, for BISHOP OLDHAM, at Exeter.
A church (“_kirk_”) on a _tun_, with a pastoral staff and the initial R,
for Abbot ROBERT KIRTON, No. 295; and a _bird_ on a _tun_, and a _tree_
growing out of a _tun_, for BURTON and ASHTON, all at Peterborough. At
Wells, with an initial T, a fire-_beacon_ planted _in_ a _tun_, for
Bishop THOMAS BECKYNGTON, No. 296; and at Lullinstone, Kent, in stained
glass, the shield of Sir JOHN PECHÉ, A.D. 1522--_Az., a lion rampt.
queue fourchée erm., crowned or_--is encircled by _peach-branches
fructed and in foliage, each peach being charged with the letter É_, No.
297; the crest-wreath also is formed of a similar peach-branch.
_Recercelée._ A variety of the heraldic cross: No. 98.
_Reflexed_, _Reflected_. Curved and carried backwards.
_Reguardant._ Looking backwards: see No. 182.
_Rein-deer._ Heraldically drawn with double antlers, one pair erect, the
other drooping.
_Respecting._ Face to face--applied to creatures not of a fierce nature.
_Rest._ See _Clarion_, No. 228.
_Ribbon_, _Riband_. A diminutive of a _Bend_.
_Rising_, _Roussant_. About to fly.
_Rompu._ Broken.
[Illustration: No. 295.--Rebus of Abbot Kirton.]
[Illustration: No. 296.--Rebus of Bishop Beckyngton.]
[Illustration: No. 297.--Arms and Rebus of Sir John Peché.]
_Rose._ Represented in blazon as in Nos. 298, 299, and without leaves.
The five small projecting leaves of the calyx, that radiate about the
flower itself, are styled _barbs_, and when they are blazoned “proper”
these barbs are green, as the “seeds” in the centre of the flower are
golden. Both the “red rose” of LANCASTER and the “white rose” of YORK,
but more especially the latter, are at times surrounded with rays, and
each is termed a “_rose-en-soleil_,” No. 300. The rose, the emblem of
ENGLAND, is generally drawn like the natural flower; or with natural
stem, branches, leaves, and buds, but with heraldic rose-flowers. In
modern cadency the heraldic rose is the difference of the seventh son.
_Roundle._ See page 72.
_Rustre._ A mascle pierced with a circular opening: No. 144.
_Sable._ The colour black: No. 54.
_Sagittary._ The fabulous centaur, half man and half horse.
[Illustration: Nos. 298, 299.--Heraldic Roses.]
[Illustration: No. 300.--Rose en Soleil.]
_Salamander._ An imaginary being, supposed to live in flames of fire; it
is represented sometimes as a kind of lizard, and at other times (as in
the crest of Earl DOUGLAS, A.D. 1483) as a quadruped somewhat like a
dog, breathing flames.
_Salient._ Leaping or bounding.
_Saltire._ An ordinary, in form a diagonal cross: Nos. 120, 121, 122.
_Saltire-wise_, or _in saltire_. Arranged after the form of a saltire.
_Sanglier._ A wild boar.
_Sans._ Without. “_Sans nombre_,” without any number fixed or specified.
_Savage-man_, or _Wood-man_. A wild man, naked except large wreaths of
leaves about his head and loins, and carrying a club.
[Illustration: No. 301.--Crest of Hamilton.]
_Saw_, or _Frame-saw_. Borne as the crest of HAMILTON, Duke of HAMILTON,
which is thus blazoned--_Out of a ducal crest-coronet or, an oak-tree
fructed and penetrated transversely in the main stem by a frame-saw
ppr., the frame gold; above the crest the motto_, “THROUGH!” This device
is said to commemorate the escape into Scotland, in 1323, of Sir GILBERT
HAMILTON, a reputed ancestor of the present ducal house. At the court of
EDWARD II. Sir Gilbert had unadvisedly expressed admiration for ROBERT
BRUCE, on which JOHN LE DESPENCER struck him. Despencer fell in single
combat the next day, and Hamilton fled, hotly pursued, northward. Near
the border the fugitive and a faithful esquire joined some wood-cutters,
assumed their dress, and commenced working with them on an oak, when the
pursuers passed by. Hamilton, saw in hand, observed his esquire
anxiously watching their enemies as they passed, and at once recalled
his attention to his woodman’s duties by the word, “Through!”--thus, at
the same time, appearing to consider the cutting down the oak to be far
more important than the presence of the strangers. So they passed by,
and Hamilton followed in safety. This crest does not appear in the
Hamilton seals till long after the days of Bruce and his admirer, Sir
Gilbert: No. 301.
_Scarpe_, _Escarpe_. A diminutive of a _Bend sinister_.
_Scintillant._ Emitting sparks.
_Seax._ A Saxon sword.
_Seeded._ Having seeds or seed-vessels, as in the centre of an heraldic
rose. See Nos. 298-300.
_Segreant._ A term applied to a griffin when rampant.
_Sejant._ Sitting.
_Semée._ Sown broadcast or scattered, without any fixed number, over the
field; parts of the charge thus semée appearing at the border-lines of
the composition. See Nos. 247, 250, 252.
_Shake-fork._ Resembles the letter Y, but does not extend to the margin
of the shield, and is pointed at its extremities.
_Shamrock._ A trefoil plant or leaf, the badge of IRELAND.
_Shield_, or _Escutcheon_. The Shield of Heraldry is fully described at
page 32. See also Nos. 27, 39-49.
_Ship._ Sometimes blazoned as a modern vessel, but sometimes also as an
ancient galley. See _Lymphad_.
_Shoveller._ A species of duck.
_Simple Quartering._ Dividing a shield quarterly, with the quartering of
any of the quarters. See _Quartering_.
_Sinister._ The left side. No. 27.
_Sinople._ The colour _vert_ in French Heraldry.
_Sixfoil._ A flower of six leaves: No. 302.
_Slipped._ Having a stalk, as a leaf or branch: No. 309.
_Spear._ The spear or lance is not of common occurrence in blazon; but
it appears, with heraldic propriety, in the arms granted in 1596 to the
father of the great poet, who bore--_Or, on a bend sa. a spear gold, the
head arg._--the arms of SHAKESPEARE, No. 303. (In the woodcut the bend
is accidentally shaded for _gules_, instead of _sable_.)
[Illustration: No. 303.--Arms of Shakespeare.]
_Spur._ Not common as an heraldic charge. Before about 1320 the spur had
a single point, and was known as the “pryck-spur”; about that time
appeared a “rouelle-spur” of simple form; in the middle of the fifteenth
century spurs of extravagant length were introduced.
_SS., Collar of._ See _Collar_, and No. 231.
_Stafford-knot._ No. 304.
_Stall-plate._ A plate bearing the arms of a knight and placed in his
stall. The stall-plates of the Knights of the GARTER and the BATH are
severally placed in the Chapels of ST. GEORGE and of HENRY VII., at
Windsor and Westminster. The earliest plates now in existence at
Windsor, though many of them bear arms of an earlier date, were executed
about 1430.
_Standard._ A long narrow flag, introduced for the purpose of heraldic
display, in the time of EDWARD III., but not in general use till a later
period. Standards generally had the Cross of ST. GEORGE next the staff,
to which succeeded the badge or badges and the motto of the owner. See
Chapter XVII.
[Illustration: No. 302.--Sixfoil.]
[Illustration: No. 304.--Stafford Knot.]
[Illustration: No. 305.--Stapleton Badge.]
_Staple._ Borne by STAPLETON: No. 305 represents a badge formed of two
staples.
_Statant._ Standing.
_Star._ See _Estoile_ and _Mullet_; also a knightly decoration.
_Stirrup._ Borne, with appropriate straps and buckles, by SCUDAMORE,
GIFFARD, and a few others.
_Stock._ The stump of a tree.
_Stringed._ As a harp or a bugle-horn; or, suspended by, or fastened
with, a string.
_Sun._ When represented shining and surrounded with rays, he has a
representation of a human face upon his disc, and is blazoned “_In
splendour_.” _Sunbeams_, or _Rays_, are borne in blazon, and form an
early charge. See _Collar_.
_Supporter._ A figure of whatsoever kind that stands by a Shield of
arms, as if _supporting_ or guarding it. Single Supporters occasionally
appear, but the general usage is to have a pair of Supporters--one on
each side of the _supported_ Shield. They came gradually into use in the
course of the fourteenth century, but were not regularly established as
accessories of Shields till about 1425, or rather later. At first they
were generally alike, being then duplicate representations of the badge,
but subsequently the more prevalent custom was that the two Supporters
should differ, as in the case of the Royal Supporters, the Lion and the
Unicorn, famous in History as in Heraldry. See _Bearer_, _Tenant_, and
also Chapter XVI.
_Surcoat._ Any garment worn over armour; but especially the long flowing
garment worn by knights over their armour until about 1325, when its
form was modified by cutting it short in front, and it was distinguished
as a _Cyclas_. See _Jupon_.
_Surmounted._ Placed over another.
_Swan._ When blazoned “_proper_,” white with black beak and red legs. It
is the badge of the BOHUNS, and of their descendants the LANCASTRIAN
PLANTAGENETS, the STAFFORDS, and some others. This Swan has his neck
encircled with a coronet, from which a chain generally passes over his
back. By HENRY V., the Swan badge of his mother, MARY DE BOHUN, was
borne with the wings expanded.
_Sword._ When borne as a charge, straight in the blade, pointed, and
with a cross-guard. All the appointments of the weapon are to be
blazoned. It appears, as a spiritual emblem, in several episcopal coats
of arms; in the arms of the CITY OF LONDON, No. 306, the first quarter
of a Shield of ST. GEORGE (_arg., a cross gu._) is charged with _a sword
erect gules_, the emblem of ST. PAUL, the special patron of the English
metropolitan city. The sword is also borne in blazon in its military
capacity.
[Illustration: No. 306.--Arms of City of London.]
_Tabard._ A short garment with sleeves, worn in the Tudor era. It has
the arms blazoned on the sleeves as well as on the front and back: No.
307, the Tabard of WILLIAM FYNDERNE, Esquire, from his brass, A.D. 1444,
at Childrey in Berkshire: the arms are--_Arg., a chevron between three
crosses patée sable_, the ordinary being charged with _an annulet of the
field_ “for Difference.” A similar garment is the official habit of
heralds.
[Illustration: No. 307.--Tabard; A.D. 1444.]
_Tau_, _Tau-Cross_. A cross formed like the letter T, so called in
Greek, No. 93; borne as a charge in the arms of DRURY, TAWKE, and some
others: this charge is also called the Cross of ST. ANTHONY: it is
sometimes borne on a badge, as in the Bishop’s Palace at Exeter. See
Chapter XV.
_Templars_, _Knights_. See Chapter XIX.
_Tenent_, _Tenant_. Used by French Heralds to distinguish human figures
from animals, as _supporters_.
_Tennée_, or _Tawney_. A deep orange-colour; in use in the Middle Ages
as a _livery-colour_.
_Thistle._ The national Badge of SCOTLAND, represented after its
national aspect, and tinctured _proper_. JAMES I. of Great Britain, to
symbolise the union of the two realms of England and Scotland,
compounded a Badge from the _Rose_ of one realm, and the _Thistle_ of
the other, united by impalement under a single crown: No. 308. The
impaled rose and thistle is borne by the Earl of KINNOULL, repeated
eight times upon a bordure.
[Illustration: No. 308.--Badge of James I.]
_Timbre._ In the early Heraldry of England, this term denotes the true
heraldic _crest_: but, in the modern Heraldry of France, the “timbre” is
the _Helm_ in an armorial achievement. _Timbred._ Ensigned with a Helm;
or, if referring to an early English achievement, with a Crest. It is a
term very seldom met with in use.
_Tiercée._ _In tierce_, _Per tierce_. Divided into three equal parts.
_Tinctures._ The two _metals_ and the five _colours_ of Heraldry: Nos.
50-56. See page 40. It was one of the puerile extravagancies of the
Heralds of degenerate days to distinguish the Tinctures by the names of
the _Planets_ in blazoning the arms of Sovereign Princes, and by the
names of _Gems_ in blazoning the arms of Nobles.
_Torse._ A crest-wreath.
_Torteau_, plural _torteaux_. A red spherical Roundle: No. 152.
_Tower_, _Turret_. A small castle. _Towered._ Surmounted by towers, as
No. 222, which is a “_Castle triple towered_.”
_Transposed._ Reversed.
_Trefoil._ A leaf of three conjoined foils, generally borne “slipped,”
as in No. 309.
_Treflée_, or _Botonée_. A variety of the cross: No. 103. _Treflée_ also
implies _semée_ of trefoils.
[Illustration: No. 309.--Trefoil Slipped.]
_Treille_, _Trellis_. See page 71, and No. 150.
_Tressure._ A subordinary. See pages 66, 67; and Nos. 135-8.
_Tricked._ Sketched in outline.
_Trippant_, or _Tripping_. In easy motion, as a stag. See page 81; and
No. 168.
_Triton._ See _Mermaid_.
_Trivet._ A circular or triangular iron frame, with three feet, borne by
the family of TRYVETT.
_Trogodice._ An animal like a reindeer.
_Trumpet._ In blazon usually a long straight tube, expanding at its
extremity: No. 310, from the brass to Sir R. DE TRUMPINGTON, at
Trumpingdon, near Cambridge; A.D. 1272.
[Illustration: No. 310.--Trumpet.]
_Trussed._ With closed wings. _Trussing._ Devouring--applied to birds of
prey.
_Tudor Rose._ An heraldic rose, _quarterly gu. and arg._; or a white
heraldic rose, _charged upon_ a red one.
_Tun._ A cask; the rebus of the final syllable _TON_ in many surnames.
See _Rebus_.
_Tynes._ Branches of a stag’s antlers. See _Attires_.
_Ulster._ See _Baronet_ and _Herald_.
_Undy_, _Undée_. Wavy: No. 38, C.
_Unguled._ Hoofed.
_Unicorn._ A well-known fabulous animal, famous as the sinister
supporter of the Royal Shield of England.
_Union Jack._ The National Ensign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, fully described in Chapter XVII. It is borne on an
inescutcheon upon the arms of the Duke of WELLINGTON as an augmentation.
_Uriant._ A term said to be applied to a fish when it swims in a
vertical position, head downwards. The reverse of _Hauriant_, _q.v._
_Vair._ A Fur: Nos. 61, 62, 63.
_Vane._ See _Fan_.
_Vert._ In French Heraldry, _Sinople_. The colour green: No. 55.
_Vervels_, _Varvals_. Small rings.
_Vested._ Clothed.
_Viscount._ The _fourth_ degree of rank and dignity in the British
Peerage, in Latin _Vice-Comes_, introduced by HENRY VI., A.D. 1440.
_Vice-comes_ is also the Latin word for the office of Sheriff.
A Viscount is “Right Honourable,” and is styled “My Lord.” All his sons
and daughters are “Honourable.” His Coronet, granted by JAMES I., has a
row of sixteen pearls, of comparatively small size set on the circlet;
in representations nine are shown: No. 311. The wife of a Viscount is a
_Viscountess_, who has the same rank, style, and coronet as her husband.
[Illustration: No. 311.--Circlet of a Viscount’s Coronet.]
_Vivre._ An early term, fallen into general disuse; but apparently
denoting a _Barrulet_ or _Cotise Dancettée_; as in No. 312, at St.
Michael’s Church, St. Albans.
_Voided._ Having the central area removed.
_Voiders._ Diminutives of _Flanches_.
_Volant._ Flying. _Vorant._ Devouring.
[Illustration: No. 312.--Shield at St. Michael’s Church, St. Alban’s.]
_Vol._ Two bird’s wings conjoined, having the appearance of an eagle
displayed without its body: No. 207.
_Vulned._ Wounded.
_Wake Knot._ No. 313.
_Walled._ Made to represent brick or stone-work. The term _masoned_ is,
however, usually employed.
[Illustration: No. 313.--Wake Knot.]
[Illustration: No. 315.--Wyvern.]
[Illustration: No. 314.--Catherine Wheel.]
_Water Bouget._ No. 218.
_Wattled._ Having a comb and gills, as a cock.
_Wavy_, _Undée._ No. 38, C.
_Wheat-sheaf._ See _Garb_.
_Wheel_, _Catherine Wheel_. Has curved spikes projecting from its rim:
No. 314: from a shield upon a boss, about A.D. 1400, in the south
choir-aisle of the church of Great Yarmouth.
_Wreath_, _Crest-Wreath_. See _Crest-Wreath_, and No. 233; also Chapter
XIV.
_Wreathed._ Adorned with a wreath, chaplet, or garland; or twisted into
the form of a wreath, &c.
_Wyvern_, _Wivern_. A fabulous creature, being a species of dragon with
two legs: No. 315.
CHAPTER XI
MARSHALLING
_Aggroupment-- Combination-- Quartering-- Dimidiation-- Impalement--
Escutcheon of Pretence-- Marshalling the Arms of Widowers, Widows, and
others; Official Arms; and, the Accessories of Shields._
“Marshalling is a conjoining of diverse Coats in one Shield.”
--GUILLIM.
Upon this concise definition, Guillim, in another part of his work, adds
the following comment:--“_Marshalling_ is an orderly disposing of sundry
Coat Armours pertaining to distinct Families, and their contingent
ornaments, with their parts and appurtenances, in their proper places.”
Hence it is apparent that this term, “Marshalling,” implies--
1. First, the bringing together and the disposition of two or more
distinct “Coats in one Shield”:
2. Secondly, the aggroupment of two or more distinct Coats to form a
single heraldic composition, the Shields being still kept distinct from
one another: and,
3. Thirdly, the association of certain insignia with a Shield of arms,
so as to produce a complete heraldic achievement.
The association of “Arms” with Names, Dignities, and Estates would
necessarily require, at an early period in the history of Heraldry, the
establishment of some regular and recognised system for the combination
and aggroupment of various distinct coats and insignia, whenever a
single individual became the representative of more than one family, or
was the hereditary possessor of several dignities and properties.
Again: it would be equally necessary that this system should extend to
the becoming heraldic declaration and record of _Alliances_ of every
kind, including (a matter of no little importance in the Middle Ages)
_feudal dependence_.
In another, and a secondary sense, this same term, _Marshalling_, is
used by Heralds to denote the general arrangement and disposition of
heraldic charges and insignia in blazon upon the field of a Shield.
[Illustration: No. 316.--Seal of Margaret, Queen of Edward I.]
[Illustration: No. 317.--Seal of Margaret, Lady de Ros. (_Laing._)]
In its simplest form, MARSHALLING is effected by _Aggroupment_ without
Combination--by placing two or more Shields of arms, that is, in such
positions as to form a connected group of distinct Shields, either with
or without various accessories. Seals afford excellent examples of
Marshalling of this order. These Seals may be classified in two
groups,--one, in which an effigy appears; and a second, in which the
composition does not include any effigy. Here I may observe that the
same armorial blazonry that was displayed upon their military surcoats
by Princes, Nobles, and Knights, was adopted by Ecclesiastics for the
decoration of their official vestments, and also (towards the close of
the thirteenth century) by Ladies of rank, as an appropriate style of
ornamentation for their own costume: and many examples of the effigies
of Ladies, with a few of Ecclesiatics, adorned in this manner with
heraldic insignia, exist in Seals and in Monumental Memorials. In
Beverley Minster there is a noble effigy of a priest, a member of the
great family of PERCY (about A.D. 1330), the embroideries of whose
vestments are elaborately enriched with numerous allied shields of arms.
Upon his episcopal seal, LEWIS BEAUMONT, Bishop of Durham from 1317 to
1333, has his effigy standing between two Shields of Arms (to the
dexter, _England_; to the sinister, a cross potent between four groups
of small crosses patées, three crosses in each group), while his
chasuble is semée de lys and also charged with a lion rampant--the arms
of the house of Beaumont. The obverse of the Seal of MARGARET, daughter
of PHILIP the Hardy, King of France, the second Queen of our EDWARD I.,
illustrates this usage in the instance of ladies: No. 316. Upon her
tunic the Queen has emblazoned the three lions of her royal husband; on
her right side is a shield of _France_, the arms of her royal father;
and on the left side a corresponding shield is charged with a lion
rampant. I have already shown the reverse of this fine Seal (No. 251),
which in the original is one inch more in depth than it appears in these
woodcuts.[5] Other characteristic examples are the Seals of AGNES DE
PERCY, whose effigy, having the arms of Louvaine upon the tunic, holds
two armorial shields, one in each hand: and of MARGARET, Countess of
LINCOLN and PEMBROKE (about 1241), who blazons the old arms of DE
LACI--_quarterly or and gu., a bend sa., over all a label vert_--upon
the tunic of her effigy, and has the same arms on a Shield to the
dexter, while another Shield to the sinister is charged with the _lion
rampant_, borne by the DE LACIES as Earls of LINCOLN. The effigies of
illustrious Ladies, which appear on Seals with allied Shields of arms,
are not always represented in heraldic costume: good examples are the
Seals of ISABELLE OF FRANCE, Queen of EDWARD II., and of ELIZABETH,
daughter of EDWARD I., who was Countess, first of HOLLAND, and
afterwards of HEREFORD: both are engraved in Sandford’s “Genealogical
History of England,” page 121. The Seal of MARGARET BRUCE, of Skelton,
Lady DE ROS, attached to a deed, dated 1820, has the effigy of the noble
lady, wearing her ermine mantle, and supporting two Shields of arms--the
Shield of DE ROS, _gu., three water-bougets arg._, to the dexter, and a
Shield of BRUCE, _a lion rampant_: No. 317. I am indebted, for the use
of the excellent woodcut of this very interesting seal, to Mr. Laing of
Edinburgh, the talented author of the two noble volumes on the _Early
Seals of Scotland_, which occupy a foremost position amongst the most
valuable as well as the most beautiful heraldic works that have ever
been published in Great Britain. (See page 11.) In the Monumental
Brasses and also in the Sculptured Monumental Effigies of Ladies of the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, heraldic costume is frequently
represented, and the figures are constantly associated with groups of
Shields of arms. As most characteristic examples I may specify the
effigy of a Lady, about A.D. 1325, at Selby in Yorkshire; and the Brass
in Westminster Abbey, A.D. 1399, to ALIANORE DE BOHUN, Duchess of
GLOUCESTER.
[Footnote 5: In No. 251 the initial A of the word AQVITANNIE has
been omitted.]
[Illustration: No. 318.--Seal of Joan, Countess of Surrey.]
The aggroupment of various armorial ensigns upon a Seal, without the
presence of any effigy, is exemplified in the characteristic Seal of
JOAN, daughter of HENRY Count DE BARRE, and of ALIANORE, daughter of
EDWARD I., the widow of JOHN DE WARRENNE, Earl of SURREY, A.D. 1347. In
this remarkable composition, No. 318, the arms, blazoned on lozenges,
are, in the centre, _Warrenne_; in chief and base, _England_; and to the
dexter and sinister, _De Barre_ (No. 162): also, at the four angles of
the group, the lion and castle of _Leon_ and _Castile_, in direct
allusion to the descent of the Countess from ALIANORE, first Queen of
EDWARD I. In the original, this elaborate composition is only one and a
half inches in diameter. Still smaller, measuring no more than one and a
quarter inches in diameter, and yet no less rich in either its Heraldry
or its Gothic traceries, is the beautiful little Counter-seal of MARY DE
SAINT PAUL, wife of AYMER DE VALENCE, Earl of PEMBROKE, which is
faithfully shown on an enlarged scale, in order to render the details
more effectively, in No. 319. This illustrious lady, who founded
Pembroke College, Cambridge, A.D. 1373, was the daughter of GUY DE
CHASTILLON, Count of ST. PAUL, by his wife MARY, daughter of JOHN DE
DREUX, Duke of BRITTANY, and of BEATRICE, sister of EDWARD I. On her
Seal, accordingly, the Countess of Brittany marshals, in the centre, the
arms of her husband (_De Valence_: No. 86), and those of her father (_De
Chastillon_--_gu., three pallets vair, on a chief or a label of three
points az._), united upon a single shield by “Dimidiation”--a process
presently to be described: to the dexter, the arms of her Royal
relatives of _England_ are blazoned in a circular compartment: to the
sinister, in a similar compartment, are the fleurs de lys of _France
Ancient_, No. 247, at that time so closely allied with the English
lions: and, finally, in a third roundle, in the base of the composition,
are the arms of _De Dreux_ (_chequée or and az., within a bordure
gu.;[6] over all a canton of Brittany_, No. 15, borne by the maternal
grandfather of the Countess: the legend is, + S . MARIE . DE . SEYN .
POVL . COMITISSE . PEMPROCHIE. The original impression of this Seal,
from which the woodcut, No. 319, was drawn, is appended to a charter,
dated 1347, which is preserved amongst the muniments of Pembroke
College. A very good example of the aggroupment of Shields upon a Seal,
under conditions differing from those that now have been illustrated,
I have already given in No. 204. Another beautiful and most interesting
example, now unfortunately partially mutilated, is the Seal of MATILDA
of LANCASTER, the wife, first, of WILLIAM DE BURGH, Earl of ULSTER (and
by him mother of ELIZABETH, the wife of Prince LIONEL OF CLARENCE), and,
secondly, of Sir RALPH DE UFFORD. This seal, of circular form, No. 320,
displays to the dexter a shield of _De Burgh_--_or, a cross gu._; to the
sinister, a shield of _Ufford_--_or, a cross engrailed sa._, in the
first quarter _a fleur de lys, for difference_: in base there is a
lozenge of _De Chaworth_ (the mother of the Countess was MATILDA DE
CHAWORTH)--_barrulée arg. and gu., an orle of martlets sa._; and in
chief there remains part of another lozenge of _Lancaster_, to complete
this remarkable heraldic group. Of the legend there remains only . .
ILLV MATILD’ . . . . SE . . . The introduction of _Badges_, with a
Shield or Shields of arms, in the composition of a Seal, is another
variety of this same system of Marshalling. No. 321, the Seal of OLIVER
DE BOHUN, exemplifies this usage, having the _white swan Badge_ of the
noble house of BOHUN thrice repeated about the Shield. See No. 114. Also
see, in the frontispiece, the Seal of Earl RICHARD DE BEAUCHAMP, No.
449, which is described in Section II. of Chapter XXII.
[Footnote 6: In No. 319 the bordure of _De Dreux_ in the roundle in
base is charged with Lions of England, as borne by JOHN DE DREUX;
but the presence of these in the Seal of the Countess is uncertain.
See No. 322.]
[Illustration: No. 319.--Seal of Mary, Countess of Pembroke.]
[Illustration: No. 320.--Seal of Matilda of Lancaster.]
Marshalling by Aggroupment was practised under another form by placing
Shields of arms in the different panels of the same architectural
monument.
MARSHALLING _by Combination_ is effected by actually forming, for the
blazonry of a single Shield, a composition which includes the principal
charges of two or more allied Shields. The composition of the Shield
borne by the house of DE DREUX, to which I have just referred in
describing the Seal of the Countess of Pembroke, No. 319, is a most
striking example of this variety of Marshalling: and this Shield was
borne by JOHN DE DREUX, created Earl of RICHMOND by his uncle King
EDWARD I., who lived and died in England, as it is represented in No.
322--the _field, chequée or and azure_, being for De Dreux; the _canton
ermine_ for Brittany; and the _bordure, gules charged with golden lions
of England_, representing the royal Shield of England, and showing the
close connection existing between the Earl of Richmond and his
Sovereign. The shield of Prince JOHN of ELTHAM (No. 24), _England within
a bordure of France_, is another characteristic example of this
Marshalling by Combination.
[Illustration: No. 321.--Seal of Oliver de Bohun.]
[Illustration: No. 322.--Shield of Earl John de Dreux.]
For many reasons, except in particular instances, these methods of
Marshalling were not considered to be altogether satisfactory.
Accordingly, a fresh arrangement was devised which would preserve intact
the original integrity of each coat of arms, would imply a definite
systematic method of arrangement, and would admit into a single
composition any required number of distinct coats. This MARSHALLING _by
Quartering_, naturally suggested by such simple bearings as Nos. 16 and
17, consists in dividing the Shield, as in No. 30, into four parts, and
placing in each of these divisions or quarters one of the coats to be
marshalled on a single Shield. If two coats only are thus to be
“_quartered_,” the most important of the two occupies the first quarter,
and is repeated in the fourth; and, the other coat is placed in the
second quarter, and repeated in the third. The earliest example known in
England is the quartered Shield of _Castile and Leon--quarterly: first
and fourth, gules, a castle triple-towered or; second and third, argent,
a lion rampant gu._, No. 323. This shield is sculptured upon the
monument in Westminster Abbey to ALIANORE, daughter of FERDINAND III.,
King of CASTILE and LEON, and Queen of EDWARD I.: the date is 1290. This
form of Marshalling began gradually to be adopted during the first half
of the fourteenth century, and in the second half of that century it
became generally adopted. Other examples of quartered shields I have
already given in Nos. 252 and 253.
[Illustration: No. 323.--Shield of Castile and Leon.]
Should there be _three_ Coats to be quartered, they would severally
occupy the first, second, and third quarters of the Shield, in due
order, and the first quarter would be repeated in the fourth. In
quartering _four_ coats, no repetition would be necessary. If more than
four coats would require to be quartered, the Shield would be divided
into whatever number of sections might be necessary, as in No. 36, and
the required arrangement would be made; should any repetition be
necessary, the first quarter is to be repeated in the fourth. This
process, whatever the number of the coats thus marshalled (and their
number sometimes is very great), is always entitled “_quartering_”; and
each of these divisions of a Shield, for the purpose of Marshalling, is
distinguished as a “Quarter.” Occasionally a _quartered coat_ would have
to be marshalled with others. In the “grand quartering” which then takes
place, the quartered coat is treated precisely as any other member of
the group. See No. 37. For example, the Shield, No. 324 (R. 2), of
HENRY, first Earl of NORTHUMBERLAND, is--I. and IV. Grand
Quarters,--_first and fourth, or, a lion rampt. az._, for Louvaine, or
Percy modern: _second and third, gu., three lucies haurient arg._ (No.
164) for Lucy: II. and III. Grand Quarters,--_az., five fusils conjoined
in fesse or_, for Percy ancient.
[Illustration: No. 324.--Shield of Henry, Earl of Northumberland.]
When a Shield to be quartered has a very numerous array of Quarterings,
Grand Quartering is seldom adopted; but, in its stead, the new
quarterings are marshalled in their proper succession, with the original
quarterings of the Shield.
In this Marshalling the first quarter is occupied by the most important
quartering, which is determined (without any fixed rule) by the original
grant or licence: the other quarterings follow, in the order in which
they may have been “brought in” to the composition.
[Illustration: No. 325.--Shield of Mayor of Winchelsea.]
[Illustration: No. 326.--De Valence, dimidiating Claremont Nesle.]
To denote and record ALLIANCE BY MARRIAGE, two distinct Coats were first
marshalled upon a single Shield by _Dimidiation_. This process is
accomplished in the following manner. The Shield to be charged with the
two Coats in union is divided _per pale_, as in No. 28: on the dexter
half the corresponding half, or generally somewhat more than that half,
of the arms of the husband is marshalled: then, in like manner, the
sinister half is charged with the corresponding portion of the arms of
the wife. In the Shield, No. 250, from another Seal of Queen MARGARET,
_England_ dimidiates _France ancient_, Nos. 187 and 247. This
Dimidiation in most cases produces a singular effect; as in No. 325,
a Shield from the Seal of the Mayor of Winchelsea, one of the famous
Sussex Cinque Ports, which bears _England_ dimidiating _azure, three
hulls of ships, in pale, or_: here the dimidiated lions and ships appear
to unite for the purpose of forming the most extravagant of compound
monsters. The Seal of the Borough of Great Yarmouth substitutes _three
herrings_, in allusion to the staple fishery of the port, for the ships,
and dimidiates them with the national lions. In the central Shield of
the Seal, No. 319, I have shown _De Valence_ dimidiating _De
Chastillon_. In No. 326, from the monument of WILLIAM DE VALENCE, _De
Valence_ appears dimidiating the French Coat of _Claremont Nesle_--_gu.,
semée of trefoils, two barbels haurient addorsed or_: the Dimidiation
here cuts off and removes one-half of the De Valence martlets and also
one of the two barbels of Claremont.
[Illustration: No. 327.--Camoys, impaling Mortimer.]
The characteristic features of one or of both of the united Coats, as I
have just shown, being commonly rendered indistinct and uncertain by
Dimidiation, that form of marshalling was generally superseded by
IMPALEMENT in the course of the third quarter of the fourteenth century.
This process, at once simple and effectual, marshals the whole of the
husband’s arms on the dexter half of a Shield divided per pale, as No.
28; and the whole of the arms of the wife on the sinister half of it.
Such an impaled Shield is borne by a husband and wife during their
conjoint lives; and should the wife become a widow, by her the impaled
arms are borne during her widowhood charged upon a lozenge. The dexter
half only--the husband’s arms--of an impaled Shield is hereditary. Fine
examples of Shields that are both impaled and quartered, are preserved
in the monuments of EDWARD III. and his Queen PHILIPPA, in the Brass to
ALIANORE DE BOHUN, and in the monument to MARGARET BEAUFORT, all in
Westminster Abbey. Other fine examples occur on the monument of Earl
RICHARD BEAUCHAMP, at Warwick. No. 327, from the Brass to THOMAS, LORD
CAMOYS, K.G., and his wife, ELIZABETH MORTIMER (the widow of HENRY
HOTSPUR), at Trotton, in Sussex, A.D. 1410, marshals _Camoys_--_arg., on
a chief gu. three plates_, impaling _Mortimer_, No. 131. Again, at
Warwick, the Brass to Earl THOMAS DE BEAUCHAMP and his Countess,
MARGARET FERRERS of Groby, A.D. 1406, has a Shield of _Beauchamp_--_gu.,
a fesse between six crosslets or_, impaling _Ferrers_--_gu., seven
mascles, three three and one, or_.
[Illustration: No. 328.--D’Aubigny, impaling Scotland.]
It is to be observed that _Bordures_ and _Tressures_, which are not
affected by Quartering, are _dimidiated by Impalement_,--that is, that
side of both a Bordure and a Tressure which adjoins the line of
Impalement is generally removed: thus, one of the small Shields
sculptured upon the canopy of the monument of Queen MARY STUART, at
Westminster, is charged with _D’Aubigny_ impaling _Scotland_,--that is,
_az., three fleurs de lys or, within a bordure gu. charged with eight
buckles gold_, impaling No. 138. This Shield, represented in No. 328,
has both the bordure on its dexter half, and the tressure on its
sinister half, dimidiated by the impalement. There are other excellent
examples of this partial dimidiating in the monuments of MARGARET TUDOR
and MARGARET BEAUFORT, in the same chapel of Westminster Abbey.
The husband of an _Heiress_ or a _Co-heiress_, instead of impaling the
arms of his wife, marshals them upon his Shield charged as an
_Escutcheon of Pretence_. The son of an heiress, as heir to his maternal
grandfather through his mother, as well as to his own father, _quarters_
on his Shield, and transmits to his descendants, _the arms of both his
parents_, his father’s arms generally being in the first quarter. The
Shield of RICHARD BEAUCHAMP, K.G., Earl of WARWICK (died in 1439), is a
good example of the use of an Escutcheon of Pretence; it is represented
in No. 329, drawn from the garter-plate of the Earl, in St. George’s
Chapel, Windsor. The Earl himself, as his hereditary coat, quarters
_Beauchamp_ with _Newburgh_--_chequée or and az., a chevron erm._: upon
this, for his Countess, ISABELLE, daughter and heiress of THOMAS LE
DESPENCER, Earl of GLOUCESTER, he marshals an Escutcheon of Pretence
charged with _De Clare_, No. 124, quartering _Le Despencer_--_quarterly
arg. and gu., in the second and third quarters a frette or, over all a
bend sa._ In the monument of this great Earl, at Warwick, upon the
Escutcheon of Pretence the arms of Bohun are quartered with those of
Clare and Despencer.
[Illustration: No. 329.--Shield of Earl Richard Beauchamp.]
[Illustration: No. 330.]
[Illustration: No. 331.]
[Illustration: No. 332.]
[Illustration: No. 333.]
[Illustration: No. 334.]
[Illustration: No. 335.]
A few very simple diagrams will clearly elucidate the principle of
Marshalling the arms of Husband and Wife. Suppose B (_Baron_) to
represent the Husband, and F (_Femme_) the Wife: then, No. 330 B may
represent the arms of the Husband, and No. 330 F the arms of the Wife.
If F be _not_ an heiress, the arms of B and F, as husband and wife, are
borne impaled, as in No. 330 B F; and their son bears No. 330 B only. If
F _be an heiress_, the arms of B and F, as husband and wife, are borne
as in No. 331--the arms of the wife on an Escutcheon of Pretence; and,
in this case, the son of B and F quarters the arms of both his parents,
as No. 332. Now, suppose this son, whose arms are No. 332, to marry a
lady, _not_ an heiress, whose arms are No. 330 F F, he would simply
impale the arms of his wife, as in No. 333, and his son would bear No.
332 only, as his father bore that quartered shield before his marriage.
But if the wife of the bearer of No. 332 were to _be an heiress_, he
would charge the arms of his wife in pretence upon his own hereditary
paternal Shield, as in No. 334; and his son, by this heiress, as before,
would quarter the arms of both his parents, as in No. 335. It is obvious
that Marshalling on this system (of which I here give the general
outline) admits of a widely-extended application. Younger sons in all
cases place over all the quarterings of their Shield their own
distinctive Mark of Cadency, until they inherit some different
quartering from those to which the head of their house is entitled, and
the quartering itself then forms sufficient difference.
A _Widower_ who marries again places the arms of both his wives upon any
permanent record, but for ordinary purposes of use, _e.g._ on a seal or
carriage, bears only the arms of his living wife.
An _Unmarried Lady_ bears her paternal arms on a _lozenge_, without any
Helmet, Crest, or Motto.
A _Widow_ bears on a _lozenge_ the arms borne by her husband and
herself. Should she marry again, a Widow ceases to bear the arms of her
former husband.
A _Peeress in her own right_, if married to a Peer, has both her own
arms and those of her husband fully blazoned, and the lozenge and the
Shield, with all their accessories, are marshalled to form a single
united group, the achievement of the husband having precedence to the
dexter. If married to a Commoner, a Peeress in her own right bears her
own arms on a lozenge as before, and her husband marshals her arms
ensigned with her coronet in pretence on his Shield: and this lozenge
and Shield are grouped together, the lozenge yielding precedence.
_Prelates_ bear the arms of their see impaling their own paternal and
hereditary arms, the insignia of the see occupying the dexter half of
the Shield, this Shield being ensigned with a mitre only. A married
Prelate bears also a second Shield, placed to the sinister of the other,
on which are marshalled, in accordance with ordinary usage, his own
personal arms with those of his wife. The mitre then is placed over the
conjoined shields.
The _Kings of Arms_, in like manner, bear two Shields, disposed to form
a single group: on the dexter Shield their official arms impale their
personal; and on the sinister Shield their personal arms are marshalled
with the arms of their wives.
Again, the same usage obtains in marshalling the arms of _Knights of
Orders of Knighthood_ who, when married, bear two Shields grouped
together. On the dexter Shield are blazoned the arms of the Knight
himself alone; and around this Shield are displayed the insignia of his
Order, or Orders, of Knighthood: and on the sinister Shield the arms of
the Knight and of his wife are marshalled, but without the knightly
insignia. This second Shield is generally environed with decorative
foliage. This usage, prevalent in England, is not accepted or adopted by
foreign Heralds: nor does it appear to be required by true heraldic
principle, or to be strictly in accordance with it. The wife of a Knight
shares his knightly title, and takes precedence from her husband’s
knightly rank; and a knight, with perfect heraldic consistency, might
marshal his own knightly insignia about the Shield which is charged with
his own arms and those of his wife, whether united by impalement, or
when the latter are borne in pretence: and thus a single Shield would be
borne, and there would cease to exist any motive for endeavouring to
impart to a second Shield some general resemblance to its companion by
wreaths or other unmeaning accessories. There are ancient precedents for
the use of a single shield.
_Official Arms_ are not hereditary.
_Royal Personages_, when married, bear their own arms on a separate
Shield; and a second Shield bears the arms of the husband and wife
conjoined.
The circumstances of every case must exercise a considerable influence
in determining the Marshalling of the Accessories of any Shield,
Lozenge, or Group. As a general rule, however, the _Helm_ always rests
on the chief of the Shield: Commoners, Knights, Baronets, and Peers
place their _Crest_ upon the Helm: Peers and Princes place their _Helm_
upon the Coronet, and their Crest is placed upon the Helmet. The
SOVEREIGN places the Crest upon the Royal Crown, which is a part of the
Royal Crest, and it is unusual to duplicate the Crown by repeating it
below the Helmet. The _Mantling_ is displayed from the back of the Helm:
it is most effective when simple in its form and adjustment, and when it
droops behind the Shield. The _Motto_ is usually placed below the
Shield; but if it has special reference to the Crest, above the Crest.
A Scottish motto always goes over the Crest. _Supporters_ are usually
placed erect, as if in the act of really supporting the Shield: they
ought to stand either on an appropriate ground, or on a Gothic basement
to the entire Achievement. _Badges_, with all _Official_ and _Knightly
Insignia_, and all other _Honourable Insignia_ of every kind, are
rightly marshalled in an Achievement of Arms.
CHAPTER XII
CADENCY
_Marks of Cadency are temporary or permanent-- The Label-- The
Bordure-- The Bendlet, Barrulet, and Canton-- Change of Tincture--
Secondary Charges-- Single Small Charges-- Differences of
Illegitimacy-- Cadency of Crests, Badges, &c.-- Modern Cadency._
“Merke ye wele theys questionys here, now folowying!”
--BOKE OF ST. ALBANS, A.D. 1486.
Amongst his comrades in arms, or in the midst of a hostile array, the
last object that a mediæval Knight would expect or desire to observe, on
the morning of a battle or a joust, would be an exact counterpart of
himself. Occasions, indeed, might sometimes arise, when it might be
highly desirable that five or six counterfeit “Richmonds” should
accompany one real one to “the field”; or, when a “wild boar of
Ardennes” might prefer to encounter the hunters, having about him the
choice of his own “boar’s brood,” garnished at all points exactly after
his own fashion. These, however, are rare and strictly exceptional
cases. And the Knight, to whom distinction was as the breath of his
nostrils, as he closed his vizor trusted confidently to his heraldic
insignia to distinguish him, while, in the fore-front of the fray, with
sword and lance and axe he would strive manfully to distinguish himself.
This implies that Heraldry, besides assigning to different families
their own distinct insignia, should possess the faculty of
distinguishing the several members, and also the various branches of the
same family, the one from the other. A faculty such as this Heraldry
does possess, in its marks of CADENCY.
In “_marking Cadency_”--that is, in distinguishing the armorial insignia
of kinsmen, who are members of the very same family, or of some one of
its various branches, it is a necessary condition of every system of
“Differencing” that, while in itself clear and definite and significant,
it should be secondary to the leading characteristics of the original
Coat of Arms which denotes the senior branch of the Family, and also
declares from what fountain-head all the kinsmen of all the branches
have derived their common descent.
Various methods for thus marking Cadency were adopted, and accepted as
satisfactory, in the early days of Heraldry. Of these I now shall
describe and illustrate such as are most emphatic in themselves, and in
their character most decidedly heraldic,--such also as most
advantageously may be retained in use in our own Heraldry of the present
time. It will be seen that the “Differences” which mark Cadency
necessarily resolve themselves into two groups or classes: one, in which
the “Difference” is _temporary_ only in its significance and use,--as,
when an eldest son, on the death of his father, succeeds to the position
in the family which his father had held, he removes his Mark of Cadency
as eldest son from his Shield, assumes the unmarked Shield as his father
had borne it before him, and transfers to his own son the mark that
previously had distinguished his Shield from that of his father. In the
other group, the Marks of Cadency are more _permanent_, and consequently
may become integral elements of the heraldic composition in which they
appear: thus, the mark of Cadency which distinguishes any particular
branch of a family, is borne alike by all the members of that branch,
and in that branch it is transmitted from generation to generation.
More than one Mark of Cadency may be introduced into the same Coat of
Arms; and, for the purpose of some form of secondary distinction, it is
quite correct Heraldry to _mark Marks of Cadency_--to charge one variety
of mark, that is, upon another.
[Illustration: No. 336.--Eldest Sons of Edward I. and II.]
[Illustration: No. 337.--Black Prince.]
The LABEL, Nos. 271, 272, is blazoned as a Mark of Cadency in the
earliest Rolls of Arms, and it appears discharging this duty in the
earliest examples. The Label is generally borne with three points, as in
No. 271; frequently with five, as in No. 272; and occasionally with four
or with more than five points. It is quite certain that no significance
was formerly attached to the number of the points, the object in all
cases being to make the Label distinctly visible, and to adjust the
points to the general composition of the Shield. Labels are of various
tinctures. EDWARD I., EDWARD II., and EDWARD III., each one during the
lifetime of his father, bore the Shield of England, No. 187, differenced
with an _azure label_, sometimes of three points, as in No. 336, and
sometimes having five points. EDWARD the BLACK PRINCE marked the Royal
Shield of EDWARD III. with a _label argent_, as in No. 337; and a plain
silver label has since been the Mark of Cadency of every succeeding
heir-apparent to the English throne. The Label has been used in this
manner by personages of all ranks who have borne arms, from the time of
HENRY III.; and examples abound in all the early Rolls of Arms, in
Monuments, and upon Seals.
The _Label_, borne as a Mark of Cadency, was sometimes, particularly in
the cases of junior members of the Royal Family, charged with other
figures and devices, as differences of a secondary rank. Or, when it is
thus charged, the charges upon a Label may be considered to be elements
of the Label itself, in its capacity of a Mark of Cadency. EDMOND, the
first Earl of LANCASTER, as I have already shown, No. 249, differenced
his father’s Arms of England with a _Label of France_, No. 338--an azure
label, that is, charged with golden fleurs de lys, to denote his French
alliance; and thus by the same process he was Marshalling and Marking
Cadency. JOHN OF GHENT, Duke of LANCASTER, differenced with an _ermine
Label_, No. 339, derived from the ermine shield of Brittany (No. 15):
and the Plantagenet Dukes of YORK charged each point of their silver
Label with _three torteaux_, No. 340, which may be considered to have
been derived from the shield of Wake (No. 82). In order to show them on
a larger scale, the Labels in Nos. 338-343 are represented without the
Shields on which they were charged. All these Shields would be
repetitions of the same blazonry of France and England quarterly: Nos.
252 and 253.
[Illustration: No. 338.--Lancaster.]
[Illustration: No. 339.--Brittany.]
[Illustration: No. 340.--York.]
The Label, with various Differences, has generally been the Royal Mark
of Cadency; and now differenced silver Labels are borne, to mark
Cadency, by every member of our Royal Family.
[Illustration: No. 341.]
[Illustration: No. 342.]
[Illustration: No. 343.]
Like the points of Labels, the Charges blazoned on those points had no
fixed or determinate numbers. That both the Labels and their Charges
should be distinct and conspicuous, was the special object with which
they were blazoned. Accordingly, in different examples of the same Label
the number of the repetitions of the Charges sometimes is found to
differ. At the same time, in the earliest examples of charged Labels,
the repetitions of the Charges, while devoid of any special differencing
aim or meaning, may be considered to have been suggested by the sources
from which the Charges themselves were derived. For example: the Label
of Lancaster, No. 338, of Earl EDMOND, derived directly from the Shield
of _France ancient_, No. 247, with its field _semée de lys_, has three
fleurs de lys upon each point, so that this Label has the appearance of
being also _semée de lys_. Had it been derived from the Shield of
_France modern_, No. 248, charged with three fleurs de lys only,
a single fleur de lys in all probability would have been blazoned on
each of the three points of this same Label. Upon this principle the
Label of Prince LIONEL, DUKE of CLARENCE, second son of EDWARD III.,
which is differenced with _cantons gules_, has a single canton on each
point, as in No. 341, evidently because only a single canton can be
blazoned on a Shield. The figures and devices that are charged for
secondary difference upon Labels vary widely in their character; but,
however difficult it now may be in very many instances to trace these
differencing charges to their sources, and so to determine the motive
which led to their adoption, there can be no doubt that originally they
were chosen and adopted for the express purpose of denoting and
recording some alliance or dependency. Some early Labels are of a
compound character; that is, they are charged with two distinct groups
of devices, which are at once divided and conjoined by impalement. Such
a Label was borne by Prince HENRY, son of JOHN of GHENT, between the
time of his father’s death and his own accession as HENRY IV. (Feb. 3 to
Sept. 30, 1399): it was a _Label of five points per pale of Brittany and
Lancaster_, No. 342, being his father’s Label impaling that of his
mother’s father. The second son of this Prince, THOMAS Duke of CLARENCE,
instead of adopting impalement, charged _a red canton upon each point of
an ermine Label_, as in No. 343: while his brother, JOHN Duke of
BEDFORD, bore their father’s Label, No. 342.
[Illustration: No. 344.--Holland, of Kent.]
The BORDURE, both plain and charged, is a Mark of Cadency borne by
Princes and by personages of various ranks. EDMOND, youngest son of
EDWARD I., differenced _England_ with a plain _silver bordure_, as in
No. 344: the HOLLANDS, Earls of KENT, did the same: and the same silver
bordure also was borne by THOMAS, youngest son of EDWARD III., about the
quartered shield of _France ancient and England_; and about the
quartered shield of _France modern and England_ by HUMPHREY, youngest
son of HENRY IV. Prince JOHN of ELTHAM, as I have already shown, and
after him the HOLLANDS, Dukes of EXETER, differenced _England with a
Bordure of France_: No. 24. Though not so numerous as Labels, Bordures
employed to mark Cadency exist in very many early examples, and a
variety of devices appear charged upon them for secondary Difference.
See No. 140. In the Royal Heraldry of our own times the Bordure is not
used as a Royal Difference; but its use is retained in Scotland for
differencing Shields of less exalted rank.
In some few early Examples a BENDLET is charged upon the paternal shield
as a mark of Cadency: and a BARRULET is found to have been also used for
the same purpose. Thus, HENRY, second son of EDMOND the first Earl of
LANCASTER, during the lifetime of his elder brother, differenced
_England_ with an _azure Bendlet_, as in No. 345: and, in the Seal of
HENRY DE PERCY, son and heir of HENRY third Baron, the lion is
debruised, for Difference, by a Barrulet which crosses the Shield in the
honour-point. Possibly, this Barrulet may be a _Label without points_.
A CANTON, plain, or more frequently charged, and in many examples of
ermine, is also added to Shields to mark Cadency, but more frequently
nowadays its use denotes absence of blood descent. See Nos. 128, 129,
130.
[Illustration: No. 345.--Henry of Lancaster.]
To mark Cadency by a _change of Tinctures_ was a simple expedient, and
such a one as would naturally be practised at an early period. It was
effected, first, in the case of the _Field_: thus (H. 3) the brothers DE
LA ZOUCHE severally bear--_Gu., bezantée_, and, _Az., bezantée_; and the
brothers FURNIVAL (H. 3) bear--_Arg., a bend between six martlets gu._,
and, _Or, a bend between six martlets gu._ Secondly, the change is
effected in the _Charges_: thus, two William BARDOLFS (H. 3 and E. 2)
severally bear--_Az., three cinquefoils or_, and, _Az., three
cinquefoils arg._ Thirdly, the tinctures are _reversed_: for example,
for two Sir JOHN HARCOURTS (E. 2)--_Gu., two bars or_, and, _Or, two
bars gu._ Fourthly, there is a complete change in _all the tinctures_:
and so, while Sir ANDREW LOTEREL (E. 2) bears--_Or, a bend between six
martlets sa._, Sir GEFFREY LOTEREL (E. 2) bears--_Az., a bend between
six martlets argent_. Finally, this system of marking Cadency admits
various modifications of the changes already described: thus, in the
Arms of Mortimer, No. 131, _gules_ is substituted for _azure_; and,
again, in the same Shield an _inescutcheon ermine_ takes the place of
the _inescutcheon argent_.
[Illustration: No. 346.--Beauchamp of Elmely.]
[Illustration: No. 347.--Beauchamp at Carlaverock.]
Another and a favourite method of marking Cadency, calculated to
exercise a great and decided influence in the development of heraldic
blazon, is the _addition of secondary Charges_ of small size (not on a
Label or a Bordure but) semée over the field of a Shield, or charged
upon an Ordinary, or disposed in orle. In a large number of examples,
these small charges are found to have been gradually reduced to six or
three, in order to admit of their being blazoned on a somewhat larger
scale, and consequently made more distinct. Again: while the number and
the tinctures of the secondary differencing charges remain the same, in
order to carry out the Cadency still farther the secondary charges
themselves are varied: and, once more, in other cases the identity of
the original secondary charges is retained, but their number is
increased or diminished. I must be content to illustrate these various
forms of Cadency with a few examples only. First, a group of shields of
the BEAUCHAMPS:--Beauchamp of Elmely (H. 3)--_Gu., a fesse or_, No. 346:
Beauchamp at Carlaverock--_Gu., crusilée and a fesse or_, No. 347:
Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick--_Gu., a fesse between six crosses crosslets
or_, No. 348: and Beauchamp of Bletshoe--_Gu., a fesse between six
martlets or_, No. 349. Second, a corresponding group of shields of the
BERKELEYS:--Maurice de Barkele (or Berkeley)--_Gu., a chevron arg._
(H. 3): and then for other Berkeleys--_Gu., a chevron between ten
crosses pattées, six and four, arg._; and the same Ordinary, with either
_ten cinquefoils of silver_, or the same number of _white roses_. Three
CORBETS bear severally (E. 2)--_Or, a raven sa._; _Or, two ravens sa._;
and, _Or, three ravens sa._ And, once more, their original Shield--_Gu.,
a chevron or_, is differenced by the COBHAMS by charging the Ordinary
with three lioncels, three eaglets, three crosslets, three mullets,
three estoiles, three crescents, or three fleurs de lys, all of them
sable. The particular devices and figures selected thus to mark Cadency,
like those charged upon Labels or Bordures, must be considered to have a
special significance of their own, though this significance may
frequently fail to be discerned in consequence of our being no longer
able to trace out their association with the sources from which they
were obtained. The alliances and the incidents that give these various
Marks of Cadency, when it is possible to ascertain what they may have
been, illustrate in a striking manner the motives by which the early
Heralds were influenced when they differenced the Arms of Kinsmen.
[Illustration: No. 348.--Beauchamp of Warwick.]
[Illustration: No. 349.--Beauchamp of Bletshoe.]
_Official Insignia_ sometimes become Marks of Cadency. Thus, JOHN DE
GRANDISON, Bishop of Exeter (A.D. 1327-1369), on the bend in his
paternal arms, No. 89, substitutes a _golden mitre_ for the central
eaglet, as in No. 350. WILLIAM COURTENAY, Archbishop of Canterbury (A.D.
1381-1396), adopts a different course, and charges three golden mitres
upon each point of the Label of Courtenay--_Or, three torteaux, over all
a label of three points az. charged on each point with as many mitres
gold_. And again, HENRY LE DESPENCER, Bishop of Norwich (A.D.
1370-1406), places about his paternal shield an _azure bordure charged
with eight golden mitres_ (see the largest shield in No. 351). On his
official seal the canopied effigy of the Bishop stands between this, his
personal Shield, and the Shield of his see--_az., three mitres or_: but
his Secretum, or private seal, is much more interesting, as an heraldic
image of the man himself. Haughty, fierce, cruel, and pugnacious, his
career not less inglorious as a military commander than as a churchman,
this HENRY LE DESPENCER, a grandson of the unhappy favourite of the no
less hapless EDWARD II., was one of the war-loving prelates who
occasionally appear sustaining a strange, and yet as it would seem a
characteristic, part in the romantic drama of mediæval history. His
Secretum, No. 351, displays his Shield of _Despencer_, differenced with
his bordure of mitres, couché from a large mantled helm, surmounted by a
mitre, in place of a crest-coronet, which supports the Despencer crest,
a silver griffin’s head of ample size; on either side are the Shields of
the _see of Norwich_, and of _Ferrers_ (the Bishop’s mother was Anne,
daughter of WILLIAM Lord FERRERS of Groby)--_Or, seven mascles, three
three and one, gu._; the legend is, S . HENRICI . DESPENCER .
NORWICENSIS . EPISCOPI.
[Illustration: No. 350.--Bishop Grandison.]
[Illustration: No. 351.--Secretum of Bishop le Despencer.]
[Illustration: No. 352.--Sir Fulk Fitz Warin.]
[Illustration: No. 353.--Thomas le Scrope.]
[Illustration: No. 354.]
[Illustration: No. 355.]
At an early period, Cadency was marked by _adding a single small charge_
to the blazon of a Shield, or by charging some secondary device or
figure upon any accessory of a Shield of arms. Such a Mark of Cadency as
this, obtained from some allied Shield, and charged upon an ordinary or
principal bearing, or occupying a conspicuous position in the general
composition, was in high favour with the Heralds of both the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries. From the early examples, which exist in great
numbers and in as great variety, it will be sufficient for me to adduce
only a few specimens--a single example, indeed, illustrates the system.
The Shield of _Ufford_, in the Seal of MATILDA of LANCASTER, which I
have already described (No. 320), is thus differenced with a single
fleur de lys in the first quarter. Precisely in the same manner Sir FULK
FITZ WARIN differences the Shield of the head of his house, No. 17, by
charging a _mullet sable_ upon the first quarter, as in No. 352. THOMAS
LE SCROPE, on the other hand, for Cadency marks the golden bend upon his
azure Shield, No. 111, with an _annulet sable_, as in No. 353. Two
members of the family of Beauchamp charge their golden fesse (see Nos.
346-349), the one with a _crescent sable_, and the other with a _pierced
mullet_ of the same tincture: Nos. 354, 355. In like manner, in addition
to various labels, the NEVILLES charge no less than eight different
small figures upon their silver saltire, No. 121, to distinguish
different members and branches of their powerful race: I give one of
these Shields in No. 356, which was borne by GEORGE NEVILLE, Lord
LATIMER, from the monument to Earl RICHARD DE BEAUCHAMP at
Warwick--_Gu., on a saltire arg. a gimmel-ring az._: another differenced
shield of Neville, No. 357, has _a cinquefoil_ charged on the saltire:
a third example from this group I have already given, No. 122,
differenced with _a rose_: this shield, No. 122, is now borne by the
Earl of ABERGAVENNY. Once more: Sir WILLIAM DE BREWYS (E. 2)
bears--_Az., crusilée and a lion rampt. or_, No. 358, which coat another
Sir WILLIAM DE BREWYS differences, to distinguish himself from his
kinsman, while at the same time declaring their near relationship, by
simply charging a _red fleur de lys_ upon his lion’s shoulder.
[Illustration: No. 356.--Lord Latimer.]
[Illustration: No. 357.--Neville.]
[Illustration: No. 358.--Sir William de Brewys.]
Differences of Illegitimacy, which rightly and indeed necessarily are
included under the general head of “Cadency,” do not appear at any time
to have assumed a definite or decided character, and yet they bring
before the student of Heraldry much curious matter for inquiry and
investigation. Early in the true heraldic era illegitimate sons are
found to have differenced their paternal arms, as other sons lawfully
born might have done: and it does not appear that any peculiar methods
of differencing were adopted, palpably for the purpose of denoting
illegitimacy of birth, before the fourteenth century had drawn near to
its close. And even then, if any express heraldic rule on this point
ever was framed, which is very doubtful, it certainly was never observed
with any care or regularity.
The earliest known example of the arms of a man of illegitimate birth is
the fine Shield of WILLIAM LONGESPÉE, Earl of SALISBURY, son of
HENRY II. and FAIR ROSAMOND, No. 197. This Shield is supposed to have
been assumed and borne by the Earl on his marriage with the daughter and
heiress of D’EVREUX, when in right of his wife he succeeded to the
Earldom of Salisbury: but this theory does not rest upon any solid
foundation, since it would be very difficult to show that the Shield
with the six lioncels was certainly borne, on his armorial ensign, by
the father-in-law of Earl William. Also, if a Shield charged with an
escarbuncle and many lioncels, which has been assigned to GEOFFREY Count
of ANJOU, was really borne by the Founder of the House of PLANTAGENET,
Earl WILLIAM LONGESPÉE may have derived his own Shield from his paternal
grandfather. Upon his Counterseal the Earl displays his own “long sword”
as his proper device. In like manner, certain other personages, also
illegitimate, appear to have borne arms which were either expressly
assigned to themselves by the Sovereign, or such as they assumed in
right of their mothers or wives. In all such cases as these, the Arms
were not the paternal coat in any way differenced, but what now would be
designated “fresh grants.” Towards the beginning of the fifteenth
century, however, a peculiar kind of Differencing for Illegitimacy
gradually prevailed throughout Europe: thus, illegitimate children
either altered the position of the charges in their paternal Shield; or
they marshalled the entire paternal arms upon a bend or a fesse; or they
composed for themselves a fresh Shield, either using their father’s
badges and the actual charges of his Shield, or adopting devices
evidently derived from the paternal bearings; or they bore the paternal
Shield differenced in a peculiarly conspicuous manner with certain marks
by which they might be readily and certainly distinguished.
[Illustration: No. 359.--Henry, Earl of Worcester.]
When the composition of the paternal Shield would admit of such an
arrangement, the field not being argent, an illegitimate son sometimes
bore his father’s arms marshalled fesse-wise, so as to leave both the
chief and the base of his Shield plain white. HENRY, Earl of WORCESTER,
whose father was an illegitimate son of HENRY BEAUFORT, third Duke of
SOMERSET, bore the arms of Beaufort couped in this manner in chief and
in base, as if they were charged upon a very broad fesse on the field:
No. 359.
[Illustration: No. 360.--Beaufort before 1397.]
[Illustration: No. 361.--Beaufort after 1397.]
JOHN DE BEAUFORT (great-grandfather of HENRY, Earl of WORCESTER), eldest
illegitimate son of Prince JOHN of GHENT, _before_ the Act for his
legitimation was passed in the year 1397, bore his father’s hereditary
arms of _Lancaster_--_England with a label of France_, No. 249--_on a
broad bend_, the field being _per pale arg. and az._, the Lancastrian
livery colours: No. 360. After their legitimation act had become a law,
this same JOHN DE BEAUFORT, with his brothers, sons, and grandsons, bore
the Royal quartered shield of France and England, No. 361, differenced,
not with labels, but with _a bordure componée arg. and az._ (the
Lancastrian colours): the different members of the Beaufort family
slightly varied the bordure, but by the head of their house it was borne
as in No. 361. It will be seen that this is the coat that HENRY, Earl of
WORCESTER (himself the legitimate son of an illegitimate son), bore
fesse-wise, as in No. 359. The father of this Earl HENRY, CHARLES
SOMERSET, Earl of WORCESTER (illegitimate son of the third Duke of
SOMERSET), differenced _Beaufort_, No. 361, with a _silver bendlet
sinister_, as in No. 362, the bendlet covering the quarterings, but
being included within the bordure.
[Illustration: No. 362.--Charles, Earl of Worcester.]
[Illustration: No. 363.--Sir Roger de Clarendon.]
[Illustration: No. 364.--Radolphus de Arundel.]
Since the fifteenth century, in English Heraldry, a narrow bendlet or
baton sinister, couped at its extremities, either plain or charged, has
usually been the mark employed as difference by the illegitimate
descendants of the Royal Family. It was borne by ARTHUR PLANTAGENET,
Viscount LISLE, son of EDWARD IV.: by HENRY FITZ ROY, Duke of RICHMOND,
son of HENRY VIII., and, variously differenced, by illegitimate
descendants of CHARLES II.--that is, it is borne at the present day,
_argent_, by the Duke of BUCCLEUCH; _ermine_, by the Duke of CLEVELAND;
_componée arg. and az._, by the Duke of GRAFTON; and, _gules charged
with three white roses_, by the Duke of ST. ALBANS.
Sir ROGER DE CLARENDON, illegitimate son of the BLACK PRINCE, bore _on a
sable bend the three Ostrich Feathers_ of his illustrious father’s
“_Shield of Peace_,” the field of his Shield being golden, as in No.
363. Here the “Difference for Illegitimacy” is very emphatically marked
in a singularly felicitous and beautiful Shield.
The paternal arms of illegitimate children have also sometimes been
carried by them charged on a _canton_, either dexter or sinister, the
rest of the Shield being left blank, or perhaps in some cases displaying
the maternal arms; of this usage I am not able to give any good example,
in English Heraldry, of certain authority: one other variety of these
singular Shields, however, I must add to my small group of examples,
which was first noticed by Mr. MONTAGU (“Guide to the Study of
Heraldry,” p. 44). This is the Shield, No. 364, of RADOLPHUS DE ARUNDEL;
and it bears the quartered arms of the Earls of ARUNDEL--_Fitz Alan_ and
_Warrenne_ (_gu. a lion rampt. or_, and No. 68), “_flanched_,”--that is,
blazoned only upon the flanches (see No. 141) of the Shield, the central
area being blank.
For a lengthy period the use of the _bend_, _bendlet_, and _baton
sinister_ was usual for the purpose of denoting illegitimacy, but this
has now given way to the use, in England, of a _bordure wavy_; in
Scotland, of a _bordure compony_; whilst in Ireland both these
_bordures_ are used, more usually, however, the _bordure wavy_ being
employed. By a curious divergence the _bordure wavy_ is not a mark of
illegitimacy in Scotland, but a mark of perfectly legitimate cadency.
The use of the _bendlet sinister_ for the debruising of crests still
exists in England and Ireland, but crests are not usually differenced
for any reason in Scotland.
In treating of this subject, some writers have maintained that the
_bordure componée_ is, in its heraldic nature, the most decided and
unquestionable Difference for Illegitimacy: and this opinion these
writers have derived from the singularly contradictory fact, that the
BEAUFORTS differenced with a bordure componée when they became legally
_legitimate_. A bordure componée _may_, indeed, be used with such an
intention, as it is used by the Duke of RICHMOND, who bears the arms of
CHARLES II. within a _bordure componée arg. and gu., charged with eight
roses of the last_; but by the BEAUFORTS it was used with an intention
exactly the reverse of this. The bordure, however, whatever its aspect
or modification of treatment, remains still, as it was of old, an
honourable Difference, until some abatement of honour has been
associated with its presence under special circumstances. But the
stereotyped use of the _bordure wavy_ in England with a set meaning,
gives to the wavy variety a lack of desirability. Marks of illegitimacy
are intended to remain upon a shield for all time, although in a few
historic cases their use has been discarded. And precisely the same
words may be applied to any other charge that has been employed, or may
be required to mark Cadency.
Marks of Cadency, as they are borne on Shields of Arms, may also be
charged on Badges, Crests, and Supporters. As a matter of course, they
appear on Armorial Banners and Standards under the same conditions that
they are blazoned upon Shields and Surcoats. Such examples as may be
necessary to illustrate heraldic usage in these cases, I propose to
describe in the following Chapters.
It cannot be necessary for me to adduce any arguments in order to
impress upon Students of Heraldry the importance of investigating early
Cadency, or to assure them that a special interest is inseparable from
this inquiry: I may suggest, however, that it is most desirable that
Students should arrange groups of allied Shields, and should carefully
blazon them with their various “Marks of Cadency,” being careful also to
record their authorities for every example.
MODERN CADENCY is marked by the Label and by single small Charges, which
take precedence in the following order:--
1. The _Label_, No. 271.
2. The _Crescent_, No. 166, A.
3. The _Mullet_, No. 278.
4. The _Martlet_, No. 161.
5. The _Annulet_, No. 154.
6. The _Fleur de lys_, No. 246.
7. The _Rose_, No. 298.
8. The _Cross Moline_, No. 99.
9. The _Octofoil_, or _Double Quatrefoil_.
When they are adopted, Marks of Cadency now are generally placed upon
the Honour Point of the Shield, or in some other conspicuous position:
one of these Marks also may be charged upon another, if desired,--as a
Martlet may be charged upon a Crescent to denote the fourth son of a
second son; and so in other cases.
[Illustration: No. 365.--Seal of William Fraser:
appended to Homage Deed, A.D. 1295, preserved in H.M. Record Office.]
The Seal of WILLIAM FRASER, No. 365, from Mr. Laing’s Collection,
exemplifies in a singular and interesting manner the early use of a
differenced Label. Here the Label appears, without any Shield, borne as
if it were a Badge: and it is charged, on each of its three points, with
two devices that have the appearance of mullets of six points, but which
really may be _fraises_--strawberry-leaves, the rebus-device of Fraser.
(See pp. 182-185.)
CHAPTER XIII
DIFFERENCING
_Differencing to denote Feudal Alliance or Dependency: Differencing
without any Alliance-- Augmentation-- Abatement._
“Differencing, which comprises in truth the growth and ramification
of Coat-Armour, and the whole system of its early development, has
been strangely lost sight of in the numerous treatises on Armory
that have satisfied recent generations of Englishmen.”
--HERALD AND GENEALOGIST, II. 32.
DIFFERENCING, using the term here as distinct from, or perhaps as not
identical with, the subject of CADENCY, includes not only the treatment
of Coats of Arms and other armorial insignia, that denote and are based
upon _Feudal Alliance_ or _Dependency_, but without blood-relationship;
but also implies a comprehensive system of distinguishing similar Arms,
when they are borne by individuals or families between whom no kind of
alliance is known to have existed. It is evident, on the one hand, that
a feudal influence would naturally lead to some degree of assimilation
to the Coat-Armour of the feudal Chief, in the Arms of all allies and
dependants: and, on the other hand, it will readily be understood that,
even in the early days of its career, Heraldry would see the necessity
for providing for the constantly increasing demands upon its resources;
and, consequently, that it would organise a system which would enable
the same Ordinaries and the same principal Charges to appear in distinct
Shields, without either confusion or misapprehension.
It is highly probable, and indeed it may be assumed to be certain, that
what I have called a “feudal influence,” in the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries in no slight degree affected the general
composition of Coats of Arms. In very many instances the working of this
influence is still palpable; and it is always interesting to the student
of Heraldry, as it must always be eminently useful to the student of
History, to detect its presence and to explore its method of action.
Like Cadency, feudal Differencing is expressed by various means, all of
them indicating, in a greater or a less degree, the motive which
suggested their adoption. I proceed at once to examples, which
illustrate and explain the system so clearly and so fully, that
prolonged introductory remarks are altogether superfluous.
Upon his Seal, RANULPH DE BLONDEVILLE, Earl of CHESTER (died in 1232)
bears three garbs or wheat-sheaves; and Rolls of Arms of the time of
HENRY III. blazon the Shield of the Earl of CHESTER as--_Az., three
garbs or_, No. 366. This Shield has been assigned to the Earls of
CHESTER to this day: and, in token of feudal alliance, from the middle
of the thirteenth century, “one or more garbs,” in the words of Mr.
PLANCHÉ, “are seen in the majority of Coats belonging to the nobility
and gentry of the County Palatine of Chester.” Thus, since the year
1390, the arms of GROSVENOR have been--_Az., a garb or_.
[Illustration: No. 366.--Earl of Chester.]
A cinquefoil, said to have been borne by him on a red Shield, was the
device of ROBERT FITZ-PERNEL, Earl of LEICESTER, who died in 1204.
Accordingly, the cinquefoil, derived from him, as early as the
thirteenth century, appears in token of feudal connection on the Shields
of many families of Leicestershire. As I have already shown, (page 183)
a BERKELEY, who was of Leicestershire, substituted _ten cinquefoils_ for
the ten crosses patée of the Berkeley Shield; and thus he combined
feudal Differencing with Cadency.
[Illustration: No. 367.--Fitz Ralph.]
Many a red chevron or chevronel, with other devices, charged upon a
golden field, or a gold chevron on a red field, is a sign of feudal
alliance with the great house of DE CLARE, whose Shield was--_Or, three
chevronels gu._, No. 124. For example, the FITZ-RALPHS, near neighbours
of the De Clares at Clare in Suffolk, differenced the Shield of the
Earls by charging _silver fleurs de lys_ on each chevronel, as in No.
367 (E. 2); and, for secondary difference, they sometimes added a
_bordure azure_, as in the fine early Brass at Pebmarsh, near Clare.
Again: by a change of tinctures, without affecting the charges of the
Shield, the Arms of L’ERCEDECKNE (now Archdeacon) are--_Arg., three
chevronels sa._
At Carlaverock, EDMUND DE HASTINGS, brother of the Earl, bore--_Or,
a maunche gu., with a label of five points sa._, the Earl himself
bearing simply--_Or, a maunche gu._, No. 276. And, close by the side of
EDMOND DE HASTINGS was his friend and companion, the feudal ally,
without doubt, of his house, JOHN PAIGNEL, a very proper comrade, as the
chronicler testifies--
“Un bacheler jolif et comté,”
who differenced Hastings by change of tinctures, and bore--_Vert,
a maunche or_.
The Shield of the noble house of DE LUTERELL, or LOTEREL, I have
blazoned with changed tinctures for two near kinsmen bearing that name
(page 182), thus showing in what manner they marked their Cadency. This
same shield, No. 368--_Or, a bend between six martlets sa._, was also
differenced by other families to mark their feudal alliance with the
house of Luterell. Thus, the DE FURNIVALS, themselves a powerful and
distinguished family, who held their lands by feudal tenure under the
Luterells, in token of this alliance bore the Shield of De Luterell with
a fresh change of tinctures; and, accordingly, the arms of the De
Furnivals are well known as--_Arg., a bend between six martlets gu._
Then, while the FURNIVALS, for Cadency, differenced these arms amongst
themselves, _their_ feudal allies and dependants, the ECCLESALLS or
EKELESHALES, the MOUNTENEYS, the WADESLES or WADSLEYS, and the WORTELES
or WORTLEYS, all united in declaring their connection with their chief
by assuming arms founded upon the Furnival Coat. These very interesting
and characteristic examples of feudal Differencing are well blazoned, as
follows, in the Roll of EDWARD II. For DE ECCLESALL--_Sa., a bend
between six martlets or_: for DE MOUNTENEY--_Gu., a bend between six
martlets or_: for DE WADSLEY--_Arg., on a bend between six martlets gu.,
three escallops or_, No. 369: and for DE WORTLEY--_Arg., on a bend
between six martlets gu., three bezants_, No. 370.
[Illustration: No. 368.--De Luterell.]
[Illustration: No. 369.--De Wadsley.]
The MOUNTENEYS further difference their common arms, for Cadency, after
this manner. Instead of _gules_, Sir ERNAUF DE MOUNTENEY has the field
of his shield _azure_, his bend and martlets being _golden_: Sir JOHN
bears these same arms, but charges his bend with a _mullet gules_, No.
371: Sir T. DE MOUNTENEY bears Sir John’s arms, but with _a field
gules_: and another Sir JOHN cotises his bend thus--_Gu., a bend cotised
between six martlets or_, No. 372.
North of the Tweed, also, the same principle is found to be exemplified
in Scottish Heraldry. “In Annandale,” writes Mr. SETON, “the chief and
saltire of the Bruces are carried (of different tinctures and with
additional figures) by the Jardines, Kirkpatricks, Johnstons, and other
families.” The arms of BRUCE are--_Or, a saltire and a chief gu._, No.
73: those of JARDINE are--_Arg., a saltire and a chief gu., the latter
charged with three mullets of the field, pierced of the second_: and the
arms of KIRKPATRICK are--_Arg., a saltire and chief az., the latter
charged with three cushions or_. This coat of Kirkpatrick is also borne
by the JOHNSTONS, the tinctures differenced thus--_Arg., a saltire sa.,
and on a chief gu. three cushions or_.
[Illustration: No. 370.--De Wortley.]
[Illustration: No. 371.--Sir John de Mounteney.]
[Illustration: No. 372.--Sir John de Mounteney.]
Once more, returning to the southern side of the Scottish border, of
RICHARD DE NEVILLE, the renowned “King-maker,” we find it to be recorded
that, so great was his popularity at Calais, of which city he was
governor, that his Badges were universally adopted,--“no man esteeming
himself gallant whose head was not adorned with his _silver ragged
staff_ (No. 294); nor was any door frequented, that had not his _white
cross_ (silver saltire, No. 121) painted thereon.” This was an
extravagant application of the earlier usage in denoting feudal
alliance, such as was in keeping with the heraldic sentiment of the
second half of the fourteenth century. Those good citizens of Calais,
however, who were Neville-worshippers four hundred years ago, were not
singular in exhibiting an armorial ensign at the entrance to their
houses. Numerous, indeed, are the doorways in various parts of England,
and particularly in the counties of Surrey, Sussex, and Norfolk, which
in the “sign of the chequers” still display the insignia (_chequée or
and az._, No. 68) of the once mighty Earls of WARRENNE and SURREY; and
thus show that relics of the old feudal influence are endowed with a
tenacious vitality, which prolongs their existence for ages after the
feudal system itself has passed away. But no doubt some cases must be
referred to the less romantic explanation of the reckoning board of the
Steward.
Differencing adopted, so far as now is apparent, _simply for the sake of
distinction_, lays open before the student of Heraldry a wide and a
diversified field of inquiry. All the miscellaneous charges that are
associated in blazon with the Ordinaries, and also with the
Subordinaries, thus are brought under consideration; and, without a
doubt, it was for the express purpose of Differencing that many of these
charges were introduced into English Heraldry. How far some remote
degree of relationship, or some subordinate feudal motive now lost to
sight and forgotten, may originally have affected the choice of Charges
“for difference,” it is not possible now to determine; nor can we always
follow the rebus-loving search for a “Difference,” that might speak
through that allusive quality which is a primary element of the Herald’s
science. We do know that the act of bearing the same arms by different
families, without some heraldic Difference, was of very rare occurrence;
and that, when it did occur, it was regarded with marked surprise, and
on more than one occasion led to a memorable controversy: and, further,
we find great numbers of early differenced Shields, which illustrate in
a very effective manner the growth and development of English Heraldry.
Shields of this order have strong claims on our attention. The examples
that I am able here to place before students are to be regarded simply
as specimens, few in number, and yet sufficient to show some of the
varied forms under which early Differencing was effected.
The proceedings in the High Court of Chivalry in the suit between Sir
RICHARD LE SCROPE and Sir ROBERT GROSVENOR, relative to the right to the
Arms--_Azure, a bend or_, No. 111--commenced on the 17th of August 1385,
and the final judgment of the King himself upon the appeal of the
defendant against the finding of the Court was not pronounced till the
27th of May 1390. On the 15th of May 1389 the judgment of the Court
assigned the arms--_Azure, a bend or_--to Sir RICHARD LE SCROPE; and to
Sir ROBERT GROSVENOR, these arms--_Az., a bend or, within a plain
bordure argent_. Thus the Court confirmed to Sir Richard le Scrope the
right to bear the Ordinary in its severe simplicity, without any other
charge and without any Difference: and, at the same time, it was decided
that these arms of Scrope should be differenced, in order that they
might become the arms of Grosvenor, and the “Difference” was to be a
_plain silver bordure_. The whole of the proceedings in this remarkable
case are preserved, and have been published; and they derive a peculiar
interest from the circumstance, that amongst the witnesses who gave
evidence was the father of English Poetry, GEOFFREY CHAUCER. Appeal
having been made to the Sovereign, RICHARD II. determined that a “plain
bordure argent” was a Mark of Cadency, good and right, and perfectly
sufficient as a Difference “between Cousin and Cousin in blood”; but
that it was “not a sufficient Difference in Arms between two strangers
in blood in one kingdom.” The King, therefore, cancelled and annulled
the sentence of the Court of Chivalry; and in so doing he gave a very
clear definition of the distinction to be observed in Heraldry between
kinsmen and strangers in blood. Then it was that the Shield, _Azure,
a garb or_, was adopted as the arms of Grosvenor. We may assume, that
the judgment of the Court would have been confirmed by the King, had Sir
Robert Grosvenor been commanded to blazon his golden bend between two
garbs, or charged with one or more garbs, or with three garbs on a
chief, or with any other decided Difference which would be palpably
distinct from a Mark of Cadency.
The examples of Differenced Shields which follow I have selected from
the Roll of EDWARD II. It will be seen that in each small group of these
examples some primary feature of the composition is common to every
Shield, so that the distinction between the Shields in each group is
effected either by a simple change of tinctures, or by the introduction
of various secondary charges.
CHIEFS.--Sir JOHN DE ARDERNE--_Gu., crusilée and a chief or_. Sir THOMAS
LE ROUS--_Erm., on a chief indented gu. two escallops arg._ Sir JOHN DE
CLINTONE--_Arg., on a chief az. two fleurs de lys or_, No. 74. Sir JOHN
DE CLINTONE, of Maxtoke--_Arg., on a chief az. two mullets or_, No. 75:
here the Difference denotes Cadency as well as a distinct individuality.
BENDS.--Sir ROBERT POUTREL.--_Or, on a bend az. three fleurs de lys
arg._ Sir WALTER DE BERMYNGHAM--_Arg., on a bend gu., cotised az., three
esallops or_. OLIVER DE BOHUN--_Az., on a bend, cotised and between six
lioncels or, three escallops gu._, No. 321.
FESSES AND BARS.--Sir JOHN DE DAGEWORTH--_Erm., a fesse gu. bezantée_,
No. 80. Sir G. DE WACHESHAM--_Arg., a fesse and in chief three crescents
gu._ Sir R. DE COLEVILLE--_Or, a fesse gu., and in chief three
torteaux_. Sir J. DE GEYTONE--_Arg., a fesse between six fleurs de lys
gu._ Sir G. DE OUSFLET--_Arg., on a fesse az. three fleurs de lys or_.
Sir R. DE LOMELYE (Lumley)--_Gu., on a fesse between three popinjays
arg., as many mullets sa._ Sir B. BADLESMERE--_Arg., a fesse between
bars gemelles gu._ Sir G. DE LA MERE--_Or, a fesse between bars gemelles
az._, No. 84. Sir J. DE PREIERES--_Gu., a fesse between bars gemelles
arg._ Sir J. WAKE--_Or, two bars gu., in chief three torteaux_, No. 82.
Sir B. PYCOT--_Az., two bars or, in chief three bezants_. Sir R. DE
WEDONE--_Arg., two bars gu., in chief three martlets sa._ Sir R.
BORDET--_Az., two bars or, on the uppermost three martlets gu._ Sir R.
DE ROYINGE--_Arg., three bars and an orle of martlets gu._ Sir N. DE
ESTOTEVILLE--_Barry arg. and gu., three lioncels sa._ Sir R. DE
YNGELFELD--_Barrulée arg. and gu., on a chief or a lion pass. az._ Sir
W. DE MONECASTRE--_Barrulée arg. and gu., on a bend sa. three escallops
or_. Sir T. DE PONINGE--_Barry or and vert, on a bend gu. three mullets
arg._
CROSSES.--Sir N. DE WEYLANDE--_Arg., on a cross gu. five escallops or_.
Sir R. BYGOD--_Or, on a cross gu. five escallops arg._ Sir WM.
KIRKETOT--_Az., on a cross arg. five escallops gu._ Sir WM. DE
BERHAM--_Sa., a cross between four crescents arg._ Sir R. DE
BANNEBURY--_Arg., a cross patée between four mullets gu._ Sir J.
RANDOLF--_Gu., on a cross arg. five mullets sa._ Sir G. DE DUREM--_Arg.,
on a cross gu. five fleurs de lys or_. Sir P. DE GEYTONE--_Arg.,
crusilée and three fleurs de lys az._ Sir R. DE HOFTOT--_Az., a cross
patée erm. between four roses erm._
CHEVRONS.--Sir G. ROSSEL--_Or, a chevron az., between three roses gu._
Sir J. DE CRETINGE--_Arg., a chevron between three mullets gu._ Sir R.
MALET--_Sa., a chevron between three buckles arg._ Sir T. DE
ANVERS--_Gu., a chevron between three mullets or_. Sir WM. DE
BERKEROLES--_Az., a chevron between three crescents or_. Sir W.
BLUET--_Or, a chevron between three eagles vert_. Sir R. DE
CAPLE--_Arg., a chevron gu. between three torteaux_. Sir T. MALET--_Sa.,
a chevron between three buckles arg._ Sir R. DE PEYVRE--_Arg., on a
chevron az. three fleurs de lys or_, No. 125. Sir R. DE
BOTERELS--_Chequée or and gu., on a chevron az. three horseshoes arg._
[Illustration: No. 373.--At St. Albans.]
LIONS.--The Earl of LINCOLN--_Or, a lion rampt. purp._, No. 194. The
Earl of ARUNDEL--_Gu., a lion rampt. or_. Sir HENRY DE PERCY--_Or,
a lion rampt. az._, No. 196. Sir JOHN MOWBRAY--_Gu., a lion rampt.
arg._, No. 193. Sir R. DE SOTTONE (Sutton)--_Or, a lion rampt. vert_.
Sir J. DE NORTONE--_Vert, a lion rampt. or_. Sir W. FAUCONBERG--_Arg.,
a lion rampt. az._ Sir G. DE HAUTVILLE--_Sa., crusilée, a lion rampt.
arg._ Sir ---- DE MOUNTFORT--_Arg., crusilée gu., a lion rampt. az._ Sir
WM. MAUFEE--_Arg., semée of escallops gu., a lion rampt. sa._ Sir J. DE
CREPPINGE--_Gu., billetée or, a lion rampt. arg._ Sir R. DE
ASSCHEBY--_Arg., a lion rampt. sa. billetée or_. Sir J. DE
DEYVILLE--_Gu., semée de lys, a lion rampt. arg._ _Arg., within a
bordure gu. bezantée, a lion rampt. sa._, for Sir T. DE PICKERING; and,
_Arg., within an orle of roses gu., a lion rampt. sa._, for Sir R.
PIERPOUND, both apparently founded on the shield of the Earl of
CORNWALL, No. 140, which also is blazoned in this Roll. Sir J. LE
STRANGE--_Gu., two lions pass. arg._, No. 191. Sir J. DE SOMERI--_Or,
two lions pass. az._ Sir R. DE ST. WALY--_Or, two lions pass. gu._ Sir
N. CARRU (Carew)--_Or, three lions pass. sa._ Sir J. GIFFARD--_Gu.,
three lions pass. arg._, No. 192. Sir R. LE FITZ PAYN--_Gu., three lions
pass. arg., over all a bendlet az._ Sir G. DE CANVYLE--_Az., three lions
pass arg._ In the beautiful chantry of Abbot THOMAS RAMRYGE, at St.
Albans, one of the large sculptured Shields is charged with a lion
rampant within what may be considered to be an _orle of roses_--the
arms, as I have just shown, assigned in the Roll of EDWARD II. to Sir R.
PIERPOUND. This Shield, carefully drawn by the engraver himself from the
original in the Abbey Church of St. Alban, is represented in No. 373.
AUGMENTATION, or AUGMENTATION OF HONOUR, is a term employed to denote an
addition to a Shield of arms, specially granted by the Sovereign to
commemorate some worthy or illustrious deed, and forming an integral
element of the Shield as an hereditary bearing. Such additions will be
found marshalled in the forms of Chiefs and Inescutcheons as Cantons, or
as Quarterings; or they may assume the character of additional charges.
Also, this same term denotes similar additions of Crests, Badges, or any
other accessories of Shields.
The Augmentation displayed upon the Ducal Shield of WELLINGTON, a most
honourable exception to the prevailing degenerate heraldic feeling of
the period in which it was granted to the Great Duke, in characteristic
and expressive qualities is second to no other example of its own class
and order. This true Augmentation of Honour is the _National Device of
the British Empire_, as it is blazoned in the “Union Jack,” charged upon
an inescutcheon, and displayed upon the honour point of the Duke’s
paternal Shield.
An equally significant Augmentation of an earlier date is borne in the
Arms of HOWARD. These Arms before the battle of Flodden were--_Gu.,
a bend between six crosses crosslets fitchée arg._ To commemorate the
great victory won by him at Flodden Field, Sept. 9, 1513, when JAMES IV.
of Scotland was defeated and slain, HENRY VIII. granted to THOMAS
HOWARD, Duke of Norfolk, and to his descendants, as an Augmentation of
Honour, the _Royal Shield of Scotland_ (No. 138), _but having a
demi-lion only, which is pierced through the mouth with an arrow_, to be
borne in the middle of the bend of his proper arms. This Shield is
represented in No. 374; and in No. 374A the augmentation is shown on a
larger scale.
[Illustration: No. 374.--Howard, after Flodden.]
[Illustration: No. 374A.--The Howard Augmentation.]
A small group of additional examples will be sufficient to illustrate
this most interesting class of historical Arms, and at the same time
will not fail to excite in students a desire very considerably to extend
the series through their own inquiries and researches. In memory of the
devoted courage and all-important services of JANE LANE, after the
disastrous battle of Worcester, CHARLES II. granted as an Augmentation a
_Canton of England_ (No. 187 marshalled on a canton), to be added to the
hereditary Coat of Lane, which is--_Per fesse or and az., a chevron gu.
between three mullets counterchanged_. The Crest of the family of DE LA
BERE is said to have been conferred by the BLACK PRINCE upon SIR RICHARD
DE LA BERE, as a memorial of the good service rendered by that gallant
knight on the memorable field of Cressi. This Crest is--_Out of a
crest-coronet a plume of five ostrich feathers per pale arg. and az._,
the Plantagenet colours--the device (as Mr. LOWER observes) being
evidently derived from the Prince’s own Badge, and also forming a
variety of the “panache,” the Crest then held in such high estimation.
The heart charged upon the shield of DOUGLAS (see Nos. 156, 157, p. 74)
is another remarkable Augmentation. So also is the adoption of the
armorial insignia of the CONFESSOR, No. 2, by RICHARD II., and his
marshalling it upon his own Royal Shield, impaled to the dexter with the
quartered arms of France and England.
English Heraldry has been required to recognise another and a perfectly
distinct class of “Augmentations,” which consist of additions to the
blazonry of a Shield or of additional quarterings or accessories,
granted as tokens of Royal favour, for heraldic display, but without any
particular “merit” in the receiver, or any special historical
significance in themselves. Augmentations of this order may be
considered to have been first introduced by RICHARD II., when he
granted, “out of his mere grace,” to his favourite ROBERT DE VERE, Earl
of OXFORD, Marquess of DUBLIN and Duke of IRELAND, a differenced Coat of
ST. EDMUND (No. 3)--_Az., three crowns or, within a bordure argent_, to
be quartered with the DE VERE arms as the arms of IRELAND. In the same
spirit, RICHARD II. granted, as similar Augmentations, the arms of the
CONFESSOR to be marshalled, with Differences, on their Shields by THOMAS
and JOHN HOLLAND, Dukes of SURREY and EXETER, and by THOMAS MOWBRAY,
Duke of NORFOLK. It will be remembered that it was one of the capital
charges against the then Earl of SURREY, a lineal descendant of this
THOMAS MOWBRAY, the Duke of NORFOLK, in 1546, that he had assumed,
without the special licence of HENRY VIII., the same arms of the
CONFESSOR as an augmentation.
By EDWARD IV. similar augmentations, “by grace” and not “for merit,”
were granted; and by HENRY VIII. the system was carried to excess in the
grants made to augment the armorial blazonry of ANNE BOLEYN, and of his
English consorts, her successors.
ABATEMENT is a term which was unknown until it made its appearance in
certain heraldic writings of the sixteenth century, when it was used to
denote such marks or devices as, by the writers in question, were held
to be the reverse of honourable Augmentation--_Augmentations of
dishonour_ indeed, and tokens of degradation. True Heraldry refuses to
recognise all such pretended abatements, for the simple reason that they
never did exist, and if they could exist at all, they would be in direct
antagonism to its nature, its principles, and its entire course of
action. Honourable itself, Heraldry can give expression only to what
conveys honour, and it records and commemorates only what is to be
honoured and held in esteem.
The very idea of an heraldic Abatement implies, if not a complete
ignorance, certainly a thorough misconception of the character and the
office of Heraldry. Even if Heraldry were to attempt to stigmatise what
is, and what ought to be esteemed, dishonourable, who would voluntarily
accept insignia of disgrace, and charge and display them upon his
Shield, and transmit them to his descendants? And the believers in
Abatement must hold that Heraldry can exert a compulsory legislative
power, which might command a man to blazon his own disgrace, and force
him to exhibit and to retain, and also to bequeath, any such blazonry.
A belief in heraldic Abatement, however, is by no means singular or
rare. A curious example of its existence was recently brought under my
notice, in connection with one of the most renowned of the historical
devices of English Heraldry. The _bear_, the badge of the BEAUCHAMPS,
Earls of WARWICK, which appears at the feet of the effigy of Earl
RICHARD in the Beauchamp chapel at Warwick, in accordance with a special
provision to that effect, is “_muzzled_”; and, wearing a muzzle has this
bear been borne, as their Badge, by the successors of the BEAUCHAMPS in
the Warwick Earldom, the Earls of the houses of NEVILLE, DUDLEY, RICH,
and GREVILLE. But, it would seem that a legend has found credence at
Warwick Castle itself, which would associate the muzzle of the bear with
some dishonourable action of an Earl of the olden time; and,
consequently, it was proposed that at length this Abatement should be
removed from the bears still at Warwick! Earl RICHARD DE BEAUCHAMP was
not exactly the man to have displayed upon _his_ bear any ensign of
dishonour; nor were his son-in-law, the “King-maker,” and Queen
ELIZABETH’S ROBERT DUDLEY, at all more probable subjects for any similar
display; still, it is quite certain that they bore the muzzled bear, as
he appears on the seal of the great Earl, No. 448.[7] That muzzle,
doubtless, has its becoming heraldic significance, without in the
slightest degree partaking in the assumed character of an Abatement.
I hope eventually to be able to trace out conclusively what the muzzle
may really imply, and I commend the research to other inquirers:
meanwhile, neither at Warwick nor elsewhere is there any such thing as
“Abatement” in English Heraldry.
[Footnote 7: See Frontispiece.]
CHAPTER XIV
CRESTS
“On high their glittering crests they toss.” --LORD OF THE ISLES.
“Then he bound
Her token on his helmet.” --ELAINE.
The idea of a CREST, of some accessory specially designed to form its
crowning adornment, appears inseparable from the existence and use of a
Helm. The Warriors and Warrior Divinities of classic antiquity are
represented to us, wearing head-pieces richly crested: and, in the
Middle Ages, had no other Heraldry ever been devised, assuredly
ornaments of some kind would have been placed on helms and basinets, and
these insignia would have been held in high esteem and honour.
Accordingly, about the time that Coat-Armour became hereditary, having
been reduced to a system and accepted as an independent science,
heraldic Crests began to be worn as honourable distinctions of the most
exalted dignity by the mediæval chivalry.
[Illustration: No. 375.--Richard I.]
[Illustration: No. 376.--Henry de Perci.]
[Illustration: No. 377.--Henry de Laci.]
[Illustration: No. 378.--Seal of Alexander de Balliol, A.D. 1292.]
Upon the Second Great Seal of RICHARD I. the cylindrical helm of the
King appears surmounted by a kind of cap or fan charged with a lion
passant, the whole being arched over by a radiated ornament somewhat
resembling a displayed fan, as in No. 375. Similar Crests, somewhat
modified in their details, are represented in other seals of the same
era, and with them the flowing Contoise or Scarf is sometimes
associated, as in No. 376, from the seal of Baron HENRY DE PERCI, A.D.
1300. Similar ornaments were also placed by the knights of those ages
upon the heads of their chargers. The seal of HENRY DE LACI, Earl of
LINCOLN, A.D. 1272, shows the Fan-Crest both upon the helm of the Earl,
No. 377, and the head of his war-horse. Another equally characteristic
example is the Seal of ALEXANDER DE BALLIOL, No. 378, appended to the
“General Release” given by JOHN BALLIOL to EDWARD I., 2nd January, 1292:
it will be observed that this knight displays the arms of his house, No.
134, upon his Shield, and also, in addition to the Fan-Crest, upon the
barding of his charger. Again I am indebted to the kindness and
liberality of Mr. Laing for the use of his admirable woodcut of this
fine and interesting seal.
[Illustration: No. 379.--Helm of Thomas, second Earl of Lancaster.]
The flowing Contoise continued to be attached to helms till about the
middle of the fourteenth century; unless, indeed, some veritable “lady’s
favour” were worn in its stead by knights favoured as was Sir LAUNCELOT,
who, on a memorable day,--
“Wore, against his wont, upon his helm
A sleeve of scarlet, broidered with great pearls,
Some gentle maiden’s gift.”
[Illustration: No. 380.--Helm and Crest of Sir Geoffrey Luterell:
A.D. 1345.]
[Illustration: No. 381.--Seal of Sir Robert de Marny, A.D. 1366.]
The seal of THOMAS, second Earl of LANCASTER, about A.D. 1320, gives an
excellent example both of such figures as were beginning at that early
time to supersede the Fan-Crests, and also of the Contoise; No. 379.
About this same period the fashion was introduced of fixing two tall
spikes, one on each side of the Crest, upon the helm, probably intended
in the first instance to display the contoise. These singular spikes may
have been derived by the English Heralds from their brethren of Germany,
who delighted, as they still delight, in placing upon helms as Crests,
or as the accessories of Crests, small banners displayed from staves set
erect and surmounted by spear-heads. In German Heraldry also Crests are
very frequently placed between tall upright horns or trumpets: and,
sometimes, upon a German helm the Crest stands between horns shaped like
two elephant’s trunks (for which they have often been mistaken by
English Heralds), placed in the same erect position, and, like the
trumpets, so adjusted as to have the general aspect of the curved
outline of a classic lyre. The helm of Sir GEOFFREY LUTERELL, A.D. 1345,
No. 380, drawn from a celebrated illumination, between the tall spikes
has a late example of the Fan-Crest; and it exemplifies the practice
sometimes adopted of charging armorial insignia upon Crests of this fan
form. The Arms of Luterell--_Or, a bend and six martlets sa._--were
borne by Sir GEOFFREY thus differenced (E. 2)--_Az., a bend and six
martlets arg._ A pair of lofty upright wings were held in much esteem in
the Heraldry of both England and Scotland, to form the accessories of
Crests. The Seal of Sir ROBERT DE MARNY, A.D. 1366, No. 381, shows his
armorial shield--_Gu., a lion rampant arg._, suspended from a tree,
between two crested helms, the crest in both cases being a _winged
chapeau_, having the wings very tall and very slender.
From the earliest times, Crests have occasionally been identical with
the principal charge in the Shield of Arms, or they have repeated the
principal charge with some slight modification of attitude or accessory:
but, more generally, Crests have been altogether distinct. The Dragon
and the Wyvern, the latter well exemplified in No. 315, are amongst the
earliest figures that were borne as Crests in England. Other early
Figure-Crests are the Lion, crowned and assumed for the first time by an
English Sovereign by EDWARD III.; and the Eagle, borne by the same
Prince. Various devices and figures are found gradually to have been
added to these earliest Crests. The graceful and peculiarly appropriate
_Panache_ soon joined them, with the heads of various animals and other
creatures: and, as the fourteenth century advances, the _Crest-Coronet_,
No. 232, the _Crest-Wreath_, No. 233, and the _Chapeau_, No. 224, assume
their places in connection with Crests; and the _Mantling_ falls in rich
folds from them, covering the back of the Helm. In the succeeding
century, with Helms less dignified in form, but more elaborately
enriched, and with strangely fantastic Mantlings, Crests become
considerably larger in their proportions; and they often are extravagant
in their character, devices constantly being assumed and borne as
Crests, which are no less inconsistent with true heraldic feeling, than
with the peculiar conditions and the proper qualities of true heraldic
Crests. The Crest of the Duke of HAMILTON, No. 301, is far from being
one of the most inconsistent devices that were intended to be worn upon
helms. And, as it is scarcely necessary for me to add, every really
consistent Crest should be such a figure or device as might be actually
worn upon his helm, by a mediæval knight, with dignity and with a happy
effect.
[Illustration: No. 382.--Seal of William de Wyndesor.]
Early examples of Panache-Crests exist in considerable numbers, and they
show much variety of treatment. No. 285, already given at page 142,
shows a Panache of several heights of feathers, the general outline
having an oval contour. In No. 283, from the Seal of EDWARD DE
COURTENAY, Earl of DEVON, A.D. 1372, there are three heights of
feathers, and the outline has a square form. Again, the Seal of WILLIAM
LE LATIMER, A.D. 1415, gives the peculiar Panache, with the no less
peculiar variety of mantling, shown in No. 284. A Panache of ample
proportions, and of exceedingly graceful form, is represented in the
Seal of WILLIAM DE WYNDESOR, A.D. 1381. The comparatively small size of
the armorial Shield, as it generally appears when introduced into the
composition of Seals in the fourteenth century, is shown in a striking
manner in this same example, No. 382, which in the woodcut is slightly
enlarged, in order to show the device more clearly: the arms are--_Gu.,
a saltire or_. Other fine examples of Panache-Crests may be seen in the
effigies of Sir RICHARD DE PEMBRIDGE, K.G., A.D. 1375, in Hereford
Cathedral; of Sir ROBERT DE MARMION, A.D. 1400, at Tanfield, Yorkshire;
and of Sir THOMAS ARDERNE, about the same date, at Elford, in
Staffordshire. The very fine effigy of Sir EDWARD DE THORPE, A.D. 1418,
at Ashwelthorpe, in Norfolk, has a helm of rare beauty of form, with a
rich mantling, and a most graceful Panache of peacock’s feathers; and
peacock’s feathers also form the Panache of Lord FERRERS of CHARTLEY, in
his Brass, A.D. 1425, at Merevale, in Warwickshire. And, once more, upon
the Seal of THOMAS DE HATFIELD, Bishop of Durham, A.D. 1345, the Panache
rises from the episcopal mitre, after the same manner as it does in No.
383 from a Coronet.
[Illustration: No. 383.--Crest of Sir Richard Grey, K.G., A.D. 1420.]
Another episcopal Seal, that of Bishop HENRY LE DESPENCER, No. 351,
shows a Shield of small size when compared with the helm and crest, the
latter being the favourite device of a gryphon’s head between two tall
upright wings. The Seals of the FITZALANS, Earls of Arundel, and the
Seal of JOHN TIPTOFT, Earl of Worcester, may be specified as displaying
fine examples of the same Crest. With them may be grouped the Crest of
Sir RICHARD GREY, K.G., Lord Grey of Codnor, A.D. 1420--_A peacock’s
head and neck, between two wings erect, the feathers az., and their
pens_ (quills) _arg._, No. 383, from the Garter-plate at Windsor. This
Crest rises from such a Crest-Coronet as was borne on their helms by
noblemen in the time of HENRY V.
The use of the _Chapeau_, or Cap of Estate, instead of a Crest-Coronet,
to support a Crest upon a helm, I have already illustrated with Nos. 198
and 199, severally the Lion-Crests of the BLACK PRINCE and of his son
RICHARD II. Like No. 199, No. 384 is from one of the unrivalled series
of helms sculptured in Westminster Hall, with the Crest and
Ostrich-feather Badge of King RICHARD II. In both of these examples the
adjustment of the _Mantling_ is shown. Two famous Lion-Crests are those
borne by the great families of HOWARD and PERCY, severally Dukes of
Norfolk and Northumberland. The HOWARD lion, originally granted by
RICHARD II. to THOMAS MOWBRAY, Earl Marshal, and now borne by the Duke
of NORFOLK, is _a lion statant guardant, his tail extended or, and
ducally gorged arg._: the PERCY lion is _statant, his tail extended or_:
each lion stands upon a chapeau. The Lion-Crest of the BLACK PRINCE,
being charged with the _silver Label_ (which he may be said to wear
after the fashion of a collar), exemplifies the prevailing practice of
_differencing Crests with marks of Cadency_. Crests admit every variety
of Difference: and Mantlings also are frequently differenced with small
charges, or with badges; as in the Garter-plate of Sir JOHN BEAUMONT,
K.G., and in the Brass at Little Easton, Essex, to Sir HENRY BOURCHIER,
K.G., Earl of ESSEX.
[Illustration: No. 384.--Helm, Crest, Mantling,
and Badge of Richard II., from Westminster Hall.]
The _Crest-Wreath_ first appears about the middle of the fourteenth
century. The earliest example to which I can refer is represented in the
Brass to Sir HUGH HASTINGS, at Elsyng, in Norfolk, A.D. 1347. In this
most remarkable engraven memorial, the finial of the principal canopy is
surmounted by a helm with mantling, wreath, and the crest of
HASTINGS--_a bull’s head sable_; No. 385. In the effigy of Sir R. DE
PEMBRIDGE, K.G., already noticed, the date of which is 1375, the crest
is united to the great helm that supports the head of the knight by a
wreath formed of a band of four-leaved flowers. A little later, A.D.
1384, at Southacre, in Norfolk, the Brass of Sir JOHN HARSYCK has a
Crest-Wreath formed of two rolls, probably of silk, twisted as in No.
386. In the second half of the next century, amongst many good examples
of Crest-Wreaths I select as typical specimens those which appear in the
Brasses to Sir WILLIAM VERNON, A.D. 1467, at Tong, in Shropshire, No.
386; and to Sir ROBERT HARCOURT, K.G., No. 387, at Staunton Harcourt,
Oxfordshire.
[Illustration: No. 385.--Crested Helm of Sir Hugh Hastings;
A.D. 1347.]
[Illustration: No. 386, 387, and 388.--Crest-Wreaths.]
The Crest-Wreath in the form shown in the last examples, and now almost
universally used in representations of such Crests as are without the
Crest-Coronet and the Chapeau, may fairly be considered to have been
derived from the rich ornamentation, generally, as it would seem, formed
of costly textile fabrics, if not executed in jewelled or enamelled
goldsmith’s work, that was frequently wreathed about knightly basinets.
These wreath-like ornaments are represented in numerous effigies both
sculptured and engraven; and they are shown to have been worn either
flat, as in No. 388, or wrought to high relief, as in No. 389. These two
examples are severally from the effigies of a knight in Tewkesbury Abbey
Church, about A.D. 1365, and of Sir HUMPHREY STAFFORD, A.D. 1450, at
Bromsgrove, in Worcestershire. The enamelled effigy of Earl WILLIAM DE
VALANECE, A.D. 1296, at Westminster, has a wreath of delicate
workmanship in relief, which once was set with real or imitative jewels.
For many years after their first appearance, heraldic Crests were
regarded as insignia of great dignity and exalted estate; and it was not
till a considerably later period that the right to bear a Crest came to
be regarded as an adjunct of the right to bear arms. Still later, when
they were granted with Coat-Armour to corporate bodies, communities, and
institutions, Crests altogether lost their original significance; and
they became, in their use, Badges in everything except the habit of
placing them, with their accessories of Wreath or Crest-Coronet, of
Chapeau and Mantling, upon representations of helms.
[Illustration: No. 389.--Basinet with Crest-Wreath,
Effigy of Sir Humphrey Stafford, A.D. 1450.]
When they were actually worn, Crests were undoubtedly constructed of
some very light materials. It is probable that _cuir bouilli_ (boiled
leather), the decorative capabilities of which were so well understood
by mediæval artists, was generally employed.
It has been sometimes held that Crests are personal bearings only; and,
therefore, not hereditary, though capable of being bequeathed or granted
by their possessors. This theory is not sustained by early or general
usage; and, accordingly, Crests must be pronounced to be hereditary, as
is Coat-Armour.
It is evident that as one person may inherit, and therefore may quarter,
two or more Coats of Arms, so the same person might claim to bear _two
or more Crests_ by a similar right of inheritance. This in early times
resulted in selection because no early British precedent exists for the
simultaneous display of _two_ Crests. But it was soon recognised that as
no woman could bear a Crest, she ought not to transmit one, and the idea
of the inheritance of the Crest with a quartering from a female
ancestress ceased. At the present day, several Crests, each with its own
helm and mantling, are occasionally represented above a Shield of arms:
but, in England, by strict heraldic rule, two (or more than two) Crests
can be borne by one individual, only when he has obtained the Royal
licence to bear and use the _Surname and Arms_ of another family _in
addition_ to those of his own family, or, by a special grant from the
Crown.
CHAPTER XV
BADGES
“Might I but know thee by thy household Badge!”
--SHAKESPEARE, _Henry VI._, _Part 2_.
A BADGE, like a Coat of Arms, is an armorial ensign that is complete in
itself, and possesses a definite signification of its own. In use with a
decided heraldic significance long before the adoption of systematic
Heraldry, Badges have always held a conspicuous position in the
estimation of Heralds. A Badge resembles any single charge in Heraldry,
in being a figure or device that is assumed as the distinctive
cognisance of a particular individual or family: but, unlike a charge,
it may be borne by itself, without any Shield, and also without any
accompanying accessory, with the exception, in some instances, of a
_Motto_ (See “Motto,” p. 138). Badges, however, are found depicted on
roundels of the livery, and upon Standards, and for decorative purposes
are often depicted upon mantlings. It will be evident that a Badge may
be the very same figure or device as a Crest; but, it must be remembered
that a Badge always differs from a Crest, in usually being altogether
without crest-wreath or coronet, in consequence of having no connection
whatever with the knightly helm. There was, however, a period in which
the Badge was much confused with the Crest, which has resulted in many
devices which are really Crests being officially recorded as Badges.
After the establishment of a true Heraldry, Badges were generally used
to commemorate remarkable exploits, or in reference either to some
family or feudal alliance, or to indicate some territorial rights or
pretensions. Very many Badges are allusive, and consequently they are
_Rebuses_ (see “Rebus,” p. 146). Some are taken from the charges of the
bearer’s Shield, or they have a more or less direct reference to those
charges. Some trace of Marshalling or of feudal Difference may
constantly be observed in Badges; and even where the motive for the
selection of certain devices has not been discovered, it may fairly be
assumed that a good heraldic motive still exists, although it has become
obscured or been forgotten. It was not uncommon for the same personage
or family to use more than one Badge; and, on the other hand, two or
more Badges were often borne in combination, to form a single compound
device, as in Nos. 235 and 270. The _ragged staff_, in like manner, No.
294, and the _bear_, both of them Badges of the BEAUCHAMPS, Earls of
WARWICK, were sometimes united to form a single Badge, and by the
successors of that great family the “bear and ragged staff” were
generally borne as a single device. (See No. 448, and p. 319.)
Two distinct classes of Badges were in general use in the fourteenth,
fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. Those of the first class, well known
as the insignia of certain eminent personages and powerful houses, were
borne by all the followers, retainers, dependants, and partisans of
those personages and houses: and they were so borne by them, and they
were used by their owners for every variety of decorative purpose,
because they were _known and understood_; and, consequently, because the
presence of these Badges would cause all persons and objects bearing
them to be readily and certainly distinguished. By means of these most
useful devices a wide and comprehensive range was given to the action
and the influence of true Heraldry, without infringing in the slightest
degree upon the lofty and almost sacred exclusiveness of the Coat-Armour
of a noble or a gentle house. In the words which SHAKESPEARE teaches
CLIFFORD to address to WARWICK, “Might I but know thee by thy household
Badge!” it is implied that all the followers of Warwick were well known
by his “household Badge,” which was displayed by them all, while some
other insignia were worn by the great Earl upon his own person.
Mr. Lower has remarked (“Curiosities of Heraldry,” p. 145) that
“something analogous to the fashion” of embroidering the household
Badges of their lords “upon the sleeves or breasts” of the dependants of
great families in the olden times, “is retained in the Crest which
adorns the buttons of our domestic servants.” The accomplished writer
might have added that, in thus employing _Crests_ to discharge
_Badge_-duties, we are content to indulge a love for heraldic display
without observing becoming heraldic distinctions. Crested livery buttons
are heraldic anomalies under all circumstances--even the head of a house
himself, if he were a Herald, would not display his Crest, as a Crest,
upon buttons to be used exclusively by himself. Crests are to be borne
on helms, or represented as being borne on helms: Badges are decorative
insignia, and fulfil with consistent significance their own distinct and
appropriate functions.
Badges of the second class were devices that were borne exclusively by
the exalted personages who were pleased to assume them, often for
temporary use only, and generally with some subtle or latent
significance, which had been studiously rendered difficult to be
detected, and dubious in its application.
These Badges, thus displayed rather to effect disguise or to excite
curiosity than to secure recognition, must be regarded for the most part
as the expressions of heraldic revelry--as the fantasies and
eccentricities of an age, which loved to combine quaint conceits and
symbolical allusions with the display of gorgeous magnificence.
Accordingly, Badges of this order are found generally to have been
assumed on the occasion of the jousts or Hastiludes, the masques, and
other pageants that in feudal times were celebrated with so much of
elaborate and brilliant splendour.
The adoption of Badges of this peculiar character is exactly in keeping
with the sentiment which prompted men of exalted rank and eminent
distinction to appear in public, on occasions of high festivity, bearing
the arms of some friend, kinsman, or ally, instead of their own. A mark
of especial favour and of peculiar distinction would be conferred, when
a Sovereign or a Prince thus would display upon his own person the
armory of some honoured subject or comrade. EDWARD III. delighted thus
to honour the most distinguished cavaliers of his chivalrous Court. For
example, in or about the year 1347, royal Hastiludes were celebrated at
Lichfield with great splendour, the jousters consisting of the KING and
seventeen Knights, and the Earl of LANCASTER and thirteen Knights.
A conspicuous part was taken in these festivities by the King’s daughter
ISABELLE, afterwards Countess of BEDFORD, and by six Ladies of high
rank, with twenty-one other Ladies, who all wore blue dresses and white
hoods of the same materials as well as the same colours as the robes of
the Knights, together with various masks or vizors. On this occasion,
the KING himself over his armour wore a surcoat with the Arms of Sir
THOMAS DE BRADESTONE. These Arms in a Roll of EDWARD III. are blazoned
as--_Arg., on a canton gu. a rose or_ (see _Archæologia_, xxxi., pp. 40
and 118). On another occasion, during Hastiludes at Canterbury,
EDWARD III. “is said to have given eight harnesses, worked with the arms
of Sir STEPHEN DE COSYNTON (_az., three roses arg._), to the PRINCE OF
WALES, the Earl of LANCASTER, and six other Knights.” In the same
spirit, RICHARD DE BEAUCHAMP, Earl of WARWICK, at a great festival of
arms held at Calais under his presidency, on the first day entered the
lists decorated with the arms of his ancestor the Lord TONEY: on the
second day, he wore the arms of Hanslap: and, on the third day, “he
appeared as the Earl of WARWICK, quartering Beauchamp, Guy, Hanslap, and
Toney, on his trappings; his vizor open, and the chaplet on his helm
enriched with pearls and precious stones.” In such times, Badges of
curious device and occult signification could not fail to enjoy a
popularity, not the less decided because of the restricted use and
exclusive character of the Badges themselves.
[Illustration: No. 390.--Secretum of Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick;
A.D. 1296.]
[Illustration: No. 391.--Seal of Sir Walter de Hungerford, K.G.;
A.D. 1425.]
EXAMPLES OF BADGES, such as are distinctive, and consequently of the
class that I have first described. The Badges of PERCY are a _silver
crescent_ and a _double manacle_: of HOWARD, a _white lion_: PELHAM, _a
buckle_: DOUGLAS, a _red heart_: SCROPE, a _Cornish chough_: CLINTON,
a _golden mullet_: TALBOT, a _hound_: BOHUN, a _white swan_: HUNGERFORD,
a _sickle_: PEVEREL, a _garb_: STOURTON, a _golden “drag” or sledge_.
The various “Knots,” described and illustrated in Chapter X., Nos. 219,
235, 263, 270, 274, 304, and 313, are Badges. The _bear and ragged
staff_ of the BEAUCHAMPS, and, after them, of the NEVILLES and DUDLEYS,
I have already noticed. Seals frequently have Badges introduced upon
them, in very early times, by themselves, the Badge in each case
constituting the device of the Seal (see p. 193). The Secretum or
private Seal of ROBERT BRUCE, Earl of CARRICK, the father of the King,
appended to the homage-deed extorted by EDWARD I. from the Scottish
nobles, is a good example, No. 390: this is another of Mr. Laing’s
beautiful woodcuts. Badges also constantly appear upon Seals in
association with Shields of arms. Thus, a Seal of one of the BERKELEYS,
A.D. 1430, has a mermaid on each side of an armorial shield. Two other
examples of this kind I have already given: No. 318, the Seal of JOAN DE
BARRE, which is charged with the _castle_ and _lion_ of Castile and
Leon, as Badges: and No. 321, the Seal of OLIVER DE BOHUN, charged,
about the Shield, with the Bohun _Swan_. On his Seal, No. 391, Sir
WALTER DE HUNGERFORD, K.G., Lord of HEYTESBURY and HOMET (the latter a
Norman barony), displays his own Badge, the _sickle_, in happy alliance
with the _garb_ of Peverel (borne by him in right of his wife,
CATHERINE, daughter and co-heir of THOMAS PEVEREL), to form his Crest.
The Crest, it will be observed, in No. 391, is _a garb between two
sickles_. The Shield of Hungerford only--_sa. two bars arg., and in
chief three plates_, is also placed between _two sickles_. Two banners,
denoting important alliances, complete the Heraldry of this remarkable
composition: the banner to the dexter, for Heytesbury, bears--_per pale
indented gu. and vert., a chevron or_; and that to the sinister, for
Hussy--_barry of six erm. and gu._ Lord HUNGERFORD died in 1449, and was
succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Sir ROBERT DE HUNGERFORD. The
Seal of this Sir Robert, used by him during the lifetime of his father,
precisely the same in its heraldic composition as his father’s Seal, is
remarkable from having _each of its four sickles differenced with an
ermine-spot upon the blade_, to mark Cadency; and also, with the same
motive, it shows that a label of three points was charged upon the
Shield, and upon each of the two banners; No. 392.
[Illustration: No. 392.--Seal of Sir Robert de Hungerford:
before A.D. 1449.]
Through an alliance with the Hungerfords, _sickles_ were borne, as one
of their Badges, by the great family of COURTENAY. They appear, with a
_dolphin_, a _tau cross_, and this same _tau-cross_ having _a bell_
attached to it, as in No. 393, sculptured on the fine heraldic
chimney-piece, the work of Bishop PETER DE COURTENAY (died in 1492), now
in the hall of the Episcopal Palace at Exeter.
The BADGES of our early Heraldry are comparatively but little
understood. They invite the particular attention of students, both from
their own special interest, and the light they are qualified to throw
upon the personal history of the English people, and also from their
peculiar applicability for use by ourselves at the present day. Indeed,
at this time, when the revival of true Heraldry is in the act of being
accomplished with complete success, it appears to be peculiarly
desirable that Badges should be brought into general use. It is not
enough for us to revive our old English Heraldry as once in the olden
time it flourished in England, and to rest content with such a revival:
but we must go on to adapt our revived Heraldry, in its own spirit and
in full sympathy with its genuine feeling, to conditions of our age and
of the state of things now in existence. And very much may be done to
effect this by the adoption of Badges, as our favourite and most
expressive heraldic insignia, both in connection with Coat-Armour and
for independent display. Unlike Crests, which must necessarily be
associated with helms and the wearers of helms, and consequently have
both a military and a mediæval character, Badges are equally appropriate
for use by Ladies, as well as by men of every profession, and they
belong alike to every age and period. This has been recognised
officially, to the extent that the officers of arms have now reverted to
the ancient practice of granting and confirming badges and Standards.
[Illustration: No. 393.--A Courtenay Badge, at Exeter.]
ROYAL BADGES.--I conclude this chapter with a concise list of the more
important of the Badges that have been borne by the Sovereigns and
Princes of England; and with some general remarks upon the famous Badge
of the _Ostrich Feathers_, now considered to be exclusively the Ensign
of the PRINCES OF WALES, not as such, but as the heirs-apparent to the
Throne.
The _Planta-genista_, or Broom-plant, No. 21, is well known as an
English Royal Badge, from the surname derived from it for one of the
most remarkable of the Royal Houses that ever have flourished in Europe.
As well known are the _Rose_, _Thistle_, and _Shamrock_, severally the
Badges of the three realms of the United Kingdom of ENGLAND, SCOTLAND,
and IRELAND. A _golden Rose stalked proper_ was a badge of EDWARD I.:
and from it apparently were derived, but by what process it is unknown,
the _White Rose_ of YORK, the _Red Rose_ of LANCASTER, and the _White
and Red Rose_ of the House of TUDOR.
WILLIAM RUFUS: _A Flower of five foils._
HENRY I.: _A Flower of eight foils._
STEPHEN: _A Flower of seven foils: a Sagittarius._
HENRY II.: _The Planta-genista: an Escarbuncle: a Sword and
Olive-Branch._
RICHARD I.: _A Star of thirteen rays and a Crescent: a Star issuing from
a Crescent: a Mailed Arm grasping a broken Lance, with the
Motto--“Christo Duce.”_
JOHN and HENRY III.: _A Star issuing from a Crescent._
EDWARD I.: _An heraldic Rose or, stalked ppr._
EDWARD II.: _A Castle of Castile._
EDWARD III.: _A Fleur de lys: a Sword: a Falcon: a Gryphon: the Stock of
a Tree: Rays issuing from a Cloud._
RICHARD II.: _A White Hart lodged: the Stock of a Tree: A White Falcon:
the Sun in splendour: the Sun clouded._
HENRY IV.: _The Cypher SS: a crowned Eagle: an Eagle displayed: a White
Swan: A Red Rose: a Columbine Flower: A Fox’s Tail: a crowned Panther:
the Stock of a Tree: a Crescent._ His QUEEN, JOAN OF NAVARRE: _An
Ermine_, or _Gennet_.
HENRY V.: _A Fire-beacon: a White Swan gorged and chained: a chained
Antelope._
HENRY VI.: _Two Ostrich Feathers in Saltire: a chained Antelope:
a Panther._
EDWARD IV.: _A White Rose en Soleil: a White Wolf and White Lion:
a White Hart: a Black Dragon and Black Bull: a Falcon and Fetter-lock:
the Sun in splendour._
HENRY VII.: _A Rose of York and Lancaster, a Portcullis and a Fleur de
lys, all of them crowned: a Red Dragon: a White Greyhound: a Hawthorn
Bush and Crown, with the cypher_ H.R.
HENRY VIII.: The same, without the Hawthorn Bush, and with a _White
Cock_. His QUEENS: CATHERINE OF ARAGON--_A Rose, Pomegranate, and Sheaf
of Arrows._ ANNE BOLEYN--_A Crowned Falcon, holding a Sceptre._ JANE
SEYMOUR--_A Phœnix rising from a Castle, between Two Tudor Roses._
CATHERINE PARR--_A Maiden’s Head crowned, rising from a large Tudor
Rose._
EDWARD VI.: _A Tudor Rose: the Sun in splendour._
MARY: _A Tudor Rose impaling a Pomegranate_--also _impaling a Sheaf of
Arrows, ensigned with a Crown, and surrounded with rays: a Pomegranate._
ELIZABETH: _A Tudor Rose_ with the motto, “_Rosa sine Spinâ_” (a Rose
without a Thorn): _a Crowned Falcon and Sceptre._ She used as her own
motto--“_Semper Eadem_” (Always the same).
JAMES I.: _A Thistle: a Thistle and Rose dimidiated and crowned_, No.
308, with the motto--“_Beati Pacifici_” (Blessed are the peacemakers).
CHARLES I., CHARLES II., JAMES II.: The same Badge as JAMES I., without
his motto.
ANNE: _A Rose-Branch and a Thistle growing from one branch._
From this time distinctive personal Badges ceased to be borne by English
Sovereigns. But various badges have become stereotyped and now form a
constituent part of the Royal Arms, and will be found recited later in
Chapter XVIII.
The _Ostrich Feather Badge_. The popular tradition, that the famous
Badge of the Ostrich Feathers was won from the blind KING OF BOHEMIA at
Cressi by the BLACK PRINCE, and by him afterwards borne as an heraldic
trophy, is not supported by any contemporary authority. The earliest
writer by whom the tradition itself is recorded is CAMDEN (A.D. 1614),
and his statement is confirmed by no known historical evidence of a date
earlier than his own work. As Sir N. HARRIS NICHOLAS has shown in a most
able paper in the _Archæologia_ (vol. xxxi. pp. 350-384), the first time
the Feathers are mentioned in any record is in a document, the date of
which must have been after 1369, and which contains lists of plate
belonging to the King himself, and also to Queen PHILLIPA. It is
particularly to be observed, that all the pieces of plate specified in
this roll as the personal property of the Queen, if marked with any
device at all, are marked with her _own initial_, or with some heraldic
insignia that have a direct reference to _herself_. One of these pieces
of plate is described as “a large dish for the alms of the Queen, of
silver gilt, and enamelled at the bottom with _a black escutcheon with
Ostrich Feathers_--_eym in fund vno scuch nigro cum pennis de ostrich_.”
And these “Ostrich Feathers,” thus blazoned on a sable field upon the
silver alms-dish of Queen PHILIPPA, Sir N. H. Nicholas believed to have
been borne by the Queen as a daughter of the House of HAINAULT; and he
suggested that these same “Ostrich Feathers” might possibly have been
assumed by the Counts of the Province of Hainault from the Comté of
Ostrevant, which formed the appanage of their eldest sons.
[Illustration: No. 394.--At Worcester Cathedral.]
[Illustration: No. 395.--At Peterborough Cathedral.]
[Illustration: No. 396.--At Peterborough Cathedral.]
At the first, either a single Feather was borne, the quill generally
transfixing an escroll, as in No. 394, from the monument of Prince
ARTHUR TUDOR, in Worcester Cathedral; or, two Feathers were placed side
by side, as they also appear upon the same monument. In Seals, or when
marshalled with a Shield of Arms, two Feathers are seen to have been
placed after the manner of Supporters, one on each side of the
composition: in such examples the tips of the Feathers droop severally
to the dexter and sinister: in all the early examples also the Feathers
droop in the same manner, or they incline slightly towards the
spectator. Three Feathers were first grouped together by ARTHUR TUDOR,
PRINCE OF WALES, eldest son of HENRY VII., as in Nos. 395 and 396, from
Peterborough Cathedral; or with an escroll, as in No. 397, from a
miserere in the fine and interesting church at Ludlow. The plume of
three Feathers appears to have been encircled with a coronet, for the
first time, by Prince EDWARD, afterwards EDWARD VI., but who never was
PRINCE OF WALES: No. 398, carved very boldly over the entrance gateway
to the Deanery at Peterborough, is a good early example. In No. 399 I
give a representation of another early plume of three Ostrich Feathers,
as they are carved, with an escroll in place of a coronet, upon the
Chantry of Abbot RAMRYGE in the Abbey Church at St. Albans: and again,
in No. 400, from the head of a window near the east end of the choir, on
the south side, in Exeter Cathedral, the three Feathers are charged upon
a Shield _per pale azure and gules_, and this Shield is on a roundle.
[Illustration: No. 397.--In Ludlow Church.]
[Illustration: No. 398.--The Deanery, Peterborough.]
[Illustration: No. 399.--In the Abbey Church of St. Alban.]
[Illustration: No. 400.--In Exeter Cathedral.]
The Ostrich Feathers were borne, as a Badge with his Shield of Arms,
upon one Seal of EDWARD III. himself: they were used, as an heraldic
device, about the year 1370, by PHILIPPA, his Queen: they appear on
some, but not on all, the Seals of the BLACK PRINCE, and they are
omitted from some of his Seals after the battle of Cressi (A.D. 1346):
and they were also borne, generally with some slight difference, marking
Cadency, in all probability by all the other sons of
EDWARD III.--certainly by JOHN OF GHENT, Duke of LANCASTER, and by
THOMAS OF WOODSTOCK, Duke of GLOUCESTER. They were adopted by
RICHARD II., and placed on either side of his crested Helm in the
heraldic sculpture of Westminster Hall, as appears in two of these
beautiful examples, Nos. 199 and 384: by this Prince the Ostrich
Feathers were placed on his first Royal Seal, and they were habitually
used for decoration and heraldic display; and they also were formally
granted by him, as a mark of especial favour, to be borne as an
Augmentation of the highest honour, to his cousin THOMAS MOWBRAY, Duke
of NORFOLK. The Ostrich Feathers were borne, in like manner, by the
succeeding Princes, both LANCASTRIAN and YORKIST: by at least two of the
BEAUFORTS: by the Princes of the House of TUDOR: and by their successors
the STUARTS. Thus, it is certain that the Ostrich Feathers were held to
be a _Royal Badge_, from the time of their first appearance in the
Heraldry of England about the middle of the fourteenth century; and that
in that character they were adopted and borne by the successive
Sovereigns, and by the Princes, sometimes also by the Princesses (as in
the instance of a Seal of MARGARET BEAUFORT, the mother of HENRY VII.),
of the Royal Houses, without any other distinction than some slight mark
of Cadency, and without the slightest trace of any peculiar association
with any one member of the Royal Family. From the time of the accession
of the House of Stuart to the Crown of the United Kingdom, however, the
coroneted plume of three Ostrich Feathers appears to have been regarded,
as it is at this present day, as the special Badge of the Heir to the
Throne.
In accordance with the express provision of his will, two armorial
Shields are displayed upon the monument of the BLACK PRINCE in
Canterbury Cathedral, which Shields the Prince himself distinguishes as
his Shields “for War” and “for Peace”; the former charged with his
quartered arms of France and England differenced with his silver Label,
No. 337; and the latter, _sable_, charged with _three Ostrich Feathers
argent_, their quills passing through scrolls bearing the Motto, “_Ich
Diene_” No. 401. The same motto is placed over each of the Shields that
are charged with the Feathers, as in No. 401: and over each Shield
charged with the quartered arms (there are on each side of the tomb six
Shields, three of the Arms, and three of the Feathers, alternately) is
the other motto of the Prince, “_Houmout_.” In his will, the BLACK
PRINCE also desired that a “_black Pennon with Ostrich Feathers_” should
be displayed at his Funeral; and he further appointed that his Chapel in
Canterbury Cathedral should be adorned in various places with his Arms,
and “_likewise with our Badge of Ostrich Feathers--noz bages dez plumes
d’ostruce_.”
[Illustration: No. 401.--Shield “for Peace” of the Black Prince.]
The will of the BLACK PRINCE proves the Feathers to have been a Badge,
and not either a Crest or the ensign of a Shield of Arms, since twice he
expressly calls them “_our Badge_”: and it also is directly opposed to
the traditional warlike origin and military character of the Feathers,
as a Badge of the BLACK PRINCE, for it particularly specifies the
peaceful significance of this Badge, and distinguishes it from the
insignia that were worn and displayed by the Prince when he was equipped
for war. The Mottoes “_Ich Diene_” and “_Houmout_” are old German, and
they signify, “I serve,” and “magnanimous.” It has been suggested by Mr.
Planché, that “Houmout” is Flemish, and that the three words really form
a single Motto, signifying, “Magnanimous, I serve,” that is, “I obey the
dictates of magnanimity” (_Archæologia_, xxxii. 69).
[Illustration: No. 402.--From the Seal of King Henry IV.]
[Illustration: No. 403.--From the Seal of Thomas, Duke of Gloucester.]
[Illustration: No. 404.--From the Garter-Plate of John Beaufort, K.G.]
Upon a very remarkable Seal, used by HENRY IV. a short time before his
accession, the shield with helm and crest are placed between two tall
Feathers, about each of which is entwined _a Garter_ charged with his
favourite and significant Motto--the word SOVEREYGNE, as in No. 402. His
father, Prince JOHN OF GHENT, placed _a chain_ upon the quills of his
Feathers, as in the very curious boss in the cloisters at Canterbury.
The uncle of HENRY IV., THOMAS, Duke of GLOUCESTER, on one of his Seals,
differenced his two Feathers with _Garters_ (probably of the Order)
displayed along their quills, as in No. 403. And, about A.D. 1440, JOHN
BEAUFORT, K.G., Duke of SOMERSET, on his Garter-plate placed two Ostrich
Feathers erect, their _quills componée argent and azure_, and fixed in
golden escrolls; No. 404. In the Harleian MS. 304, f. 12, it is stated
that the Ostrich Feather of silver, the pen thus componée argent and
azure, “is the Duke of Somerset’s”: also that the “Feather silver, with
the pen gold, is the King’s: the Ostrich Feather, pen and all silver, is
the Prince’s: and the Ostrich Feather gold, the pen ermine, is the Duke
of Lancaster’s.”
The Shield charged with three Ostrich Feathers, No. 401, was borne by
Prince JOHN OF GHENT; and it appears on the splendid Great Seal of
HENRY IV., between the Shields of the Duchy of CORNWALL and the Earldom
of CHESTER. HUMPHREY, Duke of GLOUCESTER, is also recorded to have borne
this same Feather Shield.
In the Vaulting of the ceiling over the steps leading to the Hall at
Christchurch, Oxford, the Ostrich Plume Badge is carved within a Garter
of the Order: and, again, the Badge is represented after the same
manner, environed with the Garter, in the beautiful binding of a copy of
the Bible which is reputed to have been used by CHARLES I. in his last
moments.
The Ostrich Feathers are repeatedly mentioned in early documents; and
they are shown to have been constantly used for various decorative
purposes, always evidently with an heraldic motive and feeling, by the
same Royal personages who blazoned them on their Seals, and displayed
them elsewhere as their armorial insignia. A well-known example of a
diaper of White Ostrich Feathers on a field per pale argent and vert, is
preserved in the stained glass now in the great north window of the
transept of Canterbury Cathedral.
CHAPTER XVI
SUPPORTERS
“Standing by the Shield
In silence.” --IDYLLS OF THE KING.
A SUPPORTER is a figure, sometimes of an angel, frequently of a human
being, but more generally of some animal, bird, or imaginary creature,
so placed in connection with a Shield of Arms as to appear to be
protecting and supporting it. In English Heraldry a single Supporter is
of comparatively rare occurrence, but a number of examples are to be
found in the Heraldry of Scotland. In early examples, when two
Supporters appear, they are in most cases alike: but, more recently
(except in the Heraldry of France), the two figures are generally quite
distinct the one from the other, the earlier usage of having the two
Supporters alike being less frequent. The modern prevailing practice in
England is happily exemplified in the well-known instance of the present
Royal Supporters, the Lion and the Unicorn.
Supporters are considered to have been introduced into the Heraldry of
England during the reign of EDWARD III.; but they may with greater
accuracy be assigned to the middle of the fifteenth century, than to the
second half of the fourteenth. As armorial insignia of a very high rank,
Supporters are granted in England only by the express command of the
Sovereign, except to Peers and Knights Grand Cross and Knights Grand
Commanders. In Scotland, where they occur more frequently than in the
Heraldry of the South of the Tweed, the “Lord Lyon” has power to grant
Supporters. Originally by the Scottish Heralds these accessories of
Shields were entitled “Bearers.”
Supporters are now granted, on payment of fees, to all Peers of the
Realm to descend to the holders of a specified Peerage, and to Knights
of the Garter, Thistle, and St. Patrick, and to Knights Grand Cross and
Knights Grand Commanders of all other orders of knighthood to be borne
for life. Most Nova Scotia Baronets and Chiefs of Scottish Clans have
supporters registered with their arms.
Supporters probably owe their origin rather to several concurrent
circumstances, than to any one particular circumstance. The mere fact of
a Knight carrying his own armorial Shield, or his Esquire bearing it
beside him, might suggest the general idea of some _supporting_ figure
in connection with a representation of that Shield. The act of carrying
a Banner of Arms, in like manner, might suggest a representation of a
“Supporter” for a Shield of Arms. To early Seals, however, Heraldry is
in an especial degree indebted for the development of the idea of
Supporters, and for bringing it into a definite form. Again, the
prevalent use of Badges in the fourteenth century, and in the fifteenth
also, would necessarily exercise a powerful influence in the same
direction; and would lead Heralds to associate with Shields of Arms
certain other figures which, while in themselves distinct and
independent, were closely allied with certain Shields of Arms. The
prototypes of true Supporters, indeed, as they appear on Seals, are
Badges. In fact, it is often difficult to determine whether specified
figures on the Seals of a certain period are heraldic supporters or
merely representations of Badges.
An Effigy represented upon a Seal, as in No. 405, the Seal of
DEVORGUILLA CRAWFORD, about A.D. 1290, from LAING’S Volume: or in Nos.
316, 317, would be even more than a suggestion of a Supporter. The same
may be said, when some figure, almost certainly a Badge, was introduced
into the composition of a Seal, holding or supporting a Shield by its
guige, as in No. 203; or when a Shield, or two or more Shields, were
charged upon some figure, as in No. 204: both of these examples, indeed,
might be regarded as illustrations of the origin or first adoption of
single Supporters.
[Illustration: No. 405.--Seal of Devorguilla Crawford, about 1290.]
The introduction of angelic figures, which might have the appearance of
acting as “Guardian Angels,” in their care of Shields of Arms, was in
accordance with the feeling of the early days of English Heraldry; and,
while it took a part in leading the way to the systematic use of regular
Supporters, it served to show the high esteem and honour in which
armorial insignia were held by our ancestors of those ages. In No. 159 I
have already shown an example of a sculptured Shield thus supported by
Angels, from St. Albans. In the same noble church there are other
examples of the same character in stained glass. Angel Supporters, the
figures treated in various ways, occur in very many Gothic edifices;
particularly, sculptured as corbels, bosses or pateræ, or introduced in
panels, and employed for the decoration of open timber roofs, as in
Westminster Hall. They appear also on Seals; as on the Seal of HENRY OF
LANCASTER, about A.D. 1350, which has the figure of an Angel above the
Shield, and a lion on each side of it.
[Illustration: No. 406.--Part of Seal of Margaret, Lady Hungerford.]
The representation of armorial Banners upon Seals would lead to at least
the occasional introduction of some figure to hold, or _support_, the
Banner; and here, again, we discern the presence of some of the
immediate predecessors of “Supporters,” properly so called. In the
Seals, Nos. 391, 392, the Banners are not supported, and yet they are
indirectly suggestive of giving support to the Shield which is
marshalled with them in the same composition. Another Hungerford Seal,
that of MARGARET BOTREAUX, widow of the second Baron HUNGERFORD (who
died in 1477), in the centre of the composition has a kneeling figure of
the noble lady, and on each side a banner of arms is held (_supported_)
erect, so that the two banners form a kind of canopy over her head, by a
lion and a gryphon. In No. 406 I give a part only of this elaborate
Seal, sufficient to show how its general composition bears upon the
adoption of Supporters. The Monument in Westminster Abbey of Sir LUDOVIC
ROBSART, K.G., Lord BOURCHIER, Standard-Bearer to HENRY V. at Agincourt,
has two banners sculptured in the stone work of the canopy, which are
placed precisely in the same manner as the banners in No. 406; and, like
them, they are held by Badges acting as Supporters. Two well-known seals
of the PERCIES are charged with banners, and in each case the
banner-staff is held by a single Supporter: one of these figures is a
man-at-arms, A.D. 1386; the other is a lion, A.D. 1446. At the same
period, two lions appear on another Percy Seal. Another, of the same
date, has the shield supported by an armed man, without any banner, but
having a lance with a long pennon charged with the Crescent badge of
PERCY, No. 412, p. 247. Other Percy Seals, again, of the fourteenth
century, on either side of the Shield have two lions or two birds.
Numerous examples of great interest illustrate the early introduction of
Badges into the composition of Seals, as accessories of Shields. A Seal
of Prince JOHN OF GHENT, which has two falcons and padlocks, is one of
the most beautiful and suggestive works of its class: in this Seal the
two birds are addorsed, and consequently they also have their backs
turned towards the central achievement. This position of the figures on
early Seals is not uncommon; but it is an illustration that the use of
Badges in the form from which they developed into supporters was an
artistic necessity, arising from the form of the spaces to be occupied
by the figures upon the Seal. Another most characteristic example of
that marshalling of Badges upon Seals, which certainly led the way to
true Supporters, is the Seal of Sir MAURICE DE BERKELEY, A.D. 1430, upon
which _a mermaid_--the Berkeley badge--is blazoned on each side of the
Shield. The two figures are drawn with much skill and elegance. The
Shield itself quarters _Berkeley_ within a bordure, and a differenced
coat of _Bottetourt_: it hangs from a large helm, which, in its turn, is
ensigned by as large a _mitre_--the singular Crest of the Berkeleys. The
two figures, generally animals, which fill up the spaces to the dexter
and sinister of the central achievement on Seals, in the fifteenth
century are almost invariably drawn of a comparatively large size; and,
for the most part, they really act as _Supporters to the Crested Helm_,
being themselves _supported by the Shield_. The composition of the Seal
of EDMUND DE MORTIMER, Earl of MARCH, A.D. 1400, though now mutilated,
exhibits in a most satisfactory manner this very effective arrangement,
from which true Supporters to a Shield of Arms might obviously be
derived. In this Seal, No. 407, the Shield quarters _Mortimer_, No. 131,
and--_or, a cross gu._, for _Ulster_. The Seal of WM. DE WYNDESOR, No.
382, illustrates with no less happy effect the occasional use of birds
instead of beasts, as Supporting Badges. Other examples exist in great
numbers, and in abundant variety: the two that I add from Mr. Laing’s
Volume, Nos. 408 and 409, are in every respect most characteristic; they
are severally the Seals of ROBERT GRAHAM, of Kinpont, and of Sir WILLIAM
LINDSAY, of the Byres.
[Illustration: No. 407.--Seal of Earl Edmund de Mortimer; A.D. 1400.]
It is scarcely necessary for me to point out to students that Supporters
always have a decided heraldic significance. In supporting a Shield of
Arms, they discharge an heraldic duty: but, in themselves, Supporters
are armorial symbols of a high rank; and, with peculiar emphasis, they
record descent, inheritance, and alliance, and they blazon illustrious
deeds.
[Illustration: No. 408.--Seal of Robert Graham, of Kinpont,
A.D. 1433.]
[Illustration: No. 409.--Seal of Sir Wm. Lindsay, of the Byres,
A.D. 1390.]
Supporters should always be represented in an erect position. In
whatever direction also they actually may be looking, they always ought
to appear to fulfil their own proper office of giving vigilant and
deferential _support to the Shield_. It would be well, in our blazoning
of supported Achievements, not only for us to regard a becoming position
and attitude for Supporters to be matters determined by positive
heraldic law, but also that some satisfactory arrangement should be made
and recognised for general adoption, by which an equally becoming
_support_ would be provided for “Supporters.” An unsatisfactory custom
has been either to place the Supporters, whatever they may be, upon some
very slight renaissance scroll work that is neither graceful nor
consistent, or, to constrain the Motto scroll to provide a foundation or
standing-place for them. In the latter case, an energetic lion, or a
massive elephant, and, in a certain class of achievements of
comparatively recent date, a mounted trooper, or a stalwart man-of-war’s
man, probably with a twenty-four pounder at his feet, are made to stand
on _the edge of the ribbon_ that is inscribed with the Motto. Mr. Laing
has enabled me to give an excellent example of Supporters--two lions
standing upon a motto-scroll or ribbon--in No. 410, the Seal of JOHN
DRUMMOND, created Earl of MELFORT and Viscount FORTH in the year 1686:
the Shield is _Scotland, within a bordure componée_; the Supporters are
gorged with collars charged with thistles; and the Crest is the Crest of
Scotland issuing from a celestial Crown. As says the Motto of Sir
WILLIAM MAHON, “_Moniti, meliora sequamur_”--now that we have been told
of it, let us produce something better than this support for our
Supporters. Happily the best heraldic artists of the moment seem very
generally to have reverted to the older and more preferable form.
[Illustration: No. 410.--Seal of John Drummond, Earl of Melfort,
A.D. 1686.]
The Heralds of France still restrict the term “Supporters”--“_Les
Supports_”--to animals; whilst to human beings, to figures of angels,
and to mythological personages or other figures in human form, when
supporting a Shield, they apply the term “_Les Tenants_.” When trees or
other inanimate objects are placed beside any armorial shield, and so
discharge the duty of Supporters in French achievements, they are
distinguished as “_Les Soutiens_.” An old French writer on Heraldry,
PALLIOT, however, says that in his time (A.D. 1660), _Tenant_ is used in
the singular number, and denotes any kind of _single Supporter_, while
_Supports_ is used when there are _two_.
In the French Heraldry of the present time, a single Tenant or Support
is of rare occurrence; and when two Tenants or Supports appear in
blazon, they are generally, though not always, alike.
CHAPTER XVII
FLAGS
_The Pennon-- The Banner-- The Standard-- The Royal Standard-- The
Union Jack-- Ensigns-- Military Standards and Colours-- Blazoning--
Hoisting and Displaying Flags._
“Many a beautiful Pennon fixed to a lance,
And many a Banner displayed.”
--SIEGE OF CARLAVEROCK, A.D. 1300.
“Prosper our Colours!”
--SHAKESPEARE, _Henry VI._, _Part 3_.
Admirably adapted for all purposes of heraldic display, rich in glowing
colours, and peculiarly graceful in their free movement in the wind,
FLAGS are inseparably associated with spirit-stirring memories, and in
all ages and with every people they enjoy an enthusiastic popularity
peculiar to themselves.
In the Middle Ages, in England, three distinct classes of heraldic Flags
appear to have been in general use, each class having a distinct and
well-defined signification.
1. First, the PENNON, small in size, of elongated form, and either
pointed or swallow-tailed at the extremity, is charged with the Badge or
some other armorial ensign of the owner, and by him displayed upon his
own lance, as his personal ensign. The Pennon of Sir JOHN D’ABERNOUN,
No. 286, fringed and pointed, A.D. 1277, bears his arms--_Az., a chevron
or_: and No. 411, another example of the pointed form of Pennon, is from
the Painted Chamber, Westminster, about A.D. 1275. No. 412, a long
swallow-tailed Pennon, charged with the Percy crescent Badge, is from
the Seal of HENRY DE PERCI, first Earl of NORTHUMBERLAND. Before the
true heraldic era, _Lance-Flags_ with various decorative devices, but
without any blazonry having a definite signification, were in use: See
Nos. 5, 6. The _Pennoncelle_ was a modification of the Pennon.
[Illustration: No. 411.--Pennon, from the Painted Chamber.]
[Illustration: No. 412.--Pennon of Percy; A.D. 1400.]
2. Second, the BANNER, square or oblong in form, and of a larger size
than the Pennon, bears the entire Coat of Arms of the owner blazoned
over its whole surface, precisely as the same composition is blazoned
upon a Shield: No. 162. The Banner has been described as the ensign of
the Sovereign, or of a Prince, a Noble, or a Knight who had been
advanced to the higher rank or degree of a “Banneret”; but it would seem
almost certain that the display of Arms upon a Banner was never confined
to a Banneret. Two Banners are represented in each of the Hungerford
Seals, Nos. 391, 392. A small group of oblong Banners, with two pointed
Pennons, is represented in No. 413, from the Painted Chamber.
[Illustration: No. 413.--Oblong Banners and Pointed Pennons,
from the Painted Chamber.]
In the olden time, when a Knight had distinguished himself by
conspicuous gallantry, it was the custom to mark his meritorious conduct
by prompt advancement on the very field of battle. In such a case, the
point or points of the good Knight’s Pennon were rent off, and thus the
small Flag was reduced to the _square_ form of the Banner, by which
thenceforth he was to be distinguished. FROISSART, in his own graphic
manner, has described the ceremonial which attended the first display of
the Banner of a newly-created Banneret on the field of battle. Sir JOHN
CHANDOS, one of the Knights Founders of the Garter, appeared with his
maiden Banner on the field, on the morning of the battle of Naveret, in
Castile, April 3rd, 1367:--“He brought his banner in his hands,” says
the chronicler, “rolled up” (rolled round the staff), “and said to the
PRINCE OF WALES”--it was the BLACK PRINCE,--“’My Lord, behold, here is
my Banner: I deliver it to you in this way,”--still rolled round the
staff, that is--“’that it may please you to display it, and that this
day I may raise it; for, thank God, I have land and heritage sufficient
to support the rank as it ought to be!’ Then the Prince and the
King”--Don PETRO, King of Castile--“took the Banner, which was of silver
with a sharp pile gules, between their hands by the staff, and displayed
it, and returned it to him, the Prince saying--’Sir John, behold your
Banner; may God grant you may do your duty!’ Then Sir JOHN CHANDOS bore
his Banner (displayed) to his own Company, and said--’Gentlemen, see
here my Banner and yours; preserve it as your own!’” We see that, like
another hero of a later period, the BLACK PRINCE held the
maxim--“England expects every man to do his duty.”
[Illustration: No. 414.--Seal of Earl John Holland,
Admiral of England, &c., A.D. 1436.]
Quarterings, Marks of Cadency, and Differences (but not impalements) are
blazoned on Banners under the very same conditions that they appear on
Shields of Arms. For example, the Banners, as well as the Shield, on the
seal of Sir Robert de Hungerford, No. 392, are Differenced with a label
for Cadency, and thus are distinguished from the corresponding Banners
and Shield on the Seal of Sir Robert’s father, No. 391.
Crests, Badges, Supporters, and other external accessories and ornaments
of Armorial Shields have no place on Banners, a Banner representing a
Shield, and being charged as a Shield. In the seventeenth century,
however, English Banners sometimes were charged with Achievements of
Arms, including all the accessories and ornaments of Shields.
In early times Banners appear in use at sea, as well as on land; and the
same Banners were used both on shore and afloat. The _sails_ of our
early shipping, also, are constantly represented as covered with
armorial blazonry, and they thus were enabled to act as Ship-Flags. Many
curious and interesting representations of the strange, unwieldy,
unship-shape looking craft that were the ancestors of the British Navy,
are introduced with their _heraldic sails_ and their Banners into the
compositions of Seals. A fine example of its order is the Seal of JOHN
HOLLAND, Earl of HUNTINGDON, A.D. 1436, “Admiral of England, Ireland,
and Aquitaine,” No. 414. The ship is really a noble-looking vessel, with
her solitary sail blazoned with the Lord Admiral’s Arms--_England,
within a bordure of France_,--the same arms that were borne by Prince
JOHN OF ELTHAM, No. 24. In this example the crew are not represented:
but in other Seals of early shipping figures are commonly introduced,
and almost always they are drawn of ludicrously disproportionate size.
This ship does not display any Banner from a banner-staff, but has a
nautical Pennon of ample size flying at the mast-head: when Banners are
displayed on board ships upon early Seals, they are generally narrow in
proportion to their height, a form of Banner adopted on land as well as
at sea, in consequence of the greater inconvenience attending the
display of broad or really square Banners. At a later period, however,
Ship-Flags of very large size came into favour.
3. The STANDARD, the third variety of early heraldic Flags, which first
appears about the middle of the fourteenth century, and was in general
use by personages of high rank in the two following centuries, appears
to have been adopted for the special purpose of displaying the Badge.
The Badge was worn on his livery by a servant as retainer, and
consequently the Standard by which he mustered in camp was of the livery
colours, and bore the Badge, with both of which the retainer was
familiar.
[Illustration: No. 415.--Standard of Sir Henry de Stafford, K.G.:
about A.D. 1475.]
This Flag is of ample proportions, and great length; but its size varies
with the owner’s rank. Next to the Staff was usually to be found the
_red cross on a silver field_ of ST. GEORGE. The rest of the field is
generally divided per fesse into two tinctures, in most cases the livery
colours of the owner, or the prevailing tinctures of his Coat of Arms,
which in such cases may almost be assumed to have been his livery. With
some principal figure or device occupying a prominent position, various
Badges are displayed over the whole field, a Motto, which is placed
bend-wise, having divided the Standard into compartments. The edges are
fringed throughout, and the extremity is sometimes swallow-tailed, and
sometimes rounded.
The Standard of Sir HENRY DE STAFFORD, K.G., second son of HENRY, second
Duke of BUCKINGHAM (executed in 1483), is represented in No. 415, from a
drawing in the Heralds’ College. It is charged, first, with _a cross of
St. George_: then, on a _field per fesse sable and gules_ (the colours
of the Duke’s livery), _the White Swan_ of the De Bohuns, with the
_silver Stafford-knot_ (No. 304), differenced with _a Crescent gules_
for Cadency; the Motto is HVMBLE : ET: LOYAL; and the fringe, of the
same colours as the field, is _componée sa. and gu._ In other examples a
greater variety of Badges is introduced. The student will not fail to
take notice of the systematic display of the ensign of St. George in
these Standards, as the national armorial device of England. The use and
heraldic display of these standards had practically lapsed, but the
College of Arms has now reverted to its ancient practice of recording
them in cases of the grant or confirmation of a Badge.
[Illustration: No. 416.--The Royal Standard, or Banner.]
The ROYAL STANDARD (to give it its popular name) is not really a
Standard at all, but is the King’s Banner of his arms. It stands at the
head of our English Flags of the present day, and bears the full
blazonry of the Royal Arms of His Majesty THE KING, as they are
marshalled on the Royal Shield: No. 416. It is personal to the King, and
its use by other people is not permitted. This splendid Flag, so truly
heraldic in its character, and charged with Coat-Armour and not with
Badges, ought to be styled the ROYAL BANNER. The same Standard is duly
differenced with their own Marks of Cadency and their Shields of
Pretence for the different members of the Royal Family. For use at sea,
whilst the PRINCE OF WALES has his own Flag or Banner of his arms, all
other members of the Royal Family use a flag showing the Royal Arms
within a bordure ermine. QUEEN MARY and QUEEN ALEXANDRA fly flags of
their impaled arms.
The UNION JACK, which is regarded as the national British Flag, as we
now display it, is the second of its race. Strictly speaking, it is as
much the property of the Sovereign as the Royal Banner, but objection to
its use and display is not officially made. The _First Union Jack_, No.
417, was produced in obedience to a Royal Proclamation of JAMES I. in
the year 1606. Its object was to provide a single National Flag for both
England and Scotland as a single kingdom, which might put an end to
certain serious disputes concerning the precedence of their respective
Banners of St. George and St. Andrew, Nos. 418, 419, between the natives
of England and Scotland--of “South and North Britain.” This “Union” Flag
combined the blazonry of the two rival ensigns, not marshalling them by
quartering after the early heraldic usage, but by reviving a still
earlier process, and by blending the cross and the saltire of Nos. 418
and 419 in a single composition. This was effected, accordingly, by
charging the Cross of St. George, with a narrow border or “fimbriation”
of white to represent its white field, _upon_ the Banner of St. Andrew,
the result being the Flag shown in No. 417. On the final “Union” between
England and Scotland in 1707, this device was formally declared to be
the “Ensign armorial of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.”
[Illustration: No. 418.--St. George.]
[Illustration: No. 417.--The First Union Jack.]
[Illustration: No. 419.--St. Andrew.]
[Illustration: No. 420.--The Second Union Jack.]
[Illustration: No. 421.--St. Patrick.]
Upon the first day of January, 1801, the _Second Union Jack_, the “Union
Jack” of to-day, No. 420, superseded the Flag of King JAMES and Queen
ANNE. The “Union” with Ireland rendered a change necessary in the Union
Jack, in order to incorporate with its blazonry the Banner of ST.
PATRICK, No. 421, _arg., a saltire gu._ There seems good reason to
believe that the so-called Cross of St. Patrick had little, if indeed
any, separate or prior existence. The process that had been adopted
before was again brought into action, but now a single compound device
had to be formed by the combination of a cross and two saltires, Nos.
418, 419, and 421. As before, in this new Flag the blue field of ST.
ANDREW forms the field: then the two Saltires, the one white and the
other red, are formed into a single compound Saltire counter-changed of
the two tinctures alternating, the white having precedence; a narrow
edging of white is next added to each red side of this new figure, to
represent the white field of St. Patrick, as the narrow edging of white
about the red cross represented the white field of ST. GEORGE in No.
418; and, finally, the red cross of St. George fimbriated with white, as
in the First Jack, is charged over all. Such is the Second Union Jack,
No. 420. In this compound device it will be observed that the _broad
diagonal white_ members represent the _silver saltire_ of St. Andrew,
No. 419: that the _red diagonal_ members represent the _saltire gules_
of St. Patrick, No. 421, and that the _narrow diagonal white_ lines are
added in order to place this _saltire gules on a field argent_: that the
_diagonal red and the broad diagonal white members_ represent the two
Saltires of St. Andrew and St. Patrick in combination: and that the
_fimbriated red cross_ in the front of the goodly alliance declares the
presence of the symbol of St. George.
Sir HARRIS NICHOLAS has suggested that this flag may have acquired its
name of “Jack” (“Union” is obvious enough) from the original author of
the First Union Flag, King JAMES, who, in the Heralds’ French language,
would be styled _Jacques_: and so the Flag would be called “Jacques’
Union,” which would easily settle down into “Jack’s Union,” and finally
would as easily become “Union Jack.” The Second Union Flag is always to
be hoisted as it is represented in No. 420, the diagonal white having
precedence in the first canton. To reverse the proper display of the
Flag implies distress or danger; or such a procedure (very often, as I
am aware, unconsciously adopted, through ignorance of the real meaning
of the Flag itself) subjects the Union Jack to degradation.
[Illustration: No. 422.--The Red Ensign.]
By a recent warrant Lords Lieutenant fly the Union Jack charged with a
sword fesseways.
The ENSIGNS now in use are:--
1. The _Red Ensign_, a plain red Flag cantoning a Union Jack--having a
Jack in the dexter chief angle next to the point of suspension: No. 422.
This Ensign shares with the Union Jack the honour of being the “Ensign
of England”--the Ensign, that is, of the British Empire. When displayed
at sea, it now distinguishes all vessels that do not belong to the Royal
Navy: but, before the year 1864, it was the distinguishing ensign of the
“red squadron of the Navy,” and of the “Admirals of the Red”--the
Admirals of the highest rank.
2. The _White_ or _St. George’s Ensign_ is the old banner of St. George,
No. 418, with a Jack cantoned in the first quarter. It now is the Ensign
of the Royal Navy: but, before 1864, it distinguished the “white
squadron” of the Navy, and the Admirals--second in rank--of that
Squadron.
3. The _Blue Ensign_ differs from the Red only in the field being plain
blue instead of red. It now is the Ensign of the Naval Reserve: before
1864 it was the Ensign of “Admirals of the Blue,” third in rank, and of
their Squadron of the Royal Navy.
A Red Ensign is often charged with a Crown, or with some appropriate
device, to denote some particular department of the public service.
With the Ensigns may be grouped the _Flag of the Admiralty_, which
displays a yellow anchor and cable set fesse-wise on a red field.
The Ensigns are always to be hoisted so as to have the Jack next to the
point of suspension, as in No. 422.
MILITARY FLAGS. 1. _Cavalry Standards_, being lineal descendants of the
knightly Banners of mediæval chivalry, are small square Flags, the
colour of the field the same as the regimental facings; and each
Standard bears the Number, Motto, and specific Title of its own
Regiment, with whatever heraldic Badge or Device may be associated with
it. Upon these Standards also are blazoned the regimental
“_Honours_”--such words as WATERLOO, ALMA, LUCKNOW, and others, which
briefly and with most emphatic significance declare the services of the
corps. The Household Cavalry, the Life Guards and Blues, have all their
Standards of Crimson, and they are blazoned with the Royal Insignia and
their own “Honours” and Devices.
2. _Infantry Colours._ In the first instance, each Regiment of Infantry
had one “Colour”: subsequently, two others were added: and, finally, in
the reign of Queen Anne, it was decided that every Infantry Regiment or
Battalion of the Line (the Rifles of the Line excepted, who have no
“Colours”) should have its own “Pair of Colours.” Of this “Pair,” one is
the “_King’s Colour_”--a Union Jack charged with some regimental
Devices: the other, the “_Regimental Colour_” is of the tincture of the
facings, on which the “Honours” and “Devices” of the Regiment are
charged, and in the dexter chief angle a small Jack is cantoned: in
fact, the “Regimental Colour” is the same as the Red or Blue Ensign (No.
422), the Colour of the field varying with the regimental facings, and
the field itself being charged with the various Devices.
In their Colours, the Guards reverse the arrangement that obtains with
the Regiments of the Line. With them, the _Kings Colour_ is always
crimson, with or without a Jack, but charged with the Royal Cypher and
the regimental Devices: the _Regimental Colour_ of the Guards is the
Union Jack.
3. The _Royal Artillery_ have no Colours or Standards.
Military Flags are not now used in actual warfare by British troops.
I conclude this Chapter, which treats briefly of the Heraldry of the
most important English Flags, with four still more brief general
remarks:--
1. First: by all English people who are disposed to exclaim, making
SHAKESPEARE’S words their own, “_Prosper our Colours!_” it ought to be
understood that their National Flags are endowed with heraldic, that is,
with historical significance, recorded after an heraldic fashion.
2. Second: this significance of their Flags ought also to be understood,
that it may be appreciated, by all true English people.
3. Third: our Flags ought always to be made and represented correctly.
And 4. Lastly: our Flags, and all other Flags also, ought always to be
hoisted and displayed rightly and properly.
CHAPTER XVIII
THE ROYAL HERALDRY OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND
_Shields of Arms of the Reigning Sovereigns of England; of Scotland;
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland-- Crests--
Supporters-- Mottoes-- Crowns-- Banners-- Armorial Insignia of the
late Prince Consort; of the Prince and Princess of Wales; of the other
Princes and Princesses._
“On his Banner were three Leopards, courant, of fine gold, set on
red: fierce were they, haughty and cruel, to signify that, like them,
the KING is dreadful to his enemies; for his bite is slight to none
who inflame his anger: and yet, towards such as seek his friendship
or submit to his power his kindness is soon rekindled.”
--ROLL OF CARLAVEROCK.
“With Scotland’s Arms, Device and Crest
Embroidered round and round.”
--MARMION.
How the “three Leopards courant” of the shrewd chronicler of Carlaverock
are identical with the “three Lions passant guardant” of the Royal
Shield of England I have already shown (see page 84). To the Norman
Sovereigns of England, WILLIAM I., WILLIAM II., HENRY I., and STEPHEN
(A.D. 1066-1154), the same Shield of Arms has been assigned--_Gu., two
lions pass. guard., in pale, or_, No. 22. It must be distinctly
understood, however, that there exists no certain authority for these
Arms.
In like manner, STEPHEN is also _said_ to have borne on a red Shield
three golden _Sagittaries_, or Centaurs, with bows and arrows. And,
again, HENRY II. is _considered_ to have added a third lion to the two
on the Shield of his father, a _single golden lion passant guardant on
red_ being (also considered to be) the armorial ensign of the province
of Aquitaine, acquired by HENRY in right of his Consort, ALIANORE.
As early as the reign of HENRY III., a Shield of Arms, No. 23, was
assigned to the Anglo-Saxon Kings: another Shield, No. 2, was assigned
to EDWARD THE CONFESSOR: and a third Shield, No. 3, to another sainted
Anglo-Saxon Prince, EDMUND.
[Illustration: No. 22.--Royal Arms, supposed to have been borne
before A.D. 1189.]
[Illustration: No. 187.--Royal Arms, from A.D. 1189 to 1340.]
From the appearance of the Second Great Seal of RICHARD I., about A.D.
1195, all uncertainty concerning the Royal Arms of England is at an end,
and they are borne as follows by the successive English Sovereigns:--
RICHARD I.: JOHN: HENRY III.: EDWARD I.: EDWARD II.: and EDWARD III.,
till the thirteenth year of his reign, A.D. 1340:--_Gu., three lions
passant guardant in pale or_,--No. 187.
EDWARD III., from the thirteenth year of his reign, when he claimed to
be King of France as well as of England, and so styled himself:
RICHARD II.: and HENRY IV., till about the fifth year of his
reign:--_France Ancient and England quarterly_,--No. 252.
RICHARD II. sometimes bore the Arms of the CONFESSOR, No. 2, with his
own, on a separate shield, as at Westminster Hall; and sometimes he
impaled the Confessor’s Arms with his own quartered Shield, the arms of
the Confessor having the precedence.
[Illustration: No. 252.--Royal Arms from A.D. 1340 to about 1405.]
[Illustration: No. 253.--Royal Arms from about A.D. 1405 to 1603.]
HENRY IV. from about 1405: HENRY V.: HENRY VI.: EDWARD IV.: EDWARD V.:
RICHARD III.: HENRY VII.: HENRY VIII.: EDWARD VI.: MARY: and ELIZABETH,
to A.D. 1603:--_France Modern and England Quarterly_, No. 253.
The Royal Shield of SCOTLAND, No. 138, first appears upon the Seal of
ALEXANDER II. about A.D. 1235; and, as Mr. Seton well observes, the
origin of its bearings “is veiled by the mists of Antiquity.” The same
Shield, without any modification or change, was borne by all the
Sovereigns of Scotland.
[Illustration: No. 138.--Royal Arms of Scotland.]
JAMES I.: CHARLES I.: CHARLES II.: JAMES II.: WILLIAM III. and MARY: and
ANNE, till May 1, 1707: _Quarterly_: 1 _and_ 4, _Grand Quarters, France
Modern and England_ (No. 253): 2, _Grand Quarter, Scotland_ (No. 138):
3, _Grand Quarter--Az., a harp or, stringed arg., for Ireland_: No. 423.
[Illustration: No. 423.--Royal Arms of the Stuart Sovereigns.]
[Illustration: No. 425.--Diagram of Shield of William III. and Mary.]
[Illustration: No. 424.--Arms of Nassau.]
[Illustration: No. 426.--Diagram of Shield of William III. alone.]
WILLIAM III., as an elected Sovereign, charged his paternal shield of
NASSAU, No. 424--_Az., billettée, a lion rampt. or_,--in pretence upon
the Royal Shield: also, during the life of his Consort, till Dec. 28,
1694, he bore the _Stuart_ shield with _Nassau_ in pretence on the
dexter half of his Shield, and thus impaled in the sinister half of his
Shield the same Stuart arms, as in the Diagram, No. 425, to denote their
joint Sovereignty: the Shield represented in this Diagram, No. 425,
bears the whole of No. 423 on its dexter half, with No. 424 in pretence;
and on its sinister half it also bears the whole of No. 423. When he
reigned alone, WILLIAM III. bore his own dexter half of the impaled
Shield alone, as in the Diagram, No. 426: the Shield represented in this
Diagram being the dexter half of No. 425.
Queen ANNE, from May 1, 1707, till 1714, bore the Royal Arms marshalled
as in the Diagram, No. 427:--1 and 2, _England_ impaling _Scotland_; 3,
_France Modern_ (No. 253); 4, _Ireland_ (the Harp, as in the third
quarter of No. 423).
[Illustration: No. 427.--Diagram of the Second Royal Shield
of Queen Anne.]
[Illustration: No. 428.--Arms of Hanover.]
[Illustration: No. 429.--Diagram of the Royal Shield
from A.D. 1714 to 1801.]
The Arms of HANOVER, on the accession of GEORGE I., August 1, 1714, were
added to the Shield of the United Kingdom. This was accomplished by
removing the charges (_England and Scotland impaled_) from the fourth
quarter of the Shield, No. 427, and charging that quarter with the arms
of _Hanover_ as they appear on the Shield, No. 428:--_Per pale and per
chevron_, 1, _Gu., two lions passant guardant or_, for _Brunswick_: 2,
_Or, Semée of hearts, a lion rampt. az._, for _Lunenburgh_: 3, _Gu.,
a horse courant arg._, for _Westphalia_: 4, _Over all, on an
inescutcheon gules, the golden crown of Charlemagne_. This marshalling
is shown in the Diagram, No. 429, which represents a Shield bearing,--1
and 2, _England_ impaling _Scotland_; 3, _France Modern_; 4, _Ireland_;
5, _Hanover_ (as in No. 428, without the Crown).
On January 1, 1801, the Fleurs de Lys of France were removed from the
Royal Shield of Great Britain, which then was marshalled as in the
diagram, No. 430, _quarterly_, 1 _and_ 4, _England_; 2, _Scotland_; 3,
_Ireland_; 5, _Hanover_--the shield of Hanover being ensigned with the
_Electoral Bonnet_, No. 240, till 1816, but, after Hanover became a
kingdom, with a _Royal Crown_ in place of the Electoral Bonnet from 1816
till 1837, as it appears in No. 428.
[Illustration: No. 430.--Diagram of the Royal Shield
from A.D. 1801 to 1837.]
GEORGE I.: GEORGE II.: GEORGE III., till Jan. 1, 1801:--The arms
indicated in the diagram, No. 429.
GEORGE III., till 1816:--The arms indicated in the diagram, No. 430, the
inescutcheon ensigned with an electoral bonnet.
GEORGE III., after 1816: GEORGE IV.: WILLIAM IV.:--The same arms as No.
430, but the inescutcheon ensigned with a Royal Crown.
QUEEN VICTORIA, KING EDWARD VII., and KING GEORGE V.:--The same as No.
430, but without the inescutcheon, the four quarters being marshalled as
on the Royal Standard, No. 416.
ROYAL CRESTS.
For ENGLAND:--_A golden lion statant guardant, imperially crowned_;
assumed by EDWARD III., and by him borne on his Helm standing upon a Cap
of Estate; retained from his time, and now borne standing on an Imperial
Crown. No. 431.
[Illustration: No. 431.--Royal Crest of England.]
For SCOTLAND:--First Crest. _A lion statant guardant gu._, assumed by
ROBERT II., about A.D. 1385; retained, and with some modifications used
by his successors, till about A.D. 1550. Second Crest. _On an Imperial
Crown, a lion sejant affronté erect gu.; imperially crowned, holding in
the dexter paw a sword, and in the sinister paw a sceptre, both erect
and ppr._; with the motto--IN: DEFENSE; assumed by JAMES V.; borne by
MARY, and shown in her signet-ring, No. 432, about 1564; retained, and
now in use.
ROYAL SUPPORTERS.
For ENGLAND. Of uncertain authority before HENRY VI., who bore _two
white antelopes_: also, _a lion and a panther_, or _antelope_.
EDWARD IV.:--_A lion or_, or _argent, and a bull sable_: or, _two lions
argent_: or, _a lion and a hart argent_.
RICHARD III.:--_A lion or and a boar arg._: or, _two boars arg._
HENRY VII.:--_A dragon gu., and a greyhound arg._: or, _two greyhounds
arg._: or, _a lion or and a dragon gu._
HENRY VIII.:--_A lion or and a dragon gu._: or, _a dragon gu., and
either a bull sable, a greyhound argent, or a cock arg._
EDWARD VI.:--_A lion or, and a dragon gu._
MARY and ELIZABETH:--_A lion or, and a greyhound arg._, or _a dragon
gu._
For SCOTLAND.--First Supporters:--_Two lions rampt. guard._; first seen
on a Seal of JAMES I., A.D. 1429. Second Supporters: _Two silver
unicorns, crowned with imperial and gorged with open crowns and chained
or_; assumed by JAMES IV., and retained in use. On the signet of Queen
MARY STUART, No. 432: for this beautiful cut once more I am indebted to
Mr. Laing.
For the UNITED KINGDOM. Dexter Supporter: _A lion rampt. guard., royally
crowned, or_. Sinister Supporter: _A unicorn rampt. arg., armed, crined
and gorged with a coronet composed of crosses pattée and fleurs de lis,
and chained or_. Assumed by JAMES I. of Great Britain: retained, and
still in use.
[Illustration: No. 432.--The Signet of Queen Mary Stuart,
considerably enlarged.]
ROYAL MOTTOES.
The ancient English war-cry--DIEU . ET . MON . DROIT!--“_God and my
Right!_” assumed as a regular Motto by HENRY VI., has been retained in
use since his time.
Queens ELIZABETH and ANNE also used--SEMPER . EADEM--“_Always the
Same_.” JAMES I. used--BEATI . PACIFICI--“_Blessed are the
Peace-makers_.”
Mottoes of Scotland: NEMO . ME . IMPUNE . LACESSIT--“_No man with
impunity attacks me_:” and, above the Crest--IN . DEFENSE. The former is
really the Motto of the Order of the Thistle.
THE CROWN
Till the time of HENRY IV., the Crown, the symbol of the Sovereignty of
England, was a golden circlet richly jewelled, and heightened with
conventional _strawberry-leaves_: fine examples are represented in the
effigies of HENRY III., JOHN, and EDWARD II.
HENRY IV., as shown by his splendid effigy at Canterbury, introduced
_fleurs de lys_, alternating with the leaves.
From the time of HENRY V., the circlet has been heightened by _crosses
pattées_ and _fleurs de lys_ alternating, four of each, and without any
leaves. HENRY V. also first _arched the circlet with jewelled bands_,
which at their intersection he surmounted with a _mound and cross_.
[Illustration: No. 234.--Crown of H.M., The King.]
The arched Crown of HENRY V. has four half-arches,--that is, it is
arched over twice: HENRY VI. and CHARLES I. arched their crown three
times: all the other Sovereigns have had two complete arches only, and
the Crown still retains these two arches intersecting at right angles,
as in No. 234. At different periods, while the design of the Crown has
remained unchanged, the contour of the arches, and the artistic
treatment of the ornamentation have undergone various modifications.
The ROYAL BANNERS, or STANDARDS, are charged with the bearings of the
Royal Shield of Arms for the time being.
The Armorial Insignia of H.R.H. the late PRINCE CONSORT. The SHIELD
was--_Quarterly_, 1 _and_ 4,--_The Royal Arms of the late Queen_, as in
No. 416, but differenced with _a silver label of three points charged on
the central point with a cross of St. George_: 2 _and_ 3,--_Saxony_, No.
225. This Shield was encircled with the Garter of the Order, and
ensigned with the Prince’s own Coronet, shown in No. 441.
The CREST was the _Royal Crest of England_, No. 431, the lion having the
same _label_ that differences the Shield adjusted about his neck as a
collar, and being crowned with the coronet, _vide_ No. 441, in place of
the Imperial Crown.
The SUPPORTERS were those of the Royal Arms, _the golden lion and silver
unicorn_, both of them differenced with the same _label_, and the lion
crowned with the same coronet.
The Motto.--TREU . UND . FEST--“True and Faithful.” To the dexter of
this Achievement, the complete Royal Achievement of QUEEN VICTORIA.
The Arms of KING EDWARD VII. were and those of KING GEORGE V. are
practically the same as those of QUEEN VICTORIA. As PRINCES OF WALES,
these Arms were differenced by a plain _label_ of three points argent,
and an inescutcheon of SAXONY was superimposed. In each case upon
accession to the throne, the inescutcheon of Saxony was removed, and
consequently there has been no change whatsoever in the Royal Arms,
those of KING EDWARD and KING GEORGE being the same as those of QUEEN
VICTORIA, save, of course, the necessary change in the Royal
Cyphers--the full blazon of the Royal Arms for the present reign
being:--
ARMS.-- _Quarterly_, 1 _and_ 4, _gules, three lions passant guardant in
pale or_ (ENGLAND); 2, _or, a lion rampant within a double tressure
flory and counterflory gules_ (SCOTLAND); 3, _azure, a harp or, stringed
argent_ (IRELAND).
HELMET--_of gold, affronté and with grylles_.
MANTLING, _cloth of gold lined with ermine_.
CRESTS _upon the Imperial Crown, a lion statant guardant, crowned or_
(ENGLAND).
_Upon the Crown of Scotland, a lion sejant erect affronté gules; crowned
or, holding in the dexter paw a sword, and in the sinister a sceptre,
both proper_ (SCOTLAND).
On a Wreath, _or and azure, a tower triple-towered of the first, from
the portal a hart springing argent, attired and unguled gold_ (IRELAND).
SUPPORTERS (dexter), _a lion guardant or, crowned as the crest_;
(sinister), _a unicorn argent, armed, crined and unguled or, gorged with
a coronet composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis, a chain affixed
thereto, passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back of the
last_.
BADGES.--
1. _The Red and White Rose, united and crowned_ (ENGLAND).
2. _The Thistle, crowned_ (SCOTLAND).
3. _A Harp or, stringed argent, crowned_ (IRELAND).
4. _A Trefoil slipped vert, crowned_ (IRELAND).
5. _The Rose, Thistle and Shamrock united on one stem and crowned_
(UNITED KINGDOM).
6. _A Shield, crowned and bearing the device of the Union Jack_
(UNITED KINGDOM).
7. _Upon a mount vert, a dragon passant with wings elevated gules_
(WALES). _N.B._--This badge is not crowned.
MOTTO.--DIEU . ET . MON . DROIT in the compartment below the Shield,
with the Union, Rose, Shamrock, and Thistle engrafted on the same stem.
The Shield is encircled by the Garter of that Order.
The Arms of H.M. QUEEN ALEXANDRA, early in the reign of KING EDWARD,
were declared by Royal Warrant. Within the Garter are impaled (dexter)
the Arms of KING EDWARD VII. and (sinister) the undifferenced Arms of
DENMARK as under:--
The ROYAL ARMS OF DENMARK. The Shield divided into four quarters by the
national _white cross_, having a _border of red_ to represent the red
field of the Danish Ensign. First Quarter:--DENMARK--_Or, semée of
hearts gu., three lions pass. guard. in pale az._ Second
Quarter:--SLESWICK--_Or, two lions pass. in pale az._ Third
Quarter:--_Per fesse, in chief_, SWEDEN--_Az., three crowns or; in
base_, ICELAND--_Gu., a stock-fish arg., crowned or; impaling_, for
FAROE ISLANDS--_Az., a buck pass. arg._; and, for GREENLAND--a _polar
bear rampt. arg._ Fourth Quarter:--_Per fesse, in chief_, for
JUTLAND--_Or, ten hearts, four, three, two, one, gu., and in chief a
lion pass. az.; in base_, for VANDALIA--_Gu., a wyvern, its tail nowed
and wings expanded, or_.
On an Inescutcheon, quarterly: First, for HOLSTEIN--_Gu., an
inescutcheon per fesse arg. and of the first, in every point thereof a
nail in triangle, between as many holly-leaves, all ppr._ Second, for
STORMERK--_Gu., a swan arg., gorged with a coronet or_. Third, for
DITZMERS--_Az., an armed knight ppr., brandishing his sword, his charger
arg._ Fourth, for LAUENBURGH--_Gu., a horse’s head couped arg._
Over all, in pretence upon a second Inescutcheon, OLDENBURGH--_Or, two
bars gu._; impaling--_Az., a cross patée fitchée or_, for DALMENHURST.
The above-mentioned warrant for Her Majesty declares the arms to be
surmounted by the Royal Crown, and supported (dexter) by a lion
guardant, and imperially crowned or, and (sinister) by a savage wreathed
about the temples and loins with oak and supporting in his exterior hand
a club all proper.
The Arms of H.M. QUEEN MARY, as declared by Royal Warrant, are:--Within
the Garter ensigned with the Royal Crown the Arms of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland impaling quarterly (for Cambridge) the
Royal Arms as borne by GEORGE III. differenced by a label of three
points arg., the centre point charged with the St. George’s Cross, and
each of the other points with two hearts in pale gu., 2nd and 3rd (for
Teck) or, three stags’ attires fesseways in pale, the point of each
attire to the sinister sa., impaling or, three lions passant in pale
sa., langued gu., the dexter fore paws of the last, over all an
inescutcheon paly bendy sinister sa. and or. _Supporters_ (dexter)
a lion guardant or, crowned with the Royal Crown ppr.; (sinister) a stag
ppr.
H.R.H. the PRINCE OF WALES bears a Shield--_Quarterly_, 1 _and_ 4,
ENGLAND; 2, SCOTLAND; 3, IRELAND, differenced by a plain _label of three
points argent_. In pretence over these Arms he bears an Inescutcheon of
the Arms of WALES, viz. quarterly or and gu., four lions passant
guardant counter-changed, the Inescutcheon surmounted by the Coronet of
the Heir-Apparent. His Crest is the Crest of England, and his Supporters
are also the same, but the Crest and each of the Supporters are
differenced by a similar _label_, and for the Imperial Crown in the
Crest and dexter supporter the coronet of the Prince of WALES is
substituted. The Badges of the Prince of WALES are two:--viz. 1, _A
plume of three ostrich feathers arg., quilled or, enfiled by a coronet
composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lys_, with the MOTTO, “ICH
DIEN”: 2, _on a mount vert, a dragon passant with wings elevated gu.,
differenced with a label of three points arg._ Below the SHIELD the
MOTTO “ICH DIEN” is repeated, and the Shield is surrounded by the
Garter.
The other PRINCES and PRINCESSES, younger children of the late QUEEN
VICTORIA, all bore the Royal Arms of the Sovereign, the Princes on
_Shields_, the Princesses on _Lozenges_. All their Royal Highnesses bore
the Royal _Supporters_; all have a Shield of _Saxony_, in pretence on
their own Shield or Lozenge; all ensign their Shield or Lozenge with
their own Coronet, No. 290; and the Princes bear the Royal _Crest_. In
every case, the dexter Supporter is crowned and the sinister Supporter
is gorged, and the Crest stands upon and is ensigned with the same
Coronet which appears above the Shield as their particular coronet of
rank: all the Shields, Lozenges, Crests, and Supporters, are differenced
with a _silver label of three points, the labels being differenced_ as
follows:--
H.R.H. the late Duke of EDINBURGH, &c.:--_On the central point a red
cross; on each of the other two points a red anchor_ (when the Duke
succeeded to the throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a radical change in
his Arms was made). H.R.H. the Duke of CONNAUGHT:--_Red cross, and two
blue fleurs de lys_. H.R.H. the late Duke of ALBANY:--_Red cross, and
two red hearts_. H.I.M. the late GERMAN EMPRESS, PRINCESS ROYAL OF
ENGLAND, on the central point of her _label_ had a _red rose_, and on
each of the other two points a _red cross_. H.R.H. the late Princess
ALICE OF HESSE had on her _label_ a _red rose_, between two _ermine
spots_. H.R.H. the Princess HELENA, Princess CHRISTIAN, has on her
_label_ a _red cross_ between two _red roses_. H.R.H. the Princess
LOUISE (Duchess of ARGYLL):--_Red rose, and two red cantons_. H.R.H. the
Princess BEATRICE:--_Red heart, and two red roses_.
The Warrants for the three daughters of King EDWARD were issued in the
lifetime of Queen VICTORIA when they were grandchildren of the
Sovereign, and no change has since been made. Consequently the _labels_
are of _five points_ instead of _three_. The Charges upon the label of
H.R.H. the Duchess of FIFE (Princess ROYAL OF ENGLAND) are: _Three red
crosses, and two thistles slipped alternately_. H.R.H. Princess VICTORIA
has a _label_ of _five points argent_, charged with _three roses_ and
_two crosses gules_; and H.M. the Queen of NORWAY a similar _label_,
charged with _three hearts_ and _two crosses gules_.
The _label_ of H.R.H. the first Duke of CAMBRIDGE was silver, of three
points, and the points differenced with _a red cross_ in the centre, and
on each of the two side points _two red hearts in pale_. The second and
late Duke bore the same _label_ as his father, and below it a second
_label_ of three points _gules_. The _label_ of H.R.H. the first Duke of
CUMBERLAND (son of KING GEORGE III.) was of silver, and of _three
points_ charged with a _fleur de lys_ between _two crosses gules_. The
second Duke bore an additional _label_ of _three points gules_, the
_centre point_ charged with the _white horse of Hanover_. These Dukes
bore the Royal Arms as used in the reign of GEORGE III. and not as
altered for Queen VICTORIA, differencing the accessories as well as the
Shield with their _labels_.
In 1904 a warrant was issued for H.R.H. Prince ARTHUR OF CONNAUGHT. The
label was of five points charged with three red crosses and two blue
fleurs de lys alternately. The coronet assigned to him was of crosses
patée and strawberry leaves alternately.
An interesting warrant was issued for the Princess VICTORIA EUGENIE OF
BATTENBERG, now Queen of SPAIN, in view of her then approaching
marriage. This assigned to her the arms of her father within a bordure
of England, and each of the supporters had a banner of the Royal Arms of
the United Kingdom placed in his paws.
Even more interesting was the warrant issued in 1913 to H.H. Princess
ALEXANDRA, Duchess of FIFE. This assigned to her upon a lozenge the
Royal Arms, differenced by the same label as that of her mother the
Princess Royal, and upon an inescutcheon the quarterly coat of Duff, the
inescutcheon being surmounted by the coronet of a Duchess of the United
Kingdom, and the lozenge itself being surmounted by the coronet of a
Princess of the rank of Highness. The dexter supporter is the Royal Lion
of England crowned with the last-mentioned coronet and charged with the
label as in the arms. The sinister supporter is a savage taken from the
supporters of the late Duke of Fife.
CHAPTER XIX
ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD AND INSIGNIA OF HONOUR
_Feudal Knighthood-- Orders of Knighthood: Knights of St. John;
Knights Templars; The Order of the Garter; of the Thistle; of St.
Patrick; of the Bath; of St. Michael and St. George; of The Star of
India-- Order of Merit-- Royal Victorian Order-- Imperial Service
Order-- The Victoria Cross-- The Albert Medal-- Naval and Military
Medals-- Foreign Insignia bestowed on British Subjects._
“The same King would make an Order of KNIGHTS of himself
and his Sons, and of the bravest of his land.”
--FROISSART.
“I will say as I have said,--
Thou art a noble KNIGHT.”
--LORD OF THE ISLES.
KNIGHTHOOD, as that term is generally understood in its comprehensive
acceptation, has been well defined to be “a distinction of rank amongst
freemen, depending not upon birth or property, but simply upon the
admission of the person so distinguished, by the girding of a sword or
other similar solemnity, into an order of men having by law or usage
certain social or political privileges,” and also a certain appropriate
title. It is evident, therefore, from this definition that Knighthood
implies the existence of these two conditions: the one, that the man to
be admitted to the rank of Knighthood should possess such qualifications
as may entitle him to that distinction; and the other, that Knighthood
should be conferred by a personage endowed with a competent power and
authority.
In feudal times the qualifications for Knighthood were military exploits
of a distinguished character, and eminent services, of whatever kind,
rendered to the King and the realm: also, the holding a certain property
in land (in the time of EDWARD I., land then of the yearly value of £20,
or upwards), whether directly from the King, or under some Noble, by the
feudal tenure of personal military service to be rendered under certain
established conditions; but it has been disputed whether there was any
necessary connection between Knighthood, as such, and the Knight Service
of Feudal Tenure. During the first two centuries after the Conquest,
Knighthood was conferred by the great Barons and by the Spiritual Peers,
as well as by the King himself, or by his appointed representative: but,
after the accession of HENRY III., the prevailing rule appears to have
been that in England no persons should be created Knights except by the
King, or the Prince Royal acting for his Father, or by the King’s
General-in-Chief, or other personal representative.
The knightly rank, as it gave an increase of dignity, implied also the
maintenance of a becoming state, and the discharge of certain civil
duties: and, more particularly, all Knights were required to make such a
provision for rendering military service as was held to be consistent
with their position and their property; and it was expected from them
that they should take a dignified part in the chivalrous exercises and
celebrations of their times. It followed, that feudal Knighthood was a
distinction which, if not conferred for the sake of honour, became
obligatory; and fines, accordingly, were imposed upon men qualified for
Knighthood who, notwithstanding, were found not to be Knights. In the
course of time, as the rigour of the feudal system abated, the numbers
of the military tenants of small tenures greatly increased: and, since
many of these persons had no inclination for the profession of arms,
they gladly accepted the alternative of paying a fine, which enabled
them to evade an honour unsuited as well to their means as to their
personal tastes and their peaceful avocations. A fruitful source of
revenue thus was secured for the Crown, while the military character of
Knighthood was maintained, and at the same time a new and important
class of the community gradually became established.
The Knights of Norman England, who at first were soldiers of the highest
order, derived their designation from their warlike predecessors of
Anglo-Saxon times, the word “_cniht_,” in the late Anglo-Saxon tongue,
signifying a military attendant. When they had established themselves in
the position and in the possession of the lands of the Anglo-Saxons, the
Anglo-Norman Knights retained their own original title. The Latin
equivalent for that title of “Knight” is “_Miles_,” and the
Norman-French is “_Chevalier_.”
These Knights may be grouped in two classes. The first class contains
all persons who had been admitted into the comprehensive Order of
Chivalry--who were Knights by reason of their common Knighthood. The
second class is formed of Knights who, in addition to their Knightly
rank, were members of some special and distinct Fraternity,
Companionship, or Order of Knighthood. Every Society of this kind has
always possessed Laws, Institutions, Titles, and Insignia peculiar to
itself.
The peculiar character and object of the Crusades led to the formation
of two Orders of _Priest-Knights_--Orders not belonging to any
particular nation, but numbering amongst their members men of all
nations. These are the Orders of the KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM,
or HOSPITALLERS, and of the KNIGHTS TEMPLARS.
The HOSPITALLERS, instituted about A.D. 1092, were introduced into
England about 1100. In the year 1310 they were established at Rhodes,
and in 1530 at Malta, under their forty-third Grand Master, PHILIPPE DE
VILLIERS DE L’ISLE-ADAM. Their device is a _silver cross of eight
points_, No. 107, charged upon a _black field_, or worn upon a black
surcoat or mantle. The Order was finally suppressed in England in 1559.
The TEMPLARS, instituted about A.D. 1118, were introduced into England
about 1140. In the year 1309 they were suppressed, and in 1312 their
Order was finally abolished. They wore _a Cross_ of the same form as No.
107, but of a _red colour upon a white field_. This red cross they
charged upon a white banner: and they bore another banner, No. 13, of
_black and white_, entitled “_Beau Seant_.” The same words, “_Beau
Seant!_” were their war-cry. The Badges of the Templars were the _Agnus
Dei_--the Holy Lamb, holding a red-cross banner; and a device
representing two Knights mounted on a single horse, intended to denote
the original poverty of the Order.[8]
[Footnote 8: The Arms of the Inner Temple of the present day
are--_Azure, a pegasus_ (or winged horse) _argent_, or sometimes
_or_. This Coat is derived from the early Badge, _the two horsemen_
having been mistaken in later times for _wings_. The Arms of the
Middle Temple are--_Argent, on a cross gules_, the Agnus Dei.]
[Illustration: No. 433.--Insignia of the Order of the Garter.]
THE ORDER OF THE GARTER, a military Fraternity under the special
patronage of “ST. GEORGE, the good Knight,” was instituted at Windsor by
King EDWARD III. in, or about, the year 1350--very probably in the
summer of 1348, but the exact time is not positively known. It may
safely be assumed, that the occasion which led to the institution of
this most noble and renowned Order, was a Tournament or Hastilude of
unusual importance held at his Castle of Windsor by EDWARD III. at the
most brilliant period of his reign: and it is highly probable that the
Order suggested itself to the mind of the King, as a natural result of
his own chivalrous revival of a knightly “Round Table,” such as
flourished in the days of King Arthur. How much of historical fact there
may be in the popular legend, which professes to derive from a certain
romantic incident the Title certainly borne by King EDWARD’S Order from
the time of its original institution, it is not possible to determine:
but the legend itself is not in any way inconsistent with the spirit of
those times; nor would the Knights Founders of the Garter regard their
Order as the less honourable, because its Title might remind them of the
happy gallantry, with which the casual misadventure of a noble Lady had
been turned to so good an account by a most princely Monarch. The
Statutes of the Order have been continually modified and altered, and
the original military character of the Institution has long ceased to
exist: still, no changes in the Order of the Garter have affected the
pre-eminence of its dignity and reputation. Illustrious now as ever, and
foremost in rank and honour in our own country, the GARTER is second to
no knightly Order in the world.
The MOST NOBLE ORDER OF THE GARTER consists of the SOVEREIGN and
Twenty-five KNIGHTS COMPANIONS, of whom the PRINCE OF WALES always is
one. By a Statute of the year 1805, the Order includes such lineal
descendants of GEORGE III. as may be elected: and still more recent
statutes have provided for the admission of foreign Sovereigns, and also
of certain “Extra Knights,” who are elected “Companions” as vacancies
occur.
The OFFICERS of the Order are--The _Prelate_, the Bishop of Winchester:
the _Chancellor_, the Bishop of Oxford: the _Registrar_, the Dean of
Windsor: the _Herald_, Garter King of Arms: and, the _Usher of the Black
Rod_.
Knights of the Garter place the initials “K.G.” after their names; and
these letters take precedence of all other titles, those of Royalty
alone excepted.
The Stalls of the Knights are in the choir of St. George’s Chapel,
Windsor Castle, where their Garter-plates are fixed, and their Banners
are displayed.
The INSIGNIA of the Order of the Garter are--The _Garter_ itself, of a
light blue originally, now of a dark blue, with border, buckle, and
pendant of gold. On it, in golden letters, the
_Motto_--HONI . SOIT . QVI . MAL . Y . PENSE--“Dishonour to him who
thinks ill of it;” and not, as it is commonly rendered, “Evil to him
that evil thinks.”
The Badge of the Order is circular, and formed of a buckled Garter
enclosing a Shield of St. George, the whole blazoned in the proper
tinctures: it is worn on the left shoulder of the blue velvet Mantle.
When irradiated with eight rays of silver or diamonds, a device
resembling the Badge in every respect, except that the cross of St.
George is enclosed within the Garter without being charged on a Shield,
forms the _Star_ of the Order.
The _Collar_, of gold enamelled, is formed of twelve buckled Garters,
each encircling a Tudor Rose, and as many knots of intertwined cords.
Attached to this Collar is the _George_--a mounted figure of the Saint
in the act of trampling down the dragon and piercing him with his lance.
The Collar and George were added to the Insignia by HENRY VII.
[Illustration: No. 434.--The Lesser George, of the Garter.]
The _Lesser George_, or _Jewel_, added by HENRY VIII., has the same
device placed on an enamelled field, and forming a jewel generally oval
in form; it is encircled by a buckled Garter of the Order, and
represented in No. 434. It was this Lesser George that CHARLES I.,
immediately before he suffered, delivered to Archbishop JUXON, with the
word, “Remember.” As a matter of course, the figure of ST. GEORGE ought
always to be represented as a Knight, armed and equipped as one of the
Christian chivalry of the Middle Ages--not as a pagan horseman of
antiquity, and more particularly not in the guise of such a nude
champion as appears on some of our modern coins. The Lesser George,
often incorrectly called the Badge, at first was sometimes worn from a
gold chain, and sometimes from a _black Ribbon_. The Colour of the
ribbon was changed to _sky blue_ by Queen ELIZABETH; and it has since
been again changed to the _dark blue_ of the broad Ribbon now worn. This
_Ribbon_ of the Order crosses the figure of the wearer, passing over the
left shoulder, and the Lesser George hangs from it under the right arm.
Since the time of CHARLES II. it has been customary for the nearest
representatives of a deceased K.G. to return his Insignia to the
Sovereign.
Each Officer of the Order, except the Usher, has his own proper Badge.
[Illustration: No. 450.--Insignia of the Order of the Thistle.]
The ORDER OF THE THISTLE, OF SCOTLAND, styled “Most Noble and Most
Ancient,” and indicated by the Initials “K.T.,” was originally
instituted long before the accession of a Scottish Sovereign to the
Crown of England; but it is now governed by statutes framed by JAMES II.
of Great Britain, ANNE, and GEORGE IV.
The Order consists of the SOVEREIGN and sixteen KNIGHTS. Its OFFICERS
are--The _Dean_; _the Lord Lyon King of Arms_; and the _Gentleman Usher
of the Green Rod_.
The INSIGNIA are--The _Badge_ of gold enamelled, being a figure of St.
Andrew standing upon a mount holding his silver Saltire and surrounded
by rays in the form of a glory. This Badge is worn from the _Collar_ of
the Order, formed of sixteen Thistles alternating with as many bunches
of rue-sprigs; or, from a broad _dark green Ribbon_, which crosses the
left shoulder. There are fine examples of these Insignia sculptured upon
the Monument of MARY, Queen of Scots, in Westminster Abbey. The jewel is
shown in No. 435.
[Illustration: No. 435.--Jewel of the Thistle.]
[Illustration: No. 436.--Badge of St. Patrick.]
The _Star_ of this Order, of silver or diamonds, is in the form of a St.
Andrew’s Saltire, having its four limbs alternating with the four points
of a lozenge: in the centre, surrounded by the Motto (NEMO ME IMPUNE
LACESSIT), is a Thistle proper.
The Most Illustrious Order of ST. PATRICK, OF IRELAND, indicated by the
Initials, “K.P.”, and instituted in 1783 by GEORGE III., consists of the
SOVEREIGN, the GRAND MASTER, and twenty-two KNIGHTS. The OFFICERS are
the Grand Master, the _Chancellor_, the _Secretary_, _Ulster King of
Arms_ and _Registrar_, two _Heralds_, and one _Pursuivant_, the
_Genealogist_, and the _Usher of the Black Rod_.
[Illustration: No. 451.--Insignia of the Order of St. Patrick.]
The INSIGNIA are--The _Badge_ or _Jewel_, of gold enamelled, and oval in
form. It has a Shamrock (or Trefoil slipped) having on each leaf a Royal
Crown, charged on the Saltire of St. Patrick, the field being surrounded
by the _Motto_--QVIS . SEPARABIT . (“Who will sever?”) MDCCLXXXIII., on
a blue band, which in its turn is encircled with a wreath of Shamrocks
on gold. This Badge, No. 436, is worn from the _Collar_, composed of
Roses and Harps, alternating with each other and with knotted cords,
a Crown surmounting a Harp being in the centre; or, the Badge is worn
from a broad _sky-blue Ribbon_, crossing the right shoulder.
The _Star_ resembles the Badge, except that its centre is circular
instead of oval; and that it has eight rays of silver or diamonds, in
place of the wreath of Shamrocks.
The Most Honourable ORDER OF THE BATH is an early Institution which,
after having long been in abeyance, has been revived and remodelled, and
has received fresh statutes in the years 1725, 1815, 1847, and 1859.
[Illustration: No. 452.--Collar and Military Badge.
Insignia of the Order of the Bath.]
The Order, now numbering about a thousand members, consists of several
distinct Groups or Classes, which include, with the SOVEREIGN, the Royal
Princes, and some few distinguished Foreigners, Officers of our own Navy
and Army, and also Diplomatic and Civil Servants of the Crown.
The Three “Classes” of the Order alike include members of the Three
Services, and each class is divided into two divisions, viz. Military
and Civil.
The “First Class,” of KNIGHTS GRAND CROSS OF THE BATH--G.C.B.--has 55
Military and 27 Civil Knights.
The “Second Class” numbers (with power to increase these numbers) 145
Military and 108 Civil KNIGHTS COMMANDERS OF THE BATH--K.C.B.
The “Third Class,” not of Knights, but of COMPANIONS OF THE
BATH--C.B.--has 705 Military and 298 Civil Members, who take rank
between Knights and Esquires.
The MILITARY INSIGNIA are--The BADGE, a complicated combination of
devices, characteristic of the debased period which produced it. It is
represented in No. 437.
[Illustration: No. 437.--Badge of the Bath (Military Division).]
The Cross is white; the circle with the Motto, red; and the small scroll
in base, blue; all the rest being enamelled “proper.” This Badge is worn
by the G.C.B. attached to a _Collar_, formed of nine Crowns and eight
clusters of the Rose, Thistle, and Shamrock issuing from a Sceptre,
alternating with seventeen Knots enamelled argent: or, this Badge is
suspended by the G.C.B. from a broad _red Ribbon_, crossing the left
shoulder. By the K.C.B. the Badge is worn from a narrower red Ribbon
about the neck, or a still narrower at the button-hole. Also, by the
C.B. it is attached to a narrow red Ribbon at the button-hole.
[Illustration: No. 453.--Star of Knight Grand Cross (Civil).]
[Illustration: No. 454.--Star of Knight Commander (Military).]
The _Star_ of the G.C.B. is similar to the Badge without The Cross and
the lions, surrounded by silver rays having a lozenge-shaped outline.
The _Star_ of the K.C.B., which is in the form of a Maltese Cross, omits
the Cross of the Badge. The C.B. have no Star.
The Diplomatic and Civil INSIGNIA are--The _Badge_, No. 438, worn with
the same distinctions as the Naval and Military Badge; but the C.B.
Badge is of smaller size than the Badges of the two higher Classes.
[Illustration: No. 438.--Badge of the Bath (Civil Division).]
The _Star_ of the G.C.B. has eight silver rays encircling their Badge in
a circular form. The Star of the K.C.B. is the same as that of the Naval
and Military K.C.B., omitting the laurel-wreath and the small scroll and
motto.
The _Motto_ of the Order--TRIA . JUNCTA . IN . UNO--“Three united in
one,” refers to the Union of the three Realms of England, Scotland, and
Ireland, in the Order.
The _Stalls_ of the Knights of the Bath, before the Order was divided
into classes, and those of their Esquires, are in Henry the Seventh’s
Chapel, Westminster Abbey; but no installation has taken place since
1815, when the Order was reorganised, and no new plates or banners have
been set up.
[Illustration: No. 455.--Order of Merit.]
THE ORDER OF MERIT (O.M.) instituted in the year 1902, although it gives
to its members neither style nor precedence, ranks next to the Order of
the Bath, and is divided into two classes, Military and Civil. The only
Insignia are the Badge and the Ribbon parti-coloured of _red_ and
_blue_. The Badge is _a cross pateé of four arms_, the outline of the
cross being circular. The cross is of _blue enamel_ and superimposed
thereupon a smaller cross of the same design of _red_. The centre is
_blue_, bearing the words, “FOR MERIT,” in gold letters within a laurel
wreath. The cross is surmounted by the Royal Crown. The reverse of the
Badge shows the Royal and Imperial Cypher. To the Badge _two swords
saltirewise_ in the angles of the cross are added in the case of members
of the Military Division.
[Illustration: No. 456.--Collar and Insignia of the Exalted Order
of the Star of India.]
The Most Exalted ORDER OF THE STAR OF INDIA, instituted by Queen
Victoria in 1861, to render especial honour to high merit and loyalty in
the Indian Empire, was enlarged on the 24th of May 1866, and ordained to
consist of the SOVEREIGN, a GRAND MASTER, and 291 Ordinary COMPANIONS or
MEMBERS; together with such extra and Honorary Members as the Sovereign
at any time may be pleased to appoint.
The VICEROY AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA for the time being is always
the GRAND MASTER. The Ordinary Members are divided into Three
Classes:--The “First Class” comprises 36 KNIGHTS GRAND COMMANDERS:
G.C.S.I. In the “Second Class” there are 85 KNIGHTS COMMANDERS: K.S.I.
And, the “Third Class” numbers 170 COMPANIONS: C.S.I.
[Illustration: No. 439.--Badge of the Star of India.]
The INSIGNIA are--The _Badge_, No. 439, formed of diamonds, having the
Motto on a field of light blue enamel, and the bust of the late Queen
executed as an onyx cameo. This Badge is attached by a mullet to the
_Collar_, composed of heraldic roses and lotus flowers alternating with
palm-branches, a crown being in the Centre: or, the Badge is worn from a
_Ribbon of pale blue with white borders_ crossing the left shoulder. The
_Star_, of diamonds, has a mullet upon an irradiated field in its
centre, within the _Motto_--HEAVEN’S . LIGHT . OUR . GUIDE, the whole
being environed with wavy rays having a circular outline.
The Most Distinguished ORDER OF ST. MICHAEL AND ST. GEORGE, originally
instituted in 1818 for use in Malta and the Ionian Islands, has been
extended and enlarged in 1868, 1877, and 1902, and now is awarded for
Colonial and for Foreign Services. It consists of 100 KNIGHTS GRAND
CROSS (G.C.M.G.), 300 KNIGHTS COMMANDERS (K.C.M.G.), and 600 COMPANIONS
(C.M.G.), in addition to Honorary Members. The numbers are not adhered
to. The _Star_ is of seven long rays, smaller rays intervening. This is
charged with the Cross of St. George, and in the centre is a
representation of St. Michael encountering Satan within a blue circle,
bearing the Motto of the Order, “AUSPICIUM MELIORIS ÆVI.”
[Illustration: No. 457.--Star and Collar of the Order of St. Michael
and St. George.]
The _Collar_ is composed alternately of lions of England, Maltese
Crosses, and Cyphers, S. M. and S. G. In the centre is the Crown
_over two winged lions passant guardant, each holding a book and
seven arrows_.
The _Badge_ is a gold cross of fourteen points of white enamel, and has
in the centre, within the Motto of the Order (on the one side), St.
Michael encountering Satan (and on the other side), St. George and the
Dragon. The Badge is surmounted by the Crown.
[Illustration: No. 458.--Eminent Order of the Indian Empire.]
The Most Eminent ORDER OF THE INDIAN EMPIRE, instituted in 1878 and
subsequently enlarged, is the second Indian Order, and consists of three
classes, KNIGHTS GRAND COMMANDERS (G.C.I.E.), KNIGHTS COMMANDERS
(K.C.I.E.), and COMPANIONS (C.I.E.).
The _Star_ is of five rays of silver, alternated with as many rays of
gold. In the centre, within a purple circle, inscribed with the Motto,
“IMPERATRICIS AUSPICIIS,” and surmounted by the Crown, is an effigy of
Queen VICTORIA.
The _Collar_ is composed of elephants, lotus-flowers, peacocks in their
pride, and Indian roses, all connected by gold chains.
The _Badge_ is a red enamelled rose, in the centre of which is the
effigy within the Motto as on the Star.
[Illustration: No. 459.--The Badge.]
[Illustration: No. 460.--G.C.V.O. Star.]
[Illustration: No. 461.--K.C.V.O. Star.]
[Illustration: No. 462.--G.C.V.O. Badge.]
[Illustration: No. 463.--K.C.V.O. Badge.]
The ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER was instituted in 1896 as the personal Order
of the British Sovereign, and is divided into five classes--KNIGHTS
GRAND CROSS (G.C.V.O.), KNIGHTS COMMANDERS (K.C.V.O.), COMMANDERS
(C.V.O.), and Members of the Fourth and Fifth Classes (both M.V.O.).
The _Star_ is of eight points, and of chipped silver, having in the
centre a representation of the Badge.
The BADGE is a white Maltese Cross. It has an oval enamelled centre of
crimson with the monogram V. R. I., within a blue enamelled circle,
carrying the Motto of the Order “VICTORIA,” the circle surmounted by
the Crown. There is no collar for the order, but the King occasionally
bestows, as an extreme mark of favour, “The Royal Victorian Chain,”
a decoration not governed by express Statute.
[Illustration: No. 464.--Distinguished Service Order.]
[Illustration: No. 465.--Imperial Service Order.]
The DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ORDER is a Military Decoration instituted in
1886, but which does not carry the style of Knighthood. The _Badge_ is a
gold cross enamelled white and of a circular outline. In the centre (on
the one side) is the Crown on a red enamel ground within a wreath of
laurel, (and on the other side) the Royal Cypher takes the place of the
Crown.
The IMPERIAL SERVICE ORDER, a purely Civil Decoration instituted in
1902, is confined to the Administrative Services of the Empire. The
_Badge_ is an eight-rayed star bearing (on one side) the Royal Cypher
and (on the other side) “For faithful service,” surrounded by a wreath
of laurel and surmounted by the Crown.
[Illustration: No. 440.--The Victoria Cross.]
The VICTORIA CROSS, of bronze, was instituted by her late Majesty Queen
VICTORIA in 1856, to render honour to “conspicuous bravery” in actual
conflict, by sea or land. This Cross, No. 440, is worn on the left
breast, attached to a _blue_ ribbon for the Navy, and to a _red_ ribbon
for the Army. A Bar is attached to the ribbon for every additional such
act of bravery as would have won the Cross.
[Illustration: No. 441.--The Albert Medal.]
The ALBERT MEDAL, No. 441, which was instituted also by Queen VICTORIA,
dates from March 13, 1866, and is to distinguish those who save, or who
at the peril of their own lives endeavour to save, life or perform other
meritorious acts of bravery. The Coronet is that of H.R.H. the late
PRINCE CONSORT; and the Monogram consists of the Initials V. A., with an
anchor. This Medal is executed in Silver and Bronze for two classes of
recipients. The anchor in the Badge is omitted when awarded for land
services.
Other Decorations are “The Royal Order of Victoria and Albert” (of four
classes) and the Imperial Order of the Crown of India (of one class),
both confined to ladies, the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal, the Volunteer
Officers’ Decoration, the Territorial Decoration, the Edward Medal, the
King’s Police Medal, the Royal Red Cross, and the Order of Mercy; whilst
the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in England receives
official recognition.
CHAPTER XX
PRECEDENCE. GENEALOGIES
“Orders and Degrees
Jar not with Liberty, but well consist.”
--_Paradise Lost_, Book V.
“The use of Arms was closely connected with the Study of Genealogy.”
--DALLAWAY, _Science of Heraldry_ (A.D. 1793).
When JAMES I. succeeded to the Crown of England while he was actually
the King regnant of Scotland, and accordingly became Sovereign of the
two Realms, he found it necessary to produce a “Union Flag” for the
whole of Great Britain, in consequence of the serious disputes for
Precedence that arose between the natives of South and North Britain.
Before the time of the peace-loving son of Mary Stuart, a Sovereign of
another mould, HENRY VIII., had felt the necessity of framing and
establishing some definite system of Precedence amongst the various
degrees, orders, and ranks of his subjects: and, in 1539, a statute to
that effect was enacted. Other statutes afterwards were added; and, from
time to time, Royal Letters Patent on the same subject have been issued;
and thus the Precedence now recognised and in use amongst us has been
established.
The General Scale of Precedence follows, but there are Special scales
for use in (_a_) Scotland, (_b_) Ireland, (_c_) India, (_d_) Canada,
(_e_) Colonies, (_f_) Army and Navy, (_g_) Diplomatic Service.
THE GENERAL ORDER OF PRECEDENCE.
The SOVEREIGN.
The Prince of Wales.
The Younger Sons of the Sovereign.
The Grandsons of the Sovereign.
The Brothers of the Sovereign.
The Uncles of the Sovereign.
The Nephews of the Sovereign.
The Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Lord Chancellor.
The Archbishop of York.
The Premier.
The Lord High Treasurer.
The Lord President of the Council.
The Lord Privy Seal.
The following GREAT OFFICERS OF STATE _precede all Peers of their own
Degree_--that is, if Dukes, they precede all other Dukes; if Earls, all
other Earls; &c.:--
The Lord Great Chamberlain.
The Lord High Constable.
The Earl Marshal.
The Lord High Admiral.
The Lord Steward of the Royal Household.
The Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household.
The Master of the Horse.
The Peers of each Degree take Precedence in their own Degree, according
to their Patents of Creation.
Dukes
(_a_) of England,
(_b_) of Scotland,
(_c_) of Great Britain,
(_d_) of Ireland,
(_e_) of the United Kingdom and, if created since the Union,
of Ireland.
Marquesses (_vide_ Dukes).
Eldest Sons of Dukes.
Earls (_vide_ Dukes).
Eldest Sons of Marquesses.
Younger Sons of Dukes.
Viscounts (_vide_ Dukes).
Eldest Sons of Earls.
Younger Sons of Marquesses.
Bishops of (_a_) London, (_b_) Durham, and (_c_) Winchester.
Bishops, according to Seniority of Consecration.
Barons (_vide_ Dukes).
The Speaker of the House of Commons.
Commissioners of Great Seal.
The (_a_) Treasurer and the (_b_) Comptroller of the Royal Household.
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household.
The Secretaries of State, when not Peers.
Eldest Sons of Viscounts.
Younger Sons of Earls.
Eldest Sons of Barons.
Knights of the Garter, Thistle, and St. Patrick, not being Peers.
Privy Councillors.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
The Lord Chief Justice.
The Master of the Rolls.
Lord Justices of Appeal and Pres. of Probate Court.
Judges of High Court.
Younger Sons of Viscounts.
Younger Sons of Barons.
Sons of Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (Life Peers).
Baronets.
Knights Grand Cross of the Bath.
Knights Grand Commanders of the Star of India.
Knights Grand Cross of St. Michael and St. George.
Knights Grand Commanders of Indian Empire.
Knights Grand Cross of Victorian Order.
Knights Commanders of the various Orders
(in the same order of progression).
Knights Bachelors.
Commanders of Victorian Order.
County Court Judges.
Serjeants-at-Law.
Masters in Lunacy.
Companions of the various Orders.
Members of Fourth Class of Victorian Order.
Companions of Distinguished Service Order.
Eldest Sons of the Younger Sons of Peers.
Eldest Sons of Baronets.
Eldest Sons of Knights.
Members of Fifth Class of Victorian Order.
Baronets’ Younger Sons.
Knights’ Younger Sons.
Esquires:--Including
the Eldest Sons of the Sons of Viscounts and Barons,
the eldest Sons of all the younger Sons of Peers,
and their eldest Sons in perpetual Succession:
the younger Sons of Baronets:
the Sons of Knights,
the eldest Son of the eldest Son of a Knight
in perpetual Succession:
persons holding the King’s Commission,
or who may be styled “Esquire” by the King in any Official Document.
Gentlemen.
THE PRECEDENCE OF WOMEN
is determined, before marriage, by the Rank and Dignity, but not by the
Office, of their Father.
All the unmarried Sisters in any family have the same Degree, which is
the Degree that their eldest Brother holds (or would hold) amongst men.
Thus:--Of the Sons of an Earl the _eldest_ alone has an honorary Title
of Nobility and is styled “My Lord,” while _all_ the Daughters of an
Earl have a similar honorary Title, and are styled “My Lady.”
By Marriage Women share the Dignities and Precedence of their Husbands:
but, the strictly Official Dignity of a Husband is not imparted to a
wife (except in India), in the case of the Archbishops and Bishops or
holders of other offices.
The Dignities which Ladies have by Birth or by right of Inheritance, are
not imparted by Marriage to their Husbands: nor does Marriage with an
inferior in Dignity in any way affect the Precedence that a Lady may
enjoy by Birth, Inheritance, or Creation--both her own Precedence and
that of her Husband remain as before their Marriage, unless the Husband
be a Peer.
In the ROYAL FAMILY the following Precedence takes effect:--
The Queen.
The Queen Dowager.
The Princess of Wales.
The Daughters of the Sovereign.
The Wives of the Younger Sons of the Sovereign.
The Granddaughters of the Sovereign.
The Wives of the Grandsons of the Sovereign.
The Sovereign’s Sisters.
Wives of the Sovereign’s Brothers.
The Sovereign’s Aunts.
Wives of the Sovereign’s Uncles.
The Sovereign’s Nieces.
Wives of the Sovereign’s Nephews (Brothers’ and Sisters’ Daughters).
Granddaughters of the Sovereign not bearing the style
of Royal Highness.
To whatever Precedence she may be entitled by Birth, the Wife of a Peer
always takes her rank, and therefore takes her actual Precedence, from
her Husband.
The Widow of a Peer, so long as she remains a Widow, retains the rank
she enjoyed whilst married: but, should she contract a second Marriage,
her Precedence then is determined either by the rank of her second
Husband, or by the rank that was her own by Birth and which she enjoyed
before her first Marriage.
The Wife of the Eldest Son of any degree precedes all her Husband’s
Sisters, and also all other Ladies having the same degree of rank with
them. Thus:--the Wife of the Eldest Son of an Earl takes Precedence of
_all_ Daughters of Earls. In actual practice, however, by a principle of
Precedence that is accepted and adopted in all families of the same
degree amongst themselves, the Sisters in every case have their place
immediately after the Wife of their own Eldest Brother.
GENEALOGIES.
GENEALOGIES, the Records of the Descents and Alliances of Families, are
necessarily associated with the Armorial Ensigns borne by those
Families, and by the several Members and Branches of them. Still, it
does not apparently follow, in the same manner, as a matter of
necessity, that the study and investigation of Genealogies should be
interesting and even attractive, because interest and attractiveness are
inseparable from Heraldry. And yet, I do not hesitate to claim for
genealogical researches the favourable regard of students of Armory, on
the very ground of the interest which they are certain to feel in such
researches; and also in confident reliance on that inherent power of
attraction, inseparable from the subject itself, that will not fail both
to win their favourable regard, and to lead them on from one inquiry to
another.
The very act of tracing up some eminent and illustrious personage, from
generation to generation of his forefathers, noting down the alliances
that have interwoven one thread of a brilliant line with others not less
lustrous; or, the reverse of this process, the following the lineage of
some worthy of the olden time onward down the stream, observing both the
tributaries that flow into the main channel and the streamlets that
issue from it--all this, when once it has been systematically
undertaken, leads the student through the most picturesque regions of
historical romance.
The popular idea of Genealogy may be, that it consists in placing in a
formal order of arrangement a series of dry names, connected with dates
that (if it be possible) are even more dry. It is not uncommon to
dispose of many things precisely in the same way, when an opinion is
formed without even the slightest attempt to judge of a question by its
true merits--it is so easy to decline the trouble and to avoid the
effort attendant on inquiry and investigation, and so pleasant to become
the possessor of an “opinion” and “views,” without any outlay in
acquiring them. A Map has no value in the estimation of those who ignore
Geography: the claims of Archæology are disregarded by all who are
content to remain in ignorance even of what it implies: and History
itself becomes and continues to be a dead letter, so long as an
acquaintance is formed only with the exterior of its volumes. And, in
like manner, Genealogy appears under a very different aspect to those
who know it only by name, and to lovers of Biography and History who are
familiar with its lucid and yet ever suggestive guidance. Without
written Genealogies, who can clearly understand the political and
historical position of the rival Princes of the red and white Roses; or
of HENRY VII. and the “last of the Plantagenets”; or of Queens ELIZABETH
TUDOR, MARY STUART, and JANE GREY? Or who, without similar aid, will
follow out the fortunes of the Houses of BEAUCHAMP and NEVILLE and
DUDLEY, and connect them with the existing noble lord of Warwick Castle;
or, when reading of the DE CLARES, the BOHUNS, or the PERCIES, will see
at a glance the connection between “STRONGBOW” and the “red Earl
GILBERT,” or will understand the significance of the white swan Badge of
the STAFFORDS, or will read at sight the quartered Shield of the Duke of
NORTHUMBERLAND, of to-day, and will discern the line that connects the
living Earl PERCY with the “HOTSPUR” whose fame was two centuries old
when SHAKESPEARE wrote of him? And further, who, that is unable to
accomplish such things as these, can appreciate History, can enjoy it
and apply its lessons aright?
In arranging a Genealogy the utmost conciseness is essential, all
details being left for full description elsewhere. All the members of
the same family are placed side by side, on the same level, in their
order of seniority; and all are connected by lines with one another and
with their parents. Successive generations also, throughout all the
branches of any family, or in allied families, have their places on the
same levels; and the connecting and distinguishing lines are continued
throughout. Examples of Genealogies treated in the most scientific and
yet simple manner, easy to be understood, and perfect as models for
students, may be obtained in any Part of the _Herald and Genealogist_,
formerly edited by the late Mr. J. G. NICHOLS, F.S.A., Parliament
Street, Westminster. I refer to this excellent Periodical, because it is
not possible for me here in the space at my disposal to set forth a
really useful example of a Genealogy: and, I must add, because it is
most desirable that students of Heraldry should form such an
acquaintance with Mr. Nichols, as may be acquired through his works.
_Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica_, now edited by Mr. W. B.
BANNERMAN, is another Periodical, which ought to be in the hands of all
Genealogists.
In Genealogies, this mark = denotes alliance by marriage, and it is
placed between the names of a husband and wife: and the lines that
proceed from this mark, thus,
=
|
________/ \________
/ \
point out their issue. The initials S. P. (of the Latin words _Sine
Prole_, “without issue”) show where a line or a branch ceases. Other
abbreviations and signs in general use will suggest their own
signification.
As I began this Chapter with quotations, so with a quotation I conclude
it. “There are some persons,” writes Mr. LOWER, in his “Curiosities of
Heraldry” (p. 292), “who cannot discriminate between the taste for
pedigree” (or genealogy) “and the pride of ancestry. Now these two
feelings, though they often combine in one individual, have no necessary
connection with each other. Man is said to be a hunting animal. Some
hunt foxes; others for fame or fortune. Others hunt in the intellectual
field; some for the arcana of Nature and of mind; some for the roots of
words, or the origin of things. I am fond of hunting out a pedigree.”
And, gentle reader, when you have joined the chase genealogical,
I promise you, so also will you be.
CHAPTER XXI
_The College of Arms-- The Lyon Office of Scotland-- Grants of Arms--
Tax on “Armorial Bearings,” and on “Arms Found”_
“They were conspicuous for judgment, experience, learning, and
elegance; they gained honour wherever they were employed.”
--NOBLE, _History of the College of Arms_.
“What is your Crest and Motto?--Send name and county to ----’s
Heraldic Office. For plain Sketch, 3s. 6d. In heraldic colours, 6s.”
--_Morning Newspapers._
I. The HERALDS OF ENGLAND, who before had been attached to the Household
either of the Sovereign or of some Personage of exalted rank, were
incorporated as a Fraternity by RICHARD III., a Prince whose historical
reputation is by no means in harmony with that early act of his reign,
which has done such good service to English History--the Foundation and
Establishment of the COLLEGE OF ARMS, or, as it is commonly called, the
HERALDS’ COLLEGE.
The Letters Patent, issued for this purpose by RICHARD III., bear date
March the 2nd, 1483, the first year of his reign. Very important
privileges and immunities, with high powers and authority, were granted
to the incorporated Heralds: and the “right fair and stately house,”
called “Pulteney’s Inn,” situate in the metropolitan parish of All
Saints, was assigned to them as their permanent official residence. The
Charter granted to the Heralds by the last Plantagenet Sovereign was
confirmed by his successors.
The buildings of the College were destroyed by the great fire of 1666;
but all the records and documents fortunately escaped, having been
removed to Whitehall; and the edifice was subsequently rebuilt, chiefly
at the cost of the Heralds themselves, where it now stands between St.
Paul’s Cathedral and the Thames. There, in the College of Arms, are
still carefully preserved all that the early Heralds recorded and
transmitted to our times. There, not the least valuable of the contents
of the College, an unique Library is in the keeping of Guardians, who
understand its true uses, as they appreciate its preciousness. And there
also the Headquarters of English Heraldry are as duly established, as
those of the British Army are at the Horse Guards in Whitehall.
The great change that has come upon London since the Heralds rebuilt
their official home, has already caused some structural alteration in
the building, and has resulted in the College of Arms now appearing out
of place in its original position in the City. Other changes, which
follow in such rapid succession in that busy neighbourhood, render it by
no means improbable that the site of their College may be required for
some great “City improvement”; and so the Heralds may be constrained to
establish themselves in the more congenial regions of the metropolitan
“far west.” This, as I am disposed to consider, is one of those
consummations that are devoutly to be desired.
The times have been in which Heraldry could not number amongst its true
friends the official Heralds of the College of Arms: but, happily,
a very different, and in many most important respects a thoroughly
satisfactory condition of things now obtains at the College. So far as
the Heralds are concerned, as a body of learned, accomplished, and
courteous gentlemen, Heraldry now is admirably represented amongst us,
and faithfully supported. What still is deficient in the existing
constitution of the College of Arms, as a National Institution, is
adaptation to existing circumstances, sentiments, and requirements. It
is but a truism to assert that, as a National Institution, the College
of Arms does not fill its proper position: and, to all who are familiar
with the facts of the case, it is equally obvious that this is simply
because the College does not vindicate its indisputable title to that
position which really is its own.
Heraldry is decidedly popular. This popularity also is assuming a more
practical, and at the same time a more enduring form, through gradually
becoming the result of a correct appreciation of the true character of
Heraldry, and of its intrinsic value. At a time in which people are
beginning to feel and to admit that they _ought to know_ something about
Heraldry, the College of Arms _ought to take the lead_ in making
Heraldry still better understood, still more justly appreciated, still
more popular. The time, also, is indeed come in which it is the bounden
duty of the College of Arms to impress upon the community at large, that
_the sole source and fountain-head of authority in all matters armorial,
under the Sovereign, centres in itself_. This is to be accomplished by
the same process, and only by the same process, by which the College of
Arms may win for itself thorough popularity and universal confidence. If
the College requires fresh or increased powers, application to that
effect should be made to the Legislature. The Heraldry of Scotland has
been dealt with by Parliament: and it would be equally easy to obtain
such a statute as would enable English Heraldry to do justice to itself,
while fulfilling its own proper duties.
Without abating or compromising in the slightest degree its own dignity
or the dignity of Heraldry, the College of Arms requires to be
transmuted from an exclusive into a popular Institution. It requires,
not indeed to have its object and aim and system of action changed, but
to have them expanded, and expanded so widely as to comprehend all the
heraldic requirements of the age. This is a subject of too urgent
importance not to be noticed here; but still, it is not possible to do
more than to notice it in very general terms.
Upon one specific point, however, a few plain words may be spoken
without hesitation, and may be left by themselves without comment. The
Fees and Charges of all kinds for granting, matriculating, confirming,
and recording the rightful possession of armorial Insignia must be
arranged upon a perfectly fresh system, with such provisions and
modifications as may adapt them to every variety of circumstance and of
requirement. This is a question which can be regarded only from one
point of view by every true lover of Heraldry, and consequently by every
true friend of the College of Arms.
II. The National Heraldic body in Scotland, entitled the LYON OFFICE, is
under the presidency of the _Lyon King of Arms_. The Chief of the
Scottish official Heralds from May 1796 to a recent period had been a
Peer of that realm; and the duties of the office, accordingly, had been
discharged for seventy years by a _Lyon Depute_. But, on the death of
the Earl of KINNOUL, in February 1866, it was determined to remodel in
some respects the arrangements of the Lyon Office; and Mr. GEORGE
BURNETT, who had long been “Lyon Depute,” was appointed by Her Majesty
to be “Lyon King.” He has been succeeded by Sir J. BALFOUR PAUL. The
Arms of the Lyon Office I have already given, No. 266.
The action of the Scottish Lyon King of Arms, and of the Institution
over which he presides, after having degenerated from the worthy
standard of earlier days, has revived under far happier conditions, and
with prospects that are eminently gratifying. It may be fairly expected,
indeed, that the most salutary results will be produced by the very
decided “tendency” that for some time has existed, “to cultivate the
rules and principles of that earlier age, to which”--writes Mr.
Seton--“we are indebted for a system of Scottish Heraldry, whose purity
certainly has not been surpassed in any other corner of Christendom.”
These words occur in a highly interesting memoir of the Lyon Office, in
the fourth chapter of the work entitled “The Law and Practice of
Heraldry in Scotland,” an able and admirable volume, published in 1863
in Edinburgh, which shows the growing popularity of a true Heraldry
north of the Tweed, and proves that in the author, Mr. Seton, Scottish
Heraldry possesses an advocate no less powerful than zealous and
judicious.
III. Arms and Armorial Insignia are granted _only_ through the College
of Arms in England, and through the Lyon Office in Scotland, in both
realms with the direct sanction of the Crown expressed in England by the
Earl Marshal. In Ireland all Grants are made by Ulster King of Arms with
the same sanction.
It is to be observed and kept in remembrance that the _sole right_ to
Arms is a Grant from the College or the Crown, or Inheritance by lineal
descent from an ancestor to whom a Grant was made or in whom a right to
bear Arms has been officially recognised and registered by the Crown.
All “Grants” and “Confirmations of Arms” (Confirmations, that is, of the
Claims of certain individuals to bear certain Arms, by some uncertain
right and title duly set forth and approved and thereafter legalised by
the Crown) are formally and regularly recorded, with a full blazon of
the insignia, at the College or Offices of Arms.
It is very greatly to be desired that, in addition to this time-honoured
usage of the Heralds in making these records, some simple plan could be
adopted for the periodical registration at the College of Arms of all
armorial insignia that are borne by right. Almost equally desirable,
also, it would be to make a corresponding registration, as far as might
be possible, of whatever insignia are borne _without_ any right. The
contents of both registers would form unquestionably useful publications
of a periodical character. In connection with any such project as I have
just suggested, it appears to me that good service might be rendered to
the cause of true Heraldry amongst us, if _Badges and Mottoes_ (without
any other insignia whatever) were formally granted by the College, under
certain conditions, and at the cost of a small Fee.[9]
[Footnote 9: I leave this sentence as it has hitherto stood in the
book. Badges are now granted and recorded, but a prior right to arms
is required. --A. C. F.-D. 1908.]
In new Grants of Arms, as in so many formal documents, something of the
early form of Expression, with some traces of its piquant quaintness,
are still retained. Very quaint indeed, and very extravagant also, is
the style that was generally adopted by the Heralds of the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, and yet characteristic of both the men and their
times. As an example of one of these old documents, an example of no
common interest in itself, I now give the Grant of Arms to JOHN
SHAKESPERE, the Poet’s father, in the year 1596. Two draft copies of the
original Grant are preserved in the College of Arms; the following
transcript is printed from the later of the two copies, the earlier
having been used to supply any word or passage that now is wanting in
the other. The insertions thus obtained are printed in brackets.
[Transcriber’s Note:
All brackets except footnote references are in the original. Letters
in braces { } (“curly brackets”) were printed as superscripts.]
GRANT OF ARMS TO JOHN SHAKESPERE, A.D. 1596.
To all and singuler Noble and Gentelmen of what estate [or] degree
bearing arms to whom these presentes shall come, William Dethick
alias Garter principall King of Armes sendethe greetinges. Know
yee that, whereas by the authoritie and auncyent pryveleges
perteyning to my office from the Quenes most excellent Ma{te} and
by her highnesse most noble and victorious progenitors, I am to
take generall notice and record and to make declaration and
testemonie for all causes of arms and matters of Gentrie thoroughe
out all her Majestes Kingdoms, Domynions, Principalites, Isles,
and Provinces, To th’ end that, as manie gentelmen, by theyre
auncyent names of families, kyndredes and descentes, have and
enjoye certeyne enseignes and cotes of arms, So it is verie
expedient in all ages that some men for theyr valeant factes,
magnanimite, vertu, dignites, and desertes, may use and beare
suche tokens of honour and worthinesse, whereby theyre name and
good fame may be the better knowen and divulged, and theyre
children and posterite in all vertu (to the service of theyre
Prynce and Contrie) encouraged. Wherefore being solicited and by
credible report informed that John Shakespeare of Stratford uppon
Avon in the counte of Warwik, whose parentes and late
antecessors[10] were for theyre faithefull and va[leant service
advaunced and rewarded by the most prudent] prince King Henry the
Seventh of [famous memorie, sythence which tyme they have
continewed at] those partes, being of good reputacion [and credit;
and that the] said John hathe maryed [Mary, daughter and one of
the heyrs of Robert Arden, of Wilmcote, in the said] counte,
esquire.[11] In consideration whereof, and for the encouragement
of his posterite, to whom such Blazon [or Atchevement] by the
auncyent custome of the lawes of armes maie descend, I the said
Garter King of Armes have assigned, graunted and by these
presentes confirmed this shield or cote of arms, viz. Gould, on a
bend sables a speare of the first, steeled argent; and for his
crest or cognizance a falcon, his winges displayed, argent,
standing on a wrethe of his coullors, supporting a speare gould,
steeled as aforesaid, sett upon a helmett with mantelles and
tasselles as hath ben accustomed and dothe more playnely appeare
depicted on this margent. Signefieng hereby, and by the authorite
of my office aforesaid ratifieng, that it shalbe lawfull for the
sayd John Shakespeare gent. and for his cheldren, yssue and
posterite (at all tymes and places convenient) to bear and make
demonstracion of the said Blazon or Atchevement uppon theyre
Shieldes, Targets, Escucheons, Cotes of arms, Pennons, Guydons,
Ringes, Edefices, Buyldinges, Utensiles, Lyveries, Tombes or
Monumentes, or otherwise, for all lawfull warrlyke factes or
civile use and exercises, according to the lawes of armes, without
let or interruption of any other person or persons for use or
bearing the same. In witnesse and perpetuall remembrance hereof I
have hereunto subscribed my name, and fastened the seale of my
office endorzed with the signett of my armes, At the Office of
Armes, London, the xx. daye of October, the xxxviij. yeare of the
reigne of our Soveraigne Lady Elizabeth, by the grace of God Quene
of England, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faythe, etc.
1596.
[Footnote 10: Above the word _antecessors_ is written
_Grandfather_.]
[Footnote 11: _Gent._ was first written, and it is altered to
_esquire_.]
Like other documents of its class, in this Grant the language is framed
after certain regular forms; so that it is to be read without that exact
observance of particular expressions, which is rightly bestowed upon
legal and historical records. The interest inseparable from this Grant
is enhanced in no slight degree by the strong probability that John
Shakespere made his application to the College of Arms by the advice and
in consequence of the request of his son. Had the worthy Garter been
able to divine the “dignities and desertes” of the son, he might
possibly have employed formal language of a still more complimentary
character, when drawing up a Grant of Arms for the father.
A much more curious specimen of the heraldic style and form of
expression (and also of the spelling) of the earlier days of the Queen
ELIZABETH era, is a Grant of Augmentation and Crest, by LAWRENCE DALTON,
Norroy King of Arms, to JOHN BENNETT, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Gentleman,
A.D. 1560. The Preamble to this Grant, which is printed in full in
_Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica_ (p. 48), is thus written:--
To All and Singuler as well nobles and gentles as kings herauldes
and officers of Armes as others w{ch} thes presentes shall see
Reade or heare Lawrence Dalton Esquire Al’s Norrey Kinge of Armes
of thest and west p’tyes of Englande fro the Ryver of trent
northwarde Sendythe Due and humble comendacons and greatinge
fforasmuche as awncyentlye fro the begynnynge and not w{th}owt
great Delyberacon Equitie and Reason hyt hathe byn by the moste
noble and famous princes Constytutyd and ordeynyd that men of
wysdom knoledge vertue and of noble lyefe and Coorage haue byn
notoryowslye commendyd to the Woorlde w{th} Sonndrye monumentes
and Remembrances w{th} tokens of honnor for A testamonye of
theyre good Desertes As Amonge the Romayns y{e} Erecc’on of
Statues and Images w{th} tytles and Appellac’ons of honnour And
of more latre Dayes w{th} the moste p’te of nac’ons bearinge of
Signes and tokens in Shyldes callyd Armes w{ch} be the
Demonstrac’ons and Evidences of noblenes vertue and woorthynes
that to eu’ry man accordinge to theyre Desertes be Dyu’slye
Dystrybutyd Wherby such signes and tokens of the woorthye and
cooragyous might appeare before the cowarde vnwoorthye and
Ignorant Even so yt ys yet obs’vyd that suche w{ch} have merytyd
or donne com’endable s’vice to theyre prince or countrye or by
theyre woorthye and Lawdable lyefe Do Daylye encrease in vertue
wysdom and knowledge shulde not be forgoten and so put in oblyvyon
but rewardyd w{th} som token of honnor for the same the Rather to
move and styrre other to the Imytac’on of lyke noblenes vertue and
woorthynes ffor w{ch} purpose hyt was not therefor w{th}owt
great provydence ordeynyd and yet ys that there Shulde be officers
and herauldes of Armes to whose office hyt shulde be appropryate
to kepe in Regestre tharmes pedegrees and Descentes of nobles and
gentles w{th} theyre woorthye and valyant actes and to have power
and awethorytye to allowe and Ratefye vnto the woorthye Som
awgmentac’on token or Remembrance of noblenes for theyre seyde
woorthynes And now beinge Desyryd--
And so forth, worthy Mr. Norroy having forgotten such “signes and
tokens” as stops, while carefully showing what style and form it is
_not_ desirable for us to adopt, however excellent may be his system of
building up honourable insignia upon a foundation of nobleness, virtue,
and worthiness.
I add one other early document of another kind, which is an excellent
model for present use by the Heralds of our own days, the orthography
having by them been duly corrected.
EXAMPLE OF A CONFIRMATION OR RECORD OF ARMS:-- Theis are the
anncient Armes and Creast, belonging to the name and famely of
LEECHFORDE in the County of Surrey, descended from the LEECHFORDS
in Buckinghamsheire. Which at the request of S{R} RICHARD
LEECHFORDE of Shelwood in the County of Surrey Knight, I WILL’M
SEGAR Garter, Principall King of Armes have blasoned, and sett
forth in coullors, according as they are here depicted in the
margent. Viz.” (here follows a written blazon).... “Testifying
hereby the saide armoryes to belong vnto the saide S{R} RICHARD
LEECHFORD and to his yssue, to vse, beare, and shewe forth at all
tymes, and in all places, at their free lib’ty and pleasure. In
Witnes wherof....
&c. &c., with Seal and Signature, and the Date 3rd of JAMES I.
I presume that an argument in support of the abolition of all Taxation
of “Armorial Bearings,” on the plea of the utter absurdity of a tax upon
an honourable distinction, would be met with the reply that “Armorial
Bearings” are taxed purely as “luxuries,” and without the slightest
reference to their intrinsic character. If the validity of this plea
must be admitted, still this tax might be levied with what may be styled
a becoming heraldic discrimination.
For example:--Arms distinguished by “Augmentations of Honour” might be
altogether exempted; a higher rate might be fixed in the case of Arms
that are ensigned with Coronets, and that display Supporters. Arms borne
by unquestionable right, and which are duly recorded at the College,
might be rated at a comparatively low charge, certainly not to exceed
five shillings a year. On the other hand, all Arms or armorial insignia
borne with a very questionable right, or without even the pretence of
any right whatever, might be subjected to the ordinary tax for “Armorial
Bearings” of their class multiplied (according to circumstances) by
four, six, or ten.
The tax estimated by the aid of the multiplication-table, that has just
been suggested, would extend, under a special schedule possessing a high
multiplying power, to any self-constituted “Establishment” or “Office,”
which, powerless to “grant” Arms, undertakes--in consideration of a very
trifling fee--to “find,” and either to “sketch” or to “colour” them.
Exceedingly simple is the process, by means of which this undertaking is
accomplished. It consists in consulting a printed Armory; and, when the
desired “Arms” have been “found” in its well-stored columns, they then
at once are assigned to the applicant, in conformity with the
comprehensive and beautifully simple theory, that all persons having the
same surname and who also live (or were born) in the same county are
equally entitled to bear the same Arms. Probably it does not occur to
the patrons of advertising Heraldry-dealers, that upon precisely the
same principle every person who has the same “name and county” with any
officer who may be “found” in the Navy or the Army List, might assert a
right to whatever rank and title such an officer may enjoy by virtue of
his commission.
The almost universal desire to possess some kind of armorial insignia,
implies a corresponding recognition of the necessity to obtain them from
some Institution or Personage, supposed to be competent and authorised
both to determine what they should be, and to impart a right to accept
and to assume and bear them. It rests with the Heralds of the College of
Arms to take the initiative in a course of action, which would direct
all aspirants for heraldic distinctions, as a matter of course, to their
own doors. The Heralds, who really are Heralds, and who alone are real
Heralds, may rely on the support of Public Opinion. If a fictitious
Heraldry is not only prevalent, but in some sense actually in the
ascendant, it is not because the counterfeit is preferred to the
genuine, but because it is unconsciously mistaken for it. In very many
instances, indeed, a determination to obtain “Arms” is coupled with an
ignorance of Heraldry so complete, as to ignore the existence of any
such thing as a Heraldry that is fictitious.
A popular College of Arms, without any serious difficulty, might
establish its own authority with all classes of the community; and, at
the same time, it would not fail to impress upon the public mind the
very decided difference that exists between the heraldic and the
non-heraldic acceptation of the expression--“_an escutcheon of
pretence_.” Much real good would certainly result from the rude shock
that would be given to many a complacent display of armorial insignia,
by showing the proud blazonry to be _abated_ with the baton sinister of
heraldic untruth and unwarrantable assumption. And better still it would
be to show to all who possess, or who desire to possess and to bear
“Arms,” that the “Pride of Heraldry” is a worthy and a noble pride,
because it is the Pride of Truth and Right.
CHAPTER XXII
_MISCELLANEOUS:-- Coins-- Seals-- Heraldry in Architecture; in
Monuments; in Illuminations; in Encaustic Tiles-- Heraldic Personal
Ornaments, and various Heraldic Decorations-- Conclusion._
“The Spandrels over the Wall-arcading are exquisitely beautiful...
Those in the western arm contained Shields of a large number of the
great men of the day ... the few which remain are nobly executed.”
--GLEANINGS FROM WESTMINSTER ABBEY, by G. G. Scott, R.A.:
2nd Edition, p. 33.
I. The HERALDRY OF THE COINAGE, in addition to the Shields of Arms of
successive Sovereigns, exemplifies the changes that have taken place in
the form and adornment of the Crown, and it also is rich in various
Badges and Devices having an historical significance.
In Coins the Royal Shield is sometimes quartered by a cross charged upon
it, as in the silver penny of EDWARD VI. A mediæval ship, having a sail
covered with heraldic blazonry, appears on the _Noble_--a coin worthy of
its name. A figure of the King in armour (not particularly well
proportioned to the size of the vessel), his sword in one hand, and his
Shield of arms in the other, is also represented in these fine examples
of mediæval numismatic art. A ship without any sail, but in its stead
charged with the Royal Shield heightened by a Cross, forms the reverse
of another excellent coin, the _Angel_, the obverse bearing a figure of
ST. MICHAEL with his lance thrusting down the dragon. The Angel of
EDWARD IV. on either side of the Cross has the initial E and the white
rose of York; and the legend is-- PER : CRVCEM : TVA : SALVA : NOS :
XTE : REDEMPT : (“By thy Cross save us, O Redeemer Christ!”). A Crowned
Rose, with a Royal Cypher, is another favourite device; as in the
Shilling of Henry VIII., with the legend-- POSVI : DEV : ADIVTOREM :
MEVM : (“I have placed God (before me as) my helper”).
Such are a few examples of the early Heraldry of English Coins. More
recently, and particularly in our own Coinage, Heraldry and Art have
declined together, so that feeble designs, but too commonly executed
with lamentable consistency, are associated with heraldic inaccuracies
which continue uncorrected to this day--witness the _tressure of
Scotland_ often incorrectly blazoned on the Royal Shield; and poor
BRITANNIA, in her old position, sitting forlorn on the copper and bronze
coinage, as if conscious of being constrained to display on her oval
Shield an obsolete blazonry, that placed the reign of Queen VICTORIA in
the eighteenth century![12]
[Footnote 12: The specimens of the existing Coinage of Europe,
displayed at the Universal Exposition, at Paris, showed that if the
art of the English Mint is now at a low ebb, the prevailing standard
of numismatic art is not a single degree higher, the coins of France
alone being in many respects an honourable exception to the general
rule.]
II. To what has been already said on the value of heraldic SEALS I
desire here to add a few words, in the hope of inducing all students of
Heraldry to study them with the most diligent care.
Casts of fine impressions are not difficult to obtain. Almost every
accessible fine Seal has been copied by Mr. Ready, of the British
Museum, who supplies admirable casts at a very moderate cost. The
Scottish Seals of the late Mr. H. Laing, of Edinburgh, were purchased on
his decease by the authorities of the British Museum. The most
satisfactory casts are made in gutta-percha, which may be gilt by simply
rubbing a gold powder with a soft brush upon them, after slightly
warming their surfaces. Moulds for reproducing casts or impressions may
be made in gutta-percha; and from these moulds casts, also in
gutta-percha, may be obtained. The process is very simple: the
gutta-percha, softened by immersion in hot water, is pressed upon an
impression in relief, until a perfect intaglio is formed. When this
mould is cold and hard, it will stamp an impression upon gutta-percha
softened in the same manner.
[Illustration: No. 442.--Seal of Lord Bardolf.]
I add to the examples of fine heraldic Seals that I have already given,
the richly traceried Seal bearing the armorial Shield of JOHN, Lord
BARDOLF, of Wormegay in Norfolk, about A.D. 1350; No. 442. This most
beautiful Seal, which in the original in diameter is only one and
one-sixth inches, has been somewhat enlarged in the engraving, in order
to show the design more plainly. The arms of BARDOLF are--_Az., three
cinquefoils or_.
The liberality and kindness of Mr. Laing enable me to associate with the
Seal of Lord BARDOLF a small group of additional examples of Scottish
Seals: two of them are good illustrations as well of English as of
Scottish Heraldry, and they exemplify the usage of introducing Gothic
traceries into the composition of Seals with Shields of Arms: in both
these examples, however, the leading outlines only of the traceries
remain, and the rich cusping (which is so perfect in the Seal of Lord
BARDOLF) is lost. No. 443, the Seal of WILLIAM MURE, A.D. 1397, has a
Shield bearing--_Arg., on a fesse az. three mullets of the field_. No.
444, the Seal of THOMAS MONYPENY, A.D. 1415, has the Shield _couchée_
charged with _Az., a chevron between three crosses crosslets fitchée
issuing from as many crescents arg._: the Crest, on a helm, is a bird,
probably a popinjay or parrot. The Seal of RICHARD STUART, No. 445,
probably about 1350, may be compared with No. 414, p. 249: in the
smaller and earlier example, the solitary individual who represents the
crew may be assumed to be Richard Stuart himself; his vessel displays
two banners which are evidently affected by contrary currents of air,
and a pennon.
[Illustration: No. 443.--Seal of William Mure.]
[Illustration: No. 444.--Seal of Thomas Monypeny.]
[Illustration: No. 445.--Seal of Richard Stuart.]
[Illustration: No. 447.--Counter Seal of Earl Thomas de Beauchamp,
A.D. 1344]
The noble Seal, No. 446 (_see_ Frontispiece), engraved from a most
perfect impression recently discovered appended to a document in the
guardianship of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, represents its
illustrious owner, THOMAS DE BEAUCHAMP, K.G., third Earl of WARWICK, in
armour, with his shield and jupon charged with the armorial insignia of
Beauchamp (_gu., a fesse between six crosses crosslets or_), and with
the same insignia repeated upon the bardings of the charger upon which
the Earl is mounted. The engraving of the Seal itself appears on the
Frontispiece to this Volume: and the Counter-Seal, one of the most
beautiful and most perfect examples in existence of the early
seal-engraver’s art, is here represented in No. 447. The Shield
displayed on this Counter-Seal is charged only with the Arms of the
NEWBURGHS (_chequée or and az., a chevron erm._), from whom the Earldom
of Warwick passed by inheritance to the House of Beauchamp. The
inscription is commenced on the Seal, No. 446, and continued on the
Counter-Seal, No. 447, and is as follows:-- S : THOE : COMITIS :
WARRWYCHIE : ANNO : REGNI : REGIS : E : T’CII : POST : CŌQVESTV̄ :
ANGLIE : SEPTIO : DECIO : ET : REGNI : SVI : FRANCIE : QVARTO--
“The Seal of Thomas, Earl of Warwick, in the seventeenth year of the
reign of King Edward III. (of that name) after the Conquest of England,
and the fourth of his reign over France.” Thus, the date of the
execution of this fine Seal is the year 1344. The Earl himself died
in 1369.
A second Beauchamp Seal is also represented in the Frontispiece. This is
the Seal of RICHARD DE BEAUCHAMP, K.G., fifth Earl of WARWICK, who died
in the year 1439. The Heraldry in this example is particularly
interesting. The Shield, charged with _Newburgh_ and _Beauchamp_
quarterly, is couchée from the helm of the Earl which is ensigned with
his coronet and crest; and on either side is _a bear with a ragged
staff_, the famous Badges of the BEAUCHAMPS: No. 448 (_see_
Frontispiece). The Inscription is-- SIGILL : RIC : DE : BELLO : CAMPO :
COMIT : WARWICH-- “The Seal of Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick”
(see pages 223 and 224).
III. In GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE Heraldry is always a consistent, beautiful,
and most effective accessory. Indeed, so thoroughly is the spirit of
Heraldry in harmony with the great Architecture which grew up in the
Middle Ages, that Heraldry must be considered rather as an element of
its nature than as an allied Art. Gothic Architecture is essentially
heraldic; and hence, as well as from its elastic nature and its equally
consistent and happy applicability to every use and requirement, it is
peculiarly appropriate as our own national style.
From the earliest years of its existence as a definite Science, Heraldry
is found to be most intimately associated with the Gothic Architecture
of England: and happy it was for the early Heralds, that in their days
the English Gothic was at work in the full strength of its first
maturity. And this alliance was never interrupted, or permitted to
decline from its original cordiality. As long as the Gothic flourished,
Heraldry held its own place in Architecture. And in the finest works
that exist amongst us, relics of the grand Gothic Ages of English
Architecture, Heraldry is ever present to adorn them with its graphic
records. In the spandrels of arcades, in panels, upon bosses in
vaulting, in stained glass, in encaustic floor-tiles, and indeed in
almost every position in which such ornamentation could be admissible,
the early Herald is found to have been the fellow-worker with the early
Gothic architect. Gothic Architecture, accordingly, has preserved for us
very noble collections and specimens of the most valuable illustrations
of our national Heraldry. Canterbury and York Cathedrals, and the Abbey
Churches of Westminster and St. Alban’s, with the Chapel of King’s
College, Cambridge, are especially rich in heraldic treasures: and
Westminster Hall and the northern Castles of Alnwick and Warkworth may
be specified as noble examples of secular Architecture, which retain
their heraldic enrichments.
IV. Gothic MONUMENTS, and in common with them their successors of the
Renaissance era, abound in every variety of armorial blazonry. And fine
examples of heraldic Monuments are no less abundant, than are the
Shields and other insignia that appear on particular memorials. The
principles which directed the selection of Shields to be introduced into
the composition of early Monuments are worthy of careful consideration:
and the same remark is no less applicable in the case of Architecture.
I must be content to specify a very small group of heraldic Monuments of
especial interest and value. In Westminster Abbey: the Monuments of
Queens ALIANORE of Castile, PHILIPPA of Hainault, ELIZABETH TUDOR, and
MARY STUART; the Monuments of King EDWARD III. and King HENRY VII.; and
those of ALIANORE DE BOHUN, Duchess of GLOUCESTER, the Countess of
LENNOX, the Countess of DERBY, the two DE VALENCES, Earls of Pembroke,
EDMUND, Earl of Lancaster, Lord BOURCHIER, and Sir GILES DAUBENEY, K.G.
In Canterbury Cathedral: the Monuments of the BLACK PRINCE, and of
HENRY IV. and JOANNA of Navarre. In Salisbury Cathedral: the Monument of
Earl WILLIAM LONGESPÉE. In St. Alban’s Abbey Church: the Monuments of
HUMPHREY, Duke of GLOUCESTER, and of the Abbots WHEATHAMSTEDE and
RAMRYGE. Also, other fine Monuments in the Churches at Elsyng in
Norfolk, Ewelme and Northleigh in Oxfordshire, King’s Langley in
Hertfordshire, and Cobham in Kent; in Beverley Minster, and in the
Beauchamp Chapel at Warwick.
V. In the ILLUMINATIONS of the Middle Ages Heraldry has a place of
honour: and in the revival of that early Art, which is held in such high
estimation at the present day, Heraldry ought to occupy a position of
corresponding prominence. This implies in the Illuminators of to-day
some knowledge of Heraldry, and at least some degree of familiarity with
good early examples. I venture to suggest, therefore, to students of
Illumination the study both of the Herald’s Art and his Science, as no
unimportant part of their preparation for the practice of the Art of
Illumination on the principle of the sagacious maxim of a great modern
painter, quoted by Mr. RUSKIN in his “Seven Lamps of
Architecture”--“Know what you have to do, and _then_ do it.”
VI. In the ornamentation of early ENCAUSTIC or INLAID PAVEMENT TILES,
Shields of Arms and various heraldic devices frequently occur: and in
many examples the Shields of Arms are arranged with much skill and in
excellent taste, to form decorative compositions in combination with
foliage and traceries. Numerous heraldic Tiles of a very interesting
character remain in the Cathedrals of Worcester, Gloucester, and Exeter;
and in the Churches of Great Malvern, King’s Langley, the Abbey Church
of St. Alban, and many others. The student will observe that the devices
upon these Tiles are frequently _reversed_, evidently the result of the
neglect to reverse the designs upon the original dies or stamps.
VII. Heraldic blazonry was highly esteemed in the Middle Ages as a
becoming decoration for PERSONAL COSTUME. The Knights wore their _Coats
of Arms_, and they carried and used their _Shields of Arms_, and their
armorial insignia were displayed upon their weapons and upon the various
accessories of their personal equipment. The Ladies adapted this usage
to their own Costume, and they also wore _Mantles and Dresses of Arms_;
and many of their personal ornaments were strictly heraldic. Without
even suggesting now to our Ladies any revival of heraldic costume,
properly so called--such as dresses, mantles, or shawls emblazoned with
the bearings of armorial shields--I certainly do desire to see Heraldry
exercising a powerful influence in all designs for personal ornaments,
the works of the goldsmith and the jeweller more especially. Badges also
may supply the motive for designing many patterns that are to adorn
fabrics used for costume: and, in like manner also, the designs woven
into carpets, curtains, and various other fabrics may be derived with
the greatest advantage from the same source. The loom is employed in
blazoning heraldic insignia in white damask: why should it not work,
under judicious and cautious guidance, in silk and velvet, in satin and
every woollen fabric?[13]
[Footnote 13: I have lately seen a design for the embroidery of a
dress for a young lady of the Clan CAMPBELL; its characteristic
features are the Scottish Thistle and the Myrtle, the latter the
Badge of the Campbells. I may express my approval of the motive of
this design: others, as I have reason to believe, have approved the
treatment of it.]
It must be understood, however, that heraldic ornaments and devices,
unless they be of such a character that they are universally applicable,
must have a reference to the wearer, or they degenerate at once into
heraldic parodies. Personal ornaments, costume, furniture, if heraldic,
must display devices that have a significance as well as a beauty: such
costume and ornaments must be, not “becoming” only to the wearer, but
(in the heraldic acceptation of that term) “belonging” also. And so in
every instance.
For purposes of universal decoration and adornment, Heraldry is no less
applicable now than when EDWARD III. or HENRY IV. reigned in England.
Happily, a taste for furniture and all the appliances of every-day life
in the Gothic style is gradually becoming prevalent; and this is
inseparable from the use of Heraldry for the purposes of ornamentation.
I presume that the fallacy of regarding the Gothic style of Art as
exclusively ecclesiastical in its associations and uses, or as no less
necessarily inseparable from mediæval sentiments and general usages, is
beginning to give way to more correct views, as the true nature of the
Gothic and its original universal employment are better understood.
I consider it to be unnecessary for me, therefore, to enter here, in
support of my own sentiments, into any detailed explanations to show
that the revival of a Style of Art which flourished in bygone ages, and
with it the revival of Heraldry as it was invented and grew into its
early dignity and popularity, are in no way or degree whatever connected
with an implied return to the mode of life of four, five, or six
centuries ago. We have used Roman and even what we intended to be Greek
Architecture in nineteenth-century England; we are still in the habitual
use of Roman and Greek designs for every variety of decoration; and of
late we have added Egyptian and Scandinavian works of Art to the
deservedly prized collections of models, that we have formed for the
express purpose of imitating them: and yet we do not consider that we
thus in any way bind ourselves to adopt Roman, or Greek, or Egyptian, or
Scandinavian costumes or customs; nor in our use of the Arts of
Antiquity do we perceive any demonstration of retrogression in
ourselves.
It is the same with Mediæval Heraldry and Gothic Art. We may apply to
our own times, our own uses, our own delight, what the old Heralds and
the Gothic Artists have taught us, without even dreaming of wearing
armour or re-establishing the feudal system. True Heraldry (for it is
with Heraldry that I am now more especially concerned) is a Science, and
it also is an Art, for all time--for our times, and for future times, as
well as for the times that are past. If we understand and appreciate it,
we shall not fail to use and to apply it aright.
[Illustration: No. 449.--Seal of Sir WALTER SCOTT,
of Branxholm and Kirkurd, A.D. 1529. (Laing).]
From the initial-letter of my first Chapter I suspended the Shield borne
by that Sir WALTER SCOTT, of Abbotsford, whose name will ever be a
household word with every lover of what is chivalrous and knightly. Here
I place the Seal, No. 449, of an earlier Sir WALTER SCOTT, of Branxholm
and Kirkurd--a Knight of another branch of the same distinguished House,
who differenced the Shield of Scott so as to bear--_Or, on a bend azure
a mullet and two crescents gold_.
CHAPTER XXIII
PEERAGE DIGNITIES
_The Dignity of Earl-- Of Baron-- The Parliament of 1295-- Landed
Qualifications-- Creation of the Title Duke of Cornwall-- The Title of
Marquis-- The Premier Baron of England-- The Peerage of Scotland--
Scottish remainders-- Daughter Inherits in her own right--
Determination of an Abeyance-- The Right to Create Peers of Ireland--
Rights and Privileges of a Peeress-- The Daughters of Peers--
Anomalies of the English Scale of Precedence._
Although the name of the dignity of Earl is derived from a Saxon word,
the dignity itself, like all others, is more Norman than Saxon in its
character. At the period of the Conquest, and whilst the Norman dynasty
was on the throne, there were a number of people who bore this title. At
that time and for long afterwards, certainly well into the Plantagenet
period, an Earl within his earldom was little short of a petty
sovereign. Issues of justice and many other rights of regality were in
his hands, and he occupied a position very much akin to a viceroy for
the King, seeing that what he did he did in his own name and as Earl, or
“comes,” of the County. The High Sheriff was the “vice-comes.” Some of
the earldoms had more extensive rights of regality than others, some
were actual palatinates, and all earldoms originally were honours in fee
heritable by the heir-general. Earldoms had a territorial nature, and
the Earl took his “third penny” in the issues of the Courts in his
earldom.
The only other dignity at that period was that of Baron, and just as the
Earls of to-day have little in common save dignity and title with the
Earls of the past, so the Barons originally were very unlike the latest
creations of modern Prime Ministers in the name of the King. At the
Norman Conquest, and for long afterwards, the Barons, an indeterminate
number, were those who held their land in barony.
It is a matter of much uncertainty at what date Parliament came into
being. The word goes back to a much earlier period, and is used
concerning a variety of meetings which are now generally regarded as
meetings of different Councils and not of Parliament, but historians are
agreed that whether or not any earlier meetings can be properly
described as Parliaments, the Parliament of 1295 was properly and fully
constituted in all its elements. To this Parliament all those who were
personally summoned by the King in their own names and were not
nominated or elected by other people are Peers, and of these Peers those
who are not described as Earls are Barons. It should, however, be noted
that Bishops and Abbots were summoned by right of the offices they held,
and there are certain other officials who were summoned also because of
their offices and could be distinguished from the Barons and Earls.
There is no shadow of doubt that the reason for the summoning of the
Barons was the fact that they were great subjects and important because
of their ownership of land. It was landowners who had to provide the
military services for the country, and Parliament was chiefly concerned,
not in law-making, but in authorising and consulting as to military
expeditions, or in providing the subsidies necessary for these
expeditions, and the other services of the Crown. In addition to this
Peers exercised some of the judicial functions of the Crown. But
law-making was done by the King and his Council until a later period.
The landed qualifications which justified the summoning of a man to
Parliament as a Baron usually descended to his heir and similarly
justified the summoning of that heir; and in that way, but without any
intention to that end, the right of summons and the right of peerage
became hereditary. Originally it had been arbitrary and at the
discretion of the Crown. It was not until the reign of Edward IV. that
the hereditary peerage character of a barony was fully recognised, and
with that recognition came the divorce of the territorial idea from the
right of peerage. Like ancient earldoms, ancient baronies were honours
in fee heritable by the heirs general. Save that William the Conqueror
was Sovereign Lord of the Duchy of Normandy and as such Duke, the
dignity of duke did not exist in England until 1337, when Edward the
Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall with remainder to his heirs
the eldest sons of the Kings of England. That was the creation of the
title now enjoyed by the Prince of Wales, but this Duchy of Cornwall and
the Duchy of Lancaster are really Duchies as distinguished from the
Dukedoms enjoyed by other people having the designation of Duke.
The title of Marquis dates from 1386, when Richard II. created Robert de
Vere Marquis of Dublin; and the title of Viscount from 1440, when the
Viscounty of Beaumont was created. The first Barony by Letters Patent
was created in 1387, but the oldest surviving barony by patent now in
existence dates from 1448, when Sir John Stourton was created Baron and
Lord Stourton of Stourton, co. Wilts. The present Lord Mowbray, Segrave
and Stourton, who has inherited the barony of Stourton, also claims, as
Lord Mowbray, to be the premier baron of England although the barony of
Mowbray is placed on the roll of precedence after the baronies of Le
Despenser and De Ros. Although earldoms were granted by charters from
the earliest period, because, attached to the earldom, were also
material rights which needed to be conveyed, patents did not come into
use for baronies until it was desired to limit the succession of the
peerage to the heirs male of the body of the grantee, which is a
limitation and a less heirship than is comprised in the enjoyment of an
honour in fee simple. Privilege of peerage with all it entails has been
a slow growth of accretion; and save for place and precedence and the
right of any peer or peeress to be tried in the House of Lords, and the
now limited and threatened right of peers to legislate, little of
privilege of peerage remains.
The peerage of Scotland is very similar to that of England, and, before
the Union, the principal difference between the two countries was the
persistency with which the Scottish peerage remained attached to the
land. Until a late date a patent creating a Scottish peerage erected
certain lands into a barony or earldom as the case might be, and
entailed those lands with the dignity. The difference arising from this
form of procedure was more than counterbalanced by the recognised and
constantly-adopted procedure of resigning a Scottish inheritance into
the hands of the Crown, and then obtaining what is known as a
“Novodamus,” with either the same or different limitations.
The many Scottish remainders, which are quite unknown to English peerage
law, are all a consequence of this territorial nature of a Scottish
peerage. One of the chief differences at the present time between an
English and a Scottish peerage is to be found in those which are
heritable by females. Unless governed by special remainder contained in
the instrument of creation, a Scottish peerage, which in the event of
failure of a male heir devolves upon a female heir, differs from an
English one in its manner of descent. In Scotland the elder daughter
inherits as of right, standing in the line of heirship next after her
youngest brother and before any uncle or a younger sister. On the other
hand, such an inheritance is only known by virtue of a special remainder
in England. All Baronies by writ are Baronies in fee in England, and
heritable by the heir general, which means that they can if necessary
devolve upon females. If the only child of a peer having such a peerage
be a daughter she inherits in her own right, but if his issue is two
daughters, then the peerage falls into abeyance between them, because
under the law of England there is no seniority amongst daughters, and as
both of them cannot enjoy one single peerage, neither of them has it,
and it remains in abeyance until the Crown interferes or until by the
natural course of events one line becomes extinguished by the extinction
of all issue of the one daughter, when the peerage then at once devolves
upon the heir of the other. Sometimes an abeyance will last several
hundred years, sometimes it may end with the lapse of one or two; but at
any time during the continuance of an abeyance the Crown may, at its
entire pleasure, signify that any co-heir shall enjoy the peerage. This
is what is termed the determination of an abeyance, and this is effected
by the issue of a writ of summons to Parliament if the co-heir be a male
or by the issue of letters patent in the case of a lady. The co-heir in
whose favour the abeyance is determined then at once enjoys the peerage
with the same designation and precedence as those who have held it
hitherto, and his or her heir succeeds in due course.
Although there is one judgment to the contrary, it is now pretty
universally admitted that there is no such thing as an Irish Barony by
writ. With the union of England and Scotland, no further peerages of
either country were created, and subsequent peerages were either of
Great Britain or of Ireland; and it has been already judicially decided
by the House of Lords that the power to create a Scottish peerage does
not now exist in the Crown. There is no similar judgment in relation to
a peerage of England, but the fact is that no attempt has since been
made to create one, and though the point up to the present time still
has to be decided, it is certainly a matter for argument whether or not
such a right remains. Since the union of Great Britain with Ireland no
further peerages of Great Britain or of England have been created, but
the right to create peers of Ireland was specifically retained under
certain conditions and has been constantly taken advantage of. Other
peerages since created have, however, been of the United Kingdom.
Whether or not we shall ever have peerages of the Empire remains a
matter for the future.
Since the latter part of the seventeenth century it has been the custom
for peers and peeresses in their own right to sign simply by the
designation of their peerage. The peeress by marriage prefixes her
Christian name or initials to her husband’s title. It is statute law in
Scotland, but not in England, that no person may sign his surname
without prefixing a Christian name or initials. A peeress by marriage
who is also a peeress in her own right signs first her husband’s title,
adding her own afterwards; for instance, the signature of the Countess
of Yarborough is Marcia Yarborough, Fauconberg and Conyers. One cannot
call to mind in recent times any instances in which the peeress in her
own right has married a peer of lower rank than her own, and until such
a case occurs it is difficult to forecast what the signature should be.
A peeress by marriage after re-marriage loses all privilege of peerage
and precedence, and all right which she acquired by marriage, but as a
matter of courtesy she usually retains her peerage designation if her
subsequent marriage is to a commoner.
The daughter of a peer if married to another peer takes the precedence
of her husband and relinquishes her own, but she retains it if she
marries a commoner; and one of the anomalies of the English scale of
precedence is to be found in the following circumstances. If the two
elder daughters of a Duke were to marry an Earl and a Baron
respectively, whilst the youngest daughter were to run away with the
footman, she would, nevertheless, rank as the daughter of a Duke above
her sisters ranking as wives of an Earl and a Baron.
INDEX
Abated, Abatement, 100, 207
Abbotsford, 1, 326
Abased, 100
Aberdeen, Earl of: Arms, 68
Abergavenny, Earl of: Arms, 187
Abeyance, 330, 331
Accollée, 100
Accosted, 100
Accrued, 82
Achievement, Achievement of Arms, 100
Addorsed, 86, 100
Admirals, 256;
“Admiral of England,” 250
Admiralty, Flag of, 256
Æschylus, 6
Affrontée, 100
Aggroupment of Arms, 158, 163
Agnes de Percy: Seal, 160
Agnus Dei, as a Badge, 147, 276
Alant, Aland, 100
Albany, Duke of, 271
Albemarle, Earl of: Supporters, 92
Albert, H.R.H., the late Prince. _See_ Prince Consort
Albert Medal, 293
Alerion, 96, 100
Alianore de Bohun. _See_ Bohun
Alianore of Aquitaine: Arms, 259
Alianore of Castile and Leon:
Arms, 162, 166;
Monument, 322
Alianore, Daughter of Edward I., 77
Alice of Hesse, H.R.H., the Princess, 271
Alliance, Heraldic Record of, 159, 164;
Feudal, 194
Allusive Heraldry, 15
Alnwick Castle, 322
Alphabet, the Letters of the, in Heraldry, 135
Aluminium, 47
Ambulant, 100
Angels, Heraldic figures of, 75;
as Supporters, 75, 247
Anglo-Saxon Shields and Standards, 5, 55
Anglo-Saxon Sovereigns, Arms attributed to the, 18, 259
Anjou, Geoffrey, Count of, 188
Anjou, Queen Margaret of, 97
Annandale, Arms in, 198
Anne Boleyn, Queen, 229
Anne Stuart, Queen, 253;
Arms, 260, 262;
Badge, 229;
Motto, 265
Annulet, Annuletté, 72, 100, 101, 120;
in Modern Cadency, 193
Antelope, 80, 101
Anthony, Saint; his Cross, 101, 154
Antique Crown, 101
Anvers, Sir T. de: Arms, 202
Appaumée, 101
Aquitaine: Arms, 259
Archbishop, 101;
Marshalling his Arms, 173
Archdeacon, L’Ercedeckne: Arms, 196
Arched, Archy, 101
Arderne, Sir J.: Arms, 201
Argent, 40, 101
Argyll, Duke of:
Supporters, 91;
Duchess of, 271
Arm, Armed, 80, 101, 102
Armagh, See of: Arms, 141
“Armes Parlantes,” 16, 76, 102
Armorial Bearings, 39, 101;
Tax on, 313
Armory, 2, 101
Arms, Shields and Coats of, 2;
Aggroupment of, 158;
Attributed, 18;
Combination of, 158;
of Community, 102;
of Dominion, 102;
of Heiress and Co-heiress, 170, 172;
of Herald Kings, 173;
of Husband and Wife, 167, 171;
of Knight, 174;
of Office, 102;
Official, 174;
of Parlante, 102;
of Peeress in her own right, 173;
of Prelate, 173;
of Royal Personages, 174, 258;
of Unmarried Lady, 173;
of Widow and Widower, 173
Arms, Grants and Confirmations of, 308
“Arms found,” 313
Arms, right to bear, 308
Arragon, Queen Catherine of: Arms, 229
Arrow, 102
Art, Heraldic, 24, 27, 326
Art, Gothic, 325
Artificial Figures and Devices in Heraldry, 78
Arthur Plantagenet, 190
Arthur Tudor, The Prince: Badge, 231
Arundel: Arms, 17, 203
Arundel, Fitz Alans, Earls of, 89, 191, 215
Arundel, Thomas Fitz Alan, Earl of, 118
Arundel, Radulphus de: Arms 191
Arundel, the Baron: Supporters, 92
Ascania, Bernhard of, 113
Ashton: Badge, 147
Ashwelthorpe: Monument, 215
Asscheby (Ashby), Sir R. de: Arms, 203
At gaze, 80, 81, 102;
At speed, 81
Athole, Duke of: Supporters, 91
Attires, Attired, 81, 102
Attributed Arms, 18
Aubernoun, Sir J. d’: Pennon and Arms, 143, 246
Augmentation, Augmented, 102
Augmentations of Honour, 204;
by “Royal Favour,” 206
Austria, The Emperor of, 97
Avellane, 57, 102
Aventinus, 6
Azure, 41, 47, 102
Badge, 102, 103, 175, 220;
Varieties of, 221, 222;
Examples of, 224, 241;
marked for Cadency, 192, 226;
in Seals, 164, 225;
peculiarly appropriate for present use, 227;
to supersede Crests, 218, 227;
borne by Ladies, 277;
Royal, 220;
in Modern Heraldry, 309
Badge, of Ostrich Feathers, 230;
of Garter, 278;
of Thistle, 280;
of St. Patrick, 281;
of Bath, 283, 284, 285;
of Star of India, 288
Badge, Yorkist, 121
Badges, granted and recorded, 309
Badges, worn by, 251
Badlesmere, Sir B. de: Arms, 202
Balliol: Arms, 66;
Sir Alexander de, Seal, 103, 210
Balliol College, Oxford, 66
Bannebury, Sir R. de, 202
Branded 103
Banner, Armorial, 3, 103, 247;
blazoning of, 39;
made on field of Battle, 248;
Royal, 266;
marked for Cadency, 192, 252;
on Seals, 239;
at Sea, 250;
of Leicester, 14;
of Templars, 13, 276
Banneret, 103;
creation of, 248
Bannerman, W. Bruce, 302
Bar, 51, 103;
examples of, 201
Barbarossa, The Emperor, 113
Barbed, 103
Barbel, 77, 103
Barded, Bardings, 103
Bardoff: Arms, 182;
John Lord, 318
Barkele. _See_ Berkeley
Barnacles, Breys, 103
Baron, 103, 104, 328;
Baroness, 104
Baronet, 104
Barre, de: Arms, 103, 162;
Joan de, 162, 224;
Henry de, 162;
John de, 77
Barrulée, Barruly, 52, 104
Barrulet, 51, 106, 182
Barry, 52, 104
Barry Bendy, 60, 104
Bars Gemelles, 52, 103, 126
Bar-wise, 53, 104
Base, 33, 105
Basilisk, 105
Basinet, 105, 218
Basingborne, Wm. de: Arms, 70
Bassett: Arms, 62
Bat in Heraldry, 79
Bath Herald, 131
Bath, Order of the, 283;
Knights of, 284;
Companions of, 284;
Insignia of, 284;
Stalls of Knights, 286
Bath, Marquess of, 92
Baton, 105;
Sinister, 190, 191
Battled, or Embattled, 105
Bayeux Tapestry, 5
Beacon, Fire Beacon, 105
Beaked, 105
Bear, in Heraldry, 76;
Bear and Ragged Staff, 221, 321
Bearer, 105
Bearings, Armorial Bearings, 39, 105.
_See_ Arms
Beasts, in Heraldry, 76
Beatrice, H.R.H., The Princess, 271
Beauchamp, Earl Richard de, 164, 171, 208, 319;
his Badges, 221;
at Jousts at Calais, 223
Beauchamp, Earl Thomas de, 169, 319, 320
Beauchamp, K.G., Earl Richard, 146
Beauchamp, of Warwick: Arms, 169, 171, 183;
Badges, 146
Beauchamp, of Bletshoe: Arms, 183
Beauchamp, of Elmley: Arms 183
Beauchamp, at Carlaverock: Arms, 183
Beauchamp: Differences, 187
Beauchamp Chapel, the, at Warwick, 169, 187, 322
Beaufort: Arms and Differences, 189, 190, 192;
Badge, 140, 233
Beaufort, Margaret de, 169, 170, 233
Beaufort, John de, 189, 190, 236
Beaufort, Henry de, 189
Beaumont, Bishop Lewis de: Effigy and Arms, 159
Beaumont, Sir J.: Crest, 216
Beaumont, Viscount, 329
Beausseant, 13, 276
Bec, Bishop Anthony, 56
Beckyngton, Bishop: Rebus, 147
Bedford, Isabelle, Countess of, 223
Bedford, John, Duke of, 181
Bedford, the Duke of: Supporters, 91
Bees, in Heraldry, 79
Beeston, Arms, 79
Bell, 105
Belled, 105
Bend, 58, 105, 191;
Examples, 201;
Sinister, 60
Bendlet, 58, 105, 191;
in Cadency, 182;
Sinister, 191
Bendwise, or Bendways, distinction between, 59
Bend-wise, In Bend, 59, 105
Bendy, 59, 105
Bennett, John: Grant of Arms to, 311
Bere, Sir de la: Crest, 206
Berham, Sir Wm. de, 202
Berkeley:
Arms, 183, 196, 241;
Badge, 138, 224, 241;
Crest, 138, 241
Berkeroles, Sir Wm. de: Arms, 202
Bermyngham, Sir Wm. de: Arms, 201
Bernhard, of Ascania, 113
Beverley Minster, 27, 106, 159
Bezant, 71, 105;
Bezantee, 72
Bilbesworth, Sir H. de: Arms, 97
Billet, Billettée, 64, 70, 105
Birds, in Heraldry, 76, 105
Birds of prey, 80
Bird-bolt, 102, 105
Bishop, 105, 173
Bishops, Suffragan, 106
Black Prince, _See_ Edward
Blasted, 82, 106
Blazon, 31, 106;
Epithets and Terms in, 80, 106;
modern refinement of, 52
Blazoning, 31, 39, 45, 106;
Descriptive, 46, 106;
in Tinctures, 47
Blazonry, 31, 106
Blondeville, Ranulph de: Arms, 195
Blue Ensign, 256
Bluemantle, 130
Bluet, Sir Wm.: Arms, 202
Blundell: Arms, 65
Blyborough, Monument at, 106
Boar, in Heraldry, 106;
Boar’s Head, 76
Bohemia, the King of, 230
Bohun, De, Earl of Hereford:
Arms, 59, 89;
Crest, 91;
Badge, 155, 164, 251
Bohun, Alianore de, 162, 169, 323
Bohun, Mary de, 153
Bohun, Earl Humphrey de, 59, 83
Bohun, Sir Gilbert de, 59
Bohun, Oliver de, 201, 225
Boleyn, Queen Anne: Arms, 207, 229
Bolingbroke, the Viscount: Supporters, 99
Bologne, Godfrey de, 96
Bordet, Sir R.: Arms, 202
Bordoun, Sir J.: Arms, 17, 106, 141
Bordure, 43, 68, 106;
Examples, 26, 181;
Quartered and Impaled, 169;
Componée, 192;
Wavy, 192;
of France, 124
Bostock, Hugo: Arms, 97
Boterels, Sir R. de: Arms, 203
Botiler, Le: Arms, 50, 58, 115. _See_ Butler
Botonée, Botonée Fitchée, 56, 106
Bottetourt: Arms, 241
Bottreaux, Margaret: Seal, 240
Bouget, Water Bouget, 106
Bourchier, Lord: Arms, 241, 323
Bourchier, Sir H. de: Arms, 110, 216
Bourchier Knot, 106, 133
Bourdon, 17, 106
Bow, Bowed, 107
Bowen Knot, 107, 133
Braced, 107
Bradestone, Sir T. de: Arms, 223
Brewys, Sir Wm. de, 187
Brey, Sir Reginald de: Badge, 60, 104
Breys, 107
Brian, Bryan, Sir Guy de: Arms, 62
Brittany: Arms, 14, 165
Brittany, John, Duke of, 163
Brivere, Sir W. de: Badge, 135, 138
Brisure, Brizure, 107
Bromesgrove, 217
Bronscombe, Bishop, 125
Broom-plant, 17
Brownlow, the Earl: Supporters, 92
Bruce, de: Arms, 161, 198
Bruce, Margaret, Lady de Ros: Seal, 164
Bruce, King Robert de, 150
Bruce, Robert de, Earl of Carrick: Seal, 224
Brunswick: Arms, 262
Brus, Sir Bernard de: Arms, 50
Buccleuch, Duke of: Difference, 191
Buck, 116
Buckle. _See_ Fermail
Burgh, de: Arms, 164
Burgh, Elizabeth de: Arms, 164
Burgh, Hubert de: Arms, 69
Burgh, William de: Arms, 163
Burgonet, 107
Burke, Sir B.: his “Peerage,” 98
Burnett, George, Esquire, Lord Lyon, 307
Burton, Abbot: Rebus, 147
Butterflies, in Heraldry, 79
Buttons, Heraldic, 222
Bygod, Sir R., 202
Byron: Arms, 119
Cabossed, or Caboshed, 81, 107
Cadency, 107, 178;
Marked, 179;
Marks of, 107, 179;
by Label, 179;
by Bordure, 181, 192;
by Bendlet, 181, 189;
by Canton, 182, 191;
by Change of Tinctures, 182;
by Change of Charges, 182;
by Small Charges, 182;
by Official Insignia, 184;
by Single Small Charge, 186;
of Illegitimacy, 187, 192;
Marked on Badges, Banners, Crests, Mantlings, Standards,
and Supporters, 192, 22, 249;
Modern, 193
Cadency, King Richard II. on, 200
Cadency, unpierced mullet, 139
Cadet, 107
Calais, Citizens of, 198
Calf, 76
Caltrap, 107
Calvary Cross, 55
Calveley: Arms, 76
Cambridge, H.R.H., the Duke of, 270
Camden, 139, 230
Camoys, Eliz., Lady, 169
Camoys, Thos., Lord de, 110, 169
Camoys, the Baron: Supporters, 92
Campbell: Arms, 71;
Badge, 324
Canterbury: Arms of See, 141;
Arms of Deanery, 135;
Archbishop of, 101;
Heraldry of the Cathedral, 236, 322
Canterbury, Wm. de Courtenay, Archbishop of, 184
Canting Heraldry, 16, 107
Canton, Cantoned, 64, 107;
in Cadency, 180, 190
Canton and Quarter distinction, 65
Cantons, Chiefs and Inescutcheons of, 204
Canvyle, Sir G. de: Arms, 204
Caple, Sir R. de: Arms, 202
Carbuncle. _See_ Escarbuncle
Carew, Sir Nicholas: Arms, 89
Carlaverock, Roll of, 12, 258
Carlisle, 13
Carlisle, Earl of: Supporters, 92
Carnarvon, Earl of: Supporters, 92
Carrick, Earl o, 224
Carru, Sir N., 204
Cartouche, 37, 107
Castile and Leon: Arms, 17, 102, 166
Castile and Leon, Queen Alianore of, 166
Castile and Leon, Ferdinand III., King of, 166;
Pedro, King of, 248
Castle, 102, 107
Castle-acre Priory, 44
Catherine, Queen, of Arragon, 229
Catherine Parr, Queen, 229
Cavalry Standards, 256
Cave: Motto, 138
Cavendish: Motto, 138
Celestial Crown, 107
Centaur, Sagittarius, 108, 258
Cercelée, Recercelée, 56, 108
Chaffinch, 76
Champagne: Arms, 124
Chandos, Sir P. de, 62;
Sir John, 248
Chapeau, 108, 213, 215
Chaplet, 108
Charge, 38, 108;
Miscellaneous, 70;
Secondary, 183;
Single Small, 186
Charlemagne: his Crown, 262
Charles I., 191, 279;
Arms, 260;
Badge, 229;
Crown, 266
Charles II., 103, 192, 205, 279;
Arms, 260;
Badge, 229
Charles V., of France, 78, 122
Charlestone, Sir. J.: Arms, 96
Charteris, 139
Chartham, 120
Chastillon: Arms, 163, 168;
Guy de, 163
Chaucer, Geoffrey, 200
Chaworth, De: Arms, 164;
Matilda de, Seal, 164
Chequée, Chequy, Checky, 43, 108
Chess-rook, 109
Chester, County Palatine of, 195;
Arms, 195, 267;
Ranulph, Earl of, 195
Chester, Earls of, 195
Chester Herald, 130
Chevron, Chevronel, Chevronnée, Chevrony, 61, 109;
Examples, 203
Chief, 33, 49, 109;
Examples, 201
Childrey, Brass at, 154
Chivalry, High Court of, 200, 201;
Order of, 275
Cholmondeley: Motto, 139
Christchurch, Oxford, 236
Church-Bell. _See_ Bell
Cinquefoil, 109
Cinque Ports: Arms, 168
Civic Crown, 109
Clare, De: Arms, 61, 196;
Badge 109
Clare, Gilbert de, the “Red Earl,” 95
Clare, in Suffolk, 196
Claremont Nesle: Arms, 169
Clarence, Lionel, Duke of, 164, 180
Clarence, Thomas, Duke of, 181
Clarenceux, 109, 130, 131;
Arms, 131
Clarendon, K.G., Earl of, 57
Clarendon, Sir Roger de: Arms, 191
Clarendon, the Earl of, Supporters, 99
Clarion, 109
Clasps, 290
Clechee, 57, 109
Cleveland, Duke of: Difference, 191
Clifford, Lord, 50, 51
Clintone, Clinton, Sir J. de, 50, 201;
of Maxtoke, 201;
Badge, 224
Close, 109, 116
Closed, 81
Closet, 109
Clouée, 71, 109
Coat of Arms, 3, 109, 324
Coat Armour, 109
Cobham Monuments, 323
Cockatrice, 79, 110
Cockayne: Arms, 76
Co-Heiress: Arms, 170
Coinage, Heraldry of the, 316
Coleville, Sir R. de: Arms, 201
Collar, 110, 130;
of the Garter, 278;
of the Thistle, 200;
of St. Patrick, 281;
of the Bath, 283;
of the Star of India, 287
College of Arms or Heralds’ College. _See_ Herald
College of Arms, Arms of, 131
Colour, 40, 41, 47, 110
“Colours,” 110, 265
Combattant, 86, 110
Combination of Arms, 158, 165
Compartment, 110
Complement, 111
Componée, Compony, or Gobony, 43, 111;
Bordure, 191
Compound Badges, 133
Compound Quartering, 34, 111
Compounded Arms, 111, 158, 164
Confessor, the, 206. _See_ St. Edward
Confirmation of Arms, 308;
Example, 312
Conjoined in Eure, 111
Connaught, H.R.H. Duke of, 271
Consort, H.R.H., the late Prince: Arms, 266;
Difference, 266;
Coronet, 267, 294;
Crest, 267;
Supporters, 267;
Motto, 267
Contoise, 111, 211
Contournée, 111
Controversy, the Scrope and Grosvenor, 200
Corbet: Arms, 17
Cork, Earl of: Supporters, 92
Cornish Chough, 111
Cornwall, Edmund, Earl of, 94;
Richard, Earl of, 68, 83, 94, 204
Cornwall, Piers Gaveston, Earl of, 95
Coronet, 111
Costume, Heraldry of, 324
Cosynton, Sir S. de: Arms, 223
Cotise, Cotised, 53, 58, 111
Couchant, Dormant, 86, 111
Couchée, 38, 111
Count, Countess, 112
Counter, 112
Counter-changing, 44, 112, 254
Counter Componée, 43, 112
Counter Embattled, 112
Counter Passant, 86
Counter Potent, 41
Counter Rampant, 86
Counter Salient, 86
Counter-Seal, 112
Counter-Vair, 41
Couped, 54, 87, 112
Couple-Close, 112
Courant, 81, 112
Courtenay, William de, Archbishop, 184;
Peter de, Bishop, 226
Courtenay Earl Edward de, 141, 214;
Badge, 226
Courtesy, Titles of, 112
Courthope, William, Esq., late Somerset Herald, 9
Coventry, Earl of: Supporters, 99
Coward, Cowed, 86, 112
Crampet, 112
Crancelin, 112
Crawford, Deverguilla: Seal, 239
Crenelated, 113
Crescent, 68, 113;
in Modern Cadency, 193
Cresset, 113
Crest, 113, 174, 208;
Early, 213;
Marked for Cadency, 193;
Differenced, 216;
as originally worn, 218;
two or more, 219;
superseded by Badge, 218, 227;
of England, 90, 264;
of Scotland, 90, 264;
of English Princes, 90, 266;
of Edward III., 99;
German, 212
Crest-Coronet, 113, 119
Crest-Wreath, 113, 120, 123
Crests, Inheritance of, 219
Cretinge, Sir J. de: Arms, 202
Crined, 114
Crombe, de: Arms, 62
Cross, 54, 114;
Throughout, 54;
Couped, or Humettée, 54;
Voided, 55;
Fimbriated, 54;
of St. George, 54, 253;
of St. Andrew, 61, 253;
of St. Patrick, 61, 253;
of St. Anthony, or Tau, 55;
Greek, 55;
Latin, 55;
Quarter-pierced, 54;
Quarterly-pierced, 55;
on Degrees, 55;
Calvary, 55;
Heraldic Varieties of, 55;
Quadrate, 55, 145;
Patriarchal, 55, 142;
Fourchée, 55, 125;
Moline, 55, 138, 193;
Recercelée, 56, 150;
Patonce, 56, 142;
Fleury, 56, 125;
Fleurettee, 56, 125;
Pommée, 56;
Botonée, or Treflée, 56, 106;
Crosslet, 56;
Clechée, 57, 109;
Patee, or Formée, 57, 142;
Maltese, and of eight points, 57;
Potent, 57, 144;
Avellane, 57, 103;
Fitchée, 58, 121
Crosslet, Crossed Crosslet, 56
Crown, 114, 139, 266
Crown of India, Order of, 294
Crozier, 114
Crusader Kings, The: Arms, 43
Crusades, 4
Crusilée, Crusily, 56, 115
Cubit-Arm, 115
Cumberland, H.R.H. Duke of, 271
Cummin: Arms, 95
Cup, Covered Cup, 115
“Curiosities of Heraldry,” by Mr. M. A. Lower, 303
Cushion, Pillow, Oreiller, 115
Cyclas, 153
Czar, The: Arms, 92
Dacre Knot, 115, 134
Dageworth, Sir J.: Arms, 51, 201
Dalmenhurst: Arms, 269
Dancetté, 35, 70, 115, 157
Danse. _See_ Dancetté
Darcy, D’Arcy: Arms, 65
Darnley, Lord: Arms, 68
Daubeney, Sir Giles, K.G., 323
D’Aubigny: Arms, 170
Debased, 115
Debruised, 115
Decoration, Heraldic, 324
Decrescent, In Detriment, 80, 115
Deer, 80, 115
Degrees, 55, 116
Deincourt: Arms, 70
Delamere, Sir John, 96;
Sir G., 202
Demembered, Dismembered, 116
Demi, 116
Demi-Eagle, 99
Demi-Lion, 87
Denbigh, Earl of, 98
Denmark: Arms, 83, 268
Dependency, Feudal, 194
Depressed, 116
Despencer, Le: Arms, 171;
Barony, 329
Despencer, Isabelle le, 171;
Bishop Henry le, 186, 215;
John le, 150
Devon, Earl of, 214
Dexter, 32, 33, 116
Deyville, Sir J. de, 202
Diaper, Diapering, 44, 116
Difference, Differencing, 116, 177, 190, 194
Differenced Shields, 186, 200
Differences, Temporary, 177;
Permanent, 177;
for Distinction only, 199;
of Illegitimacy, 187
Dignities, 31
Dimidiation, Dimidiated, 116, 162, 167
Disclosed, 116
Displayed, 81, 116
Disposition, Disposed, 45, 116
Distinguished Service Order, 292
Ditzmers: Arms, 269
Dividing and Border Lines, 34, 116
Dolphin, 7, 77, 78, 82, 116
Dormant, 86, 116
Double-queued, 116
Doubling, 116
Douglas: Arms, 74;
Crest, 149;
Badge, 224;
Augmentation, 206
Douglas Sir James, 74;
Lord William, 74;
the first Earl, 74
Douglas and Mar William, Earl of, 94
Dove-tail, 35, 116
Doyle, 139
Dragon, 79, 116
“Dresses of Arms,” 324
Dreux, De: Arms, 116, 165
Dreux, J. de, Duke of Brittany, 163, 165
Drummond, John: Seal, 244
Drury: Arms, 154
Dublin, De Vere, Marquess of, 136, 329
Dublin: Arms of, See, 141
Ducal Coronet, 117
Duchess, 117
Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster, 329
Dudley, Earl Robert, 208
Dudley, Thomas: Seal, 216
Duke, 116, 329
Dunboyne, the Baron: Supporters, 92
Durem, Sir G. de, 202
Durham, 14
Eagle, 117;
Heraldic, 25, 76;
in Stained glass at York, 92;
sculptured in Westminster Abbey, 92;
with one Head, 92;
with two Heads, 93;
Imperial, crowned, 95;
with Nimbus, 95;
Drawing of, 98;
Austrian, 98;
French, 98;
as Supporter, 99;
as Badge, 148
Eagles and Hawks, 81
Eaglet, 95, 99, 117
Earl, 117, 327
Earl Marshal, the, 131
Eastern, Radiated, or Antique Crown, 118
Ecclesal Ekeleshale: Arms, 197
Ecclesiastics, Heraldic decoration of their Vestments, 159
Echingham, De: Arms, 71
Edinburgh, H.R.H., the Duke of, 280
Edmond, Son of Edward I., 181
Edmund, Saint: Arms, 19, 206, 259
Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, 94
Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, 123, 179, 181, 323
Edward, Saint, the Confessor: Arms, 19, 181
Edward I.: Label as Prince Royal, 178;
Arms, 259;
Badge, 228;
Barding of Charger, 103;
Rolls of Arms of his era, 13
Edward II.: Label as Prince Royal, 178;
Arms, 259;
Badge, 228;
Roll of Arms of his era, 13
Edward III.: Label as Prince Royal, 178;
Arms, 259;
quarters France Ancient, 123;
Crest, 90, 99, 213, 263;
Badges, 227, 232;
Supporters, 237;
Heraldry of his Monument, 26, 169;
Roll of Arms of his era, 13;
Heraldry in his time, 9;
his love of Heraldry, 223;
founds the Order of the Garter, 276
Edward IV.: Arms, 260;
Supporters, 91, 264;
Badges, 229;
Coins, 317;
grants Augmentations, 213
Edward V.: Arms, 260
Edward VI.: Arms, 260;
Supporters, 264;
Badges, 229;
bears the Ostrich Feather Badge, 230;
Coins, 316
Edward VII. _Vide_ King
Edward the Black Prince: Arms, 134, 178, 191;
Crest, 91, 215;
Badge, 230, 231;
Motto, 234;
First English Duke and Prince of Wales, 116, 234, 329;
at Navaret, 248;
his Will, 234;
his Monument, 26, 233
Eglesfield, Robert de: Arms, 97
Eglintoun, Earls of, 11
Eleanor. _See_ Alianore
Electoral Bonnet, 118, 263
Elford, Monuments at, 215
Elizabeth, Queen: Arms, 260;
Supporters, 264;
Badges and Mottoes, 229, 265;
Changes Colour of Ribbon of the Garter, 126, 279;
her Monument, 322
Elizabeth, Countess of Holland and of Hereford, 161
Elsyng, Brass at, 216, 323
Eltham, Prince John of, 26, 124, 165, 181, 250
Embattled, and Counter Embattled, 34, 118
Emblazoning, 47
Emblems, 9
Embowed, 82, 118
Embrued, 118
Endorse, Endorsed, 53, 118
Enfiled, 118
England: Arms, 27, 83, 89, 258;
Royal Heraldry of, 258, 267;
Patron Saints of, 19;
Lions of, 87, 258;
Crest, 90, 263;
Supporters, 91, 264;
Badges, 149, 228;
Crowns, 266;
Flags, 253
England, Bordure Wavy, 191, 192
Engrailed, 34, 118, 197
Enhanced, 118
Ensign, 255;
Red, 255;
White, 256;
Blue, 256
Ensigned, 119
Entire, Entoire, Entoyre, 119
Enveloped, Environed, 119
Epithets, Heraldic, and Descriptive Terms, 80
Equipped, 119
Eradicated, 82, 119
Erased, 87, 119
Ermine, Ermines, Erminois, 41, 42, 119
Erne, 96, 119
Erneford, Wm. de: Arms, 96
Erskine: Arms, 53
Escallop or Escallop-Shell, 59, 77, 78, 120
Escarbuncle, 15, 119
Eschales: Arms, 17
Escroll, 119
Escutcheon, 119;
of Pretence, 120, 170, 314
Esquire, 120
Essex, Henry, Earl of, 216
Essex, Earl of, Geoffrey de, 15
Essex, the Earl of: Supporters, 92
Estate, 120
Estoile, 120
Estoteville, Sir N. de: Arms, 202
Estwick: Motto, 139
Etone, Sir N. de: Arms, 96
Eureux, D’, of Salisbury, 188
Ewelme, 323
Exeter Cathedral, 111, 231
Exeter, Hollands, Dukes of, 181;
John Grandison, Bishop of, 184
Exeter, Marquess of: Supporters, 92
Expression, Styles and Forms of, 30
Fabulous Beings, in Heraldry, 79
Fairfax: Motto, 138
Falconer: Arms, 17
False, 120;
False Cross, 55;
False Escutcheon, 66;
False Roundle, 72, 120
Fan, or Winnowing Fan, or Vane, 120
Fan-Crest, 120, 210
Faroe Islands: Arms, 264
Fauconberg, Sir Wm.: Arms, 203
Feathers, in Heraldry, 120. _See_ Ostrich Feathers
Fees, for Grants of Arms, &c., 308, 310
Felbrigge, Sir S. de, K.G., 121
Felbrigg, Brass at, 121
Femme, 120
Fenwick, John: Arms, 44
Fer-de-Moline, or Mill rind, 120
Fermail, Fermaux, 121
Ferrers, De: Arms, 185;
Anne, de, 185;
Margaret, de, 170;
William, Lord, of Groby, 185;
Lord, of Chartley, 215
Fess or Fesse, 50, 121;
Examples, 201
Fesse-Point, 33, 121
Fesse-wise, In Fesse, 51, 121
Fessways, 105
Fetter-lock, 121
Feudal Alliance and Dependency, Heraldic Record of, 159, 194
Feudal Influence, in Heraldry, 201
Feudal Tenure, 274
Field, 38, 121;
Varied Fields, 42;
“Of the Field,” 43
Fife, H.R.H. Duchess of, 271
File, 121
Fillet, 121
Fimbriation, Fimbriated, 54, 121
Finned, 82
Fish, in Heraldry, 77, 82, 103, 121
Fishbourne, Giles de: Arms, 78
Fitched, 57
Fitchee, 58, 121
Fitton: Motto, 138
Fitz Alan, of Bedale, 52
Fitz Alan, Earl of Arundel, 83, 89, 118, 215
Fitz Parnel, Earl Robert, 195
Fitz Payne, Sir R. le: Arms, 204
Fitz Ralph: Arms, 196
Fitz Walter, Robert Le: Arms, 51
Fitz Warine, Fitz Waryn: Arms, 14;
Sir Fulk de, 186
Fitz Urse: Arms, 76
Flags, 257;
Military, 256, 257;
Four remarks upon, 257
Flanches, Flasques, 68, 69, 122
Flanched, 191
Fleur de Lys, 122;
quartered by Edward III, 124;
Removed from Royal Shield of England, 262;
in Modern Cadency, 193
Fleurie, or Fleury, 56, 125
Fleurettée, Florettée, 56, 125
Flexed, 125
Flighted, 102, 125
Flodden Field, 205
Fly, 125
Flory-counter-flory, 35
Foliated, 125
Formée, 57
Forneus, Sir R. de: Arms, 62
Forth, Viscount: Seal, 244
Fountain, 72, 125
Fourchée, Queue Fourchée, 55, 86, 125
Fraise, 193
“France Ancient,” 122, 124;
“France Modern,” 122, 125;
“Bordure of France,” 124;
“Label of France,” 123;
Imperial Eagle of, 99
Fraser, Wm.: Seal, 193
Frederick II., Emperor: Arms, 92
Frere: Arms, 58
Fret, Frette, Frettée, Fretty, 64, 71, 125, 133
Froissart, 248, 273
Fructed, 82, 125
Furs, 40, 42, 125
Furnival, De: Arms, 182, 203
Fusil, Fusillée, Fusily, 70, 125
Fylfot, 125
Fynderne, Wm., 156
Gad, Gadlyng, 125
Galley, 125
Gambe. _See_ Jambe
Garb, 125, 195, 201
Garnished, 125
Garter, Order of the, 125, 276;
Insignia of the, 125, 278;
Stalls and Garter Plates of Knights, 278;
Officers, 278
Garter King-of-Arms, 126, 130;
Arms, 131
Gaveston, Piers: Arms, 95
Gemelles. _See_ Bars Gemelles
Gem-Ring, 126
Genealogies, 300
Genet, 126
Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, 188
George, Saint: Arms, 19, 126, 253;
Chapel of, 103
George, The, of the Garter, 126, 278;
The Lesser, 126, 278
George I.: Arms, 263
George II.: Arms, 263
George III.: Arms, 263
George IV.: Arms, 263
Gerattyng, 126
German Empress, 271
Germany, the Emperor of: Arms, 92
Germany, the King of: Arms, 92
Geytone, Sir J. de: Arms, 201;
Sir P. de, 202
Ghent, Prince John of, 179, 189, 232, 235, 241
Giffard: Arms, 152
Giffard, Sir A., 72;
Sir J., 89, 204
Gimmel-Ring, 126
Girt, Girdled, 126
Gliding, 82
“Glossary of Heraldry,” The Oxford, 31
Glossary of Titles, Names, and Terms, 100
Gloucester, Alianore, Duchess of, 323.
_See_ De Bohun
Gloucester, Humphrey, Duke of, 181, 236, 323;
Thomas, Duke of, 232, 235, 322
Gloucester, Thomas le Despencer, Earl of, 171
Gloucester, Ralph de Monthermer, Earl of, 95
Gloucester Cathedral, Tiles at, 323
Gold, 42, 47
Golpe, 72
Gonfannon, 126
Gorged, 127
Gorges, R. de: Arms, 127
Gothic Architecture, Heraldry in, 321
Gothic Art, its Heraldic Character, 325
Gothic Monuments, Heraldry of, 322
Gough, Lord: Arms, 23
Gouttée, Guttée, 127
Grafton, Duke of: Supporters, 91;
Differences, 191
Graham, Robert: Seal, 242
Grand Quartering, Grand Quarters, 35, 127, 166
Grandison: Arms, 5, 96, 184
Grandison, Bishop John de, 184
Grants of Arms, 308;
Example, 309
Great Malvern, Tiles at, 323
Great Yarmouth: Arms, 168
Greek Cross, 55
Greenland: Arms, 269
Greville, Earl of, 208
Grey: Arms, 52;
Crest of Sir Richard de Grey, K.G., 215
Grieces, 127
Griffin. _See_ Gryphon
Grosvenor: Arms, 195;
Sir R. de, 58, 200
Gryphon, Griffin, 79, 80
Guardant, 85, 127
“Guide to the Study of Heraldry,” by Mr. Montagu, 2, 9, 191
Guige, 127
Gules, 41, 48, 127
Gurges, Gorges, 127
Gyron, Gyronnée, Gyronny, 34, 64, 70, 127
Habited, 127
Hainault, the Counts of: Arms, 83
Hainault, Queen Philippa of, 230, 232
Hames, Haimes, 127
Hamilton, Crest, 150, 213
Hamilton, Duke of, 150
Hamilton, Sir Gilbert de, 150
Hammer, or martel, 127
Hanover, 263;
Arms, 262
Harcourt, Sir R.: Arms, 217;
Harecourt, or Harcourt: Arms, 51, 182
Hardinge, Viscount: Supporters, 92
Hardwick, Earl of: Supporters, 92
Harp, 127
Harris: Arms, 76
Harington Knot, 133
Harsyck, Sir J.: Crest, 216
Hart, 81, 116, 127
Hastilude, 128
Hastings, the Earl, 196;
Edmund de, 196;
Edward, Lord, 133;
Sir Hugh, 216
Hastings: Arms, 136;
Crest, 216
Hatchment, 128
Hatfield, Thomas, 215
Hauriant, 82, 128
Hautville, Sir G. de: Arms, 203
Hawk’s Bells, Jesses, and Lure, 105, 128
Hay: Arms, 66, 119
Headfort, the Marquess of: Supporters, 92
Hedge-hog, 76
Heightened, 128
Heights, 128
Heiress, Arms of, 170
Helena, H.R.H., the Princess, Princess Christian, 271
Helm, Helmet, 128, 174
Hemenhale: Arms, 51
Hempbrake, Hackle, 130
Heneage Knot, 130, 133
Henry I.: Arms, 88, 260;
Badge, 228
Henry II.: Arms, 260;
Badges, 228
Henry III.: Arms, 259;
Badge, 228;
Rolls of Arms of his Era, 13
Henry IV.: Label, as Duke of Lancaster, 181;
Motto, 110, 235;
Arms, 259;
quarters “France Modern,” 125;
Badges, 228;
Crown, 266;
Seal, 235
Henry V.: Arms, 260;
Badges, 153, 228;
Crown, 114, 266
Henry VI.: Arms, 260;
Badges, 229;
Supporters, 91, 228, 264;
Crown, 114, 266;
Motto, 265
Henry VII.: 126, 279;
Arms, 260;
Badges, 229;
Supporters, 264
Henry VIII.: 126, 191, 207, 279, 295;
Arms, 260;
Badges, 229;
Supporters, 264;
Coins, 317
Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, 181
“Herald and Genealogist,” 302
Heralds of England, Incorporated, 304
Herald, 130, 212
Heraldic Sails, 250
Heralds’ College, 130, 304
Heraldry, Early Love, of in England, 2;
Early Influence, 2;
Definition and True Character of, 3;
of the twelfth century, 4;
Utility of, 4;
English Mediæval, 5;
Ancient, 6, 9;
English, its Career, 9;
Early English Literature of, 12;
its Allusive Character, 15;
Canting, 16;
Revival in England, 20, 24, 306;
Debasement, 21, 22;
a Science, 24, 27, 30, 326;
an Art, 24, 27, 326;
Style of Art in, 24, 30;
Treatment of Animate Creatures in, 24, 27;
Language of, 29;
Nomenclature, 29;
Style and Forms of Expression, 30;
Birds in, 76;
Beasts in, 76;
Human Beings in, 73;
the Lion in, 83, 86;
the Eagle in, 9, 91;
Scottish, 131;
of Monuments, 322;
Royal, 258;
of the Coinage, 316;
its present Popularity, 304;
in Architecture, 321;
of Illuminations, 324;
in Inlaid Tiles, 323;
of Costume, 324
“Heraldry of Fish,” by Mr. Moule, 77, 121
Hereford, De Bohuns, Earls of, 59;
Elizabeth, Countess of, 161
Hereford Cathedral, 214
Herison, Herrison, 76, 131
Heriz, De (Harris): Arms, 76
Heron: Arms, 17
Herring, 77
Herschel, Sir J.: Arms, 23
Heytesbury and Homet, Lord, 225
Heytesbury, the Baron: Supporters, 99
Hill, Hillock, 131
Hind, 81, 116
Hirondelle, 77, 132
Hoftot, Sir R. de, 202
Hoist, 132
Holland, Counts of, 83;
Elizabeth, Countess of, 161
Hollands, of Exeter, 181, 206;
of Kent and Surrey, 181, 206
Holland, John, Earl of Huntingdon:
Seal, 258
Holstein: Arms, 269
Honour, Augmentations of, 204
Honour-Point, 33, 132
“Honours,” Regimental, 256
Honourable Insignia, Medals, and Clasps, 175
Hoofed, 80
Hospitallers. _See_ St. John, Knights of
Hotspur, Henry, 169
Howard: Arms, 205;
Augmentation, 205;
Crest, 91, 216;
Badge, 224
Howard, Thos., Duke of Norfolk, 205
Human Beings, in Heraldry, 73
Humettée, 54, 132
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, 181, 236, 322
Hungerford, 225;
Badge, 224
Hungerford, Lord, 240;
Sir Walter de, 225, 247;
Sir Robert de, 225, 249
Huntingfield, Roger de: Arms, 72
Huntercumbe: Arms, 52
Huntley, the Marquess of, 68
Hurst, 132
Hurt, 72, 132
Husband and Wife, Marshalling their Arms, 167, 171
Hussy: Arms, 225
Iceland: Arms, 269
Illegitimacy, Cadency of, 132, 187
Illuminations, Heraldry of, 323
Imaginary Beings, in Heraldry, 79
Imbrued, Embued, 132
Impalement, Impaled, 132, 168, 249;
of the Bordure and Tressure, 170
Impaling, 181
Imperial Crown, the, 114, 264;
Imperially Crowned, 132
Imperial Service Order, 292
Incensed, Inflamed, 132
In Bend, 59, 132
In Chevron, 62, 132
In Chief, 50, 132
In Complement, 80
In Cross, 55, 132
In Fesse, 51, 132
In Foliage, 82, 132
In Full Course, 81
In Lure, 81, 132
In Orle, 66
In Pale, 54
In Point, 63
In her Piety, 81, 132
In Pretence, 132
In Pride, 81, 132
In Quadrangle, 132
In Saltire, 61
In Splendour, 80, 132
Increscent, 80, 132
Indented, 35, 132
Indian Empire, Order of, 290
Inescutcheon, 65, 132
Infantry Colours, 256
Innes, Walter: Seal, 11
Innes, or De Ynays, Wm.: Seal, 11
Insects, in Heraldry, 79, 82
Invected, or Invecked, 35
Inverted, 81
Ireland: Badge, 151, 228;
Heraldry of, 308;
Chief Herald of, 131
Ireland, Bordures, 191
Ireland, De Vere, Duke of, 206
Irradiated, 132
Isabel, of France: Seal, 124, 161
Isabel, Countess of Bedford, 223
Isabel le Despenser, 171
Isle of Man: Arms, 9, 74
Islip, Abbot: Rebus, 147
Issuant, 132
JAMBE, Gambe, 87, 132
James I. of Scotland: Badge, 229;
Supporters, 264
James IV. of Scotland: at Flodden, 205;
Supporters, 265
James V. of Scotland: Crest and Motto, 264;
Garter Plate, 68
James VI. of Scotland--James I. of Great Britain: Arms, 260;
Supporters, 91, 265;
Badges and Motto, 154, 229, 265;
creates Baronets, 104;
his proclamation for first “Union Jack,” 253
James II.: Arms, 260;
Supporters, 264;
Badge, 229;
frames Statutes for Order of Thistle, 280
James: Motto, 138
Jane Seymour, Queen, 229
Jardine: Arms, 198
Jefferay: Motto, 138
Jelloped, 133
Jerusalem: Arms, 43
Jessant, Jessant de lys, 133
Jesses, 133
Jewellery, Heraldic, 324
Joan, Daughter of Edward I., 95
Joan, Countess of Surrey: Seal, 162
Joanna, of Navarre, Queen: Badge, 126, 228
John, King: his Seal as Prince, 88;
Arms, 259;
Badge, 228
John, Prince, of Eltham, 26, 124, 165, 181, 250
John, Prince of Ghent, 179, 189, 232, 241
John de Dreux, 163, 165
John, Duke of Bedford, 181
John de Warrenne, Earl of Surrey, 162
Johnston: Arms, 198
Joust, 133
Jowlopped, or Jelloped, 133
Jupon, 133
Juxon, Archbishop, 279
KAISAR-I-HIND medal, 294
Kent, De Burgh, Earl of, 70;
Hollands, Earls of, 181
Key, 133
KING, H.M. THE: Crown, 114, 266;
Arms, 263, 267;
Banner, 252
“King Maker,” the, 198, 208
King, Mr.: his “Hand-book of Engraved Gems,” 6
King-of-Arms, 130, 133, 177. _See_ Herald
King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, Heraldry of, 25, 322
“King’s Colour,” 257
King’s Langley, Monument at, 323
Kinnoul, Earl of, 154, 307
Kirketot, Sir Wm., 202
Kirkpatrick: Arms, 198
Kirton, Abbot: Rebus, 147
Knights, Knighthood, Knightly Orders, 117, 133, 175, 273
Knights of St. John, 57, 275;
Templars, 13, 275
Knot, 133, 224
Kyrkeby: Arms, 65
LABEL, _or File_, 134, 178;
Forms of, 134;
Points of, 134, 178;
Differenced, 179, 180;
a Royal Difference, 178;
as borne by Princes Royal, 178;
by Black Prince, 178;
by Princes of Wales, 178;
of Brittany, 179;
of France, 179;
of Lancaster, 179, 180;
of York, 179;
borne as a Badge, 193;
in Modern Cadency, 193
Laci, Lacy, De: Arms, 83, 89, 161
Laci, Earl Henry de: Crest, 210
Lacy Knot, 134
Ladies, Unmarried: their Arms, 173
Ladies’, Heraldic Costume, 160, 161, 324;
their right to bear Badges, 227
Laing, Mr. H., his “Catalogue of Scottish Seals,”
11, 161, 193, 211, 224, 239, 242, 265, 317
Lamb, 76
Lambert: Arms, 76
Lambrequin, 135. _See_ Mantling
Lambton: Arms, 76
Lancaster, Label of, 179;
Rose of, 149, 228;
Badge of, 153;
Livery Colours of, 135;
Collar of, 110
Lancaster, Edmund, Earl of, 123, 179, 181, 323;
Henry, Earl of, 183, 239;
Thomas, Earl of, 211;
John of Ghent, Duke of, 179 (_see_ John of Ghent);
Matilda of, 163, 186
Lancaster Herald, 130
Lance-Rest. _See_ Clarion
Lane, Jane, 205
Language of Heraldry, 29, 30
Langued, 80, 135
Latimer, George, Lord, 187;
William le, 142, 214
Latin Cross, 55
“Law and Practice of Heraldry in Scotland,” by Mr. Seton,
9, 68, 94, 198, 260, 307
Law of Tinctures, 43
Leaves in Heraldry, 102, 135
Leechford, Sir R.: Confirmation of Arms to, 312
Legh, Gerard, 22
Leicester, Banner of, 14
Leicester, Robert, Earl of, 195
Leicestershire Families, their Arms, 196
Lennox, Countess of: Arms, 68, 323
Leon: Arms, 83, 166. _See_ Castile
Leopard, Leopardé, 84, 135, 258
L’Ercedeckne: Arms, 196
Leslie: Arms, 94;
Euphemia, Countess of Ros, 94
“Lesser George,” the, 126
Le Strange. _See_ Strange
Letters of the Alphabet, in Heraldry, 135
Leveson: Arms, 17, 102
Leybourne, Sir W. de: Arms, 90
Lichfield, Joust at, 223
Lincoln, Earls of: Arms, 89, 161, 203
Lincoln, Henry, Earl of: Crest, 210
Lincoln and Pembroke, Margaret, Countess of, 161
Lindsay, Sir W.: Seal, 242
Line, Border Line, Lined, 135
Lion in Heraldry, 25, 27, 76, 83, 87, 135;
Heraldic Treatment of, 23, 92;
of England, 88, 258;
of Scotland, 67, 259;
as a Crest, 90;
as a Supporter, 90, 91, 264;
Percy Lion, 216;
Howard Lion, 216;
Examples of Lions, 203
Lion’s Face, 87;
Head, 87;
Jambe, 87
Lioncel, 87, 135
Lion-leopard, Lion-leopardé, 85
Lionel, Prince, of Clarence, 164, 180
Lisle, Arthur, Viscount, 190
Little Easton, Brass at, 110, 216
Livery, Badges depicted on, 220
Livery Colours, 135
Lodged, 80, 135
Lomelye, Lumley, Sir R.: Arms, 202
London, City of: Arms, 153
Longespée, William, Earl of Salisbury, 83, 90, 188, 323
Lord Lyon, 131, 238, 307
Lorn: Arms, 135
Lorraine: Arms, 97;
Duchy of, 96
Loterel, Luterell: Arms, 76, 182, 196, 212
Loterel, Luterell, Sir A., 182;
Sir G., 182, 212
Louis VII., of France, 122
Louise, H.R.H., The Princess, 271
Loutre, 76
Louvaine: Arms, 167
Lower, Mr. M. A., 9, 302;
on Crests, 222
Lozenge, 37, 69, 135
Lozengy, 135
Luce, or Lucy, 17, 77, 135
Lucy: Arms, 17, 170;
Sir Anthony, 78;
Geoffrey de, 78
Ludlow Church, 231
Lullingstone, 147
Lunenburgh: Arms, 262, 278
Lure, 81, 135
Luterell. _See_ Loterel
Lyhart, Bishop Walter: Rebus, 147
Lymphad, 135
Lyon Office, 131, 307;
Depute, 307
MAHON, Sir W.: Motto, 244
Maintenance, Cap of, 136
Malet, Sir R., 202;
Sir T., 202
Malmesbury, Earl of: Supporters, 99
Maltese Cross, 57
Man, Isle of, 9, 74
Manche, Maunche, 136
Mandeville, Geoffrey de, 15
Manfee, Sir W.: Arms, 203
Mantle, 136
Mantling, Badges depicted on, 220
Mantling, or Lambrequin, 136, 175, 213;
Marked for Cadency, 192
March, Mortimers, Earls of: Seals, 242
Margaret, of Anjou, Queen, 97;
of France, 123, 160, 168;
Bruce, 161;
Beaufort, 169;
Tudor, 170;
Countess of Lincoln, 161;
de Ferrers, 170
Marks of Cadency, Marking Cadency. _See_ Cadency
Marlborough, Duke of, 95, 98
Marmion, Sir R. de: Crest, 215
Marny, Sir R. de: Seal, 213
Marquess, Marquis, Marchioness, 136
Marriage, Heraldic Record of, 168
Marshalling, 137, 159;
by Combination, 165;
by Quartering, 166;
Quartered Coats, 167;
Arms of Husband and Wife, 167, 171;
Crests, 174;
Helms, Coronets, Mantlings, Mottoes, Supporters, Badges,
and Various Insignia, 174, 175
Martel, 17, 137
Martlet, 77, 137;
in Modern Cadency, 193
Martin: Crest and Motto, 139
Mary Tudor, Queen: Arms, 260;
Supporters, 264;
Badges, 229;
grants Derby House to the Heralds, 130
Mary Stuart, Queen: Arms, 260
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots: her Signet, 265;
Heraldry of her Monument, 281
Mary, The Princess, of Teck, 270
Mary de Saint Paul: Seal, 163
Mascle, Masculée, 69, 137
Masoned, 137
Matilda de Chaworth, 164;
of Lancaster, 163
Maufee, Sir Wm., 202
Melfort, Earl: Seal, 244
Membered, 137
Menteith, Earl of, 94
Merchant’s Mark, 137
Mercy, Order of, 293
Mere, De la. _See_ Delamere
Mere, De la: Arms, 52
Merevale, Brass at, 215
Merit, Order of, 286
Mermaid, Merman, or Triton, 137
Metals, 40, 42, 138
Methuen, the Baron, 95
Military Flags, 257
Mill-rind. _See_ Fer-de-Moline
“Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica,” 302
Mitre, 138
Moline, 56, 138
Molines, Molyneux, De: Arms, 56
Monecastre, Sir W. de: Arms, 202
Monson, the Baron: Supporters, 92
Montacute, De, Montagu: Origin of the Name, 16;
Arms, 70, 95
Montagu, Mr., his work on Heraldry, 2, 9, 196
Montfort, De: Arms, 60;
Sir ---- de, 203
Montgomerie, Sir W. de, 96
Montgomerie, Earl of Eglintoun: Arms, 10
Monthermer, Sir Ralph de, 95, 99
Moon, the, 80, 138
Moor’s heads, 73
Monypeny, Thomas: Seal, 319
Mortimer, De: Origin of the Name, 16;
Arms, 65, 169;
Differences, 182;
Crest, 141
Mortimer, Edmund de, Earl of March: Seal, 242
Mortimer’s, 65
Motto, 138, 174, 219;
Royal, 219
Moule, Mr., his “Heraldry of Fish,” 77, 121
Mound, 139
Mounpynzon: Arms, 76
Mount, 139
Mounteney, De: Arms, 197;
Sir E. de, 197;
Sir J. de, 197;
Sir T. de, 197
Mowbray, Segrave and Stourton, Lord, 89, 329
Mowbray, Sir J., 203;
Roger de, 89;
Supporters of Baron, 92;
Thomas de, Duke of Norfolk, 207, 216, 233
Mullet, 139;
in Modern Cadency, 193
Mundegumri, John: Seal, 10
Mural Crown, 139
Murallée, Walled. _See_ Walled
Mure, Wm.: Seal, 319
Murrey, 135
Muschamp: Arms, 79
Naiant, 82, 140
Naissant, 140
Names, 31
Nassau: Arms, 261
Natural Objects, in Heraldry, 79
Naval Crown, 140
Navarre: Arms, 124, 228
Naveret, Battle of, 248
Nebulée, or Nubuly, 34, 140
Nelson, Admiral Lord: Arms, 23
Neville: Arms, 61;
Differences, 187;
Badge, 146
Neville, George de, Lord Latimer, 187
Neville, Earl Richard de, 198, 208, 222
Newburgh: Arms, 320, 321
Nicholas, Sir N. Harris, 9;
on Ostrich Feather Badge, 230;
on “Union Jack,” 253
Nichols, Mr. J. Gough, 9, 15, 302
Nimbus, 140
Nomenclature, Heraldic, 29
Norfolk, the Duke of, 131;
Arms, 205;
quarters Mowbray, 89;
Supporters, 91;
Crest, 216;
Earl Marshal, 131
Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray, Duke of, 233
Normans, their Shields and Standards, 5
Norroy, 130. _See_ Herald
Northleigh, 323
Northumberland, Earls of: Arms, 78, 89, 247
Northumberland, Henry, 1st Earl of, 167;
the Duke of, 91
Nortone, Sir J. de: Arms, 203
Norway: Arms, 83
Norway, H.M., Queen of, 271
Norwich: Arms of the See, 185;
Henry, Bishop of, 185
Nova Scotia, Badge. _See_ Baronet
Nowed, 82, 140
Octofoil, in Modern Cadency, 193
Official Insignia, 175;
in Cadency, 184
Official Arms, 174
Ogress, 72, 140
Oldenburgh: Arms, 269
Oldham, Bishop: Rebus, 147
Onslow: Motto, 138
Opinions, 140
Oppressed, Debruised, 140
Or, 40, 140
Orders of Knighthood. _See_ Knighthood
Order of Merit, 286
Ordinaries, 42, 49;
their structural Origin, 14, 64
Ordinary of Arms, 140. _See_ Armory
Oreiller, 140
Orle, In Orle, 66, 140
Ornaments, 209, 210
Osbaldistone, Frank, 1
Ostrevant, Comté of, 230
Ostrich Feather Badge, 141, 216, 230
Otter, 76
Ousflet, Sir G. de: Arms, 202
Overall, Sur tout, 141
Overt, 141
Ownership, Badges as a sign of, 103
Oxford, De Veres, Earls of, 206
Oxney, John: Rebus, 146
Padlock, Badge, 241
Paignel, John: Arms, 196
Painted Chamber, Westminster, 246
Pale, Pale-wise, In Pale, Paly, 53, 54, 141
Pall, 141
Pallet, 53, 141
Palliot, French Writer on Heraldry, 244
Paly Bendy, 60, 141
Panache, 141, 213, 214
Parliament, 328
Parr, Queen Catherine, 229
Party, Parted, 33, 142
Passant, Passant Guardant, Passant Reguardant, Passant Repassant,
85, 142
Pastoral Staff, 142
Patée, or Formée, 57, 142
Pateshulle, J. de: Arms, 51
Patonce, 56, 142
Patriarchal, 55, 142
Paul, Sir J. Balfour, 307
Pawne, Peacock, 76
Peach-Branches, 147
Pean, 41, 142
Pebmarsh, Brass at, 196
Peché, Sir John, 147
Pedro, King of Castile, 248
Peer, 142
Peerage, 143;
Privilege of, 330
Peerage Dignities, 327
Peeress in her own Right, 173
Pegasus, 143, 276
Pelham: Arms, 76;
Badge, 224
Pelican, 76, 132, 143
Pellet, 72, 143
Pembridge, Sir R. de: Crest, 214, 216
Pembroke, the Earl of, 163;
De Valences, Earls of, 52, 323
Pembroke College, Cambridge, 163
Penbrugge: Arms, 52
Pendent, 143
Pennon, 3, 143, 246
Per, 33, 143
Perceval: Motto, 139
Perci, Percy: Arms, 70, 83, 167;
Crest, 91, 216;
Badges, 224, 241, 246;
Seals, 241
Perci, Henry de, 78, 182, 203, 210
Perci, Henry de, 3rd Baron, 182;
Agnes de, 160
Percy Shrine, Beverley Minster, 27
Percy Effigy, at Beverley, 159
Peterborough, 147;
Cathedral and Deanery, 231
Petrasancta, Silvester de, 40
Petre, the Baron: Supporters, 92
Peverel: Badge, 224;
Catherine, 225
Peverel Garbe, 133
Peyvre, Sir R. de: Arms, 62, 203
Philip, “the Hardy,” 160
Philippa, Queen, of Hainault: Badge, 230, 232;
Heraldry of her Monument, 169, 322
Phœnix, 143
Pickering, Sir T. de: Arms, 204
Pigot: Arms, 17
Pile, In Pile, 62, 143
Pirepound, Sir R.: Arms, 204
Planche, Mr., 9, 74, 96, 195, 235
Plantagenet, The Royal House of, 17, 188;
Livery Colours of, 135;
Arthur, 190
Planta Genista, 17, 143, 227
Plate, Plattee, 72, 143
Plenitude, 144
Plume, 144
Points, or Stops, in Heraldry, 46
Points of a Shield, 33, 144;
In Point, 144
Pole: Motto, 139
Pomme, Pommee, 56, 144
Poninge, Sir T. de: Arms, 202
Popinjay, 76, 144
Port, 144
Portcullis, 144;
Pursuivant, 130
Portland, Duke of: Supporters, 91
Potent, 41, 57, 144
Poudree, Powdered, 45, 144
Poutrel, Sir R.: Arms, 201
Potent, 41
Preieres, Sir J. de: Arms, 202
Precedence, Order of, 295;
in the Royal Family, 299;
of Women, 298
Prelates: Arms, 173
Pretence, Escutcheon of, 120, 170, 314
Preying, 144
Prince, Princess, 144
Princes and Princesses of the Royal Family; Armorial Insignia,
269, 270;
Coronets, 144
Proper, 42, 81
Provence: Arms, 38
Purfled, 144
Purpure, 41, 48, 144
Pursuivant, 130, 144
“Pursuivant of Arms,” by Mr. Planché. _See_ Planché
Pycot, Sir B.: Arms, 202
Quadrate, 55, 145
Quarter, 64, 145. _See_ Canton
Quarter Pierced, 55
Quartering, 34, 145;
Simple, 34;
Compound, 34, 165;
Grand, 167;
Marshalling by, 165;
the Bordure and Tressure, 170
Quarterings, Quarters, 34, 165;
Grand, 34, 165
Quartered Coats, Marshalling of, 165
Quarterly Quartered, 34, 145
Quarterly Quartering, 34, 146
Quarterly Pierced, 55
Quatrefoil, 146
Queen Alexandra, 268, 269
Queen Victoria, 263
Queen’s College, Oxford, 97
Quency, De: Arms, 17
Queue Fourchée, 86, 125, 146
Quilled, 146
Quintefueil, 17
Radclyffe, Radcliffe: Arms, 58
Radiant, Rayonée, 146
Radstock, the Baron: Supporters, 99
Ragged Staff, 134, 146, 198, 321
Ragulée, Raguly, 34, 146
Ram, 76
Rampant, Rampant Guardant and Reguardant, 84, 85, 146
Ramryge, John, 147
Ramryge, Thomas, Abbot of St. Albans, 25, 76, 97, 204, 231, 323
Ramsey: Arms, 76
Randolf, Sir J., 202
Rayonne, 35
Ready, Mr., his Casts of Seals, 317
Rebus, 146, 221
Recercelee, 56, 147
Red Ensign, 255
References to Authorities, 13
Reflexed, Reflected, 147
Regalia, 139
“Regimental Colour,” the, 257
Reguardant, 85, 147
Rein-deer, 102, 147
Reptiles, in Heraldry, 79
Respecting, 147
Rest. _See_ Clarion
Ribbon, Riband, 58, 147;
of the Garter, 279;
Bath, 285;
Thistle, 281;
St. Patrick, 282;
Star of India, 288
Rich, Earl of, 208
Richard I.: Arms, 88, 259;
Crest, 220;
Seals, 88, 209;
Badges, 228
Richard II.: Arms, 206, 259;
Crest 91, 216;
Badges, 27, 216, 228, 233;
Roll of Arms of his Era, 13
Richard III.: Arms, 260;
Badges, 228;
Supporters, 264;
incorporates Heralds, 130, 304
Richard, Earl of Cornwall, and King of the Romans, 68, 93
Richard, Earl of Warwick, 208
Richmond, Henry, Duke of, 190, 192
Richmond, John de Dreux, Earl of, 165
Richmond and Lennox, Ludovic Stuart, Duke of, 117
Richmond Herald, 130
Rising, Roussant, 81, 147
Riveres: Arms, 51
Robert II. of Scotland, 264
Robsart, Earl Ludovic: Monument, 240
Rolls of Arms, 12, 29
Romans, Richard, King of the, 68, 93
Rompu, 148
Roringe, Sir R. de: Arms, 202
Ros, de, Barony, 329
Ross, Euphemia, Countess of, 94;
Marg., Lady de, 161;
the Earl of, 94
Rosamond, Fair, 90, 188
Rose, 148;
en Soleil, 149;
of England, 149, 228;
of Lancaster, 149, 228;
of York, 149, 228;
Badge of Edward I., 228;
in Modern Cadency, 193
Rossel, Sir G.: Arms, 17, 202
Rouge Croix, Pursuivant, 130
Rouge Dragon, Pursuivant, 130
Roundle, Roundlet, 71, 72
Rous, Sir Thomas le, 201
Royal Arms, 118
Royal Badges, 227, 229, 268;
Banners, 266;
Personages, their Arms, 174;
Mottoes, 265;
Red Cross, 294;
Standards, 250, 266;
Supporters, 264
Royal Family, junior members of, 179
Royal Livery, 136
Rue, Chaplet of, 108
Ruskin, Mr., 323
Rustre, 69, 149
Sable, 41, 48, 149
Saggitarius, Sagittary, 149, 258
Sails, Heraldic, 250
Saint Alban, Abbey Church and Arms of, 25, 75, 204, 322;
Heraldic Tiles at, 324
Saint Albans, Duke of, 191
Saint Andrew: Arms, 61;
Banner, 254
Saint Anthony: Badge, 154
Saint Edmund. _See_ Edmund
Saint Edward, the Confessor. _See_ Edward
Saint George: Arms and Banner, 54, 251, 253, 279;
Ensign, 256;
Chapel, 171
Saint John, of Jerusalem, Knights of, 275, 294
Saint Michael and Saint George, Order of, 288
Saint Michael’s Church, St. Albans, 157
Saint Patrick: Arms and Banner, 61, 262;
Order of, 281
Saint Paul: Badge, 153
Saint Paul, Mary de, 163;
Guy, Count de, 163
Saint Vincent, the Viscount: Supporters, 99
Saint Waly, Sir R. de: Arms, 204
Salamander, 149
Salient, 86, 149
Salisbury, Longespée, Earl of, 90, 95, 188
Salisbury, D’Eureux, Earl of, 188
Salisbury Cathedral, 323
Salisbury, Marquess of: Supporters, 92
Saltire, Saltire-wise, In Saltire, 61, 149
Sanglier, 106, 149
Sans, 52, 149
Saracen’s heads, 73
Savage-man, Wood-man, 149
Saw, Frame Saw, 150
Saxony: Dukedom and Arms, 113, 267
Scales, Rob. de: Arms, 78
Scarpe, Escarpe, 150
Science of Heraldry, 24, 30, 326
Scintillant, 150
Scotland, Bordure Company, 191;
Early Heraldry of, 94;
Heraldry of, 198;
Royal Heraldry of, 258;
Royal Arms of, 67, 83, 170, 258;
Crests, 91, 244, 264;
Badge, 151, 228;
Illegitimacy Marks in, 191;
Supporters, 264;
Mottoes, 265;
Scottish Supporters, 237;
Differenced Shield of, 205;
Early Seals of, 161 (_see_ Laing, Mr. H.)
Scots, Mary Queen of, 68
Scott, Sir Walter, of Abbotsford, 1, 326
Scott, Sir Walter, 1, 326
Scottish Seals, Laing’s Catalogue of, 11. _See_ Laing
Scrope, Le: Arms, 58, 200;
Badge, 224
Scrope, Sir R. le, 58, 200;
Thos. le, 186;
Controversy, 200
Scudamore: Arms, 152;
Motto, 138
Seals: their value in Heraldry, 10, 317;
Early Scottish, 11;
Casts of, 317;
Suggestive of Supporters, 238;
Examples, 317
Seax, 150
Secondary Charges, 183
Seeded, 82, 150
Segrave: Arms, 83;
Sir John, 89
Segreant, 150
Sejant, 86, 150
Semee, 45, 150;
de lys, 125
Seton, Mr., his “Scottish Heraldry,”
9, 68, 94, 138, 198, 260, 307, 308
Sevans, Septvans: Arms, 120
Seymour, Queen Jane, 229
Shakefork, 151
Shakespeare: Arms, 151;
grant of Arms to, 309
Shamrock, 151, 228
Shelly: Arms, 17
Shield, or Escutcheon, Heraldic, 14, 37, 151;
Parts, Points, and Divisions of, 32;
Varieties, 35;
Bowed, 35;
à Bouche, 36;
Couchee, 38;
Differenced, 200;
treatment, 38
Shield-belt. _See_ Guige
Shield-boss, 15
Shields-of-Arms, 2
Ship, 151
Shoveller, 151
Sickle, 225, 266
Simple Quartering, 34, 151
Single Small Charges, for Difference, 186
Sinister, 32, 33, 151
Sinople, 41, 151, 158
Six-foil, 151
Sleswick: Arms, 269
Slipped, 82, 151
Someri, Sir J. de: Arms, 204
Somerset, Henry, Duke of, 189, 190;
John, Duke of, 236
Somerset Herald, 130
Sottone, Sutton, Sir R. de: Arms, 203
Southacre, 216
Southampton, the Baron: Supporters, 92
“Soutiens, Les,” 244
Spain, Queen of, 272
Spear, 151
Spiritual Peers, 105
Spur, 151
SS., Collar of, 110, 130, 151. _See_ Collar
St. Quintin: Arms, 62
Staff, crook-headed, 115
Stafford, De: Arms, 61;
Badge, 153
Stafford, Sir H. de: Standard, 251
Stafford, Sir Humphrey de: Crest-wreath, 217
Stafford Knot, 133, 151, 251
Stag, 116
Stains, 42
Stall-Plate, 151, 278
Standard, 152, 251;
Anglo-Saxon, 5;
Anglo-Norman, 5;
Badges on, 220;
Marked for Cadency, 192;
Royal, 252, 266;
Recording, 252
Staple, 152
Stapleton: Badge, 152
Star, 152
Star of India, Order of, 287
Statant, Statant Guardant, 85, 152
Staunton Harcourt, 217
Stephen: Arms, 88;
Badges, 108, 228
Steward, Alexander, Earl of Menteith: Seal, 94
Steward, Board of, 199
Stewart, Margaret, Countess of Angus, 94
Stirrup, 152
Stock, 152
Stormerk: Arms, 269
Stourton: Badge, 224;
Lord, 329
Strange, Le Strange: Arms, 89
Strange, Hamon Le, 89;
Sir J. Le, 204
Stringed, 152
“Strongbow:” Seal, 62
Stuart, Ludovic, 117;
Sir Richard: Seal, 319;
Badge, 233
Stuarts: Arms, 124;
Livery Colours, 135
Subordinaries, 42, 64
Suns and Roses, Collar of, 110, 152. _See_ Collar
Supporters, 152, 175, 237;
their probable Origin, 94, 237;
their heraldic Significance, 243;
rightly supported, 243;
Royal, 264;
of the United Kingdom, 265;
of Scotland, 264;
granted by the Lord Lyon, 237
“Supports, Les,” 244
Surcoat, 153, 192
Surmounted, 153
Surrey, Earl of, 162, 207
Swan, 81, 153, 251
Sweden: Arms, 269
Sword, 153
Swyneborne: Arms, 17
Sykes: Arms, 72
Symbolical Expression and Record ancient and universal, 5
Tabard, 130, 154
Talbot: Badge, 224
Tanfield, 215
Tapestry, Bayeux, 5
Tau Cross, 55, 226
Tawke: Arms, 154
Tax on “Armorial Bearings,” 313
Teck, Arms of, 270
Templars, Order of, 276;
their Banner, 13, 276
Templars, Barristers of the Temple, 276
Temple Church, London, 15;
at Beverley Minster, 107
Tenent, 154, 244
Tennée, Tawny, 42, 154
Tetlow: Arms, 23
Tey: Motto, 139
Thistle, 68, 154, 228;
Order and Insignia of the, 280
Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, 148, 181, 232, 235
Thomas, Duke of Clarence, 181
Thorpe, Sir E. de: Helm and Crest, 215
Throne: heirs apparent, 227
Through, 54
Tiercée, In Tierce, Per Tierce, 155
Tiles, Encaustic, 323
Timbre, Timbred, 154, 155
Tinctures, 40, 155;
Law of, 43, 46;
Blazoning in, 47;
Change of, for Cadency, 182
Tiptoft, John, Lord: Seal, 215
Titles, 31
Tong, 217
Torse, 113, 155
Torteau, Torteaux, 72, 155
Tower, Turret, 155
Transposed, 155
Treflée, or Botonée, 56, 155
Trefoil, 155
Treille, Trellis, 71, 155
Tremaine: Arms, 75
Tressure, 66, 67, 155;
impaled and quartered, 170;
incorrectly blazoned, 317
Tricked, In Trick, 42, 155
Trippant or Tripping, 80, 81, 155
Triton, 155
Trivet, 155
Trompintoun, Trumpington, Sir R. de, 17, 155
Trotton: Brass at, 110, 169
Trumpet, 155
Trumpington: Brass at, 17, 158
Trussed, Trussing, 155
Trussell, Tressell: Arms, 71
Trusses, 81
Tryvett: Arms, 155
Tudor, Arthur: Badge, 130, 233
Tudor, Margaret, 170
Tudor: Badge, 144;
Livery Colours, 135;
Rose, 156, 228
Tun, 148, 156
Tyndall: Crest, 146
Tyndalls, 141
Tynes, 81, 156
Ufford, Sir Ralph de: Arms, 164, 186
Ulster, Badge of, 104. _See_ Baronet and Herald
Ulster, William, Earl of, 163
Ulster King-of-Arms, 131, 308
Undée, Undy, 35, 156
Unguled, 80, 156
Unicorn, 91, 156, 264, 265
“Union Jack,” 54, 156, 252;
the First, 253;
the Second, 253, 254
Union Device, 102, 205
United Kingdom: Supporters, 265
Unmarried Ladies: Arms, 173
Urdée, 57
Uriant, 82, 156
Vair, 41, 42, 156
Valence, De: Arms, 163, 168, 323
Dimidiating Claremont Nesle, 168
Valence, Earl William de, 45, 53, 77, 217;
Earl Aymer de, 163
Vandalia: Arms, 269
Vane. _See_ Fan
Varied Fields, 42, 59
Vavasour, William le, 51
Vele, De: Arms, 76
Vere, De: Motto, 138
Vere, Robert de, 136, 206
Verley, Sir Philip de, 96
Vernon, Sir William, 217
Vert, 41, 48, 156
Vervels, Vervals, 156
Vesci, William de, 56
Vested, 156
VICTORIA, QUEEN: Arms, 263
Victoria Cross, 293
Victoria, H.R.H. Princess, 271
Victorian Order, 291
Victoria and Albert, Order of, 294
Villiers, de L’Isle Adam, Phillippe de, 57, 275
Viscomes, 156
Viscount, Viscountess, 156
Vivre, 157
Voided, 55, 157
Vol, 96, 157
Volant, 81, 82, 157
Volunteers: Motto and Flag, 256;
Decoration, 294
Vulned, 157
Vulning, 81
Wachesham, Sir G. de: Arms, 201
Wadesles, Wadsley, De: Arms, 147
Wake: Arms, 51, 179;
Sir J., 202
Wake Knot, 133, 157
Waldegrave: Arms, 14
Wales, Native Princes of, 83
Wales, the Princes of, always K.G., 278;
also Earls of Chester, 195
Wales, H.R.H. The Prince of: his Armorial Insignia, 269, 270;
his Label, 134, 178;
his Coronet, 139;
his Badge, 231;
his eldest son’s Label, 270
Wales, Princess of, 270
Walford, Mr., 9
Walled, 157
Waltone, De: Arms, 68
Warkworth, 322
Warrenne, De, the Earls: Arms, 43, 45, 199
Warwick, the Earls of, 56;
Arms and Seals, 95, 169, 171, 183, 319
Water Bouget, 157
Wattled, 157
Wavy, Undée, 35, 157
Wedone, Sir R. de: Arms, 202
Welles: Arms, 72
Wellington, the Duke of: Arms, 23;
Supporters, 91;
Augmentation, 102, 156, 204
Westminster Abbey, Heraldry of, 19, 26, 53, 68, 92, 111, 169, 286, 322
Westminster Hall, Heraldry of, 27, 91, 215, 259
Westphalia: Arms, 262
Weylande, Sir N. de, 202
Wheathamstede, John de, Abbot of St. Albans, 75, 147, 323
Wheathampstead Church, Brass at, 79
Wheat-Sheaf. _See_ Garbe
Wheel, Catherine Wheel, 157
White Ensign, 256
Whitworth, Shield at, 14
Widow, Widower: Arms, 173
Wife and Husband, Marshalling their Arms, 171
William I., 329;
Arms, 18, 88, 258
William II.: Arms, 88, 258;
Badge, 227
William III. and Mary: Arms, 260
William III.: Arms, 262
William IV.: Arms, 263
Winchelsea: Seal of the Mayor of, 168
Windsor Herald, 130
Windsor, St. George’s Chapel, 171
Wingfield: Arms, 17
Winnowing Fan. _See_ Fan
Wings in Crests, 212
Woodstock, Duke Thomas of, 181, 232;
Badge, 149
Worcester, Charles, Earl of, 190;
Henry, Earl of, 189, 190;
John, Earl of, 215
Worcester Cathedral, 230, 323
Wortele, Worteley, De: Arms, 197
Wreath, Orle, Crest-Wreath, Wreathed, 157
Wyllers, De: Arms, 66
Wyndesor, Wm. de: Seal, 214, 242
Wynford, the Baron: Supporters, 99
Wyvern, Wivern, 72, 157
Yarborough, Countess of, 331
Yarmouth, Great: Arms, 168
Yngelfeld, Sir R. de: Arms, 202
York, Dukes of, 179
York, Archbishop of: Arms, 101
York, Rose of, 149, 228;
Collar of, 110;
Livery Colours of, 135
York Cathedral, Heraldic Glass at, 92
York Herald, 130
Zouche, de La: Arms, 72;
Differenced Arms, 186
* * * * *
* * * *
* * * * *
Errata
Punctuation in the Index and in Figure captions has been silently
regularized, and invisible periods (full stops) have been supplied.
Inconsistent hyphenization is as in the original.
Author of “The Monumental Brasses of England,” [England,’]
[Contents] Earliest Heraldic Shields and Banners
[“Earlies Heraldic” with invisible t]
a fine shield of the thirteenth century in Westminster Abbey
[Westminister]
7. _Potent_ (note different shape of divisions) [_Potent_) note]
thus, the Arms of the Earl de WARENNE are _Chequée or and az._
[elsewhere spelled “Warrenne”]
_armes parlantes_ (see p. 16) [p. 15]
It is a very common error to overload heraldic blazoning with commas
[“commas” here means “inverted commas”, i.e. apostrophes]
for DE HEMENHALE, No. 79,-- [No, 79]
_Az., billettée, on a canton or a raven ppr._
[Here and in a few other passages, a term is used before it has
been defined.]
_Arg., a lion rampt. gu., crowned or [gu. crowned]
[Glossary]
_Buckle._ See _Fermaile_. [elsewhere spelled “fermail”]
_Saltire._ An ordinary, in form a diagonal cross: Nos. 120, 121, 122.
[Nos. 120, 121. 122.]
famous as the sinister supporter of the Royal Shield of England.
[of England,]
extend to the becoming heraldic declaration and record
[text unchanged: error for “becoming the...”?]
[Illustration: No. 330.]
[Four consecutive illustrations are captioned “No. 330.”
(See text.)]
A bordure componée _may_, indeed, be used [componeé]
Sir WM. KIRKETOT-- [Sir.]
impaled in the sinister half of his Shield [sinster]
The Arms of the Lyon Office I have already given, No. 266.
[printed “265” corrected by unknown hand]
[Index: Heraldry]
Canting, 16; [“Cantin , 16” with invisible g]
Illustrations
“Fig(s).” in text has been regularized to “No(s).” in the following:
No. 35. ... (See No. 87.) [(See Fig. 87.)]
_gyronny_ (No. 147) ... Nos. 30 and 33 [(Fig. 147) _and_ Figs.]
when the piles are intended to converge, as in No. 128
Eagles and Hawks with expanded wings, as in No. 206
The CREST ... _vide_ No. 441
The INSIGNIA ... shown in No. 435.
*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Handbook to English Heraldry" ***
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