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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.