Royal supporters of England: Difference between revisions

Royal supporters of England
	Heraldic creatures supporting a shield of arms.
Heraldic tradition	Heraldic achievement
Governing body	Monarchs of England

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Revision as of 20:59, 25 September 2010

In heraldry, the Royal Supporters of England are figures of living creatures appearing on each side of the Royal Arms of England. Originally, in England, supporters were regarded as little more than mere decorative and artistic appendages. In France, writers made a distinctive difference on the subject of supporters, giving the name of Supports to animals, real or imaginary, thus employed; while human figures or angels similarly used are called Tenants. Trees and other inanimate objects which are sometimes used are called Soutiens. Older writers trace origins of supporters to their usages in tournaments, where the shields of the combatants were exposed for inspection, and guarded by their servants or pages disguised in fanciful attire. However, medieval Scottish seals afford numerous examples in which the 13th and 14th century shields were placed between two creatures resembling lizards or dragons. Also, the seal of John, Duke of Normandy, eldest son of the King of France, before 1316 bears his arms as; France ancient, a bordure gules, between two lions rampant away from the shield, and an eagle with expanded wings standing above it. The Royal Supporters of the monarchs of England, displayed a variety, or even a menagerie, of real and imaginary beasts, either side of their Royal Arms of Sovereignty, including the lion, leopard, panther and tiger, the antelope and the hart, the greyhound, the boar and the bull, the falcon, cock, eagle and swan, the red and gold dragons, and of course, the current unicorn. ^[1]

List of supporters and devices

Monarch	Supporters	Badges	Motto
House of Plantagenet (1327-1399) Royal liveries: white and red
King Edward III	lion and falcon	St. George's arms (argent, a cross gules) Broom pod, Planta genista Dragon or, "clothed with the king's arms ... nicknamed 'Drago'"^[2] Falcon argent Fleur-de-lis or Greyhound argent, collared gules edged with gold, with gilt eyelets and terret Sunburst: sun's rays or, shining from a cloud gules a Leopard a Sword Gryphon Stock (stump) of a tree	?
King Richard II	two harts argent	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Broom pod, Planta genista Falcon argent Greyhound argent, collared gules Hart couched argent, attired, collared and chained gold Sun in splendour Sunburst Tree stump or (for Woodstock)	?
House of Lancaster (1399-1413) Royal liveries: white and blue
King Henry IV	white swan collared with an open crown or, a golden chain pendent from the crown; and heraldic antelope argent, armed, crined and collared gold.	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Broom pod, Planta genista Antelope argent Fire beacon (or cresset) Fox's brush Genet (or ermine) Greyhound argent, collared gules Rose, gules, crowned Rose en soleil Sun in splendour Swan argent, collared with a crown and chained gold (white swan of the Bohuns) Monogram (cypher) SS Crowned eagle Eagle displayed Columbine flower Crowned panther Stock (stump) of a tree Crescent	Souverayne ('Sovereign')
	lion and antelope
	antelope and swan
King Henry V	white swan collared with an open crown or, a golden chain pendent from the crown; and heraldic antelope argent, armed, crined and collared gold	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Antelope argent chained Fire beacon (or cresset) Greyhound argent, collared gules Rose, gules, crowned Swan argent (Bohun) chained	Dieu et mon droit ('God and my right') Une sans plus ('One without more')
King Henry V	lion and antelope
King Henry VI	two antelopes argent	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Antelope argent Greyhound argent, collared gules Rose, gules, crowned Swan argent (Bohun) Two Ostrich Feathers in Saltire Panther	Dieu et mon droit
	lion and panther
	antelope or and tiger
House of York (1413-1485) Royal liveries: murrey (dark red) and blue
King Edward IV	lion or and bull sable	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Black Bull of Clarence Falcon argent, in a fetterlock or Hart couched argent, attired, collared and chained gold Lion rampant argent (White Lion of the Mortimers as Earls of March) Rose, argent, crowned Rose en soleil Sun in splendour Wolf argent (of Mortimer) Black Dragon Fetter-lock	Dieu et mon droit
	lion argent and hart argent
	two lions argent
King Edward V	lion argent and hart argent gorged and chained or	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Falcon argent, in a fetterlock of gold Rose argent, crowned	Dieu et mon droit
King Richard III	two boars argent	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Boar argent, armed and bristled or Greyhound argent, collared gules	Dieu et mon droit
King Richard III	lion or and boar argent		Dieu et mon droit
House of Tudor (1485-1606) Royal liveries: white and green
King Henry VII	dragon gules and greyhound argent collared gules	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or crowned Dragon of Cadwaladr Dun Cow of Warwick Greyhound argent, collared gules Hawthorn bush, crowned Portcullis or, crowned Rose gules, crowned Rose, parted palewise gules and argent, crowned Rose gules, with a rose argent superimposed, crowned Spray of rose gules, crowned Falcon with a virgin's face (harpy) Cypher H.R.	Dieu et mon droit ('God and my right') Non sanz droict ('not without right')
	two greyhounds argent
	lion or and dragon gules
King Henry VIII	lion or and dragon gules	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Dragon of Cadwalladr Cockerel Dun Cow of Warwick Greyhound argent, collared gules Harp or, stringed silver, crowned Portcullis or, crowned Rose gules, crowned Rose gules, dimidiated with a pomegranate Demi-rose gules, impaled with a demi-roundel parted palewise argent and vert, charged with a bundle of arrows argent, garnished or Rose gules, with a rose argent superimposed, crowned Hawthorn Bush and Crown Cypher H.R.	Dieu et mon droit Non sanz droict
	dragon gules and bull sable
	dragon gules and greyhound argent
	dragon gules and cock argent
King Edward VI	lion or and dragon gules	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Dragon of Cadwalladr Greyhound argent, collared gules Harp or, stringed silver, crowned Portcullis or, crowned Rose gules, crowned Rose gules, with a rose argent superimposed, crowned Sun in splendor	Dieu et mon droit Non sanz droict
Queen Mary I	lion or and dragon gules	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Dragon of Cadwalladr Portcullis or, crowned Harp or, stringed silver, crowned Pomegranate (from the compartment for Grenada in the royal arms of the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon) Tudor Rose impaling a pomegranate, also impaling a Sheath of Arrows, ensigned with a Crown, and surrounded with Rays Pomegranate Rose gules, crowned Rose gules, dimidated with a bundle of arrows, en soleil and crowned Rose gules, with a rose argent superimposed, crowned	Dieu et mon droit Non sanz droict Veritas temporis filia ('Truth [is] the daughter of time')
	lion or and greyhound argent
	eagle and lion (Philip and Mary)
Queen Elizabeth I	lion or and dragon or / gules	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Harp or, stringed silver, crowned Portcullis or, crowned Dragon of Cadwalladr Falcon argent, crowned and holding a sceptre of gold Phoenix Sieve Rose gules, crowned^[3] Rose gules, with a rose argent superimposed, crowned	Dieu et mon droit Non sanz droict Semper eadem ('Always herself') Rosa sine spina ('Rose without thorn')
Queen Elizabeth I	lion or and greyhound argent
House of Stuart (1603-1714) Royal liveries: yellow and red
King James I	lion or and unicorn argent	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Harp or, stringed silver, crowned Portcullis or, crowned Thistle, slipped and headed proper, royally crowned (Stuart royal family^[4]) Rose gules, with a rose argent superimposed, crowned Rose gules, with a rose argent superimposed, crowned - dimidated with a thistle in its proper colours	Dieu et mon droit Beati pacifici ('Blessed [are] the peacemakers')

Source: Charles Hasler, The Royal Arms, pp.3–11. ISBN: 0904041204.

References

^ The Art of Heraldry. A.C. Fox-Davies. (ch XXX, p300). (1986). ISBN: 0906223342.
^ On a banner at Crecy, 1346. Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker.
^ Elizabeth I assosiated with this badge the motto Rosa sine spina.
^ In 1801, imperially crowned, designated as badge for Scotland.

[1] The Art of Heraldry. A.C. Fox-Davies. (ch XXX, p300). (1986). ISBN: 0906223342.

[2] On a banner at Crecy, 1346. Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker.

[3] Elizabeth I assosiated with this badge the motto Rosa sine spina.

[4] In 1801, imperially crowned, designated as badge for Scotland.

[1]

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 * [[White Greyhound of Richmond|Greyhound ''argent'']], collared ''gules'' edged with gold, with gilt eyelets and terret
 * Sunburst: sun's rays ''or'', shining from a cloud ''gules''
+* a Leopard
+* a Sword
+* Gryphon
+* Stock (stump) of a tree
 | ?
 |-
@@ Line 64: / Line 68: @@
 * Sun in splendour
 * Swan ''argent'', collared with a crown and chained gold (white swan of the Bohuns)
+* Monogram (cypher) SS
+* Crowned eagle
+* Eagle displayed
+* Columbine flower
+* Crowned panther
+* Stock (stump) of a tree
+* Crescent
 | rowspan=3 |
 *''Souverayne''
@@ Line 79: / Line 90: @@
 * [[St George's Cross|St. George's arms]]
 * Fleur-de-lis ''or''
 * Antelope ''argent''
 * Fire beacon (or cresset)
 * Greyhound ''argent'', collared ''gules''
 * Rose, ''gules'', crowned
 * Swan ''argent'' (Bohun)
 | rowspan=2 |
 * ''[[Dieu et mon droit]]''
@@ Line 103: / Line 114: @@
 * Rose, ''gules'', crowned
 * Swan ''argent'' (Bohun)
+* Two Ostrich Feathers in Saltire
+* Panther
 | rowspan=3 |
 *''Dieu et mon droit''
@@ Line 128: / Line 141: @@
 * Sun in splendour
 * Wolf ''argent'' (of Mortimer)
+* Black Dragon
+* Fetter-lock
 | rowspan=3 |
 *''Dieu et mon droit''
@@ Line 169: / Line 184: @@
 | rowspan=3 |
 * [[St George's Cross|St. George's arms]]
 * Fleur-de-lis ''or''
 * Dragon of [[Cadwaladr]]
 * [[Dun Cow]] of Warwick
@@ Line 180: / Line 195: @@
 * Spray of rose ''gules'', crowned
 * Falcon with a virgin's face (harpy)
+* Cypher H.R.
 | rowspan=3 |
 *''Dieu et mon droit''
@@ Line 207: / Line 223: @@
 * Demi-rose ''gules'', impaled with a demi-roundel parted palewise ''argent'' and ''vert'', charged with a bundle of arrows ''argent'', garnished or
 * Rose ''gules'', with a rose ''argent'' superimposed, crowned
+* Hawthorn Bush and Crown
+* Cypher H.R.
 | rowspan=4 |
 *''Dieu et mon droit''
@@ Line 230: / Line 248: @@
 * Rose ''gules'', crowned
 * Rose ''gules'', with a rose ''argent'' superimposed, crowned
+* Sun in splendor
 |
 *''Dieu et mon droit''
@@ Line 245: / Line 264: @@
 * Harp ''or'', stringed silver, crowned
 * Pomegranate (from the compartment for Grenada in the royal arms of the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon)
+* Tudor Rose impaling a pomegranate, also impaling a Sheath of Arrows, ensigned with a Crown, and surrounded with Rays
+* Pomegranate
 * Rose ''gules'', crowned
 * Rose ''gules'', dimidated with a bundle of arrows, ''en soleil'' and crowned

Revision as of 20:59, 25 September 2010

List of supporters and devices

See also

References