The Handbook to English Heraldry Part 33

The ancient English war-cry--DIEU . ET . MON . DROIT!--"_G.o.d and my Right!_" a.s.sumed 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 pattees_ 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_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 s.h.i.+eld of Arms for the time being.

The Armorial Insignia of H.R.H. the late PRINCE CONSORT. The s.h.i.+ELD 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 s.h.i.+eld 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 s.h.i.+eld 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 pa.s.sant 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, affronte 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 affronte 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 patee and fleurs de lis, a chain affixed thereto, pa.s.sing 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 s.h.i.+eld, crowned and bearing the device of the Union Jack_ (UNITED KINGDOM).

7. _Upon a mount vert, a dragon pa.s.sant with wings elevated gules_ (WALES). _N.B._--This badge is not crowned.

MOTTO.--DIEU . ET . MON . DROIT in the compartment below the s.h.i.+eld, with the Union, Rose, Shamrock, and Thistle engrafted on the same stem.

The s.h.i.+eld 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 s.h.i.+eld 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, semee of hearts gu., three lions pa.s.s. guard. in pale az._ Second Quarter:--SLESWICK--_Or, two lions pa.s.s. 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 pa.s.s. 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 pa.s.s. 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., brandis.h.i.+ng 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 patee fitchee 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 pa.s.sant 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 s.h.i.+eld--_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 pa.s.sant 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 subst.i.tuted. 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 patee and fleurs de lys_, with the MOTTO, "ICH DIEN": 2, _on a mount vert, a dragon pa.s.sant with wings elevated gu., differenced with a label of three points arg._ Below the s.h.i.+ELD the MOTTO "ICH DIEN" is repeated, and the s.h.i.+eld 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 _s.h.i.+elds_, the Princesses on _Lozenges_. All their Royal Highnesses bore the Royal _Supporters_; all have a s.h.i.+eld of _Saxony_, in pretence on their own s.h.i.+eld or Lozenge; all ensign their s.h.i.+eld 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 s.h.i.+eld as their particular coronet of rank: all the s.h.i.+elds, 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 (d.u.c.h.ess 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 d.u.c.h.ess 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 c.u.mBERLAND (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 s.h.i.+eld 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 a.s.signed to him was of crosses patee 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 a.s.signed 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, d.u.c.h.ess of FIFE. This a.s.signed 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 d.u.c.h.ess 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