Royal Supporters of England

Royal Supporters of England

Heraldic creatures supporting a shield of arms.
Tradition	Heraldic achievement
Governance	Monarchs of England

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 ^[2]	Badges ^[3]	Motto	Royal Arms
House of Plantagenet (1327–1399) Royal liveries: white and red
King Edward III (1327–1377)	lion and falcon two lions (as displayed at Trinity College) two angels (first English king to bear these^[4])	St. George's arms (argent, a cross gules) Broom pod, Planta genista Dragon or, "clothed with the king's arms ... nicknamed 'Drago'"^[5] 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		Dexter: Lion crowned, or Sinister: Falcon, argent
King Richard II (1377–1399)	two harts argent	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Broom pod, Planta genista Falcon argent with a maids head Greyhound argent, collared gules Hart couched argent, attired, collared and chained gold silver boar, tusked and bristled gold Sun in splendour Sunburst Tree stump or (for Woodstock)		Two Harts, argent
House of Lancaster (1399–1413) Royal liveries: white and blue
King Henry IV (1399–1413)	white swan collared with an open crown or, a golden chain pendent from the crown; and heraldic antelope argent, armed, crined and collared gold two angels lion and antelope	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Broom pod, Planta genista Ostrich feather erect wound about four times by a scroll inscribed "So-ve-rey-gne" Antelope argent Antelope or Fire beacon (or cresset) Fox's brush Genet passant between two sprigs of broom 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
King Henry V (1413–1422)	white swan collared with an open crown or, a golden chain pendent from the crown; and heraldic antelope argent, armed, crined and collared gold lion and antelope two feathers argent	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or fox tail ostrich feather argent ostrich feather erect argent with a small scroll across the lower part of the quill inscribed " Ich dien " heraldic antelope statant argent, ducally gorged and chained or, armed tufted and unguled of the last heraldic antelope lodged Fire beacon (or cresset) Greyhound argent, collared gules red rose barbed and seeded proper, crowned (house of Lancaster) trunk of a tree eradiated or (Hereford)^[6] swan, wings elevated argent, beaked and legged gules, ducally gorged and a chain reflexed over the back or (House of Hereford)^[7] swan and antelope lodged, both chained to the fire-beacon and conjoined into one device^[8]	Dieu et mon droit ('God and my right') Une sans plus ('One without more')	Lion and Antelope
King Henry VI (1422–1461)	two antelopes argent lion and panther antelope or and tiger	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Antelope argent chained Greyhound argent, collared gules Rose, gules, crowned Swan argent (Bohun) Eagle two ostrich feathers in saltire, one silver, the other gold Panther spotted passant gardant The Cornysshe chawghe^[9]	Dieu et mon droit	Two Antelopes, argent
House of York (1413–1485) Royal liveries: murrey (dark red) and blue
King Edward IV (1461–1483)	lion or and bull sable lion argent and hart argent two lions argent	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	Two Lions argent
King Edward V (1483)	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	Lion and Hart argent
King Richard III (1483–1485)	two boars argent lion or and boar argent boar argent and bull	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Bull gules Boar argent, armed and bristled or Greyhound argent, collared gules Embridled horse	Dieu et mon droit	Two Boars argent
House of Tudor (1485–1606) Royal liveries: white and green
King Henry VII (1485–1509)	dragon gules and greyhound argent collared gules two greyhounds argent lion or and dragon gules	St. George's arms The image of Saint George Fleur-de-lis or crowned Dragon of Cadwaladr^[10] Dun Cow of Warwick Greyhound argent, collared gules Royal Crown, in or above a bush of hawthorn, combined with the Royal Cypher^[11] Portcullis or, crowned The Tudor rose.^[12] Rose, parted palewise gules and argent, crowned Rose gules, with a rose argent superimposed, crowned Spray of rose gules, crowned Falcon standing on a fetterlock, with a virgin's face (harpy) Flames of fire Cypher H.R.	Dieu et mon droit Non sanz droict ('not without right') Altera securitas^[13]	Dragon and Greyhound
King Henry VIII (1509–1547)	dragon gules and greyhound argent collared gules^[14] lion crowned or and dragon gules dragon gules and bull sable dragon gules and greyhound argent dragon gules and cock argent	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Dragon of Cadwalladr a silver cock with red comb and wattles flames of fire Dun Cow of Warwick Greyhound argent, collared gules Harp or, stringed silver, crowned Portcullis or, crowned; as used with motto Altera securitas 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 Sunburst Cypher H.R.	Dieu et mon droit Non sanz droict	Lion and Dragon
King Edward VI (1547–1553)	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	Lion and Dragon
Queen Mary I (1553–1558)	lion rampant or and dragon gules lion or and greyhound argent eagle and lion (Philip and Mary)	St. George's arms Fleur-de-lis or Dragon of Cadwalladr winged Time drawing Truth from a Pit Portcullis or, crowned an altar, thereon a sword erect 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 sheaf of arrows dimidiated with the Tudor rose on a ground of green and blue Pomegranate Rose gules, crowned Rose gules, dimidiated with a bundle of arrows, en soleil and crowned red rose within a white one, impaled by dimidiation with a sheaf of arrows or, tied with a golden knot upon a semi-circular field argent and vert, the whole surrounded with rays and ensigned with an open crown or	Dieu et mon droit Non sanz droict Veritas temporis filia ('Truth [is] the daughter of time') Arae et regni custodia"^[15]	Eagle and Lion
Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603)	lion or and dragon or / gules lion or and greyhound argent	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^[16] 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')	Lion and Dragon
House of Stuart (1603–1714) Royal liveries: yellow and red
King James I (1603-now)	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^[17]) 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')	Lion and Unicorn

References

^ The Art of Heraldry. A.C. Fox-Davies. (ch XXX, p300). (1986). ISBN 0906223342.
^ Charles Hasler, The Royal Arms, pp.3–11. ISBN 0904041204
^ Armorial Bearings of the Sovereigns of England. W.J. Petchey. (p18) ISBN 0719909260
^ The Penny Magazine. 18 April 1835
^ On a banner at Crecy, 1346. Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker.
^ Tree trunk: by the howse of Herforth
^ (Swan: "by the howse of Herforth," i,e. Hereford)
^ tomb in Westminster Abbey
^ oft with his trayne Hath made our egull blynde. [Political Poem, 144.9 — "Excerpta Historica."]
^ Red Dragon: This badge was not originally, as now, shown passant upon a green mount. The mount, no doubt, originated from the fact that the red dragon was used upon a standard of the livery colours (Tudor), white and green. Woodward refers to another standard, in which the red dragon is inflamed and the field seme of flames. The dragon, according to early Welsh tradition, was of "ruddy gold," and is to be found both red and gold
^ Hawthorn bush: Woodward, who recites the story that after the battle of Bosworth the golden circlet of King Richard's helm was found in a hawthorn bush, and with this Lord Stanley crowned King Henry on the battlefield
^ Tudor Rose: This was variously represented. Burke and Woodward both mention the forms {a) quarterly argent and gules, and (b) a white rose superimposed upon a red rose ; whilst Woodward also mentions {c) per pale argent and gules. On one of this king*s standards (MS. I. 2, Coll. Arms) both red roses barbed and seeded proper, and white roses barbed and seeded proper, are found, as also " a red rose surmounted of a white rose with two buds slipped vert," and "a red rose sur-mounted of a white rose encircled by rays of the sun gold
^ (Woodward suggests the translation of the motto, " Two-door," or a second door, as a pun on the name Tudor
^ Penny Mag
^ "Antiquarian Discourses," by Sir Richard Cotton, vol. i. p. 112.]
^ Elizabeth I assosiated with this badge the motto Rosa sine spina.
^ In 1801, imperially crowned, designated as badge for Scotland.

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References