English heraldry is the form of coats of arms and other heraldic bearings and insignia used in England. It lies within the so-called Gallo-British tradition. Coats of arms in England are regulated and granted to individuals by the English kings of arms of the College of Arms. An individual's arms may also be borne 'by courtesy' by members of the holder's nuclear family, subject to a system of cadency marks, to differentiate those displays from the arms of the original holder. The English heraldic style is exemplified in the arms of British royalty, and is reflected in the civic arms of cities and towns, as well as the noble arms of individuals in England. Royal orders in England, such as the Order of the Garter, also maintain notable heraldic bearings.
Characteristics
Like many countries' heraldry, there is a classical influence within English heraldry, such as designs originally on Greek and Roman pottery. Many coats of arms feature charges related to the bearer's name or profession (e.g. Bowes-Lyon, depicting bows quartered with a lion), a practice known as "canting arms".
Representations in person of saints or other figure are very rare, although there are however a few uses, mostly originating from seals, where there have never been such limitations.Fox-Davies (1909), p. 158. Although many places have dropped such iconography, the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone, London, includes a rendering of the Virgin Mary, although this is never stated.Fox-Davies (1909), p. 161. This is also the case in many other examples, particularly those depicting Christ, to remove religious complications. Unlike in mainland Europe where armorial achievements make a large use of their eponymous saints, these are few and far between in England.
The lion is the most common charge, particularly in royal heraldry.Fox-Davies (1909), p. 174. Heraldic roses are also common in English heraldry, as in the War of the Roses where both houses, Lancaster and York, used them, and in the ensuing Tudor dynasty. The heraldic eagle, while common on the European continent and particularly in Germany, is relatively rare in English heraldry and, in early English heraldry, was often associated with alliances with German princes.Boutell (1914), p.92.
The coat of arms of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, pictured here, uses almost all typical forms of heraldry in England. The first quarter consists of the arms of his father-in-law, Richard Beauchamp, who bore an inescutcheon of De Clare quartering Despenser, now shown in Neville's fourth quarter. The second quarter shows the arms of the Montacutes (Montagu). The third quarter shows the arms of Neville differenced by a label for Lancaster.Turnbull (1985), The Book of the Medieval Knight.
History
King Henry I of England was said to have given a badge decorated with a lion to his son-in-law Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, and some have interpreted this as a grant of the lion arms later seen on his funerary enamel, but the first documented royal coat of arms appear on the Great Seal of Richard I, where he is depicted on horseback with a shield containing one lion on the visible half. Because several of his immediate kin used lion coats, it has been speculated that his father Henry II may likewise have borne a single-lion coat of arms, perhaps with the same colours as later used by the family, a gold lion on red. Heraldry is thought to have become popular among the knights on the first and second crusades, along with the idea of chivalry.James Ross Sweeney (1983). "Chivalry", in The Dictionary of the Middle Ages, Volume III. Under Henry III, it gained a system of classification and a technical language.Boutell (1914), p. 9. However, over the next two centuries, the system was abused, leading to the swamping of true coats-of-arms.
For the rest of the medieval period, it was popular within the upper classes to have a distinctive family mark for competitions and tournaments, and it was popular (although not prevalent) within the lower classes. It found particular use with knights, for practice and in the mêlée of battle, where heraldry was worn on embroidered fabric covering their armour. Indeed, their houses' signs became known as coats-of-arms in this way.Boutell (1914), p. 2. They were also worn on shields, where they were known as shields-of-arms. As well as military uses, the main charge was used in the seals of households. These were used to prove the authenticity of documents carried by heralds (messengers) and is the basis of the word heraldry in English. One example of this is the seal of John Mundegumri (1175), which bears a single fleur-de-lys.Illustrated in Boutell (1914), pp. 10–11. Prior to the 16th century, there was no regulation on the use of arms in England.
Rolls of Arms One of the first contemporary records of medieval heraldry is a roll of arms called Falkirk Rolls, written soon after the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. It includes the whole range of recognised heraldic colours (including furs) and designs.The Falkirk Rolls , sourced at Studies in Heraldry by Brian Timms based on Gerard J Brault, Eight Thirteenth Century Rolls of Arms, Pennsylvania State University Press (1973). Original held at the British Museum, MS Harl 6589, f9-9b. Accessed 2009-01-04. This clearly demonstrates that English heraldry was fully developed at this time, and although the language is not quite identical, much of the terminology is the same as is still used. It is an occasional roll of arms, meaning it charted the heraldry visible on one occasion. Other rolls of arms covering England include the Caerlaverock Poem (composed 1300 about siege of Caerlaverock) and Glover's Roll (a mixed and varied collection from around the mid-13th century).
Court of the Earl Marshal The position of herald in England was well defined, and so on January 5, 1420, William Bruges was appointed by King Henry V to be Garter King of Arms. No such position had been created in other countries.Fox-Davies (1909), p. 28. A succession of different titles was introduced over the next four centuries for principal governor of arms, including King of Arms. Some were members of the College of Arms, some were not. Other holders of positions included the Falcon King of Arms, a position created under King Edward III. Other positions were created for important counties, such as the Lancastrian King of Arms, but the balance of power between them and those charged with larger regions remains unclear.Fox-Davies (1909), pp. 28–34.
During the Tudor period, grants of arms were made for significant contributions to the country by one of the Herald and Kings of Arms in a standard format, as in the case of Thomas Bertie, granted arms on 10 July 1550.Williams (1967), p. 261. This was given as a passage read out by the herald. Although many are written in English, it is possible they were also read out in Latin.Noble (1804), Appendix, p. viii.
The introduction in his case read:
This seems to be the standard introduction, each herald using their name and position.
Nadir The early 18th century is often considered the nadir of English heraldry.Bedingfeld (1993), Heraldry, p. 67.Wagner (1967), p. 318.Woodcock & Robinson (1988), p. 43. The heraldic establishment was not held in high regard by the public; the authority of the Court of Chivalry (though not its armorial jurisdiction) was challenged,Wagner (1967), pp. 315–6. and an increasing number of 'new men' simply assumed arms, without any authority. This attitude is evident even in the appointment of the heralds themselves—Sir John Vanbrugh, a prominent dramatist and architect who knew nothing of heraldry, was appointed to the office of Clarenceux King of Arms, the second-highest office in the College of Arms.Wagner (1967), pp. 329–30. No new grants were made between November 1704 and June 1707.Wagner (1967), p. 342.
The situation slowly improved throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, with the number of new grants per year slowly rising—14 in 1747, 40 in 1784 and 82 in 1884.Bedingfeld (1993), pp. 68–71. These numbers reflect an increasing geographical spread in grantees, due to a general increase of interest in heraldry. This was caused by a number of factors, including the creation of the Order of the Bath in 1725, and grants of arms to its members, augmentations for honour granted to successful military commanders in the Peninsular War and Napoleonic Wars, and the rise in popularity of name and arms clauses.Woodcock & Robinson (1988), pp. 44–46. The medieval period, and with it heraldry, also became popular as a result of the Romantic movement and Gothic revival.Wagner (1946), p. 23.
Timeline
12th century 1127: King Henry I presents Count Geoffrey of Anjou with "a badge" decorated with a lion.Wagner, A. (1946). Heraldry in England by 1146: Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford execute separate agreements with equestrian seals showing chevrony shields, among the earliest surviving examples of heraldry in England.J. H. Round, "The Introduction of Armorial Bearings into England", The Archaeological Journal, volume 51, pp 43-48 1155-60: The coloured enamel created to mark the tomb of Geoffrey of Anjou displays a coat of arms, the first depicted for the royal family, perhaps granted him by Henry I in 1127. 1189: The Great Seal of King Richard the Lionheart depicts the first known royal arms. 1198: Richard introduces new royal arms, the three-lion shield that remains the arms of England to this day.Woodcock, T. & Robinson, J.M. (1988). The Oxford Guide to Heraldry
13th century Early examples of arms in Wales: Prince David ap Llewellyn 1246 and John ap John of Grosmont in 1249. 1256: Walter le Vyelur, a painter, is an early example of a tradesman bearing arms.Velde, F. (1999) [Commoners' Arms in England | http://www.heraldica.com ] c1276: The earliest reference to a Norroy King of Arms. 1290s: The earliest known diocesan arms, for the See of Ely.Briggs, C. (1970). Civic and Corporate Heraldry
14th century 1334: The earliest reference to a Clarenceux King of Arms. After claiming the French throne in 1340, King Edward III quarters the French and English royal arms. The French arms remain part of the English arms for 460 years. From 1340, the customary method of differencing the royal arms is a label (plain for the prince of Wales, bearing charges for other royals). 1345: The Court of Chivalry hears its first heraldry case. c1380: London assumes civic arms. 1385–90: The famous case of Scrope v Grosvenor in the Court of Chivalry. 1390s: Johannes de Bado Aureo publishes Tractatus de Armis.
15th century By 1410, "a non-armigerous gentlemen is a rarity needing explanation."Wagner, A. (1939). Historic Heraldry of Britain 1411: Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, is an early example of bishops impaling their personal arms with those of their sees. 1415: King Henry V establishes the office of Garter King of Arms, and makes him senior to the other kings of arms. William Bruges is the first Garter 1415–50. 1418: Henry V temporarily prohibits the bearing of self-assumed arms during his campaign in France; for some reason, this was later interpreted as a ban on self-assumed arms throughout England. The three kings of arms are authorised to grant coats of arms, but self-assumption remains the norm. By 1423, St Bartholomew's Hospital in London has assumed arms – probably the oldest example of medical heraldry in the kingdom. 1439: Garter Bruges grants arms to the Worshipful Company of Drapers – the earliest known grant by a king of arms. King Henry VI grants arms to King's College (Cambridge) in 1441 and Eton College in 1449 – the earliest examples of academic heraldry in England. 1484: King Richard III organises the royal kings of arms, heralds, and pursuivants into a College of Arms, under authority of the Earl Marshal. 1485: King Henry VII revokes the College of Arms' charter.