Romance Of Heraldry

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30028, 12 January 1963, Page 8

Romance Of Heraldry

By

CYRIL HANKINSON]

I was Editor of “Debrett” I was often asked whether the devices in costs of arms had any particular meaning attached to them. The answer in most cases is “no,” although during the course of this century there has been a tendency to incorporate in coats of arms something which has some personal significance. Sometimes the name lends itself to this. For instance, the late Sir Jesse Boot (afterwards Lord Trent), chairman of Boots Cash Chemists, had three jack boots on his shield and another for his crest, and Sir Michael Gull has three seagulls on his shield.

When the name is not suitable for any allusion it is by no means uncommon

for an emblem to be included which has a bearing on the career of the grantee. Lord Montgomery of Alamein, for example, has a knight in armour as a supporter on one side of his shield and a soldier of the Royal Tank Regiment on the other; whilst the late Lord Adams, a former miner, had a miner with a pick-axe as one of his suppporters. All this shows that heraldry is moving with the times, and in the present day heraldic achievements there are some fine examples of the skilful combination of the ancient devices with modern symbols. The real romance of heraldry, however, lies, not in playing on names or occupations, but in the stories, legendary or otherwise, which lie behind the emblems, some of which were granted by sovereigns to commemorate special services rendered to them.

Next time you look at the coat of arms of a baronert you will see on a canton (small compartment) at the top a left hand cut off at "the wrist. If the illustration is coloured the hand will be blood red. This is the “bloody hand of Ulster”— the badge of Ulster which James I, when he instituted ■the Baronetage in 1611, decreed should be incorporated in the arms of all baronets. His reason for this was doubtless, to lend support to the idea that the founding of the baronetage was really in aid of the development of Ulster and the suppression of the rebellion there, whereas, in fact, the fees of £IOOO paid by the baronets for their titles were mostly used to fill James’s empty coffers.

The Ulster Badge The story of the origin of the Ulster badge, which is derived from the arms of the O’Neills, ancient Kings of Ulster, is that the ancestor of the O’Neills was one of a party of Scandinavian adventurers who sailed to Ireland. When they came in sight of the coast their leader promised the territory in view to the man who first touched land. In the race for the shore which ensued, the first of the O’Neills being determined to become possessor of the territory chopped off his left hand and threw it on to the land. Another tale from Ireland concerns the Fitz Gerald family, the head of which is the Duke of Leinster. According to tradition the Earl of Kildare, a valiant soldier in the reign of Edward 11, and an ancestor of the Duke, whilst an infant, was asleep at Woodstock Castle when an alarm of fire was raised. In the confusion the child was forgotten, and on the servants returning to search for him they found the room in which he had lain to be in rains. Soon alter, hearing a strange noise in one of the towers, they looked up, and saw an ape which was usually kept chained, carefully holding the child in his arms and making his way to safety. The Earl afterwards in gratitude for his rescue adopted the two monkeys for his supporters and a monkey for his crest. Robert The Bruce

From Scotland comes the well-known story of the heart of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland. His ambi-

tion had been to go to the Holy Land to fight in th* Crusades' when he had brought peace and order to his country, but by the time he had achieved this he was old and feeble. Acotdingly he sent for good Sir James Douglas and told him that he felt that his end was near with his hope still unfulfilled. Since his body could not go to accomplish his vow he wished that when he was dead his heart should be removed end emtekned and buried in the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. He laid the task ot doing this upon Sir James and directed that wheresoever he went Sir James was to te* it be known that he carried with him the heart of King Robert ot Scotland. Kmg Robert died in 1329 and Douglas set forth with the heart in a silver casket “and kept always his post and behaviour with great triumph and clarions, as though he had been the King of Scotland, himself.” On his way to the East, Sir James heard that Alphonso, King of Spain, was engaged in a war with the Saracen King of Granada, and decided to join him and take part in the campaign. Shortly afterwards, whilst fighting In the Battle of Andalusia, he and his followers were surrounded by the enemy and slain.

King's Desire Fulfilled

It is said that Douglas cast the heart before him when about to attack the enemy and following it into battle fulfilled Robert’s desire to lead a host against the infidel.

According to one version of the story a knight is held

to have escaped with the heart and brought it back to SwtbtoA where it was interred at Melrose Abbey. In recognition of this service to their king, the Douglases were permitted to include on their shield the red heart of Bruce, to which Later a royal crown was added.- ■ The heart ot Brace is to be seen in the the arms of such famous members of the Douglas family as the Marquess of Queensberry. the Earl of Morton, Lord Douglas of KirUeside, and Lord Douglas of Bartoch. Charles I and Charles II were lavish with the heraldic honours they bestowed upon their faithful adbeeente end the coat of arms ot Sir Atwell Lake. Bt. provides an example of an wwwnd by the Martyr King. According to toe original gtwt to Sir Edward Lake, in the Battle of Edgehill "he received 16 wounds to the extreme hazard of his life, and his left arm being then disabled by a shot, he held his bridle in his teeth.” The Lake family’s shield is red and depicts an armed hand holding a sword to which is affixed a banner bearing a cross between 16 escutcheon s (small shields)—one for each of Sir Edward’s wounds. The crest represents Sir Edward, himself, on horseback, with hia left arm hanging down wounded end useless, holding the bridle in his teeth with his face sword, armour, and horse all embrued (dripping with blood).

Assistance To King

Everyone knows the story of Jane Lane and the help she gave to Charles II on his escape after the Battle of Worcester. Her father. Colonel John Lane, in recognition of this exploit received a special augmentation to his arms of the three lions of England on a canton on his shield and as a crest of a strawberry roan horse (Miss Lane having ridden to Bristol with Charles on a strawberry roan), bearing between his forelegs the royal crown. The Lanes still proudly display this mark of royal favour in their arms and have the motto “Garde le Roy.” To these stories could be added many more showing the romantic history and legends which lie behind many a eoat of arms.