BADGE FOR THE HOUSE OF WINDSOR

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 17, 21 January 1939, Page 22

BADGE FOR THE HOUSE OF WINDSOR

The House of Windsor has come in-, to line with all its predecessors on the Throne of England since feudal days by having designed for it a special badge, which King George VI has approved.

This badge is- blazoned as follows:—

On a mount vert the Round Towej. of Windsor Castle argent, masoned sable, flying thereon the Royal Stand-

ard, the whole within two brancnes of oak fructed or, and ensigned with the Imperial Crown.

The language of heraldry is understood by comparatively few Englishmen, but the official description of the badge was explained by an authority at the College of Arms to mean that the Round Tower of Windsor Castle, painted silver, with black

stonework, and flying the Royal Standard, is placed upon a green mound. It is surrounded by two branches of oak with golden fruit, and decorated with the Imperial Crown.

I A badge, it was explained further, differs fundamentally from a ' crest. One of the most important distinctions is that a badge .may, and a crest may not, be worn by women. In feudal days the crest was the personal property of the individual noble; he would never have allowed it to be worn, for example, upon the livery buttons of his retainers. The badge, however, was more generally used, and became the mark of a whole household. This new design, made by the College of Arms, is necessary because the name of the House of Windsor is not of old historic origin

During the war, however, King George V did not think it desirable to retain his family name of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha because it was German. Therefore, on July 17, 1917, he changed it to Windsor. It is to supply the House of^ Widsor with a badge that the new design has been made.

The granting of arms in Great Britain is the exclusive privilege of the College of Arms, which is established on the site, of the old Derby House which the college took over during the reign of Queen Mary 1. The present building was set up after the Great Fire in the reign of Charles 11. The college was incorporated by Richard 111 under the title of the Royal "Officers of Arms (Kings, Heralds, and Pursuivants of Arms)." Since the seventeenth ceritury it has had the right to send representatives into any church, castle, or private home to correct or remove all arms displayed without proper justification.