# Ancient and modern arms

Ancient and modern are terms used in heraldry to differentiate two different coats of arms used at different periods by a family or other bearer. Reasons for changing arms have been numerous, the most famous being the 1376 change in the French royal arms by Charles V of France to show three fleurs-de-lis instead of semee de lis, possibly to symbolize the Holy Trinity. The reasons for other changes were more prosaic, for example where a court of chivalry ordered a change or differencing where two families claimed the same arms, as in the famous case of Scrope v Grosvenor. The resulting two versions of arms are referred to as "France ancient" and "France modern", "Grosvenor ancient" and "Grosvenor modern".

## List of examples

| Family | Ancient arms | Modern arms | Date of change | Notes |
| Capet (Royal arms of France) | Arms of France ancient: Azure semée-de-lis or | Arms of France modern: Azure, three fleurs-de-lis or | 1376 | See article Royal Arms of France |
| Portugal (Royal arms of Portugal) | Portugal ancient: Argent, five escutcheons crosswise the dexter and sinister ones pointing to the center azure each semée of argent plates | Portugal modern: Argent, five escutcheons in cross azure each charged with as many argent plates in saltire, all within bordure gules semée of seven castles or | 1245 (first version of Portugal modern)/1485 (current version) | See article Coat of arms of Portugal |
| Denmark (Coat of arms of Denmark) | Denmark ancient: Or semée of waterlily pads gules, three leopards passant azure crowned or langued gules. | Denmark modern: Or, three lions passant in pale azure crowned or langued gules, nine lily pads gules. | 1819 | Originally the lions were heraldic leopards facing the viewer and the number of hearts (officially blazoned as waterlily pads) was not defined and could be much larger than today. The lions were defined as heraldic lions and the number of hearts specified to nine in 1819. |
| Grosvenor | Grosvenor ancient: Azure, a Bend Or | Grosvenor modern: Azure, a Garb Or | 1389 | See article Scrope v Grosvenor |
| Gorges | Gorges ancient: Lozengy or and azure | Gorges modern: Lozengy or and azure, a chevron gules | 1347 | See article Warbelton v Gorges |
| Percy | Percy ancient: Azure, five fusils conjoined in fess or | Percy modern: Or, a lion rampant azure | 1273-1314 | See article Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy |
| Talbot | Talbot ancient: Bendy of ten argent and gules | Talbot modern: Gules, a lion rampant within a bordure engrailed or | | See article Baron Talbot. Modern arms are of Rhys Mechyll (d.1244), Prince of the Welsh House of Dinefwr, grandson of Rhys ap Gruffydd), whose daughter Gwenllian was the wife of Gilbert Talbot (d.1274), grandfather of Gilbert Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot (d.1345/6) |
| Cantilupe | Cantilupe ancient: Gules, three fleurs-de-lis or | Cantilupe modern: Gules, three leopard's faces jessant-de-lys reversed or | 1275-1282 | See article Thomas de Cantilupe |
| Killigrew | Killigrew ancient: Gules, three mascles or | Killigrew modern: Argent, an eagle displayed with two heads sable a bordure of the second bezantée | | See article Arwenack |
| Scudamore | | | | |
| Crewe | Crewe ancient: Gules semée of quatrefoils and fretty or | Crewe modern: Azure, a lion rampant argent | bef. 1303 | Sir Thomas de Crewe, Lord of Crewe used a seal depicting fretwork with quatrefoils filling in the spaces. His son Patrick would begin using a lion rampant, which became the modern arms of Crewe. See the 17th century portrait of Sir Ranulphe Crewe by Peter Lely for a quartered depiction of both arms. |