New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-09-28

wyvern ever figured on the shield Of
Llywelyn or OF Owen Glyndwr.
The dragon is Plantagenet rather than
Welsh. and made its appearance as
heraldic emblem in England when Henry
III adopted IT as one OF his devices. by
virtue OF the fact that IL had been feat
ure OF the arms Of his mother. Isabella
daughter and heiress Of the Count Of
AHEoalsn1e.
There is no absolute evidence 70 show
that wales ever had a coat Of arms OF its
own, and certainly has never legally had
any; whereas England. Scotland and Ire
land, as we'll as the duchies Of Lancaster
and Cornwall. all have legal arms
On the other hand. there is no statute
compelling the sovereign to adopt any par
uc1lar arms They are not forced upon
HIM by heritage. ard their selection is alb
soiGtely and entirely governed by his per-
sonal pleasure, he being perfectly indie
pendent Of Parliament in the matter. AS
soon as possible after his accession he de
cisres" his arms, as he sees 1T. and there
upon the Great Seal Of England is engraved
in exact conformity Herewith. and these
are the arms Of his reign He Is at liberty
to change them during his tenure of the
throne. IL he sees fit. But that of course
would involve a new Great Seal
As they now exist. the royal arms OF Eng
land are Of relatively modern origin: at any
rate. in so far as the supporters are con-
eerned. Thus. although the lion had al
ready figured as a royal heraldic device in
the reign Of Richard Coeur de Lion Henry
VI had as supporters 70 his shield q couple
OF silver antelopes: Edward V. gold lion
and white hart: Henry VII. red dragon
and a silver greyhound. Unicorns were IN
known as a heraldic device of British roy
atty prior TO the advent Of James I to
the English throne The unicorn was es-
sentially Stuart, and its connection with
the latter house is asserted 10 date from
James ". though it was probably Of Cru
sader origin-that is 10 say. in a heraldic
sense The lion seems to have gone cut Of
fashion, as Ear as the English arms we're cen
eened. when the stuarts were on the throne
Of Great Britain, and did not come in again
until william III. the hon constituting the
principal feature Of the armorial bearings
Of the House Of Orange, 70 which he be-
longed. It was this association Of the lion
with the House Of Grange and that Of the
unicorn with the Stuarts which led, at the
time of the revolution which deprived
James II Of his tfrene in favor Of his
Dutch son-in-la7V. William III, 10 the vogue
Of the familiar verse:
The lion and the unicorn we're fighting for the
The lion beat the unicorn gil around the town
Since the reign Of william III, and only
since then, the supporters OF the British
rulers shield have always consisted of
Lon and a unicorn
The use Of supporters in armorial bear
iags-that is 70 say. the figures, human,
animal or bird. on either side OF the shield
is limited in England to peers of the
realm and 10 peeresses not by marriage but
in their own right; 10 Knights Of the Gar
ter TO Knights OF the Grand cross of the
order Of the Bath. and 10 the chiefs Of the
great Scotch clans Added To these. there
are q number OF untitled families who have
obtained them by special grant from the
sovereign. usually SIS a mark Of royal favor
for services rendered Thus, three years
before King Edward died he granted 10 his
principal surgeon and medical attendant,
Sir Frederick TTeVes. the right to use sup
perters 10 his Shield, z right to which his
bsronetcy had not entitled hirn-the sup
porteFs to consist of liens, in token Of the
service which he had rendered to the royal
house as a surgeon in saving the life Of the
monarch, in the year OF the coronation by
means Of skilful and dangerous opera
ton
Supporters to srmerisl bearings were IN
known prior to the reign Of King Edward
III. and are not 70 be found on any ar
HleriaI bearings prior TO that date. Accord
ing TO ancient manuscripts in the British
Museum, their origin is due TO an inVen-
tioa OF the engraVers of seals. In elden
times the seals were mostly round, and the
shields Of arms. when triangular, left va
cant spaces within the circumference.
These the engravers filed up with repre-
sensations Of various animals. by way of
ornamentation. and these in course Of time
established themselves as supporters.
MARQUISE DE FONTENOY.