Kingdom of England

Adrian Ailes, «The Origins of the Royal Arms of England: Their Development to 1199», foreword by Rodney Dennys, includes 27 black and white illustrations, Graduate Centre for Medieval Studies, Reading University, 126 pages, ISBN 07-049077-6-3, Reading, Berkshire, 1982.

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An article reviewing this book is: Brigitte Bedos Rezak, Archives nationales de Paris and Metropolitan Museum of Art, «The Origins of the Royal Arms of England, their Development to 1199 by Adrian Ailes», Speculum, volume 60, number 2, pages 373-376, Medieval Academy of America, Cambridge, Massachusetts, April of 1985.

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Bibliographical reference of century XX.

Author: Ailes, Adrian.

External resource:

• Google Books.

Blazon of the Aldam lineage of England.

Azure, a ray of the sun bendwise, issuant from the dexter chief Or.

Escudo de azur, un rayo de sol puesto en banda, naciente de la diestra del jefe de oro.

Illuminated with lights and shadows and with a freehand finish.

Described in [Burke, B.; 1989; page 9, column 1, entry 11].

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Azure, One, Ray of the sun, Bendwise, Nascent, Dexter, Chief and Or.

Style keywords: Freehand, Outlined in sable, Illuminated and Semi-circular.

Classification: Interpreted, Lineage and Kingdom of England.

Azure, a bend between six covered cups Or.

Escudo de azur, una banda acompañada de seis copas todo de oro.

Illuminated with lights and shadows and with a freehand finish.

Around 1155, Beatrix de Villers married Richard le Boteler Pincerna, who became the 4^th Baron of Warrington. The heir of Beatrix and Richard took the surname «le Boteler» and ruled the Warrington region, bearing arms Azure, a bend between six covered cups Or.

In Castilian, a «copa» has a lid and is referred to as a «covered cup» in English. When it doesn't have a lid, it's called a «cup» in English and a «cáliz» or «copón» in Castilian, the latter being a less preferred term for me. In English, the term «chalice» is also used, especially if it's adorned with gemstones, although that's more of an artistic license.

Naipes Heraclio Fournier is a renowned Spanish playing card manufacturer based in Villareal de Álava. The countless hours I have spent holding its cards in my hands are incalculable, whether playing with friends, opponents, or performing magic tricks. Its influence on my heraldic artwork is significant. For instance, in this covered cup.

The following image shows my covered cup and my two interpretations of his arms: 1) the most commonly viewed, and 2) my alternative layout.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Azure, One, Bend, Between, Six, Covered cup and Or.

Style keywords: Freehand, Outlined in sable, Illuminated and Semi-circular.

Classification: Interpreted and Kingdom of England.

Bearer: Boteler of Warrington.

«Charles's Roll», containing 486 painted coats of arms, it is an English roll of arms dating from c. 1285.

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Charles' Roll, housed in the Society of Antiquaries, London, and cataloged as MS517, is a 15^th-century English roll of arms, originally created around 1285, containing 486 painted coats of arms. The antiquary James Robinson Planché identified «Charles's Roll» as a copy of a mid-13th-century roll, British Library, Harley MS 6589, featuring nearly 700 coats of arms, drawn by Nicholas Charles, Lancaster Herald, in 1607. Charles mentioned that the original roll had been lent to him by the Norroy King of Arms.

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Bibliographical reference of century XIII.

Classification: Armorial roll, Manuscript and In color.

Author: anonymous.

Edward IV King of England and Lord of Ireland, «The Armorial of Edward IV», «The Edward IV Roll», armorial in the form of a roll about 6 meters long, created to celebrate the coronation of Edward IV as the first King of England from the House of York and illustrated, probably, by different artists, 1461.

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The image illustrating this reference corresponds to the banner, which is number 27 in the 2^nd column, the final one of this armorial. This banner is held by a white deer, which was a personal badge of King Richard II of England, and also, two white deer were the supporters of his shield. The reason for the inclusion of this white deer might be to contribute to the legitimization of Edward IV as king.

It is notable that in row 25 of the 2^nd column of this armorial there is a banner with the arms of the shield of Castilla y León, probably because Edward IV, like his predecessors, claimed their throne. In this version of the shield of Castilla y León:

• The two gold castles, in the 1^st and 4^th quarters of gules, have three towers with the central one taller like the Castilian, but the twin side towers seem to be connected by the wall as in the English castle, [Valero de Bernabé, L.; 2009a; page 2] and [Valero de Bernabé, L.; 2009b; page 33], the wall has a door that is enameled in azure as in the Castilian.
• The two lions, in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters of silver, seem to be gold, therefore, of «metal on metal» and, furthermore, very different from the purple lion of Castilla y León, it could well be an error by the artist or a degradation of an original purple enamel to ochre, as explained in the pendón de Castilla y León.

This shield of Castilla y León also appears:

• On the banner in row 27 of the 1^st column of this armorial. In this banner, they are combined with the arms of England represented in this article, in a new quartered, under an escutcheon with the imaginary arms of «Brutus of Troy», the also imaginary founder and king of Britain.
• On the caparison of the horse that Edward IV rides in the portrait at the beginning of his armorial. This caparison is a reproduction of the previous banner in row 27 of the 1^st column that combined the arms of England with those of Castilla y León. The presence of these arms in this initial portrait of the armorial of Edward IV denotes the importance he gave to his aspirations to the crown of Castilla y León.

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Bibliographical reference of century XV.

The author is Edward IV of England.

External resources:

• Free Library: Edward.
• Free Library: Banners.
• The Edward IV Roll.
• Brutus of Troy.

«The Heralds' Roll», containing 697 painted coats of arms, it is an English roll of arms dating from c. 1280.

In The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, with code MS297, there is a copy of the 15^th century.

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Bibliographical reference of century XIII.

Classification: Armorial roll, Manuscript and In color.

The author is anonymous.

External links:

• The Heraldry Society Heralds' Roll, sample page 1.
• sample page 2.
• sample page 3.

Cecil Humphery-Smith, FHS - Fellow of The Heraldry Society, «Why three Leopards?», Coat of Arms, COA, An Heraldic Quarterly Magazine, issue 126, The Heraldry Society, Baldock, Hertfordshire, summer of 1983.

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The coat of arms illustrating this bibliographic reference is that of the Kingdom of England, which was also that of the queen of Castile Leonor Plantagenet.

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Bibliographical reference of century XX.

The author is Humphery-Smith, Cecil.

External link:

• The Heraldry Society.

Internal resources: HumpherySmithC1983.3Leopards.docx.

Robert John Parsons, heraldic painter at the College of Arms, «The Herald Painter», is an article derived from the lecture given by R. J. Parsons at The Heraldry Society on January 18, 1989, at the premises of «The Society of Antiquaries» at Burlington House, London, and later published in Coat of Arms, COA, An Heraldic Quarterly Magazine, issue 146, The Heraldry Society, Baldock, Hertfordshire, summer of 1989.

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This article presents a historical review of the heraldic painters at the «College of Arms» and analyzes the creation of coats of arms and other objects like badges, flags, stained glass, seals, etc. It is especially interesting for its view of the current stage of heraldic art and, even more, the description of the author's own working method.

I highly recommend reading this article and, here, I present some of the ideas that I highlighted while studying this text by R. J. Parsons, who is «herald painter to Her Majesty's College of Arms».

Tradition and innovation in heraldic art

Creativity, innovation, and achieving a unique style are fundamental characteristics of any self-respecting artist, but when artists enter the realm of heraldry and, especially when working for institutions like the College of Arms, the weight of the norms and rules of heraldry, its long historical tradition, the reverential respect towards it, the language of blazon, the need for a long initiation process, etc. can cause artists to curb their natural impulses, become intimidated, and adhere strictly to rules to avoid criticism, which hinders the introduction of new proposals, ideas, and styles, risking making heraldry a static and time-bound field.

R. J. Parsons' working method

Robert Parsons explains that the first phase of his method is to create the complete drawing of the coat of arms and its ornamentation on tracing paper, starting with the coat of arms and then outlining all the external ornamentation.

He does this considering that the main problem he must solve is reconciling the two-dimensionality of the coat of arms with the three-dimensionality of the external ornamental elements, such as the supporters, mantling, crest, etc. which must be designed as if enveloping the coat of arms. The extent to which this is achieved provides an idea of each artist's skill.

Silhouettes, expressiveness, and balance

R. J. Parsons believes that the silhouettes of the figures probably characterize each artist and their designs the most. For him, each silhouette must be bold and express emotions, and the silhouettes must maintain proportions that give balance to the whole, as there are no rules that guarantee a good aesthetic result.

To achieve boldness and expressiveness in the figures, especially in natural ones, the artist must emphasize certain features and stylize others, resulting in, for example, in beasts and birds, representations that diverge from natural reality.

Shape of the coat of arms and space

All delineation must be done within the chosen mouth shape for the coat of arms. These shapes have evolved over time, and the artist must consider that some shapes facilitate the internal composition of the coat of arms more than others. For example, he highlights the difficulty of fitting the pieces and figures within lozenge-shaped shields, traditionally carried by unmarried women.

Regardless of the chosen shape, pieces and figures must be arranged to use the entire internal space correctly, neither too small to leave space nor too large to make the whole crowded.

External ornamentation

Robert J. Parsons observes that nowadays the protocol rules that used to govern external ornamentation have been greatly relaxed, for example, regarding the shapes, positions, and orientations of the helmets depending on who would be the holder of the coat of arms, and this relaxation has favored art, aesthetics, and the balance of the whole coat of arms.

He states that of all the external ornamentation, and many heraldic artists will agree with him, the most complex to create are the supporters and tenants, and of the three, the tenants, i.e., human figures, are the most difficult.

Human figures do not have a proper heraldic characterization as lions, unicorns, boars, etc., do. The characterization of women and men in heraldry is done through their attire and the objects they carry or accompany them, with ancient attire and objects being the easiest to characterize, while the more modern and, even more so, the more naked they are, the more difficult and challenging it becomes to create heraldically attractive tenants.

As a general rule, Parsons advises that the visual weight of supporters, tenants, and tenants be similar to that of the coat of arms, so that they neither draw all the observer's attention due to their excessive size nor look ridiculous and incapable of performing their function, which is to support the visual weight of the coat of arms.

Tinctures, shadows, edges, and highlights

When he finishes the drawing phase, R. J. Parsons explains how he transfers it to a new paper support and, then:

• he starts by applying the tinctures for the metals,
• the first he applies is gold using gold powder, although it is known that other artists use gold leaf,
• then the metal silver is left as the white of the paper,
• then he proceeds with the colors, using gouache, an opaque watercolor, following the order from light to dark,
• so the first color he applies is gules, which he tends to make somewhat translucent,
• then the mid-tones, azure and vert.
• ending with sable, which he makes warmer with a touch of burnt sienna,
• after applying the tinctures, he adds shadows to suggest forms, noting that some schools say everything should be in flat inks, without shadows or highlights, and even without delineated edges as can be seen, for example, in Norsk Heraldisk Forening,
• then he delineates the silhouettes and
• finishes by adding highlights to bring the composition to life.

The motto or slogan is the last element with which Robert John Parsons completes the creation of a coat of arms.

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Bibliographical reference of century XX.

Author: Parsons, Robert John.

External resource:

• The Heraldry Society.

Internal resources: ParsonsRJ1989.TheHeraldPainter.docx.

Charles Wilfred Scott-Giles, OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), Fitzalan Pursuivant Extraordinary, «Some Arthurian Coats of Arms», Coat of Arms, COA, An Heraldic Quarterly Magazine, issue 64 of October 1965 (which is the date I use as reference) and issue 65 of January 1966, The Heraldry Society, Baldock, Hertfordshire, October 1965.

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The coat of arms illustrating this bibliographic reference is one of the variants described in this article attributed to King Arthur, which in Blason.es is cataloged as Arthur of Britain.

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Bibliographical reference of century XX.

Author: Scott-Giles, C. W..

External link:

• The Heraldry Society.

Internal resources: ScottGilesCW1965.SomeArthurianCoA.docx.

St. George's Roll, in English usually written as «MS Vincent, 164 ff.1-21b», also called [Vincent, MS; 1285], it is in the College of Arms, London, containing 677 painted coats of arms, it is an English roll or arms dating from c. 1285.

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The bibliographical reference that I mainly use for this armorial is [Vincent, MS; 1285].

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Bibliographical reference of century XIII.

Classification: Armorial roll and Manuscript.

Author: unknown.

Here are the articles quoting this reference:

• Adam de Cretingges
• Bartholomew de Yattendon
• Edmund de Bassingburnn
• Howel ap Res
• James de Sottone, le Fitz
• Joan de Okinton
• John de Beauchamp
• John de Ladbrooke
• John le Sturmy
• Nicholas Malmains
• Norman Darcy
• Ricardo de Mandeville
• Robert de Malet
• Simon de Crombe
• Simon de Ver
• Simon le FizSimon
• Thomas Roscelyn
• Thomas de Werblintone
• Thomas le FizThomas
• Vincent, MS; 1285
• William Bardolf
• William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby
• William de Hondeshacre

Blazon of the Talbot lineage of England.

Escudo de gules, un león rampante dentro de una bordura angrelada todo oro.

Gules, a lion rampant within a bordure engrailed Or.

Illuminated with lights and shadows and with a freehand finish.

[Rietstap, J. B.; 1861] writes it in French as «de gueules, au lion d'or, à la bordure engrelée du même». y [Burke, J.; 1836; volume 3, pages 359-360] writes it in English as «Gu. a lion rampant, within a bordure engr. or».

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, One, Lion, Rampant, Within, Bordure, Engrailed and Or.

Style keywords: Freehand, Outlined in sable, Illuminated and Semi-circular.

Classification: Interpreted, Lineage and Kingdom of England.

Anonymous, «Founder's and benefactors' book of Tewkesbury abbey», Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, call number MS. Top. Glouc. d. 2, recorded in the Catalogue of Western Medieval Manuscripts in Oxford Libraries, manuscript, illustrated, 46 leaves, 245 x 175 millimeters, except fols. 12, 16, and 38, which are smaller, Tewkesbury, beginning of the 16^th century.

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Origin, historical context, and contents

It is is a medieval manuscript originating from Tewkesbury Abbey at the beginning of the 16^th century. This Latin manuscript provides records and depictions of the abbey's founders and benefactors, such as: William Fitzcount, 2^nd Earl of Gloucester, died 1183; Oddo and Doddo, Dukes of Mercia; Hugh, great Duke of Mercia, lord of the manor of Tewkesbury, buried at Tewkesbury in 812; Robert Fitzhamon, lord of Creully, Calvados in Normandy, died 1107, and his wife, Sybil, patrons of Tewkesbury Abbey’s reconstruction; Edward Despenser, died 1375; Thomas Despenser, Earl of Gloucester, died 1400; and Isabel Despenser, 1400-1439.

Illustrations and manuscript details

The manuscript is noted for its illustrations, which are believed to have been created by John of Evesham, a monk at Tewkesbury. The illustrations are thought to be copied from painted statues, approximately 70 cm high, which once decorated the abbey church. The manuscript comprises 46 leaves, with most pages measuring 245 x 175 millimeters, though folios 12, 16, and 38 are smaller in size.

In the image, folio 25v depicts Thomas Despenser, Earl of Gloucester, in armor, wearing a red bonnet with a badge, and a mantle with epaulettes over a heraldic surcoat. He holds a sheathed sword and is surrounded by six coats of arms and the badge of the Garter with the flag of Saint George; and folio 26r features a text page with ten coat of arms.

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Bibliographical reference of century XVII.

Classification: Manuscript, Armorial roll, Latin language and In color.

The author is anonymous.

The following articles cite this bibliographic reference:

• Castile and Leon
• Thomas Grenville, stone coat of arms

External resource:

• Digital Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.

Internal resources: 25 images in JPEG format.

The painting of the coat of arms of Thomas Grenville in 3 steps tracing, tincture and illumination.

Gules, three Clarions Or.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Three, Clarion and Or.

Style keywords: Freehand, Plain tincture and Illuminated.

Classification: Interpreted, Kingdom of England and Schema.

Bearer: Grenville, Thomas.

Vincent Manuscript, in English, usually written as «MS Vincent, 164 ff.1-21b», also called [St. George's Roll; 1285], it is in the College of Arms, London, containing 677 painted coats of arms, it is an English roll of arms dating from c. 1285.

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Bibliographical reference of century XIII.

Classification: Armorial roll, Manuscript and In color.

Author: unknown.

Here are the articles quoting this reference:

• Adam de Cretingges
• Bartholomew de Yattendon
• Edmund de Bassingburnn
• Howel ap Res
• James de Sottone, le Fitz
• Joan de Okinton
• John de Beauchamp
• John de Ladbrooke
• John le Sturmy
• Nicholas Malmains
• Norman Darcy
• Ricardo de Mandeville
• Robert de Malet
• Simon de Crombe
• Simon de Ver
• Simon le FizSimon
• St. George's Roll; 1285
• Thomas Roscelyn
• Thomas de Werblintone
• Thomas le FizThomas
• William Bardolf
• William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby
• William de Hondeshacre