Armorial bindings; Bookplates, English; Heraldry -- Great Britain
Knights and Companions, or Esquires, of Orders of Knighthood show the
badge or badges of the Order or Orders to which they belong suspended
from the proper ribbon from the base of their shields. Medals are
seldom so shown. Knights Commanders of Orders of Knighthood usually,
in addition, surround their coats-of-arms with the ribbon and motto of
their senior Order. From this ribbon may depend the badges of all the
Orders to which the Knight belongs. Knights Grand Cross may further
surround their coats-of-arms with the collars of any or all the Orders
having collars to which they belong, the badge of each depending from
its proper collar. When several collars are shown they are sometimes
halved, each badge always being so arranged as to hang from a link of
its own collar.
Many officials besides those already mentioned are entitled to show
emblems of their office outside their shields, but few of these show
on book-stamps. An instance, however, may be seen on one of the stamps
used by Samuel Pepys, where he shows two anchors behind his shield
as a mark of his position as Secretary to the Admiralty. In the same
way Field-Marshals are entitled to place crossed batons behind their
shields.
Clergymen of high rank sometimes ensign their coats-of-arms with a
Mitre, but as non-combatants they use no crests. Archbishops and
Bishops impale the Arms of their See with their own paternal coats,
the official coat taking the dexter position. Deans also and lesser
ecclesiastical dignitaries in many cases impale their family coats with
an official one, in the same way.
The origin of Supporters to coats-of-arms is a matter upon which there
is much difference of opinion. It is probable that as now used they
are partly of utilitarian and partly of decorative origin. Badges
and charges on coats-of-arms have often developed into Supporters.
Henry VIII., in 1528, borrowed one of the lions of England from his
coat-of-arms and adopted him as a Dexter Supporter, a dignity he has
retained ever since.
At Tournaments, before the combatants entered the Lists their banners
and shields were displayed and held by retainers or pages. These
serving-men were dressed in their Lord's livery or in some fancy dress.
So that a Knight's shield would be recognised not only by the devices
upon it, but also by the colours and appearance of its Supporter.
Many foreign shields, and ancient English ones also, show only one
Supporter, and it is likely enough that when pictorial heraldry began
generally to show Supporters, a second Supporter was often added for
the sake of uniformity alone. In King Arthur's Book at the College of
Arms, illuminated quite early in the sixteenth century, banners are
shown with only one Supporter holding them up.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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