The Flags of the World: Their History, Blazonry, and AssociationsHulme, F. Edward (Frederick Edward)
History
The Flags of the World: Their History, Blazonry, and Associations
Hulme, F. Edward (Frederick Edward)
Flags
Our readers should now have no difficulty in sketching out for themselves
as an exercise the following: The standard of Henry V., white and blue, a
white antelope standing between four red roses; the motto "Dieu et mon
droit," and in the interspaces more red {17} roses. The standard of Richard
II., white and green, a white hart couchant between four golden suns, the
motto "Dieu et mon droit," in the next space two golden suns, and in the
next, four. As further exercises, we may give the standard of Sir John
Awdeley, of gold and scarlet, having a Moor's head and three white
butterflies, the motto "Je le tiens," then two butterflies, then four; and
the standard of Frogmorton, of four stripes of red and white, having an
elephant's head in black, surrounded by golden crescents. While no one,
either monarch or noble, could have more than one banner, since this was
composed of his heraldic arms, a thing fixed and unchangeable, the same
individual might have two or three standards, since these were mainly made
up of badges that he could multiply at discretion, and a motto or poesy
that he might change every day if he chose. Hence, for instance, the
standards of Henry VII. were mostly green and white, since these were the
Tudor livery colours; but in one was "a red firye dragon," and in another
"was peinted a donne kowe," while yet another had a silver greyhound
between red roses. Stowe and other authorities tell us that the two first
of these were borne at Bosworth Field, and that after his victory there
over Richard III. these were borne by him in solemn state to St. Paul's
Cathedral, and there deposited on his triumphal entry into the metropolis.
The difference between the standard and the banner is very clearly seen in
the description of the flags borne at the funeral obsequies of Queen
Elizabeth--"the great embroidered banner of England" (Fig. 22), the banners
of Wales, Ireland, Chester, and Cornwall, and the standards of the dragon,
greyhound, and falcon. In like manner Stowe tells us that when King Henry
VII. took the field in 1513, he had with him the standard with the red
dragon and the banner of the arms of England, and Machyn tells that at the
funeral of Edward VI., "furst of all whent a grett company of chylderyn in
ther surples and clarkes syngyng and then ij harolds, and then a standard
with a dragon, and then a grett nombur of ye servants in blake, and then
anoder standard with a whyt greyhound." Later on in the procession came "ye
grett baner of armes in brodery and with dyvers odere baners."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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