SUPPORTERS
The probable Origin of Supporters; Quasi-Supporters; True
Supporters: their Introduction; Supporters of Crested
Helms; Pairs of Supporters; Dissimilar Supporters; The use
of Supporters by Ladies; Other ways of supporting Shields.
The misuse of crests to which reference has been made unfortunately does
not stand alone, for modern artists are quite as much at fault with
regard to the proper treatment of supporters.
There can be little doubt that these charming adjuncts to heraldic
compositions originated with the seal engravers, in their desire to fill
up the vacant space in a round seal between the shield and its
surrounding margin. In the oldest examples this was done by adding
scrollwork or leafage, but in the seal of Humphrey Bohun earl of
Hereford, 1220, the large shield of his arms is flanked by two smaller
shields of his other earldom of Essex. The same treatment occurs in the
seal of his grandson, another Humphrey Bohun earl of Hereford and Essex,
1298-1322 (pl. XIX B). Henry de Laci (1257) has the side spaces filled
by two small wivers, and in the seal of Stephen Longespee (_ob._ 1260)
the shield is flanked by two _long swords_ (pl. XIX A). Gilbert of Clare
earl of Gloucester (1262) has his shield hung on a peg and accompanied
by two lions back to back, while in the seal of Edmund earl of Cornwall
(1272) and son of Richard king of the Romans the shield is held up in
the beak of an imperial eagle splayed or spread out behind it. Thomas
earl of Lancaster (1296) on both his larger and his lesser seals has the
shield flanked by two wivers, as has also his brother Henry of Lancaster
(1298) (fig. 60).
Sometimes the shield is hung about the neck of a bird (fig. 113), or
about a beast, as in the seal of Alan la Souche, which likewise has the
shield surrounded by a number of lions (fig. 114).
[Illustration: FIG. 113. Seal of John de Moun with the shield slung from
an eagle and flanked by two leopards. From the Barons' Letter.]
[Illustration: FIG. 114. Seal of Alan la Souche in 1301.]
During the first half of the fourteenth century little definite progress
was made towards true supporters. Shields, whether hung from pegs or
upon trees, or surmounted by crested helms, still continued to be
flanked by quasi-supporters, which of course varied much in character.
Pairs of wivers, dragons, and lions, usually back to back, the better to
fit the space, and sometimes with entwined tails, were common early in
the century, and shields with splayed eagles behind may not infrequently
be found (figs. 115, 116). What may be regarded as true supporters
appear on the lesser seal (pl. XII A) of William Montagu earl of
Salisbury (_circa_ 1337), wherein two griffins seem to be holding up the
shield, but it is not until well on in the second half of the fourteenth
century that further definite instances become fairly common.
[Illustration: FIG. 115. Seal of John Beauchamp of Hacche with shield on
breast of an eagle.]
[Illustration: FIG. 116. Seal of William de Ferrers with shield upon an
eagle with two heads.]
Interesting transitional usages may also be found. Thus on a seal (_c._
1350) of Margaret Graunson two wivers uphold by their beaks the upper
corners of a shield of her husband's arms, while a third wiver similarly
grips the point. Guy de Bryen (_c._ 1350) has his shield hung upon a
tree and supported at the corners by two wivers holding it by their
beaks. Another lady, Joan FitzAlan, who married in 1362 Humphrey Bohun
earl of Hereford, has an impaled shield of their arms held up in their
beaks by two Bohun swans; and another pair of swans perform the same
office in a FitzWarin seal used in 1398-9 (pl. XX A).
[Illustration:
A Ivo FitzWarin, in 1398-9.
B Peter de Mauley, in 1379-80.
C Sir Bartholomew Burghersh, 1397-8.
D John la Warre, in 1390.
PLATE XX.--Shields with supporters.]
A curious variant from the ordinary flanking pair of beasts occurs on
the seal of Edmund Mortimer earl of March (1360-81), where the arms are
accompanied by a pair of lions with their heads covered by large helms
with the earl's crest, a bush of feathers rising from a crown. A similar
treatment is to be seen on a seal of John la Warre, as used in 1390 (pl.
XX D).
Analogous cases will be noted on the seal of Sir Robert de Marni (1366)
(fig. 64), whose shield hangs from a tree and is flanked by two fronting
helms with tall pairs of wings rising from caps of estate as crests;
also in a seal of Sir Bartholomew Burghersh (1397-8), which has the
shield flanked by two helms crested with tall soldans' heads, and
surmounted by what is probably his badge, a swan with a lady's head (pl.
XX C). A seal of Sir Roger Scales (1369-86) has his seal flanked by two
long-necked wivers, and hung by a strap from another wiver which has
twisted itself into the shape of the letter S, and perched itself on the
upper edge of the shield.
Another case of true supporters is afforded by a seal of Peter de Mauley
in 1379-80, where a shield surmounted by a fierce dragon (perhaps a
badge) is upheld by small lions (pl. XX B). Other supporters of shields
only may be seen on seals of Thomas Beauchamp earl of Warwick
(1369), where they are bears; and of Roger Mortimer earl of March
and Ulster (1381), where they are lions, as is also the case in a seal
of John Batour used in 1418-9. In each of these cases the shield is hung
upon a tree.
In heraldic representations where the shield of arms is surmounted by a
helm and crest, there is the same hesitation in arriving at true
supporters; the space at the sides being filled at first by a badge or
such device. Thus John of Gaunt duke of Lancaster (in 1362) introduced a
pair of eagles with hanging locks in their beaks, and his brother Edmund
of Langley duke of York (in 1385) followed suit with a couple of falcons
having in their beaks scrolls with scriptures (pl. XXI). John Nevill
lord of Raby and seneschal of Bordeaux (1378) flanked his arms, etc.
with two letters ~b~, while his kinsman, Sir William Nevill, used in
1390 a seal with his arms and crested helm accompanied by two large
stars.
[Illustration:
A John of Gaunt duke of Lancaster, 1362.
B Edmund of Langley duke of York, 1385.
PLATE XXI.--Shields accompanied by Badges.]
The fine seal of Thomas lord Despenser (before 1397) has on either side
of his shield and crested helm a tree from which hangs a lozenge of
arms: the one bearing the three cheverons of Clare, for his lordship of
Glamorgan; the other the forked-tailed lion of the barony of Burghersh,
which came to him through his mother (pl. XXII A). Richard Nevill earl
of Salisbury in 1429 similarly places two angels bearing shields: one
with the arms of Nevill, the other with the lions of Longespee in virtue
of his earldom of Salisbury (pl. XXII B). Henry of Lancaster (afterwards
King Henry IV) as earl of Derby, etc. (_c._ 1385) flanks his arms and
crested helm with two ostrich feathers entwined with a scroll with the
scripture ~souvereyne~ (pl. XXIV C), and others of the royal house
similarly used ostrich feathers of other forms. Edward V as prince of
Wales in 1471 flanked his arms with two scrolled ostrich feathers
standing on large York roses. Thomas duke of Exeter (1416) placed a swan
on either side of his armorial achievement, and William lord Lovel and
Holand (1423) a hanging lock (pl. XXIII A); while Sir John Pelham (_c._
1430) flanked his crest with his buckle badge (pl. XXIII B). On the fine
seal of Thomas lord Roos of Hamlake or Helmsley (1431-64) his peacock
crest is flanked by two large flowering plants, perhaps _hemlocks_ (pl.
XXIII E).
[Illustration:
A Thomas lord Despenser, before 1397.
B Richard Nevill earl of Salisbury, 1429.
PLATE XXII.--Quasi-supporters.]
[Illustration:
A William lord Lovel and Holand, 1423.
B Sir John Pelham, _c._ 1430.
C Hugh de Veer, 1301.
D Aver de Rocheford, _c._ 1330.
E Thomas lord Roos of Hamlake, 1431.
PLATE XXIII.--Shields accompanied by badges.]
By the third quarter of the fourteenth century the combination of
supporters with shields of arms surmounted by crested helms had become
fully established, and henceforth the number of beautiful and
instructive examples is so great that it is unnecessary to do more than
illustrate a typical series (figs. 117-121). It will be seen from these
that in seals the majority of the supporters are upholding the heavy
helm and its crest, and not the shield that hangs below it; probably on
account of the nature of the design. The supporters, too, usually form
pairs, and it goes without saying that every variety of creature is made
to serve. Sometimes they are composed of badges, like the falcons on
crooked billets used by William lord Zouch (pl. XXIV A), or the
similar birds with 'words' coupled with oak leaves and the letter ~t~
that appear on a seal of Sir John Falstaff used in 1456 (pl. XXIV B).
William lord Botraux, in a seal used in 1426, has his armorial ensigns
flanked by two buttresses (Fr. _botreaux_); while John lord Talbot and
Furnival (1406) has two _talbots_ (fig. 122), and George duke of
Clarence (1463) the black bulls of Clare (fig. 123).
[Illustration: FIG. 117. Seal of Edmund Mortimer earl of March and
Ulster, 1400, with rampant leopard supporters.]
[Illustration: FIG. 118. Seal of Sir William Windsor, 1381, with eagle
supporters.]
[Illustration: FIG. 119. Seal of William de la Pole duke of Suffolk,
1448.]
[Illustration: FIG. 120. Seal of John Nevill lord Montagu, 1461.]
[Illustration: FIG. 121. Seal of William lord Hastings, _c._ 1461.]
[Illustration: FIG. 122. Seal of John lord Talbot and Furnival, 1406.]
[Illustration: FIG. 123. Seal of George duke of Clarence and lord of
Richmond, 1462, with black bulls of Clare supporting his crested helm.]
[Illustration:
A William lord Zouch, 1430.
B Sir John Falstaff, in 1456.
C Henry of Lancaster earl of Derby, 1385.
PLATE XXIV.--Shields accompanied by badges.]
Where the supporters differ it is usually the case that they represent
more than one dignity. Thus on one of his seals (fig. 124) Richard
Beauchamp earl of Warwick (1401) used as such for supporters two muzzled
bears hugging ragged staves, but on a later seal (1421) as earl of
Warwick and of Albemarle the supporters are a bear and a griffin (fig.
125). So, too, his successor in the title of earl of Warwick, Richard
Nevill, on a fine seal (_c._ 1451-2) has two muzzled bears for
supporters, but on a later seal (_c._ 1460) as earl of Warwick and
Salisbury his supporters are a Warwick bear and a Montagu griffin (fig.
69). Edmund Beaufort duke of Somerset on his seal for the town of Bayeux
(_c._ 1445) (fig. 126) has on one side his own eagle supporter, and on
the other a spotted dog-like beast with a crown about his neck; and
Richard duke of York and earl of March on his seal as governor of France
and Normandy in 1436 has for supporters the York falcon and the white
lion of March. On the stall-plate of John Beaufort duke of Somerset and
earl of Kendal his arms are supported by a Somerset crowned eagle and a
mysterious beast called a yale,[8] behind each of which stands an
ostrich feather with the quill gobony of blue and silver.
[8] For a full account of the yale or eale see papers in the
_Archæological Journal_, lxviii, 173-199. The adoption of the beast by
the duke of Somerset has not yet been explained, but it may be for his
earldom of Kendal and partly be a rebus (Kend-eale).
[Illustration: FIG. 124. Seal of Richard Beauchamp earl of Warwick,
1401.]
[Illustration: FIG. 125. Seal of Richard Beauchamp earl of Warwick and
of Albemarle and lord Despenser, 1421.]
[Illustration: FIG. 126. Seal of Edmund duke of Somerset for the town of
Bayeux, _c._ 1445.]
It is not necessary here to cite the various supporters borne by the
Kings of England, but it may suffice to point out that since the union
of the crowns of England and Scotland one of the royal supporters has
always been a lion for England and the other a unicorn for Scotland.
In seals of married ladies in which their arms are accompanied by
supporters, one often represents the husband and the other the lady's
family.
Thus Joan Holand, daughter of Thomas earl of Kent, and wife of Edmund of
Langley duke of York, has (after 1393) her husband's half of her
impaled shield supported by the falcon of York, and her own half by her
father's hind with its crown collar. Cecily Nevill, the wife of Richard
duke of York and earl of March, and mother of King Edward IV, has the
shield on her fine seal ensigned by a falcon of York and supported by a
stag with crown-collar and chain and by a lion of March (fig. 127). The
even more splendid seal of Elizabeth Wydville, queen-consort of King
Edward IV, shows as her supporters the lion of March and a lean
spotted beast not unlike an otter, collared and chained (pl. XXV). The
lady Margaret Beaufort, on the other hand, ensigns on both her seals her
paternal arms of Beaufort with the Somerset eagle and uses for her
supporters a pair of yales (pls. XXVI, XXX).
[Illustration: PLATE XXV.--Arms with crown and supporters of Elizabeth
Wydville, queen of Edward IV.]
[Illustration: PLATE XXVI.--Arms, supporters, and badges of the Lady
Margaret Beaufort, 1455.]
[Illustration: FIG. 127. Seal of Cecily Nevill, wife of Richard duke of
York and mother of King Edward IV, 1461.]
It is of course all-important that supporters should be shown standing
upon something solid, and not on so precarious a footing as the edge of
a motto or forked scroll. One of the beautiful armorial groups with the
supporters of King Henry VII in King's college chapel at Cambridge (fig.
128) shows how effectively and yet unobtrusively this may be done. In
the splendid panel at New Hall in Essex with the crowned arms, etc. of
King Henry VIII his dragon and greyhound supporters stand in a bush of
roses and pomegranates (fig. 189); and in the well-known glass at
Ockwells the supporters have fields full of flowers to stand on.
[Illustration: FIG. 128. Arms and supporters, a dragon and a greyhound,
of King Henry VII in King's college chapel at Cambridge.]
Besides the more or less regular use of supporters just described, there
are a number of curious and irregular ways of supporting shields. These
deserve special attention, not only from their value in showing how
delightfully heraldry used to be played with, but as precedents for
similar variety of treatment at the present day, when supporters
so-called often do not support anything. Over the doorway, for example,
of the National Portrait Gallery in London the 'supporters' of the royal
arms are merely a pair of cowering beasts at the base of the shield.
Quite an early instance of playful treatment is furnished by the seal of
Roger Leybourne (_ob._ 1284). This has a small banner standing behind
the shield, which is hung on a tree with side branches; one of these
supports the crested helm, and the other ends in a bunch of leaves (pl.
XI A).
Thomas lord Holand and Wake (_c._ 1353) has within a traceried panel a
tree standing in a rabbit warren and supporting his crowned helm with
its huge bush of feathers. Hanging on either side are two shields, one
with beautiful diapering of his lordship of Wake, the other (originally)
of his lordship of Holand (pl. XXVII A).
[Illustration:
A Thomas lord Holand and Wake, _c._ 1350.
B Margaret Beauchamp, wife of John Talbot earl of Shrewsbury, after 1433.
PLATE XXVII.--Methods of arranging shields.]
Thomas of Woodstock duke of Gloucester, son of Edward III, used from
about 1385 a lovely seal with the stock of a tree standing within a
paling and surrounded by water on which float two chained Bohun swans,
for his wife Eleanor Bohun; from the tree hangs a large shield of the
duke's arms, with his crested helm above, and from two side branches are
suspended diapered shields of the earldom of Hereford (_azure two bends,
one gold, the other silver_), also in reference to his Bohun marriage.
Margaret daughter of Richard Beauchamp earl of Warwick, and wife of John
Talbot earl of Shrewsbury and Waterford, in her fine shield (after 1433)
suspends by their straps her father's shield and the impaled shield of
her husband and herself from the ragged staff of her father's house (pl.
XXVII B).
Thomas Holand earl of Kent used in 1398 a seal bearing his badge of a
white hind with a crown for a collar, reclining under a tree, and with
the shield of his arms hanging round its neck (pl. XVIII B).
In the fourteenth century seal of the mayoralty of Calais a boar has a
cloak tied about his neck and flying upwards banner-wise to display the
arms of the town, which were _barry wavy with a crowned (?) leopard
rampant_ (fig. 129). A similar treatment occurs on the half-florin of
King Edward III, which has for device a crowned sitting leopard with a
cloak about his neck with the royal arms.
[Illustration: FIG. 129. Seal of the mayoralty of Calais.]
On one of his seals as regent of France (1422-35) John duke of Bedford
has an eagle standing with one leg upon his badge, the root of a tree,
and holding in its other claw a shield of his arms.
William lord Fitz Hugh (1429) and of Marmion shows on his seal his
quartered shield ensigned by his helm and crest, which was apparently a
lion's head. The rest of the beast is somewhat incongruously squatting
behind the shield and has the paws thrust out on each side to grasp two
banners of arms that complete the composition (pl. XXVIII A).
A similar pair of banners appears on the seal of Walter lord Hungerford,
which has the shield 'supported' by two Hungerford sickles, and
surmounted by the crested helm, with flanking banners of the arms of the
lordships of Heytesbury and Hussey (fig. 130).
[Illustration: FIG. 130. Seal of Walter lord Hungerford with banners of
Heytesbury and Hussey or Homet, _c._ 1420.]
[Illustration:
A William lord FitzHugh (1429) and of Marmion.
B Margaret lady Hungerford and Botreaux, 1462.
PLATE XXVIII.--Examples of banners of arms.]
Banners also figure prominently on the charming seal of Margaret lady of
Hungerford and Botreaux (1462) (pl. XXVIII B). She was the daughter of
William lord Botreaux and Margaret Beaumont, and wife of Sir Robert
Hungerford, who died in 1459. The seal shows the lady in her widow's
dress 'sitting upon her knees' in a garden, and reading from a book some
words which are inscribed on a scroll about her head. Overshadowing her
are two large banners of impaled arms: one of Hungerford and Botreaux,
upheld by a lion; the other of Botreaux and Beaumont, upheld by a
griffin.
On many late thirteenth and early fourteenth century seals it was not
uncommon to represent ladies holding up shields of arms. A delightful
example that may be cited is that of Emmeline FitzGerald, and wife of
Stephen Longespee, who is upholding her father's shield in her right and
her husband's in her left hand. Below each shield is a leopard of
England to show her husband's close relationship to the royal house, and
on each side of her is a _long sword_. She died in 1331 (pl. XXIX B).
A few cases occur where a man himself acts as the supporter of his arms.
One of the shields of Henry Percy earl of Northumberland (1377) shows
him in armour, standing behind a large shield of Percy which he supports
with his left hand. His right is upon the hilt of a sword with the belt
wrapped about it, and against his left shoulder rests a banner with the
Percy lion. The earl appears in similar fashion in another of his seals
as lord of Cockermouth (1393). In this the shield is quarterly of Percy
and Lucy, and is grasped as before by his left hand, while the right
holds up a pennon charged with his badge of a crescent (pl. XXIX A).
It must suffice to quote one last piece of playfulness, a seal of
Richard duke of York and earl of March and Ulster (_ob._ 1460) as
justice-in-eyre of the forests. This has his shield of arms suspended
about the neck of a York falcon, and enclosed by the horns of a buck's
head in base, in reference to his office. Upon the buck's horns are
fixed two small hands for the duke's earldom of Ulster (pl. XXIX C).
[Illustration:
A Henry Percy earl of Northumberland, 1377.
B Emmelin FitzGerald, wife of Stephen Longespee, c. 1250.
C Richard duke of York, as Justice in Eyre of Forests, ob. 1460.
PLATE XXIX.--Ways of upholding shields.]