A Complete Guide to Heraldry Part 23

"408. TANNENVELS: Azure, a lion rampant or, queue argent.

"489. RINACH: Or, a lion rampant gules, headed azure.

"A curious use of the lion as a charge occurs in several ancient coats of the Low Countries, _e.g._ in that of TRASEGNIES, whose arms are: Bande d'or et d'azur, a l'ombre du lion brochant sur le tout, a la bordure engrelee d'or. Here the ombre du lion is properly represented by a darker shade of the tincture (either of or or of azure), but often the artist contents himself with simply drawing the outline of the animal in a neutral tint.

"Among other curiosities of the use of the lion are the following foreign coats:--

"BOISSIAU, in France, bears: De gueules, seme de lions d'argent.

"MINUTOLI, of Naples: Gules, a lion rampant vair, the head and feet or.

"LOEN, of Holland: Azure, a decapitated lion rampant argent, three jets of blood spurting from the neck proper.

"PAPACODA, of Naples: Sable, a lion rampant or, its tail turned over its head and held by its teeth.

"The Counts REINACH, of Franconia: Or, a lion rampant gules, hooded and masked azure (see above)."

To these instances the arms of Westbury may well be added, these being: Quarterly, or and azure, a cross patonce, on a bordure twenty lions rampant all counter-changed. No doubt the origin of such a curious bordure is to be found in the "bordure of England," which, either as a mark of cadency or as an indication of affinity or augmentation, can be found in some number of instances. Probably one will suffice as an example. This is forthcoming in Fig. 61, which shows the arms of John de Bretagne, Earl of Richmond. Of a similar nature is the bordure of Spain (indicative of his maternal descent) borne by Richard of Conisburgh, Earl of Cambridge, who bore: Quarterly France and England, a label of three points argent, each charged with {189} as many torteaux, on a bordure of the same twelve lions rampant purpure (Fig. 316).

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 317.--Arms of Bohemia, from the "Pulver Turme" at Prague. (Latter half of the fifteenth century.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 316.--Arms of Richard of Conisburgh, Earl of Cambridge.

(From MS. Cott., Julius C. vii.)]

Before leaving the lion, the hint may perhaps be usefully conveyed that the temptation to over-elaborate the lion when depicting it heraldically should be carefully avoided. The only result is confusion--the very contrary of the essence of heraldic emblazonment, which was, is, and should be, the method of clear advertis.e.m.e.nt of ident.i.ty. Examples of over-elaboration can, however, be found in the past, as will be seen from Fig. 317. This example belongs to the latter half of the fifteenth century, and represents the arms of Bohemia. It is taken from a shield on the "Pulver Turme" at Prague.

Parts of lions are very frequently to be met with, particularly as crests.

In fact the most common crest in existence is the _demi-lion rampant_ (Fig.

318). This is the upper half of a lion rampant. It is comparatively seldom found other than rampant and couped, so that the term "a demi-lion," unless otherwise qualified, may always be a.s.sumed to be a demi-lion rampant couped. As charges upon the shield three will be found in the arms of Bennet, Earl of Tankerville: "Gules, a bezant between three demi-lions rampant argent."

The demi-lion may be both guardant and regardant.

_Demi-lions rampant and erased_ are more common as charges than as crests.

They are to be found in several Harrison coats of arms.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 318.--A demi-lion rampant.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 319.--A demi-lion pa.s.sant.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 320.--A lion's head couped.]

_Demi-lions pa.s.sant_ (Fig. 319) are rather unusual, but in addition to the seeming cases in which they occur by dimidiation they are sometimes found, as in the case of the arms of Newman. {190}

_Demi-lion affronte._--The only case which has come under notice would appear to be the crest of Campbell of Aberuchill.

_Demi-lion issuant._--This term is applied to a demi-lion when it issues from an ordinary, _e.g._ from the base line of the chief, as in the arms of Dormer, Markham, and Abney; or from behind a fesse, as in the arms of Chalmers.

_Demi-lion naissant_ issues from the centre of an ordinary, and not from behind it.

_Lions' heads_, both couped (Fig. 320) and erased, are very frequently met with both as charges on the shield and as crests.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 321.--A lion's face.]

_Lion's gamb._--Many writers make a distinction between the _gamb_ (which is stated to be the lower part only, couped or erased half-way up the leg) and the _paw_, but this distinction cannot be said to be always rigidly observed. In fact some authorities quote the exact reverse as the definition of the terms. As charges the gamb or paw will be found to occur in the arms of Lord Lilford ["Or, a lion's gamb erased in bend dexter between two crosslets fitchee in bend sinister gules"], and in the arms of Newdigate. This last is a curious example, inasmuch as, without being so specified in the blazon, the gambs are represented in the position occupied by the sinister foreleg of a lion pa.s.sant.

The crest upon the Garter Plate of Edward Cherleton, Lord Cherleton of Powis, must surely be unique. It consists of two lions' paws embowed, the outer edge of each being adorned with fleurs-de-lis issuant therefrom.

_A lion's tail_ will sometimes be found as a crest, and it also occurs as a charge in the arms of Corke, viz.: "Sable, three lions' tails erect and erased argent."

_A lion's face_ (Fig. 321) should be carefully distinguished from a lion's head. In the latter case the neck, either couped or erased, must be shown; but a lion's face is affronte and cut off closely behind the ears. The distinction between the head and the face can be more appropriately considered in the case of the leopard. {191}

CHAPTER XII

BEASTS

Next after the lion should be considered the tiger, but it must be distinctly borne in mind that heraldry knows two kinds of tigers--the heraldic tiger (Figs. 322 and 323) and the Bengal tiger (Figs. 324 and 325). Doubtless the heraldic tiger, which was the only one found in British armory until a comparatively recent date, is the attempt of artists to depict their idea of a tiger. The animal was unknown to them, except by repute, and consequently the creature they depicted bears little relation to the animal of real life; but there can be no doubt that their intention was to depict an animal which they knew to exist. The heraldic tiger had a body much like the natural tiger, it had a lion's tufted tail and mane, and the curious head which it is so difficult to describe, but which appears to be more like the wolf than any other animal we know. This, however, will be again dealt with in the chapter on fict.i.tious animals, and is here only introduced to demonstrate the difference which heraldry makes between the heraldic tiger and the real animal. A curious conceit is that the heraldic tiger will anciently be often found spelt "tyger," but this peculiar spelling does not seem ever to have been applied to the tiger of nature.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 322.--Heraldic tyger rampant.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 323.--Heraldic tyger pa.s.sant.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 324.--Bengal tiger pa.s.sant.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 325.--Bengal tiger rampant.]

{192}

When it became desirable to introduce the real tiger into British armory as typical of India and our Eastern Empire, something of course was necessary to distinguish it from the tyger which had previously usurped the name in armory, and for this reason the natural tiger is always heraldically known as the Bengal tiger. This armorial variety appears towards the end of the eighteenth century in this country, though in foreign heraldry it appears to have been recognised somewhat earlier. There are, however, but few cases in which the Bengal tiger has appeared in armory, and in the majority of these cases as a supporter, as in the supporters of Outram, which are two tigers rampant guardant gorged with wreaths of laurel and crowned with Eastern crowns all proper. Another instance of the tiger as a supporter will be found in the arms of Bombay. An instance in which it appears as a charge upon a shield will be found in the arms granted to the University of Madras.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 326.--Leopard pa.s.sant.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 327.--Leopard pa.s.sant guardant.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 328.--Leopard rampant.]

Another coat is that granted in 1874 to Augustus Beaty Bradbury of Edinburgh, which was: "Argent, on a mount in base vert, a Bengal tiger pa.s.sant proper, on a chief of the second two other tigers dormant also proper." A _tigress_ is said to be occasionally met with, and when so, is sometimes represented with a mirror, in relation to the legend that ascribes to her such personal vanity that her young ones might be taken from under her charge if she had the counter attraction of a hand-gla.s.s! At least so say the heraldry books, but I have not yet come across such a case.

The leopard (Figs. 326, 327, and 328) has to a certain extent been referred to already. Doubtless it is the peculiar cat-like and stealthy walk which is so characteristic of the leopard which led to any animal in that position being considered a leopard; but the leopard in its natural state was of course known to Europeans in the early days of heraldry, and appears amongst the lists of heraldic animals apart from its existence as "a lion pa.s.sant." The animal, {193} however, except as a supporter or crest, is by no means common in English heraldry. It will be found, however, in the crests of some number of families; for example, Taylor and Potts.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 329.--Leopard's head erased.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 330.--Leopard's head erased and affronte.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 331.--Leopard's face.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 332.--Leopard's face jessant-de-lis.]