  The coats-of-arms and crests which are figured and described in the following pages do not exhaust the number of stamps of this kind that must exist on bookbindings throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland. Perhaps some day I shall go on my travels and search for unrecorded coats, but the present collection, even if it should prove to have been only a first instalment, will not easily be equalled in interest. Little attention has been hitherto paid to English coats-of-arms outside books. For French coats of the same kind an excellent and comprehensive handbook has been compiled by M. J. Guigard, Nouvel Armorial du Bibliophile, Paris, 1890. Two short papers have already been written about my present subject, and both of these are illustrated with drawings by myself. The earlier paper is by Mr. W. Y. Fletcher, and appeared in vol. iii. of Bibliographica in 1897; it is called "English Armorial Book-Stamps and their Owners." The second paper is by Mr. A. W. Pollard, and appeared in The Library of April 1902; it is called "The Armorial devices stamped on the outsides of books occur in England from the end of the fifteenth century onwards, and very fine examples are found of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries particularly. Towards the end of the seventeenth century the popularity of the book-stamp was diminished by the growth of the use of adhesive book-plates. It may be mentioned that, especially during the reign of Elizabeth, many fine armorial woodcuts are found in English books, the arms being generally those of the patron to whom the book was dedicated. The succession of English Royal coats-of-arms on books is complete from the time of Henry VII. to that of Edward VII., and they will all be found in this book. The usual authorities for Royal armorials are great seals and coins, but the books which belonged to our sovereigns supply an equally fine and equally accurate collection. Every change of bearings, supporters, mottoes or badges is duly represented, and there are very few old private libraries in England which have not some Royal books With regard to the identification of coats-of-arms or crests on books, this is a process of exhaustion, and it will be found easiest to begin with accessories, if there are any. These accessories are found either as augmentations on the shield or additions outside it, and by their help it is often easy to narrow down the limits within which the owner must come. By the help of coronets it is possible to fix the exact rank of the owner, and this alone, together with the date of the book, ought to make the identification easy, by help of a Peerage of the same date. The decorations which surround a shield are often of great use; the coat-of-arms and coronet of an Earl, for instance, may be easily identified, but there may nevertheless be three or four persons who succeeded each other rapidly, and bore the same coat, to whom the book may have belonged. But round such a coat perhaps there is the Garter, or the collar of the Bath, or the insignia of some other order, and this will very likely decide which Earl was the actual owner. The date of the printing of a book is of some use, if everything else fails, but it must be understood that as a rule it only means that the binding belonged to somebody at a later date. Even that is not quite certain, because The large majority of the stamps illustrated herewith are in the British Museum, but I have included a few in private ownership, and to these owners my sincere thanks are due for their kindness in allowing me to copy the various coats. I have in every case mentioned this private ownership, and where such mention is not found the book from which the drawing has been made is in the British Museum, either in the Department of Printed Books or in the Department of Manuscripts. Heraldry is of military origin, but its decorative side, and the various exact rules which govern it, were probably brought into use during the Middle Ages, in connection with the frequent Tournaments which were governed by strict rules. The ceremonies to be followed at the Tournaments were very closely laid down; heralds as well as their assistants of all sorts came into much prominence, and personal insignia acquired an importance they have never had since. Even now there are a few signs of ancient personal heraldry existing in our army; crests and tartans of private families may be found among the Highland regiments, but the modern tendency, especially since the late war in South Africa, has been to abolish such peculiarities. To Blazon is to describe the different divisions and The colours of shields and bearings ought to be given in every case, either of blazon or illustration; but as this is not always convenient, two methods of indicating colours have been adopted. The first is known as Trick, and in this manner colours were marked until the seventeenth century. In Trick the colours or tinctures are indicated by letters, and they are described in Gerard Legh's Accedens of Armory, London, 1562, as follows:—
The letters are put either in the spaces or on the charges to which they refer, or they may be found in the margin with a directing line drawn to the proper place. Several other methods of indicating colour by means of black and white lines laid in certain directions have been tried, but they have all failed to stand the test of time except that invented by an Italian Jesuit Father, Silvestro Petra Sancta, who lived in the seventeenth century. His method is figured and described in a The colours and lines given by Father Petra Sancta are as follows:— Aurum (Or) Argentum (Argent) Puniceum (Gueulles) Cyaneum (Azur) Prasinum Viridem (Sinople) Violaceum (Pourpre) Nigrum These are still the commonest colours, but a few more have been added since; they are, however, rarely used. Besides the metals and the colours a few furs are used in heraldry; the two most usual of these are Ermine and Vair. Ermine is white and shows little conventional Vair is supposed to represent little grey squirrel skins spread out and arranged touching each other. It is coloured blue and white. The others, rarely found, are variations on one or other of these two. Ermines shows white tails on a black ground. Erminois shows black tails on a gold ground. Erminites is the same as Ermine, but each black tail has one outer red hair on each side. Pean shows gold tails on a black ground. Counter Vair has the skins differently arranged. Potent is like Vair, but the skins are differently shaped, like thick T's. Counter Potent has the Potent skins differently arranged. The heraldic lines, dots, and furs should be learnt, as they must be understood and are continually met with in heraldic works of late date. The tincture lines do not show on English Royal book-stamps until the time of George II., and on earlier book-stamps the want of any indication of colour is a great element of doubt in the attribution of coats-of-arms to particular persons, in the absence of assistance from marks outside the shields, coronets, helmets, crests, and the like. An heraldic heiress is a lady whose father is armigerous but leaves no son. In such a case the lady's coat, if she married, would be shown on an escutcheon of Pretence placed in the centre of her husband's coat, and may be shown as a quartering on the coats-of-arms of her children. Marshalling is the manner and method of conjoining divers arms upon one shield according to heraldic precedent and usage; it is an exact process. The marshalling of the many family coats which may be inherited through marriages with heraldic heiresses is often a very elaborate and difficult matter. The rules, however, for such marshalling are well known and logical. A very good summary of this important part of a herald's duty can be found in Mr. A. C. Fox Davies's Art of Heraldry, in the chapter on Marshalling. A coat-of-arms is, however, sometimes found with many quarterings which only show the successive alliances, but in such a case the facts should always be stated. In default of such explanation the existence of the proper heraldic heiress rights must always be presumed. When a man quarters the coat-of-arms of an ancestral heiress, he has also the right to use the crest belonging to it. The right of bearing a crest, although not allowed to ladies, seems to be latent in them, as it can be inherited through them, if heiresses, by their male descendants. But in ordinary English usage it is usual Distinctive personal marks on English shields are few; the commonest is the Ulster hand which is used as an augmentation by Baronets. The rank of Baronet, which is hereditary, was instituted by James I. in 1611. By the original Statutes of the Order, Baronets in order to qualify for the rank had to maintain "thirty soldiers three years at eightpence a day in the Province of Ulster in Ireland." A Baronet had to prove that he was a gentleman by birth and to possess property to the value of £1000 per annum. The arms of Ulster are a red left hand appaumÉ on a silver ground, and the origin of this curious coat is said to be that on an Irish expedition for the acquisition of new territory in ancient days, the ancestor of the O'Neiles, finding that an adversary was reaching the coveted shore more quickly than he was, cut off his left hand, and threw it ashore, thereby establishing a "first landing" claim to the new territory. The claim was allowed, and so the successful chieftain became the first king of Ulster and the ancestor of the succeeding kings. The Ulster hand, either with or without its silver In 1625 a similar hereditary rank was instituted for Nova Scotia in North America, but since 1801 all Baronets have been "of the United Kingdom." The Baronets of Ulster and of the United Kingdom both use the Ulster hand as their symbol, borne upon their shield, but the Baronets of Nova Scotia indicate their rank in another way. The badge of a Baronet of Nova Scotia hangs from the base of his shield, suspended by a tawny ribbon; the badge is oval, and shows "argent, a saltire azure, thereon an inescutcheon of the arms of Scotland ensigned with an Imperial Crown, the whole encircled by a fillet on which are the words 'FAX MENTIS HONESTAE GLORIA.'" Concerning the Knights of the English Langue of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Guillim says that they may wear "their Paternal coat armour insigned with this cross on the chief of their Paternal Coat." The cross he speaks of is, he says, that of Amadeus, Earl of Savoy (Gu., a cross argent), who fought in company with the Knights of St. John at the Siege of Acre in the thirteenth century, and, the Grand Master being slain, put on his dress and demeaned himself so gallantly that he was asked to allow the Order to adopt his coat-of-arms. In the Charter of Incorporation of this Order granted Knights of other Orders and Knights Bachelors do not, as such, use any augmentations on their shields. Several forms of marks of cadency are given in the Book of St. Albans, printed in the fifteenth century, and many more had been used in mediÆval times, but the manner of indicating cadency which has lasted until the present day is the only one that it is necessary to describe here. In an old window at St. Mary's Church, Warwick, the six sons of the Earl of Warwick, who died in the thirty-fourth year of Edward III., are marked by the six following devices on their shields:— 1st, a Label 2nd, a Crescent 3rd, a Mullet or spur rowel, sometimes pierced 4th, a Martlet 5th, an Annulet 6th, a Fleur-de-lys Gerard Legh in his Accedens of Armory mentions three more such marks:— 7th, a Rose. 8th, a Cross moline. 9th, a double Quatrefoil. The first six are often met with, but the last three very rarely. The Royal Family all use labels as cadency marks, distinguished by charges upon them, or by the number of points, differences which are all specially granted, the eldest son always wearing a plain silver label of three points. English coronets seem to have followed a definite line of development, but they were not actually settled as to their respective designs until the time of Charles II., at whose coronation all the ranks of the Peerage carried their respective coronets exactly in their present form. At first coronets of rank were only circlets of metal, then on this circlet were put balls or "pearls" (as in the portrait of King Alfred on the Dowgate Hill brooch, or the coronet of a Baron or Viscount), then the pearls were The Royal Crown has gone through a similar line of development, but in this case the trefoil has evolved into two different forms, that of the cross pattÉe, and that of the fleur-de-lys. These forms became fixed in the time of Henry VII., the existing crown of England being essentially of the same pattern as that then finally adopted, arches and all. While fully appreciating the fact that the forms of modern coronets only date from the time of Charles II., it is still interesting to inquire by what methods peers of earlier date marked their dignity pictorially, and it seems that this was done by means of the use of a crest-chapeau, and the use of a helmet under it. But in sculpture certain forms of coronets also appear. Crowns and coronets are placed immediately upon the top of the shield. Over the crown or coronet comes the helmet, and over the helmet the crest. The Royal Crown of England has followed a definite line of development, and, as mentioned above, it reached its present form in the time of Henry VII., but, curiously enough, on the only known book-stamp that is attributed to this king the crown is shown in a more ancient form, The Royal Crown of England now has upon the circlet four crosses pattÉe and four fleurs-de-lys, and from the tops of the crosses rise two complete arches, bearing a mound and cross at their point of junction. The Stuart crowns often show two more arches, rising from the tops of the fleurs-de-lys, and this peculiarity was lately shown on the diamond crown made for the coronation of Queen Alexandra. The Royal crowns are richly jewelled. The coronet of the Prince of Wales is the same as the crown of the Sovereign, except that it has only one arch and no jewels. The single arch was granted, for the future, by Charles II.; before that the princely coronet had no arch. The older form of this coronet can still be seen on the Prince of Wales's badge of three ostrich feathers, which are held together by a coronet of the old shape. The three feathers are said to have been the badge of John, King of Bohemia, who was killed by the Black Prince at CrÉcy in 1346. The motto "Ich Dien" also belonged to the King of Bohemia. The coronets of younger children of the Sovereign are the same as that of the Prince of Wales, but without the arch. The coronets of Princes, grandchildren of the Sovereign, are the same as those of the younger children of the Sovereign, except that the two outer crosses pattÉe are replaced by strawberry leaves. Charles II. settled all these matters as they now are, and also ordained that Princes, grandchildren or nephews of the Sovereign, being also Dukes, should wear on their coronets four crosses pattÉe alternately with four strawberry leaves. The Black Prince was the first English Duke. The title derives from Dux, a leader, and was, and still is, a sovereign title in many instances. The Black Prince was created a Duke in 1337 by his father Edward III. On the Prince's tomb at Canterbury he wears over his helmet a coronet which shows ten or more leaves on short pyramidal points rising from the circlet. The present ducal coronet is probably a survival of this form. The Black Prince's helmet with chapeau and crest is also preserved at Canterbury. On the tomb of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset (1444), at Wimborne Minster, he is shown wearing a coronet set with several trefoils or leaves rising from the circlet. The same design shows in At the coronation of Edward VII., the official description of a Duke's coronet is "of silver gilt, and on the circle eight strawberry leaves." Pictorially five of these leaves are shown. The first English Marquis was Robert de Vere, created Marquis of Dublin by Richard II. in 1387. A Lord Marcher was a Governor or Ruler of the Marches, or Frontiers, but the dignity did not become hereditary until the fourteenth century. It was a position of much importance and responsibility. The coronet of a Marquis is nearly the same as that of a Duke, but each alternate leaf is turned into a silver ball or pearl. At the coronation of Edward VII., the official description of a Marquis's coronet is "of silver gilt, and on the circle four gold strawberry leaves and four silver balls alternately, the latter a little raised on points above the rim." Pictorially three strawberry leaves and two pearls are shown. The title of Earl, or Eorl, is one of Anglo-Saxon origin, and probably derived from the Danish Jarl. Eorls were warriors and had charge of shires, but by The Saxon form of name has, however, in this case, proved the most lasting, but the remains of the Norman nomenclature exist in the title of Countess, and also in the name County. The Earl or Shire man had his deputy, the Sheriff, and he became the Vice-count or "Viscount." Hugh Lupus, created Earl of Chester by the Conqueror, is said to have been the first properly constituted English hereditary Earl. The coronet worn by Henry Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, in the early fourteenth century, and which is said by Sandford to have been shown on the Earl's tomb in St. Paul's Cathedral, was a simple circlet; and so is that worn by William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, who died in the thirteenth century, on his tomb at Westminster. Margaret, Countess of Richmond, the mother of Henry VII., wears, on her tomb at Westminster, a coronet with eight leaves and eight pearls on points; essentially the same form of a Countess's coronet as used now. But on her seal she uses a circlet from which rise alternately roses and fleurs-de-lys, five roses and four fleurs-de-lys, each on a short pyramidal point. This shows that at that time there was no definite pattern. On the tomb, at Windsor, of Charles Somerset, Earl of Worcester, who died about the middle of the sixteenth At the coronation of Edward VII. the official description of an Earl's coronet is "of silver gilt, and on the circle eight silver balls raised upon points, with gold strawberry leaves between the points." Pictorially five points with pearls and four strawberry leaves are shown. A Viscount is a Vicecomes, or deputy for a Count or Earl. The Earls have retained their Saxon name, but the Viscount has kept the Norman equivalent of their rank as Sheriffs. Both the Earl and his Viscount were originally county officials. Since 1441 the title has been one of hereditary rank. The first English Viscount was John, Viscount Beaumont, so created by Henry VI. The first English Viscount to wear a coronet was Robert, Lord Cecil of Effingdon, who was created At the coronation of Edward VII., the official description of a Viscount's coronet is "of silver gilt and on the circle sixteen silver balls." Pictorially nine of these silver balls are shown. The Barons are probably the modern representatives of the ancient Saxon Thanes. It is an old Norman name for the Thane, and it is found often enough in ancient documents. Guillim says that citizens of London were called "Barons Londonni," and in Domesday there is mention of Barons of Warwick. There were Barons of the Exchequer, and there are still the Barons of the Cinque Ports. But none of these were hereditary titles. Edward III., however, created William de la Pole an hereditary Baron, and since that time the dignity has been generally hereditary. Baronies were at first held by Tenure, that is by reason of the existence of adequate territorial possessions, and Guillim says that this essential was forgone by Henry III., who created Barons by Writ. In later times, when the rank became hereditary, Baronies by Writ have been heritable through the female line, and because of this, Baronial titles have in many instances been held by several allied families, with different family names. The coronet of a Baron was originally a plain circlet, but Charles II. ordained that in future there should be six balls upon it, and the Barons at his coronation wore such additional ornamentation. In Ireland, however, this form of Barons' coronets had already been fixed by James I. At the coronation of Edward VII., the official description of a Baron's coronet is "of silver gilt and on the circle six silver balls at equal distances." Pictorially four silver balls are shown. The coronet of a King-of-Arms is of silver gilt, and on the circlet is inscribed the words "MISERERE MEI DEUS SECUNDUM MAGNAM MISERICORDIAM TUAM," taken from the 51st Psalm. From the circlet rise alternately long and short oak leaves. The Kings-of-Arms, Heralds, and Pursuivants were incorporated as a College by Richard III. in 1483, and Derby House in the city, now the College of Arms, was given to them as their headquarters in 1555. Kings-of-Arms wore coronets from the beginning; a portrait of William Bruges, the first Garter King-of-Arms, in 1420, in an illuminated manuscript, shows him wearing a coronet on which are four trefoils, or leaves, upon short pyramidal stems. On the grant of arms of the Tallow Chandlers' Company, John Smert, Heralds and Kings-of-Arms are entitled to surround their arms with the ancient collar of SS. The same honour is allowed to the Serjeants-at-Arms and several of the Judges. Imitation jewels are repoussÉ upon the circlets of all these coronets, except those of Barons and Heralds. No English crowns or coronets, except those worn by the Sovereign or the Queen Consort, have any real jewels upon them. Crowns and coronets are only officially worn in England on the occasion of the coronation, and then with the ordered coronation dress. They are put on when the crown is put upon the head of the Sovereign. But if they are held over the head of the owner it appears to be sufficient, as in Sir George Hayter's beautiful picture of the coronation of Queen Victoria, the Duchess of Cambridge is shown with a Lady-in-Waiting holding her coronet over her head. The Duchess was wearing a very handsome diamond tiara Crowns and coronets are properly depicted without any cap within them, but when they are worn it is always over the Peer's cap, known variously as a Cap of Estate, of Maintenance, or of Dignity. The same cap is also used in many early instances as a crest-chapeau. The cap is the same for all ranks, from the Sovereign to the King-of-Arms; it consists of a red velvet cap lined with white silk and turned up with miniver, which is white ermine fur having small dots or tufts of black horsehair sewn into it at intervals. At the top is an ornamental gold button, with fringes of gold thread. The earliest figure of a cap of this sort can be seen on the Black Prince's helmet over his tomb at Canterbury; it has been painted red and miniver, but is now in a very bad condition. The crest stands upon it. The Cap of Estate, without any crown or coronet over it, is worn by the Sovereign on the way to the coronation, and it is also generally borne on a cushion by one of the great officers of State when the Sovereign is present in State or Semi-State. It is carried by the Marquis of Winchester or his representative. Peers used such caps pictorially before they showed coronets, and on Although it is correct to depict coronets without the Cap of Estate, it is also correct to show them with it. In the latter case the miniver turn-up comes just below the lower rim of the circlet. It is a common mistake to show the miniver turn-up without the velvet Cap above it, which is obviously absurd. In the absence of a crown or coronet the Helmet rests directly on the upper part of a shield. In fifteenth and sixteenth century seals it shows very large in comparison with the coat-of-arms, and so does the crest; the helmet often shows the guige or shield belt, and the shield often hangs couchÉe or sideways. The Helmet, so says Guillim, is the true mark of English nobility, and it certainly shows as such on seals dating from the fourteenth until about the end of the sixteenth century, when rank coronets began to be used instead of, or together with, a corresponding form of helmet. From the early seventeenth century the shapes and metals of the helmets denoting rank have been clearly laid down, and they are as follows:— Royal.—A Helmet of Gold, with six bars, set affrontÉe. Peers.—A Helmet of Silver, barred, with five bars, and garnished gold, usually set in profile, but Dukes sometimes used it affrontÉe. Baronets and Knights.—A Helmet of Steel, garnished with silver, without bars, the visor open, and set affrontÉe. Esquires.—A Helmet of Steel, the visor closed, and set in profile. On the Helmet, between it and the crest support, comes the mantling, the survival of the helmet cover torn in war, and showing in strips, now ornamentally treated. The main metals and colours of the coat-of-arms should be repeated in the mantling. To wear a crest at a Tournament implied more social status than the possession of a shield, and in the latter part of the fourteenth century all great nobles were very careful to display their crests, but lesser gentry had to be Later, in Jacobean times, crests were sometimes given to persons already bearing arms, and they became commoner. Whenever ancestral coats-of-arms are quartered with a given coat, the corresponding crests may also be worn, but in English usage this is rarely done. In the event, however, of an additional surname being adopted by Royal Licence, with the corresponding coat-of-arms and crest, the second crest is commonly used; but it is very rare in English Heraldry to show more than two crests. Crests are undoubtedly derived from the fact that in the days of Armour, Knights were completely covered up and required some evident mark by which they could be recognised. To meet this difficulty a coloured device set on the top of a man's helmet offered an obvious and ornamental solution. Such a crest was strictly personal; the retainers of a Knight wore his badge and his colours, but never his crest. The modern use of livery colours and badges can be well seen in the case of the Beefeaters at the Tower. Very ancient helmets were sometimes ornamentally coloured. The crest "Crista," a cockscomb, was often of a fan or cockscomb shape on the top of a helmet, but gradually it assumed more distinguishing peculiarities. On the Great Seal of Richard I., on the equestrian side, a cocks Crests are carried on some sort of support; those usually found are one or other of the following:— On a crest-chapeau, the old cap of maintenance, dignity, or of estate. It was, and is, usually used by persons of high rank. The earliest remaining example of the use of the crest-chapeau is in Canterbury Cathedral, and a model of one is there on the helmet of the Black Prince, over his tomb. The cap is of red velvet turned up with miniver; it is not a round cap like its modern representative, but is of an elongated shape, ending in two swallow-tails. Issuing from an heraldic coronet showing three strawberry leaves, the colour of the coronet being exemplified in the official grant. This coronet does not appear to have any meaning. Issuing from a Mural coronet, sometimes granted to Army officers. Issuing from a Naval coronet, sometimes granted to Naval officers. On a fillet or twisted torse of the chief metal and chief colour of the coat-of-arms with which it is used. This fillet is the commonest crest support, and the others, chapeau or coronet, are themselves sometimes set upon a torse. It should be stated in the grant. Crests carry the same cadency marks as occur on the coat-of-arms. Crests are of very ancient use; marks of dignity worn upon the head are among the earliest signs of chieftainship used by mankind. A savage chief would readily wear a rare bird's feather in his head as a mark of dignity, 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 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. Supporters were regularly used by persons of high rank from early in the fifteenth century; they carry on them any marks of cadency which may be on the shield to which they belong. The right to use Supporters depends upon the wording of the grant of Arms concerned. Practically they are now seldom granted except to Peers. In the past, however, many commoners have been granted Supporters for their coats-of-arms, by Royal Warrant, and some of these are hereditary. This is a point which would be specified in the grant, and without such specification the Supporters would not be hereditary. In Scotland ancient usage is allowed to be a good cause for using Supporters. Supporters have at present no defined status, they indicate no rank; but the tendency now is to restrict their use, and it is quite probable that some day they will become actual evidences of Peerage rank, as they probably originally were. No list of English Heraldic Supporters has yet been published. Mottoes largely derive from War-cries. In England they are not mentioned in grants of arms, and very rarely in visitation books. Mottoes are not hereditary, but can be changed at the will of any armigerous person. Officers of arms will record mottoes by request, provided they do not infringe any existing rights. In Scotland, however, mottoes are recognised officially; they are subject to grant, and their position with regard to the coat-of-arms or crest to which they belong is specified. Heraldic mottoes appear to have been used in England in the sixteenth century; they show on some of the Garter Plates at Windsor. Mottoes often accompanied badges, and in many cases they may have been transferred from them to the coat-of-arms or to the crest. The motto "Dieu et Mon Droit" was adopted by Edward III., in allusion to his claim to the Throne of France. In 1801, on the Legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland, the title of King of France, as well as the coat-of-arms of France which had appeared on the English coat-of-arms ever since the time of Edward III., was discontinued, but the motto has been retained and is still used. Useful lists of English mottoes are given in several editions of Burke's Peerage, and in the 1905 edition of Fairbairn's Crests. Some elementary knowledge of heraldic terms and bearings must be acquired before it is possible to use any Fortunately the primary and, at the same time, the most important divisions of a shield are few and easily learnt. They had originally a structural origin, and although I begin with a line in my analysis, it is likely that the charges were originally first; for instance, a red scarf tied across the top of a shield would develop heraldically into "a chief gu." In the same way a red scarf tied from top to bottom of an iron shield would become heraldically "sa., a pale gu." and so on. There are now proper proportions for all these charges, but in practice they are not strictly adhered to. A large number of coats are not divided up at all, but are simply charged with bearings that may be easily identified if the colours are known; such coats have frequently animal forms upon them, a Lion rampant or an Eagle displayed, or more than one animal arranged in a certain order. Such coats can generally be easily found in an Ordinary, but the colour in old seals and on old books is seldom given, and this often makes any unsupported identification very doubtful. The shield may be divided by a centre perpendicular line from top to bottom; this is called division per Pale, and when the dividing line is thickened it becomes a charge, and When a shield is divided by a central horizontal line it is said to be divided per Fess, and when the dividing line is thickened it becomes a charge and is called "a Fess." Several small fesses are called bars, or the shield may be described as "Barry." If the perpendicular pale and the horizontal fess lines are combined, a shield becomes "Quartered" or "Quarterly," and if these lines are thickened we get the Cross, of which there are several varieties, e.g. cross pattÉe, with the ends flattened out like feet; cross crosslet with each end crossed by a little bar; cross moline with double-pointed ends; cross fleury with triple-pointed ends, and so on. If a shield is covered all over with reduplications of the quartering lines, so as to be divided into a number When a shield is divided diagonally, either from right to left, or from left to right, which must be specified, it is said to be per Bend, dexter or sinister, as the case may be. If either of these lines is thickened so as to become a charge it is called "a Bend" (dexter or sinister). If the dexter and sinister dividing Bend lines are combined, a division per Saltire is the result, and if these lines are thickened so as to become a charge, it is called "a Saltire." If the upper triangle in the Saltire is drawn down into a narrow point and forms a charge, it is called "a Pile." There may be several of these, and their number, position, and colour are always stated. If the Saltire lines are repeated so as to cover the entire shield with diamond-shaped spaces, it is said to be Lozengy, and if these lines are thickened so as to become charges, it is called Fretty, and the little bars are interlaced. If now the dividing lines of a quartered coat and those of a coat divided per Saltire be combined, we get a division known as Gyronny, common in Scottish heraldry. If a shield is divided by an angular line in a gable form, the two lowest lines of a division per Saltire, it is called per Chevron, and if this line is thickened so as to become a charge, it is called a Chevron. When a third part of the top of a shield is marked off by a horizontal line it forms what is called a Chief, and when the top left-hand corner is marked off as a small square, measuring about a third of the chief, it is called a Canton, and is often an honourable augmentation to a coat-of-arms, granted for some distinguished service. When a shield has a narrow border all round it, it is called a Bordure, and this is also often an honourable augmentation, difference, or mark of cadency on a family coat-of-arms. The boundary lines of all these charges are normally straight, but they may also be either Engrailed Embattled Indented Dancetty Wavy Raguly Nebuly and a few more which are rarely met with. Charges are usually placed on shields in certain positions which follow one or other of the main lines of division which have just been enumerated. For instance, the three lions of England are arranged one under the other, on an imaginary line running from the top to the bottom of the shield. If such a broad line existed it would be called a Pale, so the lions are said to be "In, or Per Pale." Similarly, they might be arranged "In Fess" or "In Bend," and so on. All charges and bearings on shields should be shown flat except The Fret, which is interlaced. Fretty, a small fret repeated, also interlaced. Roundels in colour, which should be shown as hemispherical. They doubtless represent the bosses on a shield. The metal roundels, however, the Bezant of gold, and the Plate of silver, no doubt represent coins, and are shown flat; and that Cadency marks may correctly be represented, as in relief on a shield. Heraldic charges are numerous, and if any prolonged investigation is likely to be required their names and forms will have to be learnt. But a few of the commoner charges may well be explained here, as such explanation may possibly in many cases save a long search. A Dragon is a monster with scales all over him; he has four legs ending in eagle's talons and a spear-head at the end of his tail, his wings are like the wings of a bat, with a claw at the end of each rib. A Griffin has the head, front legs, and wings of an eagle, and the hind-quarters of a lion. A Wyvern has a dragon's head and wings, with two eagle's legs, his tail is curled round itself and ends in a spear-point. He is scaly all over. A Cockatrice is a Wyvern with a cock's head. A Basilisk is a cockatrice with its tail ending in a dragon's head. A Lion shows one eye, one ear, and stands upon one foot, rampant. He has a mane, and his tail has a tuft at the end, and he shows no spots. If a lion is otherwise depicted it must be mentioned in the blazon. A lion showing two eyes and two ears is a lion "LeopardÉ." A Leopard shows two eyes and two ears; he has no mane and his tail is not tufted. He should show spots and be "nowhere shaggy." If he only shows one eye and one ear he is a leopard "LionnÉ." Most of the other animals explain themselves, but there are a few curious charges, no doubt survivals of common forms, which also retain their ancient heraldic names, and these forms and names are useful to re A Caltrap. A Chess-rook. A Clarion. A Fer-de-Moline. A Fermail. A Fountain. A Fret. A Fusil. A Mascle. A Maunch or Sleeve. A Pheon. A Rustre. A Water Bouget. Heraldic Shields changed their forms at different periods, but it is not necessary to trouble much about that here, as coats-of-arms on books are always simple in shape. But it may be noted that unmarried ladies or widows show their arms in the form of a Lozenge. Guillim says, "This form is derived from the fusil, or spindle for yarn, single women being called spinsters." In view of a possible second volume in continuation of the present, I should feel most grateful if any librarians or owners of libraries will send me rubbings of any more coats-of-arms on books that they know of. To make a rubbing, from which I can make a drawing, is quite easy. A piece of soft paper should be used, and kept from slipping by a weight. Put the paper carefully over the stamped part of the book, and then with the finger gently press the paper down into the stamped leather. When the design can just be distinguished, rub over the paper, without letting it slip, with an H.B. pencil cut to a broad round point, and it will be found that in this way, with a little practice, every line and dot in a stamp will show quite clearly. The impressed lines on the leather will show as white on the rubbing. From such a rubbing a drawing can be made. Besides the rubbing, I should also like a copy of the title of the book, and the name of the owner or library to which it belongs. I am aware that many of my attributions of coats in the following pages are open to criticism, and I shall be very grateful if any of my readers can correct any of them with authority. At the end of the book I have given I have taken the Royal Titles from the respective Great Seals. C. D. Burlington Fine Arts Club,
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