Staine Hundred
AT the February Meeting of the Staine Hundred Local History Society, Chloe
Cockerill talked about "The Lion and the Unicorn - Royal Arms and Attachments".
Although Heraldry is not one of my particular interests, she is such a
knowledgeable and enthusiastic speaker that she made this complicated subject
most interesting and it was illustrated with excellent slides.
Richard Lionheart first chose the three lions to represent England in the Crusades to identify himself in the midst of battle. These three lions remain as part of the Royal Arms to this day. The Royal Arms became a sign of the King's authority, and after Henry VIII became Supreme Head of the C of E, they began to appear in churches, representing the connection between the monarch and the church.
Changes came in over the course of the centuries for instance, when James VI of
Scotland became James I of England, the Royal Arms of England, Scotland and
Ireland were brought together. (As Wales was a Principality and not a Kingdom,
the Welsh dragon does not appear on the Royal Arms.) Until 1801, the Royal Arms
also included the French Fleur de Lys, dating from Edward III's claim to the
French throne in 1340.
The Succession of George of Hanover introduced the white horse on a small shield but the Royal Arms have been unchanged since Victoria came to the throne in 1837. Prince William's arms are the latest to be granted in which a shell for the Spencer family is incorporated into the Royal Arms of our present Queen. The talk ended with slides of hatchments still to be seen in many churches, and we were told how to identify whether it was the husband or wife who died first or whether it was a bachelor. These were originally hung outside the house of the person who died before being transferred to the church. (The two in Quy Church, one for the Whichcote who died in 1720 and one for a Martins, both of whom were the squires at Quy Hall. These and the Royal Arms are currently being restored before being rehung.) The next meeting will be on March 8 at 7.30 at BVC when Kasia Gdaniec will be talking about "Roman Cilia Estates in Bottisham and the Swaffhams: recent archaeological evidence."