King's crowned lion A crowned lion of England was used by Henry as a
dexter supporter. It holds a shield showing the
Royal arms of England impaled with those of Jane Seymour.
Seymour panther Jane's panther supports the
Seymour family arms. As the
heraldic panther closely resembles the
heraldic Leopard, it was relatively simple to make the alteration from
Anne Boleyn's beast.
Richmond greyhound The greyhound had become one of the most popular beasts of the
Tudors, with it being a
supporter of
Henry VII's and sometimes
Henry VIII's arms. It had first been adopted as a symbol of
Edward III and was used afterwards by many of his descendants, particularly those of the
House of Lancaster. Its popular name
The Greyhound of Richmond comes from its use by Henry VII's father
Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond. The beast at Hampton Court has a leash attached to its collar, unlike most depictions of the royal beast. This appears to be the result of a misunderstanding about the beast's origin.
Beaufort yale A
yale holds the arms of Jane Seymour, granted to her by her husband.
Henry IV's son
John, Duke of Bedford was the first to use the yale, but it is not clear if there was any particular reason for this choice. Whatever the reason, after John's death it was picked up by his cousin
John Beaufort, grandfather of Henry VII, and from that time the yale was regarded as a
Beaufort beast.
Tudor dragon The
Tudor dragon was a favourite supporter of the Tudors, symbolising their
Welsh ancestry. It holds a shield containing the
Beaufort badge of an uncrowned portcullis. This symbol was extensively used by Henry VII, for instance forming the principal motif in the decoration of
his chapel in
Westminster Abbey, and from there becoming associated with the
Palace of Westminster.
Mortimer panther The queen's panther is duplicated, here holding the same conjoined arms carried by the king's lion.
Clarence black bull The black
bull of
Clarence carries a shield with a
Tudor rose on it. This badge is one of the most famous symbols of the Tudors, symbolising the union between the
House of York (
white rose) and the House of Lancaster (
red rose), by the marriage between
Elizabeth of York and Henry VII.
Mortimer lion A Lion with a
coronet (not the full royal crown) holds an
escutcheon with
Seymour's badge consisting of a
phoenix and
castle. It also includes a
hawthorn bush, a reference to a Tudor badge, which in turn is an allusion to the legend of
Richard III's
circlet being found in a hawthorn bush and brought to Henry, after the
Battle of Bosworth Field.
Royal dragon A second royal dragon supports
Henry's royal arms.
Seymour unicorn A
unicorn holds the full
un-maritaled arms of the Queen. It is possible that the unicorn had been used as an English royal badge at some point, perhaps for Edward III. It was a symbol of
purity and
fertility, and it has been suggested that the little-used symbol was chosen as a symbol of Henry's hope that the marriage would lead to the son he wanted so badly. == Gallery ==