Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 7.djvu/405

 10 s. VIL APRIL 27, 1907.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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have with me here. It is true that these authorities are not quite ad idem as to how far and by whom supporters can be borne but, such as they are, they are at MB BURTON'S service.

Boutell (' Heraldry, Historical and Popu lar,' 1864, p. 276) says :

" Supporters are now borne, by right, by all the Peers ot the Realm, by Knights of the Garter, and Knights Grand Crosses of the Bath, also by the Nova Scotia Baronets, and the Chiefs of the Scottish Clans ; and they are conceded to those son* of Peer* who hear honorary title* of Nobility [italics mine]. Supporters are not granted in England without the express command ot the Sovereign ; but in Scotland ' Lord Lion ' enjoys this privilege. Supporters are not borne by any Spiritual Peers. They appeal- associated with the arms of many persons of various ranks who have derived them from some dis- tinguished ancestors."

And in a smaller and later edition of the same, styled ' English Heraldry,' published in 1883, 5th ed. (I fancy after the reverend author's death), I find that at p. 245, after confirming the above statements, it goes on to say that supporters, which admit all marks of cadency and all differences, "are conceded, with due difference, to all sons of Peers who, by courtesy, bear titles of Peerage. They appear also borne with the arms of many persons now not of knightly rank, who have inherited supporters from illustrious ancestors."

Aveling in his useful little book, pub- lished in 1891, and founded mainly on Boutell, varies this somewhat, and states (p. 319) :

" Supporters, like crests, can be charged with marks of cadency, but are not hereditary, except to the eldest sons of peers " [italics mine].

But, as one would expect, one learns more on the subject from the erudite Dr. Wood- ward in his excellent work ' Heraldry, English and Foreign' (1896), wherein he says (vol. ii. p. 282) :

"In France, and indeed on the Continent gene- rally, the use of supporters is not nearly so restricted as with us at present. A noble has a right to all the insignia of nobility, even though he be an untitled gentleman. If, as in Italy and Spain, he does not generally use supporters, it is only because tashion has made their use infrequent, not because they are considered the peculiar property of great nobles they, in fact, use them as little as he does A or would it be thought that he needed the Royal, or any other, licence to assume or to change them, any more than to leave off their use. No doubt in some great families the supporters have become practically hereditary. Where, as is often the case in Germany, an armorial augmentation has taken the form of a special grant of supporters, no doubt these will continue to be used without change. But what is meant is simply that there is and has been practical liberty with regard to these matters ; not only where (as in France) there is no longer a College of Arms, but in other countries where the

use of armorial insignia was under regular super- vision."

And again at p. 294 :

" By the understood English use supporters are or may be borne by all temporal peers, including those who have life i>eerages, but not by bishops as such. (This is a modern restriction without ancient precedent or authority, or rather in defiance of it). Supporters are also borne as personal distinc- tions by Knights Grand - Crosses of the several Orders, and it is considered that there is precedent for their use by certain great officers of the Royal

Household The right to use supporters has been

occasionally conceded by Royal Warrant A few

of the persons to whom these warrants have been granted are baronets, but baronets as such have 110 right to use them. The eldest sons of peers above the rank of viscount [italics mine], and the younger sons of dukes and marquesses, generally use the supporters of the family, but this reasonable return to a less restricted use of them has not of course the approval of the English College of Arms.

"A peeress (unless she be a peeress in her own right) has no claim to continue the use of supporters if she remarries with a commoner not entitled to use them."

Hutchins, in his Introduction to the ' History of Dorset ' (3rd ed.), vol. i. p. Ixiii, gives the names of five families in the county (pre- sumably commoners at that time) who, he- states, have a right to supporters on account of their ancestors having been knights and baronets ; and he gives a reference for this to ' Baronetage,' vol. iv. p. 362, from a MS. of Peter le Neve, Esq.

The ancestors of one of the families he mentions certainly did use supporters, as^ may be seen from the monument to Sir William Uvedale, Kt. (who died in 1615), in Wickham Church, Hants. Another form of these same supporters may also be seen on the achievement of the Uvedale arms r ormerly at the old Manor House at Wick- lam, but now to be seen on the north wall of Winchester College Chapel. But I am Dound to say that there were other monu- ments to the same family showing no> upporters in their armorial insignia.

Notwithstanding the general statements

ollected from the above heraldic authorities,.

] believe there are several instances of

jommoners descendants of a commoner

no doubt an "illustrious ancestor") to

whom supporters were granted as an

augmentation of honour having used them;,

)ut many such commoners, no doubt, do

not contrive to do so, out of deference,

>erhaps, to insignia usually the badge of a

ank higher than their own.

But however this may be, I think Mr..

BURTON may take it that in the case he gives

namely, that of the eldest son of an earl,

uch son would be justified in using for