The Queen's Beasts

Coordinates: 45°25′50″N 75°42′32″W / 45.430558°N 75.708907°W / 45.430558; -75.708907
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the heraldic statues. For the coins issued by the Royal Mint, see The Queen's Beasts (coin).

The original Queen's Beasts in the Canadian Museum of History.

The Queen's Beasts are ten

Gatineau, Quebec
.

The original models are the King's Beasts which survive at Hampton Court Palace near London, sculpted in stone for King Henry VIII (1509–1547) and his third wife Jane Seymour. Copies survive at nearby Kew Gardens. In the 1920s a set of 76 similar heraldic beasts was replaced on the roof of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, having been taken down in 1682 due to dilapidation.[3]

Origins

There are ten heraldic beasts of a very like sort at Hampton Court Palace near London. They were restored at the beginning of the twentieth century but were derived from originals made in 1536/7 for King Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour (d.1537), and are known as the "King's Beasts". They are carved in stone and each sits erect, supporting a shield upon which there is a coat of arms or a heraldic badge. From the beasts themselves and the emblems which they carry on their shields, it is evident that they stood for King Henry and his third Queen, Jane Seymour.

In the autumn of 1952, the Minister of Works, in preparation for the coronation some months ahead, called upon the Royal Academician and sculptor James Woodford, OBE, to create ten new beasts similar in form and character to the ten at Hampton Court but more particularly, appropriate to the Queen. Exact replicas of those at Hampton Court would have been unsuitable for the occasion, for some of them would have little connection with Elizabeth II's own family or ancestry,[4] as although the Queen is descended (via female lines) from King Henry VII (the father of King Henry VIII),[a] she is not descended from Jane Seymour whose only son King Edward VI died unmarried.

Characteristics

The beasts are about six feet (1.8 m)[5] high and weigh about 700 pounds (320 kg)[6] each. They are made from plaster, so cannot be left exposed permanently to the elements. Originally uncoloured except for their shields, they are now fully painted.

Display at the coronation

The Beasts were on display outside the western annexe of Westminster Abbey, a glass-fronted structure in which to marshal the long processions before the service. The statues were placed along the front with the exception of the Lion of England which was placed in the alcove formed by the north wall of the annexe and the entrance used by the Queen to enter the Abbey on her arrival in the Gold State Coach. The statues were placed left to right in the following order when facing the annexe from the west: The Lion of England, the greyhound, the yale, the dragon, the horse, the lion of Mortimer, the unicorn, the griffin, the bull, and the falcon.[7][8] This was not the same order as they relate to the royal pedigree, but were ordered in this way for balance and symmetry in display.[9] The Scottish Unicorn, Horse of Hanover, Griffin and Falcon replace four of the Beasts at Hampton Court (Seymour Black Lion, Seymour colour-spotted Panther & Seymour Unicorn and either the so-called Tudor Dragon or the Royal Dragon).

Molly Guion painted the Beasts in 1953.[10]

Relocations

After the coronation they were removed to the Great Hall in

St George's Hall, Windsor. The beasts were taken into storage in April 1958 while their future was considered. It was eventually decided to offer them to the Commonwealth governments; Canada, being the senior nation, was offered them first. In June 1959 the Canadian government accepted the beasts and they were shipped there in July. Originally the only coloured parts of the statues were their heraldic shields, but for the celebrations of the Centennial of Canadian Confederation in 1967, the statues were painted in their full heraldic colours. They are now in the care of the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau
.

Replicas

Portland stone replicas of the Queen's Beasts in Kew Gardens, London

In 1958 Sir Henry Ross, Chairman of the

Palm House at Kew Gardens. The beasts also served as models for topiary at Hall Place, Bexley. The original sculptures have been commemorated in the following forms: bone china figurines, cups and saucers, glass tray sets, plaster models, reclaimed material reproductions,[11] porcelain candlesticks, British postage stamps issued in 1998,[12] silver teaspoons, and tea towels. In 2016 the Royal Mint launched a series of ten Queen's Beasts coins,[13]
one for each beast.

Historical explanations

The Lion of England

The Lion of England is the crowned golden

Harp of Ireland is in the third.[14]

The White Greyhound of Richmond

Main article: White Greyhound of Richmond

The

cadet houses of Plantagenet – the House of York and the House of Lancaster.[15]

The Yale of Beaufort

The

badge, but was used both crowned and uncrowned by Henry VII.[16]

The Red Dragon of Wales

The red dragon (Welsh: Y Ddraig Goch) is an ancient Welsh symbol, and a badge used by Owen Tudor. His grandson, Henry VII, claimed descent from Cadwaladr, the last of the line of Maelgwn whose association with the dragon came after Henry's reign.[17] The beast holds a shield bearing a lion in each quarter; this was the coat of arms of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Prince of Wales.[18]

The White Horse of Hanover

The White Horse of

royal arms of England by King Edward II) and the Irish harp in the third quarter. The fourth quarter shows the arms of Hanover.[19]

The White Lion of Mortimer

The White Lion of

Edward IV, from Anne de Mortimer. The shield shows a white rose encircled by a golden sun, known heraldically as a 'white rose en soleil' which is really a combination of two distinct badges. Both of these appear on the Great Seals of Edward IV and Richard III, and were used by George VI when Duke of York. Unlike the Lion of England, this beast is uncrowned.[20]

The Unicorn of Scotland

From the end of the 16th century, two

royal arms of Scotland, a lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counter-flory.[21]

The Griffin of Edward III

The griffin of Edward III Queen's Beast is an ancient mythical beast. It was considered a beneficent creature, signifying courage and strength combined with guardianship, vigilance, swiftness and keen vision. It was closely associated with Edward III who engraved it on his private seal. The shield shows the Round Tower of Windsor Castle (where Edward III was born) with the Royal Standard flying from the turret, enclosed by two branches of oak surmounted by the royal crown.[22]

The Black Bull of Clarence

The Black Bull of

Edward IV and his brother Richard III as well as all the sovereigns of the Houses of Lancaster and Tudor.[23]

The Falcon of the Plantagenets

The

Edward IV had to obtain the throne — "he forced the lock and won the throne."[24]

  • Lion of England
    Lion of England
  • White Greyhound of Richmond
    White Greyhound of Richmond
  • Yale of Beaufort
    Yale of Beaufort
  • Red Dragon of Wales
    Red Dragon of Wales
  • White Horse of Hanover
    White Horse of Hanover
  • White Lion of Mortimer
    White Lion of Mortimer
  • Unicorn of Scotland
    Unicorn of Scotland
  • Griffin of Edward III
    Griffin of Edward III
  • Black Bull of Clarence
    Black Bull of Clarence
  • Falcon of the Plantagenets
    Falcon of the Plantagenets

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Elizabeth II is descended from Henry VIII’s sister, Queen Margaret of Scotland the grandmother of Mary Queen of Scots. Mary’s son, James I of England had a daughter, Elizabeth who married Frederick V, the Elector Palatine.

References

  1. ^ "Elizabeth II". Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  2. ^ London & Bellew (1953), p. 16
  3. ^ Rider, Clare. "F.G. Minter and the King's Beasts". College of St George, Windsor.
  4. ^ London & Bellew (1953), p. 9
  5. ^ London & Bellew (1953), p. 8
  6. ^ "Heraldry Projects: Queen's Beasts". heraldry.ca. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  7. ^ London & Bellew (1953), pp. 9–10
  8. ^ "More heraldic beasts…". Parks and Gardens UK. 1 November 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  9. ^ London & Bellew (1953), p. 10
  10. ^ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. James T. White & Company. 1960. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Huntingdonshire artist recreates The Queen's beasts". Hunt Post. 19 May 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  12. ^ "The Queens Beasts (1998)". Collect GB Stamps. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  13. ^ "The Queen's Beasts are brought to life in a new bullion coin range". Royal Mint Blog. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  14. ^ London & Bellew (1953), pp. 18–20
  15. ^ London & Bellew (1953), pp. 42–44
  16. ^ London & Bellew (1953), pp. 38–40
  17. JSTOR community.28211754
    . Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  18. ^ London & Bellew (1953), pp. 46–48
  19. ^ London & Bellew (1953), p. 54
  20. ^ London & Bellew (1953), pp. 34–36
  21. ^ London & Bellew (1953), pp. 50–52
  22. ^ London & Bellew (1953), pp. 22–24
  23. ^ London & Bellew (1953), pp. 30–32
  24. ^ London & Bellew (1953), p. 26

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Queen's Beasts.

45°25′50″N 75°42′32″W / 45.430558°N 75.708907°W / 45.430558; -75.708907

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Queen%27s_Beasts&oldid=1220848060"