ROYAL SUPPORTERS. 221 



was borne by Richard, with a yellow lion. Henry VII had 

 a lion and a red dragon; Hery VIII, Mary, and Elizabeth, all 

 bore a lion and greyhound; but when James I came to the 

 throne, he added the unicorn, which was the arms of Scot- 

 land, and this, with the lion, have, since his reign, always 

 been the supporters of the British Arms. 



ESTHER. 



Who is it, mamma, that are entitled to bear supporters to 

 their arms'? I thought it had been only peers, but I see that 

 there are many others who do so. 



MRS. F. 



Supporters are used by all peers, and are also borne by 

 their eldest sons (if above the degree of baron), but^the 

 younger sons are not allowed to use them. The practice of 

 the kings of England granting supporters to the peers of 

 each degree, began in the reign of Henry VIII, as did that of 

 giving them to the Knights of the Garter and of the Bath. 

 The Nova Scotia baronets are, by their patents of creation, 

 allowed to carry them, although the same privilege was not 

 ex-tended to the English baronets, at the time of the institu- 

 tion of the dignity, it being only by virtue of a royal licence 

 that any of the baronets bear them. Another curious anomaly 

 with regard to supporters is, that the kings of arms in 

 England are not authorised, without a royal warrant, to 

 grant supporters to any one below the dignity of Knight of 

 the Bath, and yet Lyon King of Arms, in Scotland, may, 

 by virtue of his office, grant them without the royal warrant, 

 and has, indeed, on some occasions, exercised his privilege.* 



ESTHER. 



I have read that the custom of having supporters to arms 

 originated in the ancient practice at tilts and tournaments, of 

 knights causing their shields to be carried by servants or 

 pages, under the disguise of lions, griffons, Moors, &c., who 

 also held and guarded the escutcheons which the knights 



* Clarke's Heraldry. 

 19* 



