102 THE ARMS OP DORCHESTER AND DORSET. 



Henry IV. altered the French Arms from lilies semee (strewn), 

 known as the Arms of France Ancient, .to three lilies only, known 

 as the Arms of France Modern. This change in the Arms of 

 France to three lilies, as borne by the kings of England after 1405, 

 came about in this way. After Edward III. laid claim to the 

 throne of France and adopted the Ancient French Royal Arms of 

 the lilies semee, Charles V. of France, in order to avoid bearing 

 exactly the same Arms as the English kings had adopted, reduced 

 the number of the fleurs-de-lys on his shield to three only. But 

 Henry IV., in 1406, imitated the change introduced by Charles V., 

 and after that year the English sovereigns bore the three lilies of 

 France, known as the Coat of France Modern. The fact that the 

 borough bears the Arms of France semees carries back the insignia 

 of the borough fully five hundred years. But this is not all, for, 

 so far as I can discover, it is an older form of the Arms of Eng- 

 land than any other Corporation possesses. All the other 

 Corporations which have Royal Arms emblazoned on an escutcheon 

 bear the Arms of France Modern, and not one, save Dorchester 

 alone, bears the Arms of France Ancient. Even the Royal 

 Borough of Windsor, whose Arms somewhat resemble those of 

 Dorchester, bears the Arms of France Modern and not the Arms 

 of France Ancient. This brief examination of the Arms of the 

 borough epitomises for us the life and history of the borough its 

 Roman ramparts, its Royal manor, and its extremely ancient 

 corporate life. Let us now enquire what Arms are at present in 

 use. The Arms displayed throughout the borough differ from the 

 authentic blazon in no less than five important particulars. First, 

 as to the field, instead of its being purpure (purple) it is now 

 blazoned as gules (red). Secondly, the castle is variously depicted 

 as standing either upon rocks or upon a green sward, either 

 of which are complete departures from the true blazon. Thirdly, 

 the- castle is pourtrayed windowed and loopholed, which is 

 incorrect. Fourthly, as to the escutcheon of Arms it now 

 invariably gives the Arms of France as the three fleur-de-lys 

 that is, as France Modern and sometimes the French Arms are 



