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The Queen's Beasts are tenheraldic statues representing the genealogy of QueenElizabeth II, depicted as theRoyal supporters of England. They stood in front of the temporary western annexe toWestminster Abbey for theQueen's coronation in 1953.[1] Each of the Queen's Beasts consists of a heraldic beast supporting a shield bearing a badge or arms of a family associated with the ancestry of Queen Elizabeth II. They were commissioned by the BritishMinistry of Works from the sculptorJames Woodford, who was paid the sum of £2,750 for the work. They were uncoloured except for their shields at the coronation.[2] They are now on display in theCanadian Museum of History inGatineau, Quebec.
The original models are theKing's Beasts which survive atHampton Court Palace near London, sculpted in stone for KingHenry VIII (1509–1547) and his third wifeJane Seymour. Copies survive at nearbyKew Gardens. In the 1920s a set of 76 similar heraldic beasts was replaced on the roof ofSt George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, having been taken down in 1682 due to dilapidation.[3]
There are ten heraldic beasts atHampton Court Palace near London. They were restored at the beginning of the twentieth century but were derived from originals made in 1536/7 for KingHenry VIII and his third wifeJane 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 theRoyal Academician and sculptor James Woodford, 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 KingHenry VII (the father of King Henry VIII),[a] she is not descended from Jane Seymour whose only son KingEdward VI died unmarried.
The beasts are about six feet (1.8 m)[5] high and weigh about 700 pounds (320 kg)[6] each. They are made fromplaster, so cannot be left exposed permanently to the elements. Originally uncoloured except for their shields, they are now fully painted.
The Beasts were on display outside the western annexe ofWestminster 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 theGold 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]
After the coronation they were removed to the Great Hall inHampton Court Palace. In 1957 they were moved again toSt 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 theCanadian Museum of History inGatineau.
In 1958 Sir Henry Ross, Chairman of theDistillers Company inEdinburgh, paid forPortland stone replicas of the statues to be made, which are on display outside thePalm House atKew Gardens. The beasts also served as models fortopiary atHall 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 theRoyal Mint launched a series of tenQueen's Beastscoins,[13] one for each beast.
The Lion of England is the crowned goldenlion ofEngland, which has been one of thesupporters of the Royal Arms since the reign ofEdward IV (1461–1483). It supports ashield showing the Arms of the United Kingdom as they have been sinceQueen Victoria's accession in 1837. In the first and last quarters of the shield are the arms of theHouse of Plantagenet (the "Lions of England", technically in heraldic language "Leopards of England"), taken from the arms ofRichard I (1157–1199), "The Lionheart". The lion andtressure (armorial border) of Scotland appear in the second, and theHarp of Ireland is in the third.[14]
TheWhite Greyhound of Richmond was a badge ofJohn of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, Earl of Richmond, third son ofEdward III. It was also used by his sonHenry IV and especially byHenry VII. TheTudor double rose can be seen on the shield, one rose within another surmounted by a crown. It symbolizes the union of the twocadet houses ofPlantagenet – theHouse of York and theHouse of Lancaster.[15]
TheYale was a mythical beast, supposedly white and covered with gold spots and able to swivel each of its horns independently. It descends to the Queen throughHenry VII, who inherited it from his mother,Lady Margaret Beaufort. The shield shows aportcullis surmounted by a royal crown. The portcullis (uncrowned) was a Beaufortbadge, but was used both crowned and uncrowned by Henry VII.[16]
Thered dragon (Welsh:Y Ddraig Goch) is an ancient Welsh symbol, and a badge used byOwen Tudor. His grandson,Henry VII, claimed descent fromCadwaladr, the last of the line ofMaelgwn 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 ofLlywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Prince ofWales.[18]
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The White Horse ofHanover was introduced into the Royal Arms in 1714 when the crown ofGreat Britain passed to the Elector George of Hanover. This grandson ofElizabeth Stuart, sister ofCharles I, becameGeorge I, King of Great Britain and Ireland. The shield shows the leopards of England and the lion of Scotland in the first quarter, the fleur-de-lis of France in the second (brought into theroyal 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 ofMortimer descends to the Queen throughEdward IV, fromAnne 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 byGeorge VI when Duke of York. Unlike the Lion of England, this beast is uncrowned.[20]
From the end of the 16th century, twounicorns were adopted as thesupporters of the Scottish Royal Arms. In 1603 the crown of England passed toJames VI of Scotland, who then became James I of England. He took as supporters of his royal arms a crowned lion of England and one of his Scottish unicorns. The unicorn holds a shield showing theroyal arms of Scotland, a lionrampant within adouble tressure flory-counter-flory.[21]
Thegriffin ofEdward 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 ofWindsor Castle (where Edward III was born) with theRoyal Standard flying from theturret, enclosed by two branches of oak surmounted by the royal crown.[22]
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The Black Bull ofClarence descended to the Queen throughEdward IV. The shield shows the Royal Arms as they were borne by Edward IV and his brotherRichard III as well as all the sovereigns of the Houses ofLancaster andTudor.[23]
Thefalcon was first used byEdward III of theHouse of Plantagenet as hisbadge. It descended toEdward IV, who took it as his personal badge, the falcon standing within an openfetterlock. Originally closed, the slightly open fetterlock is supposed to refer to the struggle Edward IV had to obtain the throne — "he forced the lock and won the throne."[24]
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