Ancient and modern arms

{{Short description|Heraldry terminology}}

Ancient and modern are terms used in heraldry to differentiate two different coats of arms used at different periods by a family or other bearer. Reasons for changing arms have been numerous, the most famous being the 1376 change in the French royal arms by Charles V of France to show three fleurs-de-lis instead of semee de lis, possibly to symbolize the Holy Trinity. The reasons for other changes were more prosaic, for example where a court of chivalry ordered a change or differencing where two families claimed the same arms, as in the famous case of Scrope v Grosvenor. The resulting two versions of arms are referred to as "France ancient" and "France modern", "Grosvenor ancient" and "Grosvenor modern".

List of examples

{{Expand list|date=December 2015}}

class="wikitable"
FamilyAncient armsModern armsDate of changeNotes
Capet (Royal arms of France)File:France Ancient Arms.svgFile:France moderne.svg1376See article Royal Arms of France
|Portugal (Royal arms of Portugal)File:Brasão de armas do reino de Portugal (1139).svgFile:Royal Arms of Portugal.svg1245 (first version of Portugal modern)/1485 (current version)See article Coat of arms of Portugal
|Denmark (Coat of arms of Denmark)File:Coat of arms of Danish shield (14c).svgFile:National Coat of arms of Denmark no crown.svg1819Originally the lions were heraldic leopards facing the viewer and the number of hearts (officially blazoned as waterlily pads) was not defined and could be much larger than today. The lions were defined as heraldic lions and the number of hearts specified to nine in 1819.
GrosvenorFile:Azure, a bend Or.svgFile:Azure, a garb Or.svg1389See article Scrope v Grosvenor
GorgesFile:LozengyOr&Azure.jpgFile:GorgesModernArms.jpg1347See article Warbelton v Gorges
PercyFile:Percy arms.svgFile:Modern arms of Percy.svg1273-1314See article Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy
TalbotFile:Ancient arms of Talbot family.svgFile:Talbot arms.svg|See article Baron Talbot. Modern arms are of Rhys Mechyll (d.1244), Prince of the Welsh House of Dinefwr, grandson of Rhys ap Gruffydd), whose daughter Gwenllian was the wife of Gilbert Talbot (d.1274), grandfather of Gilbert Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot (d.1345/6)
CantilupeFile:CantilupeAncientArms.jpgFile:Diocese of Hereford arms.svg1275-1282See article Thomas de Cantilupe
KilligrewFile:Blason Kahedin.svg) now in Tawstock Church, Devon, (moved from St Ive Church, Cornwall) of Blanche Killigrew (d.1595) and her husband John Wrey (d.1597) of Trebeigh, St Ive, Cornwall. The monument was moved from St Ive Church to its present position against the east wall of the north transept of St Peter's Church, Tawstock, Devon, in 1924 by Sir Philip Bourchier Sherard Wrey, 12th Baronet (1858-1936), of Tawstock Court.(Pevsner, Nikolaus & Cherry, Bridget, The Buildings of England: Devon, London, 2004, p.790)]]File:KilligrewArms.PNGéeThe bezantée bordure indicates a connection to the ancient Earls of Cornwall(See Martin Lister-Killigrew's History of the Killigrew Family [http://www.mocavo.com/Journal-of-the-Royal-Institution-of-Carnwall-Volume-9/828519/234]: "What their arms were before is uncertain, but from ye Heralds Office we know that in the time of Rchard Duke of Cornwall, brother of Henry III, and King of the Romans, he gave to Ralph de Killigrew the

spread eagle, with the border of Cornwall, which undeniably

denotes the family to be of consideration, so high back as those

antient times"]]

See article Arwenack
Scudamore
CreweFile:Ancient Arms of the Crewe Family.pngFile:COA-sv-Bengt Hafridsson.pngbef. 1303Sir Thomas de Crewe, Lord of Crewe used a seal depicting fretwork with quatrefoils filling in the spaces.Carter p. 117 [https://archive.org/details/genealogist3719selb/page/117/mode/1up? The Early Crewe Pedigree] His son Patrick would begin using a lion rampant, which became the modern arms of Crewe.Hinchliffe p. 363 ([https://archive.org/details/barthomleyinlett00hinc/page/363/mode/1up? Barthomley: In Letters from a Former Rector to his Eldest Son]) See the 17th century portrait of Sir Ranulphe Crewe by Peter Lely for a quartered depiction of both arms.

See also

References

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{{Heraldry}}

Category:Heraldry