Encyclopedia > Coat of Arms of The Drapers Company
Coat of arms of the Worshipful Company of Drapers
Usually known as the Drapers' Company, The Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Drapers of the City of London, was probably the first corporate body in England to be granted a coat of arms, in 1439. The arms were modified in 1561, when the crest was added and the original supporters of two angels changed to the current lions, and again in 1613, when the shape of the crowns was changed and the motto added.
The College of Arms says only that many livery companies and other bodies received grants after the Drapers. The Drapers' Company always says only that it has the oldest extant grant.
with the sun emerging from behind, all in their natural ('proper') colours
each adorned with a Triple Crown Or
each cloud has a gold three tiered crown
Supporters
Two lions, Or, pelletted
Two gold lions with black spots (or 'pellets')
Crest
On a the helm
A helmet,
a wreath of the Company's colours, thereon
on which is a ring of twisted blue and gold cloth
a mount Vert thereon
a green hill, on top of which is
a Ram couchant Or
a gold Ram lying down but with head raised
armed Sable
the ram's horns are black
the whole hatchment
the whole coat of arms
mantled gules doubled argent
is on a cloak of red lined with white or silver
Symbolism
The Company's patron is the Virgin Mary. It has been suggested that the arms demonstrate that from Mary, through the Holy Spirit, comes the divine Son of God: thus the sunbeams represent the brilliance and light of the Virgin Mary, and the cloud which is a frequent symbol for the Holy Spirit. Mary was deemed to be an empress; the symbol for an emperor/empress is the triple crown, still used by the Vatican City.
The triple repetition is dictated by the general principle of three charges to a shield apparent in medieval heraldry.
Motto
Unto God only be Honour and Glory
External link
The Coat of Arms on the Drapers' Company site (http://www.thedrapers.co.uk/History/coat_arms.html)
Coats of arms and their accessories are described in a concise jargon called blazon, which for the most part ignores details that are conventional, and in nearly all cases details of varying artistic depictions, which tend to be small and not to help quick visual distinction.
Generally, arms have passed by inheritance: each coat of arms is borne by all of the original bearer's legitimate descendants in the male line, but often with modifications to maintain uniqueness.
A purely geometric coat of arms is relatively unlikely to be Mediterranean (a conspicuous exception being Or four pallets gules for the County of Barcelona).
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