Heralds, Knights of the Garter, Treasurer

Heralds

New tabards for the Heralds were made for George IV's coronation at a cost of approximately £54 each. They were made by the tailors Baker and Son from silk damask lined with red silk. The most expensive part was the embroidery by George D'Almaine in a design of the Royal Coat of Arms with quarterings of England, Scotland and Ireland with the crowned Coat of Arms of Hanover in the centre.

	Herald, Purchased with the assistance of the MGC/V&A Purchase Grant Fund

The Quarterings of England of Crimson Silk Damask embroidered on Yellow Satin partially enriched with Gold Bullion Wire edged and ornaments with Yellow cord and Gold Twist.

The Quarterings of Scotland, Yellow Satin embroidered on Crimson Satin partially enriched with Gold Bullion Wire, edged with Yellow Silk Cord and Gold Twist. The Quarterings bordered with Crimson Silk Cord and Floss Silk ornaments edged with Yellow Silk Cord and Gold Twist.

The Quarterings of Ireland on Blue Watered Damask Silk, embroidered on Yellow Satin partially enriched with Gold Bullion Wire, edged and ornamented with Yellow Cord and Gold Twist, the Strings of the Harp of White Silk Cord with Silver Twist.

The English, later British, coat of arms has constantly changed according to the claims of the Royal Family from both the paternal and maternal sides of the monarch's family.

The first known arms for an English monarch were created for Henry II (1154-1189) who used a single golden lion on a red ground - gules a lion rampant or. This later changed to three golden lions - gules three lions passant guardant - which are said to represent England, Normandy and Aquitaine, as a result of Henry II's marriage to Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine.

The first inclusion of the Scottish and Irish coats of arms occurred when James IV of Scotland was created James I of England in 1603. The Scottish arms show a red lion against a golden ground surrounded by a red border - or a lion rampant within a double tressure flory counterflory gules. The Irish arms show a gold harp with silver strings against a blue ground - azure a harp or stringed argent.

The Hanover arms were first introduced in 1714 when George I became King. The Coat of Arms for Hanover consists of three sections in the background: two golden lions on a red ground, a blue lion surrounded by red hearts on a gold ground and a silver horse on a red ground. In the centre is a shield with the gold crown of Charlemagne on a red ground. Tierced per pale per chevron: gules two lions passant guardant or, or semy of hearts gules a lion rampant azure, and gules a horse courant argent. Overall an escutcheon of pretence gules charged with the Crown of Charlemagne.

The arms seen on the Heralds' tabards at George IV's coronation show the arms of England in the first and fourth quarter, Scotland in the second, Ireland in the third and Hanover in the centre. During George III's reign the arms of Hanover were surmounted by the electoral bonnet. When Hanover became a kingdom in 1816 George IV, then Regent, replaced the bonnet with a Royal Crown.

Knights of the Garter

	A Knight of the Garter

The Knights of the Garter appeared wearing the robes of the Order of the Garter. This is the oldest British Order of Chivalry founded by Edward III (1327-1377) in 1348.

The origin of the order is thought to be an incident that occurred when the King was dancing with the Countess of Salisbury. Her garter fell off during the dance and was picked up by Edward III, who tied it around his leg. Amused bystanders were silenced when the King turned and said Honi soit qui mal y pense ('Shame on him who evil thinks' in Norman French).

This has since become the motto of the Order of the Garter and a blue garter, together with a star-shaped badge, is worn by as part of the Garter Robes by the King and Knights of the Order. George IV left fifty-five different style Garter badges when he died in 1830.

Treasurer