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Augmentations: Blanche

The duke himself, at the close of the battle, gave to his retainers, as a badge to wear upon their left arms, the white lion of his own ensign, but trampling upon the scarlet lion of Scotland and tearing it with its claws. This Blanche lion was brought into the Howard family by the marriage of Sir John Howard to Lady Margaret Mowbray. Their son was the first Duke of Norfolk, in 1493, and since that time the Blanche lion has always appeared as the ensign of the family. "For who in field or foray slack Saw the Blanche Lion e'er fall back."

Surrey.

At Bosworth Field, where the king was slain, "Jockey of the North," as one of the early Dukes of Norfolk was called, fell with him. His younger son, the Earl of Surrey, met Talbot almost immediately after the duke's death, and the old poem tells us: - "That now the earl beholds his father fall, Whose death, like horrid darkness, frighted all, Some gave themselves to capture, others fly, But this young lion casts his generous eye On Mowbray's lion painted on his shield, And with that king of beasts, repines to yield. 'The field,' saith he, 'in which the lion stands Is blood, and blood I offer to the hands Of daring foes; but never shall my flight Dye black my lion, which as yet is white."

You perhaps have noticed, in the list of titles belonging to the Duke of Norfolk, that of Earl of Arundel. The arms of this family were acquired by the Howards in a natural way, and with the title, came also one of the most famous country-seats of all England, Arundel Castle. There is an old rhyme that says:- "Since William rose and Harold fell, There have been Counts of Arundel, And Earls old Arundel shall have While rivers flow and forests wave."

This home of the old Arundels is now a favorite castle of the Dukes of Norfolk, and lies but a few miles from Chichester. It was here long years ago that William de Albini, of the Strong Hand, when wars or rumors of war did not happen to detain him elsewhere, spent many happy hours with his wife, Adeliza, the widow of Henry I., to whom the old castle belonged. Just after this fair young widow had promised herself to him, there was a grand tournament given in Paris, and he of the Strong Hand appeared in the lists. So brilliantly did he acquit himself that "he caused the Queen Dowager of France to fall in love with him, and to desire him in marriage!" Here was a most interesting predicament, to be sure, in which the good knight found himself placed - a most unexpected reward for knightly prowess. Engaged as he was to one royal widow, was it possible for him to plight his troth to another? It AUGMENTATIONS. is to be supposed that the English queen surpassed her French rival in beauty, for the knight rejected all advances from the dark-eyed Parisian queen, and bluntly declared that having already given his faith to a lady in England he could not meet her wishes. At this the black eyes darkened, and the pretty brows began to scowl, and it was not long before, on one pretext or another, she persuaded him to meet her in a grotto in the royal gardens. Here, instead of her own fair ladyship to meet him, he found a famished lion; but as the beast sprang upon him, he fearlessly grasped him by his mane, and, thrusting his arm into the lion's mouth, succeeded in forcing his hand into the creature's very vitals, and from thence dragged back through the astonished animal's gullet its own bleeding heart. This done, it is pleasant to know that he succeeded in once more reaching England, where he married his waiting bride. In token of this surprising feat of arms (!) De Albini assumed as a device for his shield the golden lion on a crimson shield. This is the lion that you notice in the fourth quarter of the Duke of Norfolk's shield, and which is known as the Fitzalan Lion.