The Old Dog and Duck by Albert Jack

September 3rd 2009


The White Lion

Emblem of the first Yorkist King of England

Regarded as the king of the beasts and a creature of dauntless courage, the lion has long been used as a symbol of royalty. In heraldic terms, lions tend to be golden and sometimes red, but rarely white. The royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom consists of a shield displaying various lions, two sets of three golden and one red (see THE STANDARD and THE RED LION), the shield supported on one side by another golden lion, for England, and on the other by a silver unicorn, for Scotland (see also THE LION AND THE UNICORN). The three formerly golden lions from the royal coat of arms also appear on the badge worn by our national football team. These lions aren't white, either, but dark blue. Edward IV (1442-83), son of Richard, 3rd Duke of York (see THE ROSE AND CROWN), was a hugely popular king of the York dynasty. He was a brilliant general and talented politician; indeed, had he not died when his son and heir was only twelve, the house of Lancaster might not have won the War of the Roses. Edward used a white lion as his personal emblem, which is almost certainly why so many English pubs, hotels, lanes and even shopping centres bear the name the White Lion today. Edward IV in turn inherited the symbol from his grandmother Anne de Mortimer, which accounts for why some pubs are called the White Lion of Mortimer. The lion, depicted carrying a shield bearing the white rose of York encircled by a golden sun, appeared on the Great Seal of Edward IV, more recently used by George VI (1895-1952) when he was Duke of York.