Right then, I thought to myself. Which club badge shall I start with? Southampton would be a good start, after all, that’s my club. Good idea I thought, but then in a flash of perspiration it came to me, Engerland, then move on to the clubs. It was while I was explaining the meaning of our badge on a train on the way to a match that I thought of researching them all. So here we go. Thanks to Baddiel and the funny one every football fan has sung “Three Lions” in their time, either at Wembley or in front of the big screen at the pub with your mates, or even sat at home in front of the TV with the kids and if you’re lucky the wife. But where do the three lions come from?
Lions are the animal emblem of England due to the fact that Barbary lions were kept in the menagerie at the Tower of London in the middle ages. English medieval warrior rulers with a reputation for bravery attracted the nickname, the Lion, the most famous being Richard I or Richard, “The Lionheart” who reigned from 1189 to 1199. It is certain that lions were used by the Norman monarchs of England at the birth of Heraldry. We could also go further back to Henrys I and II, Plantagenets etc, but you can trawl the web for more information on that if you are that interested in heraldry.
Heraldry started life as a means of identification. When armour was introduced as a form of protection, knights of old could not be recognised as they were covered from head to toe in metal. In order to determine which knight was sat on what horse, identifiable designs were made. Often depicting animals, plants, and devices known to the families. These designs or devices as they are known, would be worn with pride on the knight’s shield, later moving to the helmet which gave it the name crest, as in riding along on the crest of a wave, because it is at the top. The arrangement of two gold lions on a red background is a later rationalisation of various lion designs. In heraldic terms, they are described as, two gold lions passant and guardant. This means walking towards the dexter side of the shield. Dexter means the right of the wearer, and guardant means looking outwards. (PIC 1) Sinister means left-hand side. If you were left-handed back in the day you were considered as sinister. Don’t worry because if you read about all the badges on this site, and I hope you do there is a wealth of interesting facts to discover, and you will be quite conversant with heraldic terms, as a lot of club’s use their county, city, and town coat of arms as their badge, or at least a part of them.
It was after the accession of Richard I to the throne in 1189 that a third lion was adopted, and is simply described as, three gold passant guardant lions on red. (PIC 2) As you will see coats of arms and crests along with football have their supporters too. That brings me to the present arms of the United Kingdom. (PIC 3) They show England’s three lions in the first and fourth quarter, Scotland in the second with one lion, and Ireland in the third in the shape of a harp. Despite the fact that most of the country gained independence in 1922, they are still represented in the arms. For those of you not in the know and I wasn’t when I started supporters are more than the millions of us who pay our club’s wages and keep hot dog sellers in the lap of luxury. They are also the figures that stand on the left and right of the shields. They are also described as Dexter and Sinister, and as you have already learned sinister means left-handed and Dexter means right. You see you are already learning and hopefully enjoying it. In this case on the left is the lion, and on the right a unicorn. It is common for arms to be described from the view of the wearer, so the left can sometimes mean right. I know it all sounds a bit sinister but don’t worry all will become clear.
This was first adopted by James VI (1603-1625) of Scotland. He also brought us the King James Bible and the reason I mention this is because there are many religious references in this site tied up within some of the arms, and in turn the club badges. The lion of course is English, and the unicorn from Scotland. There is also a lion on the crown and as I mentioned earlier this part of the arms is known as the crest. All this should hold you in good stead when it comes to your club’s badge or that of another you may be interested in. The Latin motto “DIEU ET MON DROIT” translates as, God and My Right. This takes us back to Ricky the Lionheart. It was the parole (word of honour) of Richard I at the battle of Gisors in 1198, meaning he was no vassal (servant) of France, but owed his royalty to God alone. The French were then soundly beaten, again! The battle words “God and My Right” was then adopted as the royal motto of England.
Many clubs also have mottos often adopted from the region’s coat of arms, as you will see. The roses on the England badge are the floral emblem of England and are often referred to as the Tudor Rose. They were introduced by Tudor King, Henry VII. He had ended the War of the Roses in 1485. Right then now you know all about the badge worn on the England shirt. (PIC 4) Let’s start on the clubs, in alphabetical order, we start with ………… Accrington.
