Top: The royal arms on the chancel screen. Above: Drawing of the royal arms 1816–37.

On the chancel beam high above the heads of the congregation is a fine rendering in Coade stone of a rather rare version of the royal arms which was only in use for the twenty-one years between 1816 and 1837.
Over the centuries the arms used by the sovereign have altered to reflect changes in claims and dynasties. On Queen Anne’s death in 1714 George, Elector of Hanover, became king and the arms of Hanover were added in the fourth (bottom right) quarter of the royal arms. In 1801 they were moved from the fourth quarter to a small shield in the centre of the larger shield (‘in pretence’).
At first they were topped with an Electoral Bonnet, a soft cap of red velvet and ermine representing the status of the king of Hanover as an elector of the Holy Roman Empire, but when in 1816 the electorate of Hanover was elevated to the dignity of a kingdom the bonnet was replaced with a royal crown. It is this version of the royal arms, borne by George III for the remainder of his reign and by George IV and William IV, that is depicted at Christ Church. It ceased to be used in 1837, when Victoria succeeded to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland but did not succeed to the throne of Hanover which under Salic law could only descend through the male line.

The detail of the arms at Christ Church can be distinguished from ground level only with the help of binoculars. They reveal in the smaller shield ‘in pretence’ the arms of Brunswick (two lions), Luneberg (a lion amongst hearts) and Westphalia (a running horse) with, in the centre, the crown of Charlemagne, the badge of the Arch Treasurer of the Holy Roman Empire. The surrounding shield has the three lions of England in the first and fourth quarters, the rampant lion of Scotland in the second and the harp of Ireland in the third.
On either side of the shield the lion and unicorn supporters are shown in the near recumbent pose so typical of the period. The crown, garter, motto and various roses, thistles and shamrocks are carefully arranged around the shield to complete an interesting and attractive presentation of the royal arms during this short period early in the nineteenth century.

Martin Davies
The Heraldry Society
www.theheraldrysociety.com