THE DE BOHUN EARLS AND THEIR COATS OF ARMS

The coat of arms now generally associated with the de Bohun earls of Hereford and Essex is azure, a bend argent with cotises or, between six lioncels or. This is the coat of arms described in the earliest rolls of arms, dating from the reign of Edward i (1272–1307), and in most surviving impressions of de Bohun seals.Footnote ⁵ In practice, the colour silver was usually represented as white; thus on most surviving depictions the central bend in the de Bohun coat of arms is white.Footnote ⁶ It is presumably for this reason that the banner of Humphrey vii (d. 1322) is described in what is believed to be one of the earliest rolls of arms, the Roll of Caerlaverock, composed in the year 1300, as ‘a banner of deep blue silk, with a white bend between two cottices of fine gold, on the outside of which he has six lioncels rampant’.Footnote ⁷ It has been suggested that the design arose from the combination of the arms used by William of Longespée, Earl of Salisbury (d. 1226) (azure, six lions rampant or), and those attributed to Miles of Gloucester, Earl of Hereford (d. 1143) (gules, two bends, one or and the other argent) (fig 1).Footnote ⁸ Humphrey i de Bohun (d. c 1123), son of the first Humphrey de Bohun, who arrived in England with William i in 1066, married Matilda, daughter of Edward of Salisbury, sheriff of Wiltshire.Footnote ⁹ His son, Humphrey ii (d. 1164/5), styled lord of Trowbridge, married Margaret of Gloucester (d. 1197), eldest daughter and co-heiress of Miles of Gloucester (d. 1143), Earl of Hereford and Constable of England. The de Bohun family’s hereditary right to be Constables of England arose from this last alliance, as Miles’ father had acquired the office of royal constable probably sometime in 1114, and Miles held it during his lifetime.Footnote ¹⁰ It is thus plausible that the de Bohun arms, as recorded in the later part of the thirteenth century, were designed to remind others of the family’s noble ties dating back to the time of the Conquest.

Fig 1.

Seals of Thomas of Woodstock. Reproduced from Sandford Reference Sandford1707.

Yet it appears that the de Bohun coat of arms in its earliest version did not have a bend cotised, or perhaps even six lioncels rampant. The family’s earliest datable coat of arms survives in an impression of a seal belonging to Henry de Bohun (d. 1220), attached to an undated charter most probably written around the year 1200, when Henry was created de novo Earl of Hereford.Footnote ¹¹ The design on the seal portrays him as a knight on horseback, facing right. He is armed with a sword, shield and helmet – a classic warrior pose that was to recur on the seals of several of his descendants. The rider’s shield displays a coat of arms that has a single bend and one lion rampant on either side, distinguishing Henry as a de Bohun and showing that by c 1200 family identity had already become inextricably linked with a knight’s seal.Footnote ¹² This is the only instance in which the de Bohun arms are recorded with single lions rampant, and Nicholas Vincent has speculated that perhaps this is merely the result of the engraver’s inability to represent six lioncels in the very small space occupied by the shield.Footnote ¹³ Matthew Paris’s depiction of the coat of arms of Henry de Bohun in his Historia Anglorum, painted between 1250 and 1259, shows a single white bend between six lions rampant.Footnote ¹⁴ This design also appears in the earliest surviving seal impression of the seal used by Henry’s son and heir, Humphrey iv (d. 1275), dated 1238 see (fig 4).Footnote ¹⁵ However, it is possible, particularly in light of other known variations of the de Bohun coat of arms discussed below, that Henry’s earliest shield design consisted of a single bend with a lion rampant on each side. Henry’s mother was Margaret of Scotland (c 1144–1201), daughter of Henry of Scotland, Earl of Northumberland (d. 1152), and sister of King William the Lion (c 1142–1214).Footnote ¹⁶ The seal of William’s son, Alexander ii (d. 1249), consisted of a single lion rampant with a border surrounded by fleur-de-lys.Footnote ¹⁷ Henry’s early adoption of a single lion may thus have been meant to represent his maternal royal descent. Throughout much of his life, Henry had a strong probability of becoming a contender to the throne of Scotland. Alexander, the only heir of his uncle William, was not born until 1198.Footnote ¹⁸ William’s only surviving brother, David (1152–1219), Earl of Huntingdon, was heir apparent to the Scottish crown until Alexander’s birth, but he had only one surviving son, John (d. 1237), who was not born until 1206.Footnote ¹⁹ In this context, it is notable that Henry de Bohun was the first heir in the de Bohun family not to be named Humphrey. Instead, he was either named after King Henry ii of England, to whom his father owed so much, or he may have been named after his grandfather, Henry of Scotland.Footnote ²⁰ In any case, it is clear that sometime after he became earl, in 1200, Henry de Bohun changed his shield design to add six lioncels. This change may have been spurred by his new earldom.

Henry de Bohun’s early shield may also have departed from that of his ancestors, who probably used a coat of arms showing two central adjoining bends with three lioncels on each side. These arms are not recorded in either seal impressions or rolls of arms, but they appear in two objects associated with the de Bohun family that are currently held in private collections: a Viking broadsword and a heraldic device that was probably mounted to the pommel of a saddle.Footnote ²¹ The broadsword, with a blade dating to the mid-eleventh century, shows this coat of arms etched on a copper shield on both sides of a pommel added at a later date (fig 2).Footnote ²² The saddle device consists of a central metallic stem with two protruding arms (fig 3). At the end of each arm hangs a shield faced with the same unknown arms that appear in the sword pommel. At its base is a swan and at the top hangs a pennant faced on each side with the later de Bohun coat of arms with a bend cotised. The date of these objects is not known, but this unusual coat of arms does not appear in historical records of any kind, suggesting that it either pre-dates the coat of arms used by Henry de Bohun (d. 1220), or it was very short-lived.Footnote ²³ If, as is likely, the two adjoining bends in the coat of arms were adopted from the arms of Miles of Gloucester, keeping the two bends on his shield but bringing them together to make room for the six Salisbury lioncels, then the arms must have been adopted sometime after the marriage of Humphrey ii and Margaret of Gloucester, which took place between 1135 and 1143.Footnote ²⁴ The exact time at which this coat of arms was adopted is a matter of speculation, but it is most likely that the arms were used by either Humphrey ii (d. 1165) after his marriage, and/or his son, Humphrey iii (d. 1181).Footnote ²⁵ The inclusion of a swan and a banner with the later de Bohun coat of arms in the saddle device indicates that this particular object was commissioned by a later earl, probably Humphrey vii (d. 1322), as discussed below.

Fig 2.

Sword pommel with early de Bohun coat of arms (private ownership).

Fig 3.

Heraldic saddle device with a banner and two shields engraved with different de Bohun coats of arms (private ownership).

Henry de Bohun’s son and heir, Humphrey iv (d. 1275), lived a long life. He was earl of Hereford for fifty-five years after his father’s death in 1220, and in 1236 he inherited the additional title of earl of Essex from his mother, Maud fitz Peter (Mandeville), after her family failed in the male line.Footnote ²⁶ During his lifetime, he changed the design of the de Bohun coat of arms, as evidenced by the surviving seal impressions of three of his seals. The first of these comes from a small, round, 40mm seal which identifies its owner as ‘Hunfridi de Buhun’ and depicts the same arms used by his father: three lioncels on each side of a single bend (fig 4).Footnote ²⁷ His son, Humphrey v (d. 1265), who pre-deceased him, used the same arms during his lifetime, differencing them with fleur-de-lys on the bend.Footnote ²⁸ However, other seals associated with Humphrey iv show that during his lifetime he replaced the single bend in his coat of arms with a bend cotised. This happened most likely as a result of his inheritance of the earldom of Essex from his mother in 1236, the bend cotised being adopted to represent his two earldoms while also serving as a reminder of his family’s heritable claim to the constableship of England. The change can first be seen in surviving impressions of the earl’s equestrian seal. It was a large, round, 63mm seal, with a legend identifying the owner as ‘Humfridi de Boun Comitis Herfordie et Essesie’ (fig 5).Footnote ²⁹ The seal impressions show the earl on horseback, galloping to the right. He wears chain mail, a surcoat and a flat-topped helmet, and holds a drawn sword on his right hand and a shield on his left. The shield displays the earl’s coat of arms, mirrored in the counterseal.Footnote ³⁰ From the image in the counterseal, it is possible to know that the coat of arms has a bend cotised. The horse has a braided mane, and below the horse is a twisting bifurcated tree in full bloom, probably symbolising his two earldoms, with a slightly larger trunk pointing upwards and touching the underside of the horse, and another trunk growing towards the right. On either side of the counterseal’s de Bohun arms is a small shield of arms quarterly, representing the coat of arms used by Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex (d. 1144), from whom the earldom descended.Footnote ³¹

Fig 4.

Impression of seal of Humphrey iv. TNA, PRO, DL 27/10. Reproduced with permission from the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Fig 5.

Obverse and reverse (counterseal) impressions of equestrian seal of Humphrey iv. TNA, PRO, DL 27/11. Reproduced with permission from the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Humphrey vi (d. 1298) succeeded his grandfather to the family’s earldoms and estates. He was not the first de Bohun to be earl of Hereford and Essex, but he was the first de Bohun to make Essex his home and to be buried at Walden Abbey, in Essex, the traditional Mandeville burial house, instead of Llanthony Priory, in Monmouthshire, where his ancestors had been buried.Footnote ³² His coat of arms as earl, described in several rolls of arms from the reign of Edward i, appears to have been the same as his grandfather’s.Footnote ³³ Unfortunately, there is only one surviving record of his seal design, and it comes from a seal impression in a document dated 1275, the year of his grandfather’s death. It is therefore not possible to know whether he adopted new heraldic symbols during his lifetime. The seal impression shows that his equestrian seal at the time he became earl had a diameter of 63mm and was similar to that of his grandfather, but displayed subtle differences revealing his personal taste and sense of identity (fig 6).Footnote ³⁴ The shield held by the rider is smaller and wider and turned slightly more to the front, so that the coat of arms is in full view. The horse is wearing a trapper patterned with the same coat of arms, giving it further predominance. There is no bifurcated tree under the horse. The counterseal, measuring 30mm, shows only the de Bohun coat of arms. Overall, the seal design is simpler and chooses to emphasise the de Bohun coat of arms, without any explicit reference to the Mandevilles or any other badges or symbols. We cannot know why the earl chose to simplify his seal, but what is clear is that he was proud of being a de Bohun and that he viewed this simple fact as the essence of his identity. By 1275 the family’s earldoms were intrinsically linked with the de Bohun family name, and there was no need to remind others of their origin. His son, however, had different views.

Fig 6.

Obverse and reverse (counterseal) impressions of seal of Humphrey vi. TNA, PRO, E 42/65. Reproduced with permission from the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Humphrey vi’s eldest son and heir, Humphrey vii, succeeded to the family’s titles in 1298 and adopted a very different style from that of his father. The heraldry displayed in his seals and personal possessions includes many references to the family’s past, probably reflecting his desire to draw attention to his lineage and create or reinforce symbols that would ensure family memory. Impressions of four of his seals have survived: one large equestrian seal measuring 70mm and three smaller seals, two of these identified as private seals or ‘secreta’, measuring 29mm (fig 7). All of the smaller seals had simple designs featuring the same de Bohun coat of arms used by his father, with slight variations. The simplest, used to authenticate his will in 1319, had no decoration other than a beaded border.Footnote ³⁵ Another seal, dated 1300, had a tree with five slipped leaves sprouting from the top replicated on each side of the coat of arms, with beaded borders.Footnote ³⁶ The third seal, widely used by the earl throughout his life, had three slipped ‘trefoils’ sprouting from all three sides of the central shield.Footnote ³⁷ The trees in the second seal may have been purely decorative. If they had a particular meaning, it is now difficult to decipher. The trefoils, however, were a badge adopted by the earl, as they can also be seen in his equestrian seal.

Fig 7.

Seals of Humphrey vii: (a) and (b) obverse and reverse (counterseal) impressions of equestrian seal (TNA, PRO DL 27/42); (c) facsimile impression of private seal showing a tree with five slipped leaves sprouting from the top and sides of the shield; (d) impression of private seal with trefoils (TNA, PRO, DL 25/1543). Reproduced with permission from the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster (a, b and d), and by kind permission of the Society of Antiquaries of London (c).

Interesting as his smaller seals are, it is the earl’s more prestigious two-sided equestrian seal, measuring 70mm, that tells us most about what was important to him and how he wished to be perceived.Footnote ³⁸ Although similar to the equestrian seals of his ancestors, Humphrey vii added certain variations reflecting both the fashion of the time and his own unique sense of identity. The seal identifies him as Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford and Constable of England. The earldom of Essex is relegated to the counterseal, probably owing to lack of space. The rider and the horse are both wearing fan plumes on their heads, over the helmet and trapping, respectively. The horse’s trapper is adorned with the de Bohun coat of arms, but the trapper is longer than in Humphrey vi’s seal and includes folds, denoting movement. The shield held by the earl is also larger, clearly displaying the six de Bohun lioncels with a bend cotised, and the entire image spills into the surrounding legend, the letters intersecting the rider’s sword, the fan plumes and the horse’s hooves and tail. The effect of all of these changes is to add considerable glamour to the seal image, and bring into relief the importance and power of the rider. Compared to the earliest de Bohun equestrian seal, the difference is striking. Yet not all of these changes were the result of personal preference by the 4th Earl of Hereford. There are a number of seal impressions belonging to the earl’s contemporaries that bear striking resemblances to the earl’s seal, reflecting the fact that seal designers followed fashionable trends.Footnote ³⁹

Most remarkable is Humphrey vii’s counterseal. At the centre, and occupying most of the available space, is a large de Bohun coat of arms hanging from a strap carried by a large swan with its wings folded. On either side of the shield are two smaller quarterly shields, referring to his Mandeville descent, and from the top of each of these shields springs a ‘slipped trefoil’. The singularity of this design cannot be overstated. It is especially clear when the seal is compared to the ninety-six seals appended to the barons’ letter to the pope dated 12 February 1300, representing most of the English nobility at the time.Footnote ⁴⁰ A great majority of these have common themes. Apart from the similarities in the equestrian images, almost a third of the counterseals contain wyverns on the sides of the shields or above them, and the next most popular animal is the lion. Twenty-seven seals have shields suspended from the central trunk of trifurcated boughs, and nearly all of the seals have either a star or a cross on the legend, above the coat of arms. Very few seals have any meaningful, unique personal symbols outside the coat of arms. The counterseal on Humphrey vii’s equestrian seal, by contrast, has three.

The first is the swan. It is not clear if the earl was the first in his family to use this symbol, as the only surviving evidence of his father’s seal design is, as discussed above, the seal impression dated twenty-four years prior to his death.Footnote ⁴¹ However, Humphrey vii used the swan as a badge throughout his life. It appears in combination with leopards, presumably representing his wife Elizabeth Plantagenet’s royal lineage, in an account of goods in the king’s possession after the forfeiture of the earl’s goods in 1322. The account lists, among many other items, a ‘colponat’ with gold leopards and silver swans, an alb and stole embroidered with gold leopards and silver swans, and other items combining the arms of Hereford and England.Footnote ⁴² In his will, written in 1319, the earl bequeathed to his son and heir his two most precious possessions: his armour, and a bed of green powdered with white swans.Footnote ⁴³ At Walden Abbey, where some of his most precious possessions were stored for safekeeping, he left ‘eighteen green tapestries and bench-covers powdered with swans’.Footnote ⁴⁴ The swan was meant as a powerful symbol identifying the de Bohun family as descendants of Godfrey de Bouillon, conqueror and first ruler of Jerusalem. Godfrey was said to be a direct descendant of the Swan Knight, a mythical warrior identified in a popular legend that probably originated in oral tradition before the twelfth century.Footnote ⁴⁵ There can be little doubt that the earl meant his family to be associated with the legend, since he named his sixth son ‘Aeneas’, the middle English version of the Swan Knight’s name, Helyas.Footnote ⁴⁶ He was not the first earl to borrow a name from legend to glorify his family with illustrious ancestors. In the thirteenth century William Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick (d. 1298), had named his eldest son Guy in order to associate his new comital house with the legendary Guy of Warwick.Footnote ⁴⁷ The de Bohuns further encouraged the association of the family’s lineage and identity with Godfrey de Bouillon through visual and written reminders of the legendary hero’s life and noble deeds. At Pleshey castle, one of the largest, most luxurious tapestries on display represented the story of Godfrey of Bouillon and his capture of Jerusalem, and the library contained a copy of the history of Godfrey de Bouillon.Footnote ⁴⁸

It is not known why Humphrey vii chose to adopt the swan as his family’s badge, but it is most likely that he did so in order to enhance his family’s prestige and ensure its remembrance at a crucial moment in his family’s history.Footnote ⁴⁹ By the time he became earl in 1298, the family had accumulated two earldoms. Seven years later, their distant marital links to the royal family would be cemented by the earl’s marriage to Edward i’s daughter, Elizabeth Plantagenet. It was the right moment to celebrate the de Bohuns’ achievements and create dynastic symbols that would endure in time, and for this purpose the earl chose a powerful symbol of chivalry and piety, a symbol that marked his family as favoured by God.

Further proof of the earl’s commitment to glorifying his family’s noble history by displaying symbols of his ancestral lineage comes from the surviving de Bohun sword and heraldic saddle device already mentioned. The inclusion of a swan in the saddle device makes it most likely that Humphrey vii commissioned its creation to match the ancient arms etched into the pommel of his inherited ancestral sword, allowing him to display his family’s ancient arms in combination with his own as a reminder of his family’s noble history. Humphrey vii was a knight banneret, accounting for the banner with the later de Bohun arms found in the central stem of the saddle device.Footnote ⁵⁰ He was also the first de Bohun earl known to have used the swan as a symbol. Furthermore, the inventory of the earl’s goods left at Walden Abbey includes a description of four swords, ‘lun des armes le dit Counte’, presumably meaning a sword with his coat of arms on its pommel.Footnote ⁵¹ This is likely to refer to the surviving Viking sword with the ancient coat of arms, a prized family heirloom.

The second personal symbol in the counterseal of Humphrey vii’s large equestrian seal is the Mandeville coat of arms found on each side of the de Bohun shield. The position of these shields mirrors the design of his great-grandfather Humphrey iv’s counterseal. Although the fourth earl’s father, Humphrey vi, had not used this symbol, choosing instead to concentrate on his de Bohun identity, Humphrey vii resurrected it, making his Mandeville descent a conspicuous and intrinsic part of his identity in exactly the same way as it had been a part of his great-grandfather’s identity. However, the fourth earl added a third, previously unused, symbol: the trefoil.

The origin and meaning of the trefoil is a mystery. Its placement sprouting from the Mandeville shields indicates that it was a Mandeville badge. Its meaning remains obscure, but it may have been meant as a symbol of the Trinity. Geoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex (d. 1215), was buried in Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate.Footnote ⁵² The cult of the Trinity, founded in Canterbury by Thomas Becket on his consecration in 1162, gained popularity among the royal and noble soldiers and courtiers in the fourteenth century, probably as a result of its adoption by Edward iii’s eldest son, the Black Prince, whose personal devotion to the Trinity is well known.Footnote ⁵³ The sermon preached soon after the prince’s death by Thomas Brinton, Bishop of Rochester, gives us some insight into the symbolism of the Trinity. He stated that: ‘Any prince should excel his subjects in power, wisdom and goodness, just as the image of the Holy Trinity represents these, the Father being power, the Son wisdom and the Holy Spirit goodness.’Footnote ⁵⁴ The trefoil does not appear in earlier de Bohun shields, but it appears in the private seal that Humphrey vii used most often, and it was adopted by the earl’s son and heir, John de Bohun (d. 1335), as well as by Humphrey iv’s grandson, John de Bohun (d. 1328), both of whom appear to have been very pious.Footnote ⁵⁵

Humphrey vii died in 1322, leaving behind five sons and two daughters. His eldest son, John, succeeded to the family earldoms in 1326. John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford, used an elaborate geometric design in his seal (fig 8). The central shield with a de Bohun coat of arms stood in a circle encased by six lobes and surrounded by an equilateral triangle. At the top and sides of the shield stood a trefoil. On each side of the triangle stood a circle containing a de Bohun coat of arms.Footnote ⁵⁶ Between each of the circles were three circular indentations, forming a total of nine indentations. Other than the emphasis on triple patterns, suggestive of the Trinity, it is noteworthy that John had four de Bohun coats of arms on his seal. He chose not to use the Mandeville coat of arms or any other symbol despite the unique opportunities afforded by the design of his seal. As a result, his seal provided a powerful reminder of his pride in being a de Bohun. As the eldest male heir of a man who had died a traitor, John’s first years as earl of Hereford were marred by his family’s loss of lands and possessions, many of which were never recovered, as well as a forced marriage arranged by his guardian, Edward ii, to the daughter of his father’s enemy, the earl of Arundel. This experience may have deepened his loyalty to his blood line, and his seal clearly declares the importance of his de Bohun identity. The particular design of his seal may be evidence of John’s piety, as the limited amount of information available on John de Bohun indicates that, like his brother Humphrey, he may have been exceptionally pious. We know that after surrendering the constableship of England in 1330 to his brother Edward owing to infirmity, he went on pilgrimage to Santiago.Footnote ⁵⁷ In addition, unlike most de Bohun earls and family members, he was not buried at Walden Abbey or Llanthony Priory. Instead he was buried at the Cistercian abbey of Stratford Langthorne, in Essex.Footnote ⁵⁸

Fig 8.

Impression of the seal of John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford. TNA, PRO, DL 25/1759. Reproduced with permission from the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster.

John’s brother, Humphrey viii (d. 1361), became earl of Hereford and Essex after John’s death in 1335. He may have suffered from a disability as he never married and he surrendered the office of constable to his younger brother, William, in 1338.Footnote ⁵⁹ Humphrey was an exceptionally pious man, as evidenced by his will and his patronage of the Augustinian friars.Footnote ⁶⁰ He was also the first de Bohun earl known to have used leopards as a personal badge and this, combined with his commission of lavishly illuminated manuscripts commemorating his parents’ union, indicates that he was extremely proud of his lineage, particularly his mother’s royal heritage, and that he was concerned with ensuring family memory.Footnote ⁶¹ Surviving impressions of his seal show that it displayed a large de Bohun coat of arms at the centre surrounded by three circles linked to each other by ten smaller circles, each intersected by a slightly curved line in the form of an ‘S’, giving the overall appearance of a chain surrounding the central shield (fig 9).Footnote ⁶² Unlike John’s seal, the three larger circles on Humphrey’s seal each contained a leopard of England. Most peculiarly, the central bend on the bend cotised of his de Bohun shield was not smooth. A pattern in relief, chequered or zigzagged, ran through it.

Fig 9.

Impression of seal of Humphrey viii. TNA, PRO, DL 27/168. Reproduced with permission from the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster.

The earl’s great pride in his family’s royal connections is obvious not only from his use of leopards but also from other objects owned and commissioned by him. In his will he bequeathed to the order of the Augustinian friars a black vestment with the arms of England on the borders. He also bequeathed to his only niece, Elizabeth de Bohun, recently married to Richard Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel, his bed with the arms of England.Footnote ⁶³ Most importantly, the earl is known to have commissioned several illuminated manuscripts containing heraldry commemorating his parents’ union.Footnote ⁶⁴ They include many shields representing the de Bohun coat of arms paired with the royal arms of England pre-1340.Footnote ⁶⁵ The manuscripts are large and lavishly illuminated, and may have formed part of a larger collection commissioned by him.Footnote ⁶⁶ The earl, probably a recluse at Pleshey, childless, unmarried and possibly disabled, had more cause than many to celebrate his parents’ union and his family’s noble connections. Before he came of age, Humphrey viii lived through the death of his mother in 1316, as well as the death of his father, as a traitor, in 1322. After a brilliant career culminating in a royal marriage, the family’s titles, lands and wealth had been forfeited, and regained slowly through the royal service and connections of Humphrey vii’s many sons. Yet the future of the family remained dark. The 6th Earl witnessed the deaths of his younger brother, Eneas (d. 1331), his eldest brother, John, and his brother Edward (d. 1334), all childless. By 1345, when the first manuscript, known as the Vienna Psalter, was commissioned, only his brother William remained alive, and William had just the one son and heir. The manuscripts would have been wonderful commemorations of the glory of the de Bohun family at its zenith, and would have ensured family memory. The de Bohun marital alliances, particularly the alliance between Humphrey vii and Edward i’s daughter Elizabeth, were a source of pride that enhanced the de Bohun name and needed to be memorialised and passed on to future generations.

The patterned bend in the earl’s coat of arms is difficult to explain.Footnote ⁶⁷ Humphrey viii could have used the pattern on the bend in his coat of arms prior to becoming earl of Hereford, as a mark of cadence to differentiate it from his father’s coat of arms.Footnote ⁶⁸ Yet custom dictated that he should have adopted his father’s arms upon becoming earl. In addition, his nephew and heir, Humphrey ix, also displayed the patterned bend in his seals, indicating that this was a permanent change in the de Bohun coat of arms.Footnote ⁶⁹ Perhaps the change was made in order to represent the third earldom of Northampton, bestowed on Humphrey viii’s younger brother, William de Bohun (c 1312–60), in 1337. Although Humphrey viii was never earl of Northampton, he knew from very early on that he would be childless and that his brother William’s son, Humphrey ix (d. 1373), would be his heir, uniting all three earldoms. The change to the family’s coat of arms, adding a pattern on the bend, may have been meant to reflect this.Footnote ⁷⁰

In 1361, William de Bohun’s only son, Humphrey ix, became the 7th Earl of Hereford, 6th Earl of Essex and 2nd Earl of Northampton. Impressions of two of his seals survive, as well as several illuminated manuscripts that may have been initially commissioned by him after his uncle Humphrey’s death but which appear to have been continued at a later date since they contain heraldry commemorating the later alliances of his daughters, Eleanor and Mary, to Thomas of Woodstock and Henry Bolingbroke, respectively.Footnote ⁷¹ Humphrey’s official seal, measuring 40mm, identified him as earl of Hereford, Essex and Northampton and Constable of England, and had a central shield with the de Bohun coat of arms surrounded by a rich decorative pattern with arches and lobes similar to his father William’s last seal (fig 10).Footnote ⁷² As already mentioned, there was a pattern on the bend cotised. The seal design also appears to have incorporated circles intersected by wavy ‘s’ lines, first seen in Humphrey viii’s seal, as well as what appear to be very small trefoils sprouting towards the central shield. Two more seals attributed to Humphrey ix are evidenced by seal impressions in documents created while he was on campaign abroad. They were attached to documents authenticated while on crusade in the east.Footnote ⁷³ Both seals measured 29mm and identified the owner only as earl of Northampton, and both had the de Bohun coat of arms at its centre. One appears to have had no other symbolism, other than two marks at the end of the legend representing a four-petalled flower and a wyvern (fig 11).Footnote ⁷⁴ The second seal, however, had a wyvern with a curved spine and long tail lined with spikes standing on the left side of the shield, facing downwards. Above the shield, a small portion of a figure can be discerned, but it is not clear what it is, other than that it seems to also have spikes and is most likely another wyvern.Footnote ⁷⁵ These seals are, with small variations to account for personal titles, arms and badges, identical to the seals of other men attached to the same documents. It is therefore most likely that the seals were created for the men’s use at Torun, perhaps because they did not carry their official seals with them.Footnote ⁷⁶ Further evidence of the adoption of wyverns as a de Bohun badge at this time comes from the discovery of a fourteenth-century quatrefoil copper plaque enamelled with the de Bohun coat of arms surrounded by three winged wyverns with long, spiked tails.Footnote ⁷⁷

Fig 10.

Impression of the seal of Humphrey ix. TNA, PRO, E 329/422. Reproduced with permission from the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Fig 11.

Impression of the seal of Humphrey ix. TNA, PRO, DL 25/1639/1337. Reproduced with permission from the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Humphrey ix appears to have been the first de Bohun earl to use wyverns in a seal, and it is not clear why he chose them. He was not the first member of his family to do so. His uncle, Edward de Bohun (d. 1334), had also displayed them on his seal.Footnote ⁷⁸ Although it is possible that both men adopted the wyvern as a symbol of the family’s status as marcher lords, it is more likely that their use of the wyvern is related to the women they married.Footnote ⁷⁹ Humphrey ix may have adopted the wyverns to represent the Lancastrian lineage of his wife, Joan Fitzalan (d. 1419), whose mother was Eleanor Lancaster, daughter of Henry, Earl of Lancaster (d. 1345). Another possibility is that Humphrey’s use of the wyvern was related to his status as a crusader, since he was the first de Bohun to go on crusade since 1220.Footnote ⁸⁰