Posts Tagged ‘tudor’
What are the ‘Royal Tudor Beasts’ and why do they feature on UK £5 coins?
In 2017, The Royal Mint revealed a series of base metal UK £5 coins featuring an intriguing range of heraldic creatures called the ‘Queen’s Beasts’.
Following on from the huge popularity of those coins, a new series of £5 coins has been revealed, that will take you back to the time of King Henry VIII and the mighty Tudor dynasty!
Ten heraldic beasts have stood guard, still, and silent on the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace for hundreds of years, representing the royal lineage of King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour.
2024 UK Tudor Dragon £5
The Royal Tudor Beasts series continues with the 2024 UK Tudor Dragon £5. The Tudor Dragon is the last of the 10 King’s Beasts you’ll pass on the moat bridge before entering Hampton Court Palace.
The dragon represents the Welsh lineage of the Tudor dynasty, and has been associated with Wales for centuries since it was adopted by Henry VIII. The red dragon even features on the Welsh flag to this day.
Sculptor David Lawrence aimed to portray all of the heraldic beasts in the Tudor Beasts series in a natural and realistic way. He worked in collaboration with the experts at Historic Royal Palaces on his design, which shows the Tudor Dragon in all its majestic glory, holding a shield emblazoned with the Beaufort Portcullis badge.
Secure your 2024 UK Tudor Dragon £5 in CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £13.99 >>
2024 UK Seymour Unicorn £5
The Seymour Unicorn, believed to be the strongest of all creatures, is one of ten magnificent King’s Beasts sculptures you’ll find if you visit Hampton Court Palace.
The reverse design features an exquisite engraving of the Seymour Unicorn in all its majestic glory by sculptor, David Lawrence. It was also only the second coin in the Tudor Beasts series to feature King Charles III on the obverse.
Before it was chosen by Henry VIII to flank the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace, the unicorn was rarely used as a royal heraldic beast. The monarch’s decision to choose the unicorn may have been motivated by his desperation to have a son with his third wife, Jane Seymour, as the unicorn is thought to represent purity and fertility.
Secure your 2024 UK Seymour Unicorn £5 in CERTIFIED Brilliant Uncirculated quality for just £13.99(+p&p) >>
2023 UK Bull of Clarence £5
The Bull of Clarence joined The Royal Mint’s Tudor Beasts Collection, representing bravery and wealth!
Excitingly, this was the FIRST coin in the series to feature King Charles III’s effigy! The first three coins in the series have featured Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait, making it one of just a few duel-portrait series!
Looking back at British history, the Bull of Clarence was particularly popular with royals. It was once used by the first Duke of Clarence as a Yorkist badge, and then later by Henry VIII!
Like the other seven beasts, a statue of the Royal Bull resides outside Hampton Court Palace. But, the Tudor beasts once found home in Henry VIII’s Privy Garden at the palace, used to emphasise his legitimacy as a king!
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2023 UK Yale of Beaufort £5
**No longer available at The Mint**
Issued as one of only two UK £5 coins dated 2023 to feature the Queen’s portrait, this coin is now off sale at the mint and set to become increasingly sought-after…
As you cross the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace, you’ll see the peculiar statue of the Yale of Beaufort, Arms of Jane Seymour in its possession. It’s said that Henry VIII gave this beast to his new wife – and what a gift it was!
With a mixture of antelope, lion and boar-like features, it is certainly a sight to behold, but especially so on the UK £5 coin designed by David Lawrence. The design surely captures the power associated with the Beaufort family, who Seymour had familial ties with through her brother, Edward.
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2022 UK Lion of England £5
**No longer available at The Mint**
One of the first beasts to greet you on the Moat Bridge of Hampton Court Palace, the crowned Lion of England supports a shield bearing the combination of two coats of arms – of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour.
A brave and ferocious lion has featured on the shield of England for as long as it has existed. Representing English courage, strength, dignity, and pride, this beast remains an iconic heraldic symbol to this very day.
Designed by David Lawrence, this £5 coin shows the crowned Lion in a powerful stance. Its lips are curled, exposing the ferocious grimace of teeth, and its claws clasp tightly around the shield of arms it stands to protect.
This coin is no longer available at The Royal Mint, but you can order your 2022 UK Lion of England £5 coin for JUST £24.99 (+p&p) today by clicking here >>
2022 UK Seymour Panther £5
**No longer available at The Mint**
The Seymour Panther was gifted to Jane Seymour by King Henry VIII from the royal treasury of beasts. It is one of the ten magnificent King’s Beasts sculptures you’ll find if you visit Hampton Court Palace.
The exquisite reverse design of this £5 coin, by David Lawrence, depicts the panther in all its glory, with flames coming out of its mouth and ears. Known for its intoxicating breath, the Seymour Panther represents the union between the mighty King Henry VIII and his wife, Jane Seymour.
This coin was the very first issue in The Royal Mint’s Tudor Beasts Collection, and it is no longer available from The Royal Mint. You can order your 2022 UK Seymour Panther £5 coin for £24.99 (+p&p) today by clicking here >>
The heraldic beasts of the Tudor dynasty
Over 400 years ago Henry VIII commissioned the sculpting of 10 heraldic animal statues. They were produced to represent the ancestry of King Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour.
These became known as “The King’s Beasts” and can still be seen to this day, guarding the main entrance to Hampton Court Palace. One of the responsibilities of the beasts is to support various shields which themselves have symbols known as badges.
King Henry VIII had numerous beasts decorating Hampton Court where the Queen’s own beasts now reside. The Tudor Beasts are: the Lion of England, the Royal Dragon, the Tudor Dragon, the Black Bull of Clarence, the Yale of Beaufort, the White Lion of Mortimer, the White Greyhound of Richmond, the Seymour Lion, the Seymour Panther and the Seymour Unicorn.
The Queen’s ten beasts were modeled after these creatures and guarded her coronation in 1952. Woodford, the sculptor instructed to produce these ten new statues, did not produce exact replicas to those of Henry VIII’s beasts, as these would have had little connection with Her Majesty’s own family or ancestry.
Now that you know about the history of the Tudor creatures, which beast are you excited to see featured on our £5 coin? Let us know in the comments below!
Continue your Tudor Beasts £5 Collection
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Historic Heads – the changing faces of UK coins
The ‘heads’, or obverse, side of a coin has depicted the image of a monarch or ruler for thousands of years.
However, the nature of these images have changed over the centuries. From the Ancient Greeks to Queen Elizabeth II, in this blog we guide you through the differing historic heads of uk coinage.
Ancient Greece and Rome
The coins of ancient Greece set the design template for the circulating coins that we use today in the UK!
On one side, their coins show a portrait of the symbol of national sovereignty and on the other side, we see something that resembles the nation.
Coins of ancient Greece and Rome were provided for city states and depict images of iconic leaders and the gods that protected them.
Roman coins depict the faces of the leaders of the empire, including Emperor Honoria.
Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Period
The Anglo–Saxon period in Britain spans approximately the six centuries from 410-1066AD.
In the ninth century The Royal Mint struck a silver penny of Alfred the Great at the time of the resettlement of London after its first occupation by the Vikings.
The coin would have been struck by hand and the design showcases the rigid markings that would have come as a result of hand tools.
The Renaissance and the Tudors
The Sovereign is undoubtedly one of the most impressive coins struck by The Royal Mint.
In 1489, Henry VII ordered a new coin of gold. The coin surface was large, enabling the engraver to include decorative details. It allowed for more detailed portraits of monarchs.
The portrait on this coin is of the crowned King Henry VIII.
Charles II
When Charles II was restored to the throne, he needed to assert his royal authority and to show a clear break from the rule of Oliver Cromwell.
It’s been suggested that the tradition of monarchs facing in the opposite direction to their predecessor on coins, dates back to Charles II when he wanted coins under his reign to be different from that of Cromwell.
Victoria
Despite reigning for 64 years, there were few coinage portraits of Queen Victoria, with one being favoured for 50 years.
For 50 years the ‘Young Head’ effigy of Queen Victoria featured on UK coinage this classically styled portrait was reinterpreted several times, with each effigy designed to portray the queen as she aged.
Queen Elizabeth II
Five portraits of Her Majesty The Queen have been used on UK coins since her accession to the throne in 1952.
The Queen’s first portrait, by Mary Gillick, shows her wearing a wreath in the style of many British coins struck between the seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries. This portrait remained on UK coins up until decimalisation, when Arnold Machin’s new portrait of The Queen was used (pictured above).
The effigy selected for use from 1985 was prepared by the sculptor Raphael Maklouf, in which she is depicted wearing a necklace and earrings.
By her fourth portrait, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, a greater degree of realism was used. It shows The Queen in her sixth decade, her crowned head filling the coin’s surface.
The fifth and most recent portrait of The Queen is by Royal Mint designer Jody Clark. This is arguably the first UK coin to introduce elements of personality with a hint of a smile. Clark is the first Royal Mint employee in over 100 years to design a UK definitive coin portrait.
So now you know how the portraits on our coins have changed over the years, which portrait is your favourite? Comment below!
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